It’s not the future anyone expected but it’s still the one we live in—unbeatable rock ‘n’ roll label Norton (home of our favorite records and yours too, even if you don’t know it yet) crept into modernity first with the digital issue of innumerable slaughtering garage and r&b 45s and now Billy and Miriam (last seen backing the Flamin’ Groovies in New Orleans as well as Roy Loney a year ago at a Boss Hoss show in L.A.!) have launched the Norton blog! These folks were responsible for Kicks—one of the best American fanzines ever—and we doubt that the digital transition will take any of the edge off. Visit now and forever at http://nortonville.blogspot.com. And ask for one of their catalogs, too!

Hello friends,

I have decided to put an end to Real Boss Hoss…

This was a long time coming (as those close to me know) and decided to just do it now…

I will probably have one last show later this year when I host Spain’s Wau y Los Arrrgh’s in September and then that will be it… we will go into the memory banks.

It was a good run that Vito and I started back in 2003… The main reason we started doing shows was to bring some excitement back to LA… bring some of my favorite bands that no one was booking back to LA… Bands from my beloved San Francisco scene – The Phantom Surfers, The Flakes, The Bippies, etc. – local bands like Satan’s Cheerleaders and The South Bay Surfers… “real rock n roll.”

I would like to think that we shook up some stuff down here in dull Los Angeles for a few years and introduced many people to new bands and hopefully managed to infect some kids into starting new bands themselves… Unfortunately things seem to be going back to how they were when we first kick-started Real Boss Hoss and I don’t have the energy or the health right now to continue the fight…

I would like to thank all the bands who played Real Boss Hoss shows, the DJs who spun killer stuff, James Beck for always making a show fun, all the people who helped and supported the Real Boss Hoss shows with promotion, buying t-shirts, etc., making flyers and posters, the venues who gave us a chance to do our thing… it was fun!!

Special thanks to my wife Melinda for all her help and support and very special thanks to the following bands, DJs, and friends: Mike Lucas, Russell Quan, Brett Stillo, Shannon Whitney-Owen, Nick and Ben Simich, Edgar Rodriguez, Sharkey, Ben Day, Jonny Whiteside, Falling James, Kai Roath for always putting up out of town bands, Norma Jean & The Eye, The Be Neats, Rock n Roll Adventure Kids, The Phantom Surfers, The Flakes, The LaTeenos, Satan’s Cheerleaders, The South Bay Surfers, The Jinxes, Thee Cormans, The Bippies, Sir Dance A Lot, Thee Fine Lines, The Knights of the New Crusade, The Chopsticks, The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, Jimmy Angel, The Okmoniks, The Guilty Hearts, The Khans, The Del Lames, The Red Barons, The Go Nuts, Deke Dickerson’s All Star Frat Band, The Boars, The Thingz, The Barbary Coasters, The Sadist V, Da Killa Whales, Beethoven & The Psychedelic Daisy Orchestra, The Traditional Fools, St. Jorge & the Dragons, Tristan & the Tramps, The Worried Minds, The Shruggs, Th’ Losin’ Streaks, Nikki Corvette, The A Bones, Roy Loney, Haunted George, Those Lordsburg Lads, Jail Weddings, The Hexxers, Las Primitivas/Tuff Titties, Mark & The Escorts, Thee Ambertones, The Au Go Go Karts, The Teutonics, The Swiss Family Skiers, The Hysterians, Les Hormones, The Troublemakers, Thee Crucials, The Baci Galoopis, John Schooley, Special Ed, Some Dudes, The Dazes, Wounded Lion, Wild Weekend, Slow Poisoner, The Devilettes, Tony the Tyger, Freakstik13, Audrey Moorehead, DJ Zorch, B In Her Bonnet, Alberto Sol, St. Jorge, DJ Ben Corman, Arlo and Gus at Mr. T’s Bowl, The Stagger Inn, The Ramada Inn, The Elks Lodge, Annie’s Social Club, the Doll Hut (where we got our start), Kaiser Records, Slovenly Records, Repent Records, Norton Records, Hook or Crook, Brat Store, Wes & “Trash-o-matic A Go Go,” Reverend Dan & “Music for Nimrods,” Uncle Tim & “Bomb Shelter,” Allan Larman, Howie Pyro, Joe Escalante, Michael Kaiser and “Radioblivion,” Brat Store, Don’s Music, Rudos & Rubes, Tugboat Studios, LA Record, every sponsor who bought an ad from us, every DJ who plugged our shows, and last but certainly not least – every single one of you who came to a show and supported the bands and this little scene… I THANK YOU ALL from the bottom of my heart…

