Sunday Music: The 13th Floor Elevators

"You're Gonna Miss Me" was released in 1966, and was the 13th Floor Elevators' biggest hit. The Austin, Texas group, led by Roky Erikson, was one of the first garage/psychedelic bands. They were frequently cited as an influence by artists in the punk era. In 1968, Roky, who was always a little different, went completely mad. Underlying schizophrenia, mixed with mescaline and LSD, landed him in the Rusk State Hospital For The Criminally Insane. (A terrifying name, if ever I heard one) After he was released in 1972, he went back to playing music, eventually forming Rocky Erickson and the Aliens, and drifting in and out of his illness. A documentary about Erickson You're Gonna Miss Me was released in 2005.