Roky Erickson - Two headed dog & Starry Eyes

[rajivaksa]

please send me the link for the petition. roky IS the rock n roll hall of fame! send it and ill get friends turned onto it. thanks!

[MikeIXWilliams]

Add Roky Erickson to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!!!

[Babyhowdy233]

@MikeIXWilliams

YES! It is WAAAY overdue!

When I spoke to Roky over the phone recently he asked me to let everyone know he is READY for this, and will-unlike many who get inducted-make a point to personally be there to accept his long-overdue induction!

[pauljames00]

0:14

[idic5]

just discovered roky. Obviously, someone has noticed that he resembles Hagrid . the man has a fresh voice and writing style.

[MrJeppelin]

Poor Roky, this is a freakshow. He´s so much better than this.

[jewelw3]

Shame too the people who put him up ther...

[jenebma]

telio

[thesufferersinc]

Rocky has the far away eyes in this one for sure! It looks like he might be wearing some of Syd Barretts psychedelic (pill infused) hair cream!!

When you've been playin' that long, you can always swing into making it work!!!

No one can say a thing about such an original as Mr Erickson with his kinda clout in American music.

[olduy56]

Roky somewhat later inlife.

[beanricecheese]

roky erickson saved my dad's life

[neilus]

playing two songs at the same time is quite an achievement and another example of Rokys deranged genius!

[AwesomeBulldogboy]

he's a god damn genius

[MultiValium]

"he`s just..drunk.."

[Babyhowdy233]

@MultiValium

Roky is not and has never been a drunk, Trust me on this.

His father was an alcoholic and Roky abhorrs alcohol.

[Babyhowdy233]

lunarpower666:

" come on man he cant even afford the price of the table..you do know it costs a fuck load of money just to attend even if you are an inductee."

No worries. If Roky gets voted in for induction there is a shitload of folks(myself included)who will make damn sure that money IS NOT an issue for Roky that night! :)

[lunarpower666]

@Babyhowdy233 that would be great. he deserves it. you tell me where to donate and i will be the first to drop some loot for him. he deserves nothing but the best. cheers

[Felicia83ful]

Roky is amazing...despite the "music critics" that post, his chord changes fit so well to both songs. I believe (only my opinion) I don't think most artists like to be overwhelmed by people who yell out every song they've done...Roky or any musicians aren't jukeboxes! Spare me your theory;)

[TheBnsfly]

Insuperable

[imberbs]

fuck, I really loves hime but I have to admit this video is funny, he's so out of tune and playing the exact same chords haha

[glenmann62]

he was really out of it and really did,nt remember all the chourds to his songs at this point ,starry eye,s is the same chourds as two headed dog , and it would have helped if the guitar was in tune , this was a sad part of his life , he is now much better and plays all over the world ...in tune !

[bananimalistic]

stupid girl shouting "staaaarry eeeyes" at the beginning.

[fawssia]

Rocky es el último de los grandes, tras la muerte de Arthur Lee, sólo rezamos para que Rocky viva muchos, muchos, muchisimos años.

[JunebugBpt08]

with a voice and spirit that his music commands he could of been a great artist anytime in history, days of Lead Belly & Woody Guthrie or modern times of the likes of Cobain. not many people you can say that about, he is just that good.

[ultraata133]

Hmm, don't share that opinion, its clear that this ain't too hard guitar playing, but i love it. Could anyone tell the chords the uses on "starry eyes"?

[kc7fys]

He can't remember the chords to Starry Eyes, but he's singing it over whatever chords he can remember. This is not a fair representation of what Roky does when he's ON. He's not in balance on this day.

[Landrew120880]

I had heard of this guy only from the credits to the 1984 "Return of the Living Dead" for a song called "Burn the Flames". Same guy? I just saw that documen'try on netflix.

[Toady4Us]

Yeah, it's the same guy.

[drugchicken]

True, he plays the same chords on both songs..sad for him. Esp. after seeing "You're Gonna Miss Me"

[stevelliot819]

Yeah his vocals sound great. Guitar playing sounds like shit!

[cosutton]

lucky bastards in that audience

[ZachTFLd]

I don't care what anyone else thinks, but the perfromance of Starry Eyes is so goddamn beautiful.

