Roky Erickson documentary playing this summer

August 28, 2007 10:00 AM

You're Gonna Miss Me is playing in a few theaters this summer. The documentary explores the life of Roky Erickson, former frontman for the seminal psychedelic rock group The 13th Floor Elevators, an influential musician who's life and career has been marred by mental illness. But in recent years his life has been characterized by drastically improved health and an increasingly active recording and performance career. (Via Chicago Public Radio's Sound Opinions, see footnotes 5 & 6).
posted by nanojath (21 comments total)

Previously on Metafilter. Erickson's comeback is not without controversy, with some questioning the motives of those promoting his current career and whether Erickson himself is really invested in what he's doing. Director Keven McAlester and Sumner Erickson, Roky's youngest brother and guardian, insist Erickson is the healthiest and happiest he has been in decades and is the driving force behind his return to the recording studio and stage.
posted by nanojath at 10:12 AM on August 28, 2007

Could someone bugmenot that Texas Monthly article in the Previously? None of the current logins work.
posted by desuetude at 10:42 AM on August 28, 2007

I watched this movie a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say, I was hugely impressed. Roky had never really registered with me before, but that really didn't matter. This is a poignant story about a life decimated by psychiatric illness, about narcissism, and about the divisions between families.

Two big, fat, acid-flashbacking thumbs up!

Oh yeah. Bittorrent is your friend.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 11:27 AM on August 28, 2007

Yeah, baby, I'll step inside your house.
posted by nasreddin at 11:48 AM on August 28, 2007

This is a very solid documentary, and if your local arthouse isn't interested in Roky, it's available through Netflix.
posted by porn in the woods at 12:28 PM on August 28, 2007

Just saw this the other day. Almost ends up being more about his mother - Roky remains something of a cipher. It seems clear that Sumner stands to benefit from Roky's comeback and his therapy routines are pretty whacky, but I didn't get any truly svengali-ish impression from him in the doc - he seems motivated by love & concern. I love Roky's music more than I can say, and though his voice is not what it was, I'll be there when he comes to town in a few months.
posted by anazgnos at 12:29 PM on August 28, 2007

'Informed' thoughts from Kathy Fennessy chez SIFFBlog.

Disclaimer: I host SIFFBlog on a Mac in my basement, via a way-too-slow DSL line. I apologize for the loadtimes.
posted by mwhybark at 12:39 PM on August 28, 2007

porn in the woods (aargh, Chester Brown flashbacks), thank you for noting that, I didn't realize it was available on DVD. Netflix description link here, it's also available for purchase at all the obvious places.
posted by nanojath at 1:13 PM on August 28, 2007

"Creature with the atom brain
Why is he acting so strange?
Do you think he's one of them?"
posted by Area Control at 1:26 PM on August 28, 2007

Here's a more extensive article on the comeback, and Sumner's involvement.
posted by sock it to me monkey at 1:30 PM on August 28, 2007

Oh, thanks a million for the heads-up. I love Roky and the Elevators and didn't know he'd been documentary-ized -- although after The Devil and Daniel Johnston, it was only a matter of time.

Aside from Roky's own recordings, the early 90s Erickson tribute CD, Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye, if you can find a copy, is one of the few really great cover-tribute albums. Any record that includes Bongwater, Julian Cope, and John Wesley Harding is too weird not to be good.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:30 PM on August 28, 2007

The thread would be incomplete without reference the X-Files connection (as 'Roky Crickenson').

I have a 7" of "Creature with the Atom Brain", and nothing to play it on...
posted by lodurr at 1:59 PM on August 28, 2007

It's a pretty rad movie, actually. Worth seeing even if you'd never heard of them like I hadn't.
posted by OrangeDrink at 3:21 PM on August 28, 2007

I have a 7" of "Creature with the Atom Brain", and nothing to play it on...

Well, shucks, whaddayou hanging around here for when you could be out picking up a cute, affordable Pro-Ject Debut III, Rega P-3 or Goldring 2 to remedy that intolerable situation?
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:47 PM on August 28, 2007

*clicks his fingers applauding this post*
posted by jonmc at 5:22 PM on August 28, 2007

I thought it was a fantastic documentary. Fascinating, treats the viewer as intelligent, very cool storytelling. Highly recommended.
posted by stevil at 5:33 PM on August 28, 2007

besides dvd, you can also stream the film from netflix. it's been on my queue. i suppose i should watch it instead of dawdling around metafilter so much, heh...

i'm having a difficult time deciding whether to see roky or the cramps for halloween - both are gigging in SF that night. difficult choice.

oh and lodurr - that's my fave ep of x-files, evar. roky character ends up in lemon grove, CA, hanging with the unitarians.
posted by lapolla at 4:18 AM on August 29, 2007

Hey, nanojath, thanks for this post!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:03 AM on August 29, 2007

My pleasure, flapjax. That Sound Opinions segment (how I heard about this in the first place) was very interesting and the podcast is worth a listen.
posted by nanojath at 9:54 AM on August 29, 2007

also, oddly, I feel it's important to note how great the 13th Floor Elevators tunes really, really are. Absolutely great stuff.
posted by mwhybark at 9:58 PM on August 29, 2007

He's so wonderfully, weirdly gifted, and there was no reason to think he'd come back from where he was at for the past couple decades. Why second-guess it? Music clearly has always meant a great deal to him, and he's out and making it for people who want to hear him. Yay Roky!

The film's well done, but quite sad. You feel for Evelyn, and see her skewed creativity running right through the son she nearly killed with her toxic love.

Uhm, Kathy Fennessy, that other songwriter's name is Townes van ZANDT, with a z.
posted by Scram at 3:32 AM on August 30, 2007