All my love to you all…

Jorge

Download: Roky Erickson Wish List Set List

(from Roky Erickson Wish List Set List)

We had a great time seeing Roky in front of a sold-out and very riled crowd at El Rey last night. (Three stage-jumpers; two huggers and one kisser.) The Black Angels really know how to work that electric jug. Probably flawed set list from bad memory below and review to follow soon. (Corrections welcome, especially if you were the person who actually went home with the set list!) All photos by Scott Schultz! Find more at larecord.com/photos.

“Bo Diddley Was A Headhunter”
“Two-Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)” (also L.A. RECORD respect to the guy DRESSED as a two-headed dog!)
“You’re Gonna Miss Me”
“Night Of The Vampire”
“Creature With The Atom Brain”
“Splash One”
“I Walked With A Zombie”
“Thru The Rhythm”
“The Beast”
“Before You Accuse Me”
“Don’t Fall Down”
“Reverberation (Doubt)”

(See also: Roky Erickson Wishlist Setlist podcast and Roky Erickson Trivia Challenge!)

Roky Erickson was the voice of the 13th Floor Elevators and writes some of the greatest love songs in rock ‘n’ roll. After a long vacation, he returns rested and roaring to Los Angeles on Halloween with the Black Angels as his new backing band—a show that L.A. RECORD is deeply honored to co-present. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

