Roky Erickson: Sociologically Speaking

In 1969, Roky Erickson, lead singer of the influential psychedelic rock group The Thirteenth Floor Elevators, languished in Texas’s Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. He had run afoul of local law enforcement earlier in the year for a minor drug offense, and was on their radar as a person of interest. There exists a notion of the Sixties as being a time characterized by freedom of choice, a time when experimentation with various drugs was acceptable, if not encouraged. Texas, though, was different-- and Roky Erickson can attest to that. The Texas state government took a hardline stance against drugs and drug offenders in the sixties and seventies, a position that endures to this day. To illustrate just how draconian Texas drug policy was in the psychedelic Sixties, one is urged to consider the story of Roky Erickson.

Born Roger Kynard Erickson on July 15, 1947, Roky took to music at an early age. By the age of 10, Roky was showing some promise as a guitarist and harmonica player. In his mid-teens, Roky dropped out of high school rather than conform to their policy of short haircuts, and began playing music with other local musicians. Eventually, he and some friends would form The Thirteenth Floor Elevators, and coin the term psychedelic rock. Their first album, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13^th Floor Elevators, would be released in 1966, featuring the single “You’re Gonna Miss Me”. Roky and his band mates would enjoy a modicum of success, with the record charting well in the American Southwest, and also appearing on the national charts, albeit at a lower position. This early success would lead to an appearance on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, and West Coast tours for the Elevators, offering support for such high-profile acts as The Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Moby Grape (www.rokyerickson.net). The Elevator’s frantic sound, characterized by Roky’s screaming Texas caterwaul, an electrified whiskey jug, and feedback-drenched distorted guitars, coupled with their lysergically-manufactured lyrics, would have a marked influence on the artists of the time. But the success was not to last.

While attending the 1969 World’s Fair in San Antonio, Roky Erickson was arrested for marijuana possession (www.rokyerickson.net). The amount that he is said to have been in possession of ranges from one to six joints. According to Texas law at the time, the amount was enough to imprison Roky for up to ten years. At the urging of his court appointed attorney, Roky plead insanity, in hopes of receiving a reduced sentence. The judge committed Roky to the Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where doctors diagnosed him with schizophrenia. Roky would spend three years incarcerated, subjected to repeated sessions of electroconvulsive therapy and thorazine treatments. While incarcerated, Roky began to write lyrics and poetry, often involving imagery of demons and angels. The treatment that he received had a profound effect on his psyche, and when he was finally released in 1972, he began a new career, punctuated by bouts of heroin addiction and schizophrenia.

The 2005 documentary “You’re Gonna Miss Me” details Roky Erickson’s recovery from obscurity, and his decades long battle with schizophrenia. The movie offers much insight into the struggles and challenges that families face when mental illness exists. Importantly, the camera never looks at Roky with a piteous eye, but unfortunately, it is hard for the viewer not to. In a scene that illustrates his illness, Roky sits in a recliner in his tiny, cluttered apartment. He wears giant blue-blocker sunglasses over his eyes, as a constant assault of white noise, static, and voices blare from radios, televisions, and modulators situated around the room. Roky is taking a nap, and must drown out the voices in his head. The documentary is sometimes sad to watch, but the extras offered on the DVD more than reassure sympathetic fans as to Roky’s place in the musical landscape.

According to the documentary, Roky’s days of using illegal, mind-altering substances are a thing of the past (Erickson). However, in considering his past use, it is likely that it began as experimentation, as supported by the social psychological theory of drug use. This theory posits that nearly anyone, from any walk of life, is potentially at risk of becoming involved with drugs (Thio 287). The social psychological theory suggests that drug use is so ubiquitous in a culture, as a response there is a more permissive view on drugs, legal and otherwise (288). On the surface, America in the late 1960’s could be regarded as the pinnacle of socially accepted drug use, but a closer look may reveal that today’s America is far more permissive. After all, the romantic notions of the hippie movement are largely figments of America’s collective consciousness, and it is important to realize that ‘dope smokers’ and ‘acid heads’ were very much considered to be on the fringe in Middle America. Drugs were considered evil, and it is in this era that Nixon’s war on drugs began in earnest. Today, drugs are still considered a social ill, but lawmakers have shifted their focus away from psychedelics in response to the new dangers of methamphetamine and less recently, crack cocaine.

In considering drug use and abuse, it is worth noting lawmaker’s opinions in a historical context. Drug policy in America is often shaped not by a loving, caring state whose interests lie in rehabilitating unfortunate drug-addicted citizens—conversely, it is almost always shaped by economically and racially motivated interests (Thio 288). Many examples of these policies exist, starting with the anti-opium laws of the late 1800’s (which were essentially anti-Chinese laws) and extending to the present day drug laws, which are obviously connected to hot button issues such as illegal immigration, prison-for-profit, and pharmaceutical company’s bottom lines (289). It is not apparent that there were racial motivations for incarcerating hippies in the 1960’s, but there were definitely economic motivations at work. The hippie movement challenged the status quo, and as vocal opponents of the conflict in Vietnam, they represented a threat to the establishment. In the eyes of law enforcement at the time, there was arguably no better way to handle drug offenders than incarceration, even if it meant committing them to a mental institution.

