Roky Erickson is a music legend from Texas you have probably never heard of.  He was born 62 years ago today (assuming I get this posted by Midnight Eastern time on July 15.

He influenced 60’s psychedelia with his band the 13^th Floor Elevators.

He got caught up on a drug charge and went to an insane asylum in the early 70’s.

He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and treated with electroshock therapy.

He wrote and recorded songs while untreated.  They are amazing songs.

I consider his 1981 album, "The Evil One", to be a masterpiece.  It’s got 15 songs, 13 are great and the other 2 are solid.  The result is an album that can easily be listened to start to finish.  I rarely hit the button to skip to the next song.

Musically, his songs seem quite straightforward.  They tend to be rather moderately paced and based around simple minor-key chord structures.  The vocal melodies also seem simple.  But, they have a conciseness that makes them special.  They are a good example of the old adage that a design is not best when everything that can be added is added but instead when everything that can be taken away is taken away.

Lyrically, the songs on "The Evil One" are a journey through his insanity.  He sings about demons, Lucifer, baby ghosts with chains, creatures with atom brains, more demons, one Beelezebub mention, zombies, vampires, sputnik,  and two-headed dogs.  Yes, really.

C’mon, how crazy can his lyrics be?

Well, the first song is about the two-headed dog.  The links below are to YouTube.  I recommend that you open them in another tab so you can stay here and read my wonderful prose. :-) 

“Two Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)” -  I sometimes wonder whether it would be better to call it Red Temple Prayer (Two Headed Dog).  Nawww, too confusing.

Here’s the chorus:

Two headed dog, two headed dog

I’ve been working in the Kremlin with a two headed dog.

Sample from a verse:

Peace brought back, bought back.

Relaxed be nyet brought back.

Did you dry her out?

Wind her out like jerky?

To me she’s healed to attack.

Seems to make not sense right?  Well, let’s look at a couple of other songs.

***

“I Think of Demons” - Here’s the opening:

I, I, I think of demons.  They never kill.

I, I, I think of demons.  They never will.

They don´t need too.  Their scare is true.

I think of demons for you.

This always strikes me as a person carrying a heavy weight of mental illness… and somewhat recognizing it.  He seems to know that the demons cannot really hurt him.  But, they do frighten.  And, he seems to believe that his carrying of them benefits others… maybe he is carrying more than his share so some of the rest of us do not have to.

***

“Creature With the Atom Brain” - This song reflects Roky’s love of science fiction movies.  This one is about a man turned into a monster after exposure to atom rays.  Excerpts:

Creature with the atom brain

Creature with the atom brain

Why is he acting so strange?

Do you think he’s one of them?

This again reads to me as someone who knows they are not themselves.

***

 “The Wind and More” - The opening lyrics of this are:

Ghosts rising from anywhere they please.

Demons leaving ghosts to spirits

and everything as soon as they reincarnate.

Into a world that is more than allows it before.

Objects moving without the wind

Blowing from the newspaper to the door.

Chorus:

It’s times like these Lucifer.

I see are infinite.

For our commanded wind and more

The wind and more, the wind and more

The wind and more, the wind and more.

Who’s a better lifter than the wind and more?

It appears he is trying to explain hallucinations of objects moving… something more than the wind.

***

“Bloody Hammer” - Some of the imagery in this song can almost bring you to tears in sympathy.

The demon is up in the attic to the left.

My eyes turn to the left to say no.

You say first, I am a special one.

I never hammered my mind out.

I never had the bloody hammer.

It's not a sledgehammer.

It's not a chisel.

It's not a train.

But a thought of unlimited horror for Dr. O'Chane.

The baby ghost says

Beat it with your chain.

The baby ghost says

Drag your chain away, Dr. O'Chane.

Imagine what it would be like to have ghosts of dead babies talking to you.  Imagine hammering your own mind out.

***

“If You Have Ghosts” – This is probably my favorite Roky Erickson song.  Strange as it may be, this actually strikes me as a positive take on his illness.  These lyrics speak of transcendence and being connected to all that is around.

If you have ghosts, then you have everything.

If you have ghosts, then you have everything.

You can say anything you want.

And you can do anything you want.

If you have ghosts, then you have everything

Wine never does that.

Wine never does that.

If you call it…surprise, there it is.

The moon to the left of me is a part of my thoughts,

is a part of me, is me.

Wine never does that.

In the night I am real.

In the night I am real.

The moon to the left of me is a part of my thoughts,

is a part of me, is me.

Wherever is the wind… is a part of my thoughts, is a part of me, is me.

In the night I am real.

I don't want my fangs too long.

I don't want my fangs too long.

The moon to the left of me is a part of my thoughts,

is a part of me, is me.

Wherever is the wind to the left of me, is a part of my thoughts,

is a part of me, is me.

I don't want my fangs too long.

If you have ghosts than you have everything.

***

There is a documentary film, You’re Gonna Miss Me, which tells Roky’s story including a custodial battle where his brother got custody away from his mother who also appeared to be mentally ill.  Under his brother’s custody, Roky received much better treatment and is living a bit more normal.  This photo from the Austin American-Statesman shows them in 2003.

He recently performed in Houston but I was unable to go.  My loss.