[cosutton]

I couldn't focus much on it because two headed dog just rocks my ass off.

[Babyhowdy233]

C:\Documents and Settings\Girl Howdy\My Documents\Texas State Artists 2008-2009.mht

Please go to the link above and nominate Roky as either Texas Poet Laureate or Texas State Artist in Three Categories! For the necessary contact info that the form requires(Roky's mailing address, phone #, etc.)go to his manager's website at Ten Pin Management. The Texas State Legislature will review all nominations and make their choice in January 2009 for 2009-2010. GOOD LUCK, ROKY!!! :)

[Babyhowdy233]

Okay..I see that Youtube WON'T allow the link above to open. Please send me a private mail and I will happily email you the online form to nominate Roky!

[Discfiend69]

Pick Up A Bottle Cap And Play Along With Roky

:)

[wrappedhands]

I knew this one cat who swore that Roky once visited his house as a door-to-door vaccuum cleaner salesman but quit his sales pitch when he noticed an aucostic guitar in his house and spent almost an hour playing and singing instead. I have no idea if this can possibly be true, sounds doubtful for anybody else except Roky.

[Wowbagger86]

But what a great story that was :)

[Gellberg]

I love you Roky.

[closetome]

some nice melocholy there

[djbeatbox]

this is amazing

[00eddie0]

great songs, but wtf is in his hair

[TyroneSandalphon]

great voice and presence

[ZoeMace]

Roky's amazing. [:

[enven]

Workin' in the Kremlin w/a two headed - dog. Fucking A, Roky...Fuckin' A.

[theonlytruepunk]

I thought Charles Manson was freaky...holy shit, this guy is whacked, but I still love it.

[pazuzustatue]

except rocky is a really talented musician who had an unfortunate career due to being fucked over many times, and manson is a hack who deserves to die and rot in hell....

good comparison though.

[theonlytruepunk]

Actually, Manson had some pretty decent tunes as well. He has little man syndrome and always did things to make himself seem bigger...

[6458522]

There is no comparison, apples and oranges. However, I also think manson's tunes have a little merit for what they are. There's a lot of pain and suffering in both of their music. However manson's tunes has a lot of hatred and anger as well.

[jacobbielarski]

Apples and oranges? I think it's more like apples and shit

[MSTFreak]

Ween is shit.

[Brianjonestown]

Not anyone's problem but yours if you're intimidated by Ween. Go get a shrink.

[Babyhowdy233]

Hey everyone,

there is an online petition to get Roky nominated into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!

YouTube won't let me post the URL for it here, but send me a message and I will send you the link to the petition. We need to get 10,000 signatures before I can send it to the nomination committee for their approval!

[lunarpower666]

@Babyhowdy233 roky is way above that. come on man he cant even afford the price of the table..you do know it costs a fuck load of money just to attend even if you are an inductee ...fuck that place..he has always been above it. i can see were you might want him to be appreciated by a wider audience but tat hall of fame is worse than a sweat shop. we can celebrate his music theway he writes and presents his music....outside the box

[Babyhowdy233]

@lunarpower666

Just to let you know that when I spoke last month to Roky and informed him that there is the petition circulating and I asked him if he would be in any way interested in being nominated/inducted here is what he said:

"REALLY?! WOW!

That is VERY cool, man!"

When I asked him if he would like to attend it and accept his induction personally here is what he said:

"CAN I go?"

I and Will said he most certainly could go, & Roky had this to say:

"SURE! Just let me know when!"

[Babyhowdy233]

(cont.)

Roky then turned to Dana (his ex-wife and now his girlfriend)and excitedly told her and she too adamantly agreed that they would attend if Roky got inducted. Yes, I agree with your assessment of the present condition of the RRHOF. BUT remember that it got this way because folks like yourself LET IT HAPPEN.

It is run by folks who are BUSINESSMEN FIRST and lovers of REAL R&R second.

It is our right and obligation to TAKE IT BACK FROM THEM and restore it to it's honorable intention.

[MikeIXWilliams]

@Babyhowdy233

[universalsingularity]

is this still going on? I would have loved to sign it and have all my friends do so aswell....