So you’re playing with the Black Angels now?
We been rehearsing a lot. The Black Angels have been asking me to do all these songs they been finding. Like ‘May The Circle Remain Unbroken’ but I don’t know if we’ve got around to that or not. They love those songs, you know what I mean? We work on ‘em all the time.
What’s gonna be in the set?
Most of our usual stuff—that’s what they said. And then they want me to do some Elevators. That’s what they been wanting. We had received this Elevator album in the mail. It was just kind of new one—a picture of the Elevators on brown kind of like leather? Or an upholstered cover? It was that one and the Explosives and somebody else. When we got it, they said they sure would like to listen to that record—maybe learn some of the songs off of it.
You haven’t played some of those live for a long time.
That’s right. That’s great. I’m really excited about them wanting to do these songs. I feel they been down below the surface for too long. They just been finding ‘em—I told them I didn’t know how they’d sound. But we’re practicing and rehearsing.
How did you write that song with Mogwai?
Mogwai gave me a piece of paper—a form they passed on through people, you know—individuals—and they wanted me to learn it. I just learned it at home—it was something about the devil’s eyes or something like that, he eats his young or something like that, and I did it and then they came to the studio and helped me with it.
What did your band think the first time you taught them ‘Two-Headed Dog’?
They were really into it!
Are you working on a new album?
That’s what they say, yeah. We were just gonna be doing some songs they’ve been scraping up and finding. I don’t know how they get ‘em, but they do. Sometimes they just pop up. But they’ve been finding ‘em everywhere. I wrote a lot—a lot when I was in Rusk, you know what I mean? I wrote a lot there. And I saved ‘em. I had two manuscripts—one was called Love Paintings and Positivity Murals, Uncommercially Speaking or something. And then I had this other one called The Future Demonic Bleib. [Manager] Darren was hoping he could get a few out of there. Like this one called ‘I’m Satisfied.’ I couldn’t really remember the melodies to some of them, so I said I’d try real hard—I been working on my strength, mostly. Stayin’ real strong and everything.
How?
I just eat good—eat 24 hours a day! Like a bear or something—eat good food! My wife makes it and serves it.
Where do you get your inspiration these days?
I listen to the radio a lot. And I listen to the television a lot. I get all these stations on the TV. Like cable—it’s Time Warner, you know? Mostly informative detective shows. Like CSI and Law and Order and everything.
Are you gonna write any more movie songs?
Yeah, I could! I been just thinking about it. Most of all I just been recuperating and taking it easy from everything. I’ve been eating a lot better and I’m married, you know.
The golden years of Roky Erickson?
Just sampling all of it, you know what I mean?
What was the last Halloween costume you had?
They wanted me to wear a cape! And they had some other ideas I can’t remember. They brought in some masks and some gloves and stuff. I used to dress up like all sorts of things. My favorite one is to get me to look like a vampire.
Is Dracula your favorite movie monster?
I think Dracula’s one of ‘em. I like Frankenstein. And there was one movie called The Haunted Strangler. It was just about this guy that went around in Central America and he’d kill people, you know? Strangle ‘em to death. But he was a monster. It was real scary. It would have to be interpreted or improvised or fixed up a little.
What was the first movie ever saw by yourself?
My mother usually would kind of tag along and then go take care of an errand, or maybe she’d stay—that’s how I saw The Creature With The Atom Brain.
What was the first concert you ever went to?
I just went mostly to Carousel—major Broadway productions. I don’t know—it was real strange! South Pacific or something? It was down at this auditorium—real big auditorium. I think I was down there with my mother. I went to see James Brown a lot. And the other one was Otis Redding. And we went to an Ike show—Ike and Tina Turner. Way out in the boondocks in Dallas—some unforgiven, unforgotten city. Some weird suburb.
You should duet with Tina.
Ha ha, I tell you, man—that would really be weird, wouldn’t it? I like James Brown—I really was influenced by him. And Richard Penniman. And let me see—Little Richard, James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Willie John, and Raymond Charles.
How about Lightnin’ Hopkins?
We were supposed to do a gig with him—some kind of thing called the Rock ‘n’ Roll Church? All these bands were supposed to be there—the 13th Floor Elevators, no telling who, you know? They decided just to make it a casual thing. We just kind of got together and had cake and pie and Coca-Colas. Janis was supposed to be there—Janis Joplin.
Did you ever meet her?
I think I did one time up on stage. One time I saw Grace Slick sitting in the dressing room and I didn’t know if it was her. I’m just real particular—peculiar—pinpoint about watching the shows. I’d watch ‘em out of the corner of my eye but I wouldn’t be able to catch who was up there. I think that’s safer to do. Because it was at this small room that looked like it might come all tumbling down or something! And real hot! So you kind of had to take it easy and be real interpretive and careful and all.
Was San Francisco ready for the 13th Floor Elevators?
Well, we got there and the place looked like some kind of carousel—real lit-up and everything! But they had to go to a lot of work and trouble to get us booked at a place. There wasn’t really a lot going on there. Soft music—and a lot of soul and everything.
Do you still play piano?
I do! I played the other day over at these peoples’ house—they had me over for dinner—fish and chicken-fried steak and everything—and we sat there at the table, like the knights of the round table, and he asked me if I’d play one of those loony tunes, and I said sure. Boy, that was just a gas, you know what I mean? An after-dinner thing.
Who are you gonna vote for this time?
Well, I don’t know. I voted two times previously and both times I voted for the Democratic Party. And then people helped me do it.
What’s the nicest present one of your fans ever gave you?
They give me bats and no tellin’ what! Little tapes and things. Napkins that said ‘Suzy Creamcheese’ on it. I try to keep ‘em—we have a storage house we keep ‘em all in. I don’t know how we get ‘em in there but we do!
What’s in there?
Just all sorts of stuff, man. Cages and everything. Couches. Apparently it’s alright to do it!
Do they still make that ice cream shake that’s named after you?
Yeah, sweet cream!
Do you know how to make it?
I don’t because they say they have special ingredients in it!
What else should they name after you?
They let me have the key to the city when I played at the theatre downtown. The mayor or the governor or somebody had come in and said, ‘Hey, man, we’re making him the leader of the city for a week!’

L.A. RECORD CO-PRESENTS ROKY ERICKSON WITH THE BLACK ANGELS ON FRI., OCT. 31, AT THE EL REY, 5515 WILSHIRE BLVD., LOS ANGELES. 8 PM / $28.50 / ALL AGES. GOLDENVOICE.COM. VISIT ROKY ERICKSON AT ROKYERICKSON.NET. THANKS TO ROKY’S MANAGER DARREN FOR ORGANIZING THIS INTERVIEW.

Welcome to the L.A. RECORD‘s GRE (Glorify Roky Erickson) exam—below you will find five ultimately challenging Roky trivia questions. Don’t worry—they are multiple choice, and we will be grading on a curve so don’t wimp out! In case of a tie, the earlier entry will win!

