Roky Erickson was a pioneer of Psychedelic Rock as the singer and songwriter for 13th Floor Elevators. The band broke up when Roky was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. He spent three years inside, where he was dosed with Thorazine and subjected to electroconvulsive therapy.
Therapy, indeed.
After he was released from the hospital, Roky made a musical comeback of sorts. He started another band that he called Bleib Alien. (Roky often claimed he was from another planet.) Renamed Roky Erickson and The Aliens in 1979, they went into the studio and recorded the songs that ended up on an album called 'The Evil One'.
Roky left this planet to walk with ghosts, zombies and two-headed dogs on May 31, 2019. Thought I'd pay tribute to him by playing 'The Evil One'. It's some damn fine Rock 'N Roll.
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