You're Gonna Miss Me

This documentary tells the story of Roky Erickson, formally the lead singer of 60s' psychedelic rock band "13th Floor Elevators" and the 70s' "Roky Erickson and the Aliens". It quickly establishes a modern day, shambling, overweight Roky. He now stays in a three room apartment, listening to many ear-splitting sounds at once - a TV playing cartoons, a radio playing feedback, an electronic organ playing a test tune, and more. Roky settles into this, pulls down his shades and falls asleep. His mother says: "It's only when I turn them off that he wakes up". YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME explores what's going on in Erickson's head that he so desperately needs to silence.

Erickson did a lot of drugs in the 60s'... before and after 13th Floor Elevators' "You're Gonna Miss Me" was a big hit. LSD, straight acid, weed, the usual suspects. He became known to the local police, and was eventually arrested for having a "matchbox sized" amount of cannabis. His lawyer, wanting to keep Erickson out of prison, pleaded insanity... tentatively calling him schizophrenic. Not a good move. Erickson was shifted off to the nearby insane asylum... one that recently had severe riots. In one incident, the inmates strapped one of the doctors to a table and said "Let's shock him 'til he s***s" in an attempt to recreate what they'd had to endure. As Erickson arrives, few doctors want to practice there and the inmates are the craziest of the crazy. Erickson is there for almost five years, writing music, getting Etc treatments, and eventually forming a band with child molesters, incestual rapists, and family killers. Two of the band were all three of those.

Erickson shuts off his brain to survive, but is eventually freed after a lawyer wonders why a guy locked up for marijuana and schizophrenia has been banged up with violent criminals. But, of course, the Roky that is released is even more messed up. He thinks he's a space alien, with evil voices constantly talking to him. In an attempt to help him, one friend gets him to sign a document ("with a gold seal to make it look serious") where he professes to the world that he's an alien. He figures this is the only way the voices will stop pestering him. The voices need to accept Roky is one of their own.

What's fascinating about YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME is that it continues from there. All that exposition I've just given is only a small part of the story. Everything could have easily been presented as another tale of a 60s' musician driven loopy by too many drugs. But it isn't. Erickson is cared for by his slightly batty mother, who's the only person he's willing to see. She doesn't want him taking schizophrenic meds... while one of his brothers - a renowned tuba player - wants to "save" Roky.

The documentary doesn't offer any concrete answers and it's refreshing for that. The mother is blighted by religion and borderline insanity, while Erickson's brother is in serious therapy and at one stage weeps in the arms of his therapist. Yet at various stages both are sympathetic. Even Roky is sometimes an irritation as well as being someone you feel desperately sorry for. It was also good to see a documentary without a voice-over, the power of which is evident when Roky's father leaves the brother's house for the walk home... just see where he ends up, folks.

YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME blows some of the few remaining myths about the joys of excessive drug use, but also explodes myths on therapy and recovery. It reminded me of CRUMB in that the stories of the people around the protagonist are as interesting - if not more so - than the focus of the documentary. Although a few people I had heard of (the Angry Samoans' Mike and Butthole Surfers' Gibby) turn up in the documentary, the full story of Erickson had completely passed me by. It was certainly a lucky accident to come across YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME. Unlike some of the drug literature I've read, I'm very glad I checked this out. It's insightful, and highly recommended. And, hell, the final scene even brings a good ol' tear to the eye.

This is an incredible - and incredibly fu**ed up! - story, beautifully told. I had not heard of Roky Erickson before I saw this film. A friend invited me to a screening without much warning so I had no expectations.

What I discovered was a film that's a tripped out ballad of family dysfunction on a level that is heartbreaking to bear. But it can be really funny too. It's tragic, comic, and mind blowing all at once - and in a weirdly quiet way.

It's the kind of subject matter that could be handled in a way that's glib and wonky. But the filmmakers chose a different route, one that's elegant and thoughtful – be it in the downright hypnotic compositions of the 16mm cinematography (how did they swing that in a documentary?) or the quiet style of the editing (the kind that gives you space to think, to feel) - and it leaves a lasting impression. I saw it over a week ago and keep thinking about these incredible people.

"You're Gonna Miss Me" is troubling, fascinating, captivating and hysterically funny. Do whatever you need to do to see this film; it is a true and singular find.

It has the hallmarks of myth, a touch of Oedipus...a younger brother rescuing his older sibling from his mother... There's craziness, but whether its inherited, or ingested or otherwise invoked, it's hard to tell.

The film is vexingly perplexing, so though I was captivated while watching it, upon reflection it feels a little bit like an ambulance gawk. Contrasting the free recklessness of Roky's Elevator youth with his tentative steps at the end of the film is dizzying. He just seems like a husk of a man through most of the movie.

The image of him turning on all sorts of noise generators in his cramped apartment to help soothe him to sleep. Fascinating.

So I'm glad to read reports here and elsewhere that Roky is if not back, more on track. But I regard them with some suspicion, he's addled innocence seems to invite Svengalis. Footage from the mother's film archives was oddly awesome in a raw, and real outsider...yet creative way. The absent father gets a little screen time, yet a pretty strong indictment in passing. The brother seems caught between a lot of magnetic poles, his own crises rise up...he bites off more than he can chew with Roky...and then as an afterthought we find out he lives next door to said absent father?!?!

Weird is the word...

And I've left out the channeling therapist (you got to walk before you can rock?) and the once-upon-a-time defenders of electroshock and that track suit guy who celebrates with Sumner at the end.

At the end, like any family suffering, I wish them the best, at least some form of solace. And I wonder if Roky ever sort of misses Roky?

After seeing the movie, I still felt I didn't know the Roky Erickson story. Surprisingly little music. Too much focus on Roky's mom. She was unusual but not interesting enough to carry the movie.

The obvious comparison is to the Daniel Johnston documentary "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" - that is the better movie. The decline into schizophrenia is more visible. Note that I am a BIG Roky fan and only a marginal Daniel Johnston fan.

Despite the review, if the movie is showing along with a performance of Roky Erickson and the Explosives - GO SEE IT! It is very interesting to compare the real Roky with the documentary Roky. Also the backing band ROCKS!!

What a marvelous documentary this is, one of the best documentaries I have ever seen, very moving and a very haunting and touching story about a broken family, I have watched this about 6-7 times already and it never gets old, great interviews with musicians who admire Roky Erickson band his contributions to the music industry, I never was into the 13th floor elevators much although they have some great songs, I was always more partial to his amazingly great solo albums specifically the evil one and don't slander me, both of which have been re issued recently on vinyl through light in the attic records, this documentary features some rare and haunting interviews with Roky himself, but the core interest to me in this documentary was his struggles with mental illness and overcoming them through his brother's help and love. I Highly recommend this wonderful documentary!