Roky Erickson: the storied life and career of a psychedelic rock innovator
Looking at some people, you can tell that in their minds, the music never stops. Being equal parts wistful and haunted is a full-time job, especially when you’ve got talent like Roky Erickson. “If you have ghosts, you have everything,” the psychedelic innovator famously proclaimed, his entire life marked by the stark realisation that that was, in fact, true.
Throughout his life and career, Erickson consistently brought himself back from the brink to deliver musical brilliance, his aloof expression and long-haired, bearded appearance complimenting the indisputable fact that this was a man whose excellence in artistic intuition was as cutting-edge as it was constantly on the verge of imploding.
Erickson’s endearing embers beamed the brightest when his work sat at the intersection of inspiration and fixation; he possessed the remarkable ability to transform his internal struggles into a haunting composition, which often comprised nothing more than his voice and a guitar, beautifully working in tandem like an effortless musical transaction.
With The 13th Floor Elevators in the 1960s, Erickson pioneered psychedelia and the boundless limitations of expressive rock. Even though their tunes aren’t what you’d call mainstream nowadays, they still made a dent on the national charts with their first single, ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me’. Used rather appropriately in the film High Fidelity, ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me’ proved Erickson’s ability to shift his voice to a more rock-sounding allure.
Despite the hurdles the singer encountered, like pleading insanity following an arrest for possession of marijuana, along with a deeper descent into spiritual, bandana-wearing thinking and attire, Erickson kept pushing musical boundaries, diving into new sounds and themes. After his institutionalisation in the 1970s, Erickson’s solo career and songwriting took on a significantly different tone, with paranoia and delusion infiltrating his work more profoundly than before. This can be heard across the entire album The Evil One, including the strangely endearing, albeit eery compositions ‘If You Have Ghosts’ and ‘Bloody Hammer’.
After a series of strange comments in interviews – one about his release from the mental institution being due to his intense power – Erickson became a forerunner in poignant graveyard rock. Names like Patti Smith and R.E.M’s Peter Buck praised his work, the latter of which even called his music “concise and terrifying” yet powerful nonetheless. However, Erickson’s imminent mental break was looming, and the 1980s presented a series of new challenges, from rotting teeth to stolen mail.
Still, despite his personal struggles, Erickson experienced a significant upheaval in his latter years. For instance, his interviews depicted him as being more plugged in and even appreciative of those who still listen to and cherish his music. He appeared to display genuine enjoyment about still actively participating in the music industry, his aloofness seemingly taking more of a backseat compared to his earlier days with the Elevators.
Erickson’s final album, True Love Cast Out All Evil, was released in 2010. Although it seemed more sultry than his previous releases, focussing less on macabre themes and details, True Love Cast Out All Evil seemed the perfect end to Erickson’s musical journey. Of course, his approach remained entrenched in his usual trademark irregularities, but at its crux, it showcased an Erickson whose soul had very much been redeemed.