Unfortunately, Roky’s traumatic experiences in Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane were not anomalous for the era, and likely contributed to further damaging an already fragile mental state. The mentally ill have been mistreated since the earliest of human civilizations. As far back as the Stone Age, someone was trying to pry open somebody else’s skull in an attempt to see what was misfiring, and evidence suggests that these examples exist as the earliest lobotomies (Thio 183). During the middle Ages, European leaders of the Christian church burned or hanged thousands of potentially mentally ill men, women, and children citing their practice in witchcraft and possession by demon entities as justification (183). In recent times, however America’s attitude towards the mentally ill has been one of misunderstanding and prejudice. Specifically, diagnosed schizophrenics like Roky Erickson have had a tough row to hoe for many years. In the mental institutions of mid-century America it was not uncommon for patients to be subjected to involuntary electro-shock therapy and thorazine treatments, among other unpleasant things. Further, patients in state mental institutions aren’t referred to as patients, inferring the existence of an illness, but as inmates (188). Sadly, these “inmates” are often on the receiving end of a variety of abusive, dehumanizing behaviors, including sexual abuse, overmedication, and neglect (188). Thankfully for the music world, Roky was released and able to continue his career, and some could argue that he was armed with new insight and inspiration fueled by his experiences while incarcerated at Rusk.

Alternatively, is it possible that Roky and others like him are not actually ill? Constructionist theorizers working under the assumptions of the labeling model argue that what society defines as insanity could actually be considered supersanity (Thio 196). British psychiatrist R.D. Laing’s opinions on mental illness challenge much of what is understood about the human brain. He suggests that modern psychiatrists don’t fully understand the nature of space and time. Furthermore, he asserts that what we view as insanity is actually an attenuation with one’s own inner realities (197). Cultures throughout history and pre-history have attempted through various methods to accomplish this attenuation. Interestingly, one of the primary tools used is some sort of mind altering substance, whether peyote for Native Americans, mushrooms for tribal Siberian elk hunters, or simply marijuana or LSD for psychedelic rockers. Conversely, Laing’s controversial experiments eschewed the use of drugs altogether. Ultimately, Laing’s unique approach cured many of the patients that he worked with (197).

My first exposure to Roky Erickson and his body of work was in the early 2000’s. I continue to be entranced by his songs about creatures with atom brains, two-headed dogs and moonlit strolls with a zombie date. Sweeter fare such as ‘Starry Eyes’ or ‘For You (I’d Do Anything)’, bring a bittersweet tear to the eye. As I delved deeper into his personal story, I was surprised to learn of his sometimes dire straits and pleased by his many triumphant rebirths. Erickson’s artistic output is truly unique, but unfortunately his story is not. There are countless people suffering from severe mental illness and drug addiction in America today. Sadly, most of them do not have access to the support network of fans, friends, and family that Roky Erickson has.  

Obviously, the most important consideration of drug abuse or mental illness in society is how we choose to treat it. Today, it seems America is moving (however slow a crawl) towards a more enlightened approach to drug use prevention and treatment. The haze of decades of ineffectual policies and treatment methods may finally be beginning to fade, as law enforcement agencies, doctors, and politicians are able to see how damaging and costly this War on Drugs has been. Hopefully, as our understanding of addiction and mental illness continues to increase, and we are able to develop more effective and less damaging medications, lives will improve.

To some Roky’s story, and ones similar to it, serve as a lesson or warning of what can happen when, motivated by fear and prejudice, doctors and legislators impose aggressive treatments and policies on illnesses and conditions that we don’t understand. To others, his story stands as a singular success as to what can happen when a sick individual is rehabilitated through proper therapy and medical treatment. Of course, without his family—namely, his brother Sumner who fought in court to obtain legal custody of his older brother, Roky’s fate would have been left to government officials to decide. The story stands as a testament to family responsibility, and the role we play in one another’s lives. In the end, it is probably best to be thankful that extraordinarily talented visionaries like Roky Erickson pop up from time to time. The world is a richer place with him in it. Sometimes though, it is important to peek behind the curtain. Back there are the advocates: the concerned brothers, husbands, and friends who protect those who aren’t able to protect themselves.

Works Cited

Thio, Alex. Deviant Behavior. New York: Pearson, 2010.

www.rokyerickson.net. n.d. 27 November 2011 <http://www.rokyerickson.net/index3.php>.

You're Gonna Miss Me. Dir. Keven McAlester. Perf. Roky Erickson. 2005.

Image is borrowed and is the property of the original artist.