First prizes are a PAIR OF TICKETS to see Roky live at the El Rey with the Black Angels on Halloween! (Est. retail value incalculable by human measurements.)

For second, third and honorary mention we have mind-melting Roky paraphernalia from the righteous people at Process Media, Norton Records and Roky’s management itself, for which we are cheerful, bashful and grateful! These prizes include…

EYE MIND: THE SAGA OF ROKY ERICKSON AND THE 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS, THE PIONEERS OF PSYCHEDELIC SOUND—the definitive and exhaustive biography of the first psychedelic rock band on the planet! With this by your bed, you’ll ace every Roky trivia challenge ever!

ROKY ERICKSON AND THE EXPLOSIVES – HALLOWEEN: RECORDED LIVE 1979-81—Norton’s gatefold 2XLP of Roky at his most fearsome! We are listening to this RIGHT NOW (not the contest copy, don’t worry!) and it rules. In fact, the version of “Wake Up To Rock ‘n’ Roll” in the above podcast is from THIS VERY RECORD!

EYE-SATISFYING PSYCHEDELIC TOUR POSTER—seen here and in full color in the last L.A. RECORD, but never revealed in its full glory until this contest, which will put it in your actual hands!

Email us your answers at fortherecord@larecord.com by MIDNIGHT on THURSDAY, OCT. 30, and include an email and phone number where we can reach you! And if you wanna hedge your bets, tickets for Roky are available here!

01. Roky and the 13th Floor Elevators were the first band to use the term ‘psychedelic rock’—but where was its earliest appearance?
a) flyer for residency at the Jade Room
b) business card
c) album cover
d) live review in the Austin Statesmen

02. What famous cartoon consortium released a version the 13th Floor Elevators “You’re Gonna Miss Me” 45?
a) Filmation
b) Terrytoon
c) Hanna Barbera
d) Walt Disney Corporation

03. What was the original source of the dubbed-in applause on the Elevators’ 1968 fake live album?
a) boxing match
b) rodeo
c) stock-car race
d) end credits of I Love Lucy

04. Which famous Texan singer-songwriter was once Roky Erickson’s roommate?
a) Guy Clark
b) Townes Van Zandt
c) Willie Nelson
d) Kenny Rogers

05. Which members of the following bands have NOT recorded at least one song with Roky Erickson?
a) Creedence Clearwater Revival
b) Jefferson Airplane
c) Mogwai
d) Moby Grape

BONUS: What is Roky Erickson’s middle name?

Now put down your pencils! Winners will be announced on Halloween!

