"I think of demons, they never kill"
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Roky Erickson & The Explosives(Great American Music Hall, SF, 3/1/07)
This is a moment I've been waiting for about 15 or 16 years, ever since I picked up vinyl copies of I Think Of Demons at the main branch of my public library and of Gremlins Have Pictures at one of the mainstay record stores of my youth. I've been waiting for it ever since I was struck all those years ago by the combination, then novel to me, of straight rock'n'roll with wailing vocals and song subjects ranging from all manner of horror movie references to demons, vampires, aliens, and the devil, to Cold War references, to fragile, heartfelt, and utterly beautiful love songs. (It's ominous to consider what's going on in the mind of someone who writes lyrics like 'I, I, I think of demons, they never kill. . . . They don't need to, their scare is true.”) I've dared to hope for this moment since the man performed his first full-length concert in 20 years at the Austin City Limits festival in September 2005. Tonight I'm seeing f*cking Roky Erickson in concert!
The drive from Sacramento to San Francisco is uneventful. The opening bands range from mildly interesting (Wooden Ships, Howlin Rain) to something I've enjoyed on record without catching live (Oranger). But there's no doubt in anyone's mind whom they are at the Great American Music Hall to see. Here's a poster I bought:
The show itself is nothing short of amazing. The sweet lead guitar riffs of the opener “Cold Night For Alligators” pierce to the core of my being and then the pounding mass of “White Faces” that follows sweeps me along. I'd come expecting to see a 60-year-old who was just a shadow of his earlier self. But, for someone who has undergone a slew of personal problems, mental health and otherwise, in his life, and who receives barely any royalties from his records and has his brother as his legal guardian, Roky is in a pretty good shape. He looks frail and the set of his eyes and eye lids convey the toils of his life, but he's near the top of his game both on vocals and rhythm guitar, so I can go along with the feelings of heartache and vulnerability that some of Roky's songs produce in me. I found myself only a few rows from the stage, so here's a picture (the shirt has funny texts like "Jammin jungle" and "Taboo Radio"):
We go through highlights such as “Bermuda,” “Creature With The Atom Brain,” a lovely rendition of “Starry Eyes,” the Cold War strategery of “The Interpreter” and “Two Headed Dog,” the 13th Floor Elevators standards “Splash 1” and the set closer “You're Gonna Miss Me,” interrupted only by those idiots who've come to yell along to “Don't Shake Me Lucifer” or lyrics like “The beast is coming” (on “The Beast”). At least we didn't get “Night Of The Vampire” (or if we did, I don't remember), although on the downside we also didn't get “Nothing In Return,” "Clear Night For Love," or “You Don't Love Me Yet.” Pretty much my only disappointment is that with only one lead guitar we lose the incredibly mellifluous and melodic dual lead guitar riffs in unison which so define “The Interpreter” and a few other tunes. “I Think Of Demons” in particular suffers, as the lead guitarist can't quite hack the leads on this one. As encore, we get “I Walked With A Zombie” and “The Wind And More,” and even though the arrangement of the former is simplified to leave out the drum breaks and crescendo guitar fills towards the end, the whole thing has been breathtaking, a real wonder to behold.
Here's a live performance of "Cold Night For Alligators" from a 2006 show in Montreal which is sufficiently similar to what I heard to give you a sense of what it was like (is that the same shirt he's wearing?):
This is a moment I've been waiting for about 15 or 16 years, ever since I picked up vinyl copies of I Think Of Demons at the main branch of my public library and of Gremlins Have Pictures at one of the mainstay record stores of my youth. I've been waiting for it ever since I was struck all those years ago by the combination, then novel to me, of straight rock'n'roll with wailing vocals and song subjects ranging from all manner of horror movie references to demons, vampires, aliens, and the devil, to Cold War references, to fragile, heartfelt, and utterly beautiful love songs. (It's ominous to consider what's going on in the mind of someone who writes lyrics like 'I, I, I think of demons, they never kill. . . . They don't need to, their scare is true.”) I've dared to hope for this moment since the man performed his first full-length concert in 20 years at the Austin City Limits festival in September 2005. Tonight I'm seeing f*cking Roky Erickson in concert!
The drive from Sacramento to San Francisco is uneventful. The opening bands range from mildly interesting (Wooden Ships, Howlin Rain) to something I've enjoyed on record without catching live (Oranger). But there's no doubt in anyone's mind whom they are at the Great American Music Hall to see. Here's a poster I bought:
The show itself is nothing short of amazing. The sweet lead guitar riffs of the opener “Cold Night For Alligators” pierce to the core of my being and then the pounding mass of “White Faces” that follows sweeps me along. I'd come expecting to see a 60-year-old who was just a shadow of his earlier self. But, for someone who has undergone a slew of personal problems, mental health and otherwise, in his life, and who receives barely any royalties from his records and has his brother as his legal guardian, Roky is in a pretty good shape. He looks frail and the set of his eyes and eye lids convey the toils of his life, but he's near the top of his game both on vocals and rhythm guitar, so I can go along with the feelings of heartache and vulnerability that some of Roky's songs produce in me. I found myself only a few rows from the stage, so here's a picture (the shirt has funny texts like "Jammin jungle" and "Taboo Radio"):
We go through highlights such as “Bermuda,” “Creature With The Atom Brain,” a lovely rendition of “Starry Eyes,” the Cold War strategery of “The Interpreter” and “Two Headed Dog,” the 13th Floor Elevators standards “Splash 1” and the set closer “You're Gonna Miss Me,” interrupted only by those idiots who've come to yell along to “Don't Shake Me Lucifer” or lyrics like “The beast is coming” (on “The Beast”). At least we didn't get “Night Of The Vampire” (or if we did, I don't remember), although on the downside we also didn't get “Nothing In Return,” "Clear Night For Love," or “You Don't Love Me Yet.” Pretty much my only disappointment is that with only one lead guitar we lose the incredibly mellifluous and melodic dual lead guitar riffs in unison which so define “The Interpreter” and a few other tunes. “I Think Of Demons” in particular suffers, as the lead guitarist can't quite hack the leads on this one. As encore, we get “I Walked With A Zombie” and “The Wind And More,” and even though the arrangement of the former is simplified to leave out the drum breaks and crescendo guitar fills towards the end, the whole thing has been breathtaking, a real wonder to behold.
Here's a live performance of "Cold Night For Alligators" from a 2006 show in Montreal which is sufficiently similar to what I heard to give you a sense of what it was like (is that the same shirt he's wearing?):
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