[Babyhowdy233]

@universalsingularity

YES! We still need MORE signatures, as we are currently nowhere near the 10,000 we need to get before the induction committee will agree to seriously consider Roky for nomination/induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I will send you the link to the petition today. THANK YOU for your help in getting Roky where he should have been long ago:into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. :)

[universalsingularity]

Is it just me or does the audio not sync up at all? Regardless thanks so much for the footage.

[CONORR1980]

@Babyhowdy233 Please send me the petition. Thank you

[audiothrill]

fuk that! this shit is awesome!

[blastocyst]

This video is so sad. The empty look in his eyes...you can tell he was such a tortured man.

[livanletliv]

ROKY!

[mrxxxt]

Has all been said- Roky Rules

[cosutton]

Unbelievable.

[cosutton]

What a voice. Makes me sick that he's not more well known and appreciated.

[tocadiscoshumano]

moi!

great roky!

[goatmark]

First of the acid casualties,God Bless You Rocky!

[sirdarklust]

I'd actually like the lyrics to be posted.

[closetome]

The chords are D B A G. The song starts on D. But the D has a slight variation where the pinky plays fret 3 on the E string.

[closetome]

i've worked out the chords if anyones interested? Hail Roky!

[Stina537]

Chords? Definitely!!

[lashtal]

yeah, i'd be interested in the chords:) send 'em please!

[Efrasnel]

Very much interested!

[kvaks3000]

I'm not sure that is of much help, since it sounds like Roky is playing the wrong chords in both songs in this video. In THD only the words are right, while in Starry Eyes he at least got the vocal melody right, though the chords still sound wrong.

Thank goodness he's doing much better these days.

[closetome]

Sounds alright to  me.... i love this version

[bamfmonkeyheist]

MY DOG HAS A HUGE

[closetome]

This guy is the dogs. Straight up!

[closetome]

I would choose the penitentury over being electrified for no reason

[sevenjokingbite]

Roky is doing alot better now. In my opinion, he is the best songwriter in all of music's history.

[Babyhowdy233]

THANK GOD for Sumner! I CRINGE to think where Roky would be NOW without his brother's love and support! THANK GOD that Roky HAS made such a recovery..I only wish that PETER GREEN had been so lucky!

[tlfreud]

This video, of course, is from 1997, which is before Sumner intervened on his brother's behalf. Roky is doing so much better these days. I remember live performances from the 1980s where he was fantastic, and his recent appearances prove he's back "On the Right Track Now."

[Babyhowdy233]

Quite right! You know, IMHO I thought his voice was at it's PEAK in the early 1980's! Just listen to him on the 1984 Halloween show and it will blow your socks off!

[pingve]

It may very well be in 1997, and the text on the screen also seem to state that it is 1997, but the file I uploaded was named something like "Roky Erickson birthday 1992" so I just asumed that the clip was from 1992.

[sonvalley]

fact. while in the mental hospital roky underwent years of electroshock "therapy".

look at the early footage of him pre-hospital... dynamic and bright, and then after... zombie.

[Babyhowdy233]

I simply couldn't agree more! Sadly, my own mother decided in the '60's-after suffering what we NOW know as "Post-partum depression"-to admit herself and let those FOOLS give her electroshock "treatments"! As with poor Roky, her "before and after pictures" say it all! She was BEAUTIFUL before, and NEVER fully recovered afterward! :(

[klovsjo]

yes roky!!

[natefeatherly]

Roky Erickson may have gone nuttier than a snickers bar burrito sandwitch, but he's still pretty smart.

Roky Erickson taught me about putting razorblades...wait...I don't want to feel responible for future disasters. Nevermind. But, in a dungeon made of gold and magic and childhood dreams I can see

Roky Erickson keeping strong and saticfied.

[paedrough]

drug bust of one (1) joint. in texas. how ridiculous is that?

[candlebar]

Actually, Roky went to the mental hospital because of a drug bust. He had the choice of the penitentiary or the hospital. Which would you choose?

[austinitesince1979]

No one knows who Roky & the Elevators are because unlike the Grateful Dead (who had a successful career,) drugs did the band in. The lead guitarist was killed by his wife and the lead vocalist, Roky, was put in a mental hospital for a long time. Roky sold the song Starry Eyes to Doug Sahm for a smoothie. Wow...!!

