December 17, 2001

12:19 PM

Steaks for Roky. King, the drummer for the Butthole Surfers hasn't eaten a steak since 1981. He's ready to eat one (with anyone who wants to come along) and video tape it if he gets enough money. All proceeds go to the Roky Erickson Trust. (For those who don't recognize the name, Roky, as the leader of the 13th Floor Elevators, is one of the progenitors of Texas psychedelia and has had a hard time of it since then.)
posted by mccreath (7 comments total)

If he hasn't eaten a steak in 20 years, then I suspect that the aftereffects of his meal will be quite ... unpleasant.
posted by chuq at 12:44 PM on December 17, 2001

Well, I read the page. It didn't explain much - is he a vegetarian? Or did he just stop eating red meat for some reason?
posted by QrysDonnell at 12:49 PM on December 17, 2001

Part of the curse of being Roky Erikson is your well-meaning friends coming up with stunningly banal means of raising money for you. Poor guy, he really did have quite a gift, he deserves better.

I can think of about 6,00 things more daring than some guy I don't know eating a steak who may or may not have eaten one in a long time.
posted by luser at 2:03 PM on December 17, 2001 [1 favorite]

An interesting Rollins interview with Roky is to be found in his book "Do I Come Here Often?" Also, there is this.
posted by Hima Otsubusu at 2:03 PM on December 17, 2001

If he hasn't eaten a steak in 20 years, then I suspect that the aftereffects of his meal will be quite ... unpleasant.

So, so true. I went four years without meat. My first fleshy meal had quite a nasty finale.
posted by jpoulos at 2:28 PM on December 17, 2001

luser:

King is one of the people who helps keep Roky going, and he has for several years. He put out a record of Roky's (All That May Do My Rhyme) on his Trance label in 1995, and I believe he helped set up the Roky Erickson Trust. The whole steak-eating thing grew out of a post to the Butthole's discussion board when somebody said he'd like to buy King a steak and somebody else (who apparently knows King's eating habits) said he'd pay money to see it.

There's also a good article about Roky's current state on Texas Monthly's site.
posted by mccreath at 2:50 PM on December 17, 2001

What a bittersweet article. Can we anoint Roky America's Syd Barrett?
posted by MrBaliHai at 5:27 PM on December 17, 2001