You're Gonna Miss Me

You're Gonna Miss Me is an excellent documentary about Roky Erickson, and specifically how his brother Sumner gained custody of him over the objections of their mom. The film is powerful and painful, seeing this brilliant but mentally ill and isolated man tugged over by his protective but slightly addled mom and his accomplished but damaged brother--all three of whom are talented musicians, Roky and Sumner especially so. At the time of the film, Sumner is the principal tuba player for the Pittsburgh Symphony. (Since then, he has apparently moved to Austin and started playing in his own rock band.)

Here's an image from the movie that sticks with me--Sumner's incredibly cool-looking house in Pittsburgh:


Of course if the film just whets your appetite, read the band bio of the 13th Floor Elevators, Eye Mind. But most important, listen to Roky's music, both with the 13th Floor Elevators and subsequently. As Byron Coley says in the movie, Roky is one of the few rockers whose post-60s work is just as great as his 60s music.