[austinitesince1979]

Students of history: Roky Erickson & the 13th Floor Elevators took lsd on stage 1 week before the Grateful Dead first did, making Roky & the Elevators(from Austin, Texas!) the 1st of many Psychedelic Rock bands and founders of a whole genre of music.

[austinitesince1979]

In the video, it seems like the people who asked him to perform must be old friends of his and all three of them look like they fried their brains on way too much lsd and are having a nostalgic flashback deja vu moment. From the rather loud and enthusiastic applause, it sounds like the crowd certainly is pleased.

[austinitesince1979]

I heard Roky and someone else singing 'Starry Eyes' on KUT this afternoon, and thought to myself, 'I've got to learn this song today! I'm a native Austinite myself, but I still haven't heard much of Rocky's work. I know I heard the song before somewhere, but I didn't know until now it was Roky Erickson.

[Gulpesoe]

Roky is singing Two Headed dog, but playing the chords of Starry Eyes. This is PRICELESS !

[austinitesince1979]

I think I definitely hear an E minor chord in Two Headed Dog that I am not hearing in Starry Eyes, maybe a C chord also, some of the same chords, but a different progression. This is definitely one of my favorite videos!

[sonvalley]

definately not roky's best. the best is the beginning where he's obviously very annoyed with the woman... "awright, awright, awright... YEA! how yall doin?"

[Babyhowdy233]

That poor woman is IN LOVE WITH ROKY..you could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice(if the TEE SHIRT wasn't enough of a dead giveaway), poor baby! One can only hope that she didn't take this "rejection" too much to heart! :(

[bluesfox78]

roky fucking rules

[pepenet]

Podria estar perfectamente en la Merced, pidiendo kulillos y chustas...

[jondemus]

wow hiikua, you went and looked up roky just to trash talk him? you sure have a burning spot for him somewhere.

much love to roky

[karmabumkat]

Roky forever.

[hiikua]

This guy ain't dead yet? Why is he still around? Never could stand him in the 60's, can't take him now. Never had any talent, still doesn't.  What a bore?

[ManuelHung]

wow, we're all really appreciative of your worthless opinion

thanks, and fuck off!

[shiambles]

whats your problem?

[8jaime8]

get a life. i've seen your comments on more than one of his songs, so you've obviously searched for him on youtube. if you don't like him, stop watching all his videos... duh!

[fenwyfrnk]

does any one know the chords to this song?

[fenwyfrnk]

two headed dog?

[austinitesince1979]

It is a little difficult to see his fingers all the way through the video, and it seems to me that the guitar is either altered tuning or slighly out, but it sounds mostly like D Em G and A. I will transcribe it fully and get back to you with more specific details on the changes.

[fenwyfrnk]

awesome, thanks.

[austinitesince1979]

I think the way to play it is: D (1 measure) then hold the D chord and use yer thumb to hammer on the bass F# (1 measure) then G (1 measure) then A (1 measure). When doing the A, hold 3rd fret on top 2 strings and release to a more full A chord.

[austinitesince1979]

The bridge (3rd verse) I play almost identical to the verse part, except switched around. Start on the G chord(1 measure), then start the progression from the beginning, only the D will be at the end of each line, hammer on the bass F# (while holding the D chord), and the G chord should start off the next line followed by the A chord, then back to the D. In the video, Roky isn't all there, but this is the way I think he meant to play it.

[jbearden]

Roky. Dig you, and your songs.

[xz4q18]

I just think he's still troubled at this point (1997), but this took tremendous courage to get up and play and fight the demons. He played in 2006 some tremendous blues at Earth day, Austin. Check it out. Great man.

[shonazadog]

Genius.

[cannedpoo]

F*ckin A man!

[heshofcheese]

Goodness gracious alive, the demon grandfather child himself

[Chris187]

love his work!

[dirtyrotten]

i love every version of every song, fuck. this is great.

[bobair]

Roky is sure enjoyable to listen to,and I don't believe that he is any kind of burnout as I have read in various places.He is interesting to be sure but no burnout.

[wongkar]

Wow, A misunderstood genius at work. Two headed dog is especially touching. What a grand voice!