So it’s been a year since your ‘comeback’ album came out.
Actually I was surprised that I even got reviewed. I wasn’t really sure if anyone would remember me. I’m being honest. Then I got a bunch of reviews and they were all really good so that was cool. I liked that. It surprised me. Who walks away for 40 years and walks back in and makes an album?
And you really walked away.
I hid for a long time. It took me twelve years to get lost in the street. And that’s a long time to be playing Joe Blow, private citizen.
Did you feel you had to become someone else?
Well, you have to work at ‘who are you?’ Who are you really? That’s what really matters anyway.
In terms of being defined by the things you do?
Exactly. You see how a lot of artists buy into their own PR, and they don’t know how to act when they’re not on stage. I never wanted that for myself.
And you were so young!
I was a puppy. I used to make demos when I was 14. That’s why most people think, wow, she’s got to be really up there. When I met Bruce Springsteen, that was the first thing he said to me. He goes, ‘My God, you musta been young.’ It made me laugh so hard.
I saw a picture of you two. You’re wearing a tie. Do you like ties?
I love ties. I don’t know why. I’ve always worn ties.
And men’s pants in the ‘60s. Everybody likes to talk about that.
You know what it is? People like to talk about it because it shows you how rigid the environment was back then. I had to go to 8th Street. I don’t have any hips. And I like low-rise pants. They were always comfortable to me. And girls didn’t wear that back then. So I would go to 8th Street and have them made and people would look at me like I was gay. They’re looking at me and I’m looking at them and we’re all laughing. It was so absurd to me. That Ozzy And Harriet thing just doesn’t fit. Or chiffon and high heels. I just couldn’t bear it.
How can you say people wouldn’t remember you? Everybody knows the history and you, whether you meant to or not, made some resounding dents in that narrative.
It’s remarkable to me all the bands I hear from on Myspace. I remember when I was in CBGB’s one night in the ‘70s and Joey Ramone came up to me and told me, you know, how much we influenced his music and what have you. That’s one of the reasons I did that Ramones benefit recently. I hear that periodically. That’s really nice. You know, everybody pulls from something so it’s just nice to hear. We just did a Spain tour that blew me out of my box. We were in Madrid and the audience was like twenty-something. They knew every word to my old songs and every word to my new CD. And they loooove rock and roll. Adore it.
Do they dance around?
It depends what part of Spain you go to. We were in Leon and I was like, ‘What, does this audience hate us?’ And I found out afterwards that it’s a very reserved part where they’re respectful. And then we did Casion. They sat there with their hands folded in their laps. There were two kids jumping up and down and everybody else—it was like they were in a library. I couldn’t tell if they liked us! But that’s the way they act in that town. Then you go to Madrid and they’re pogo-ing all over the room. That was great. I had to speak to people that understood it—club owners that do venues in various cities and that understand the culture. Because the band looked at me and I looked at them and I said, ‘I don’t know—do they hate us?’ It was funny. I loved it.
And you’re coming to L.A. now.
I can’t wait. It’s going to be so much fun. I don’t remember the last time I was in L.A., frankly. And I invited some really cool old friends I haven’t seen in years. Shadow Morton. And Brooks Arthur, who used to be my engineer—believe it or not. And Jeff Barry.
Wow, those names.
It’s funny because people don’t realize—the way they grouped shows back then, I worked with everybody. Like there’d be three or four or five artists on a show. So I worked with every artist of the time. Including Tina Turner, the Beatles, the Stones, you name it, I worked with them. The Zombies—everybody. It’s just the way it was. It was fun when you traveled because you’re always meeting people. The Mamas and the Papas, the Righteous Brothers—all of them.
What do you listen to now?
I listen to old stuff but I listen to a lot of new stuff. I love Amy Winehouse. She’s an incredible artist and I wish her the very best. She writes some amazing songs. You can’t take that away from her. I’m also constantly listening to unknown artists. I find that fascinating. I have a pile inside of twenty CDs to listen to. Whenever someone sends me something I always listen to it. Sometimes when people come to a signing and buy merch, they’ll slide me their CD and you end up with piles of them. So I’ll sit down and leave a block of time and just listen. It’s cool.
What do you want to record next?
We haven’t gotten started yet. I’m still looking for material. I have piles of it to go through. That’s the longest process. Because I’ll listen to anybody’s stuff. When I hear it, I will know—one of those deals.
Is it fun to have this on your brain all the time? Is it a full-time job?
When I did commercial interiors, I was working like 80 hours a week and it wasn’t my company so what was I doing? Those are the hours of a brain surgeon. It’s insane. I’d turn around on Christmas or New Years Eve and I’d be the only one in the office. Now it’s time to have some fun.
How are your hours now?
My hours are great!
What’s a work week like?
We’ve been having a lot of rehearsals. Sometimes when we’re going to hit the road, the Smithereens are playing somewhere and that will take out my drummer. So you constantly need subs. And every time you get a sub you need a rehearsal. We’re using a sub drummer in L.A. But I’m using Cracker’s drummer so that’s perfect. I have a really good band and I really enjoy them as musicians and people so we have a great time.
They’re all from different bands?
Dennis, my drummer, is from the Smithereens. My bass player, Sal, is originally from Roxy Music—now he’s in Cracker. I have Gary Thomas on guitar—he’s from London. He used to be in a band called the Stepford Husbands. I love that name! It’s a great name! And then I have Dave on keyboards, who’s also my music director and also a member of Reigning Sound and a gazillion other bands. So it’s a cool group of musicians. We’re all crazy and we’re all perfectionists. It’s wonderful working with people you really like too. No egos and no nonsense.
Do you feel any pressure or is it about having fun?
It’s about having fun. The only thing I feel pressure with is finding the right material. That’s it for me. That says it all. And you always want the next CD to be better. But I don’t feel the pressure like I used to have on me. I mean, my God. ‘Where’s the next? Where’s the next?’ And I’m not twenty years old climbing that ladder anymore. So when you take all that away it really does turn into fun. Most of my litigations are done. I have a good music business attorney so they can’t do any of that stuff they used to do. I was in litigation for 30 years. It’s crazy. I have another one next year.
What do you look for in a song?
The first time out a lot of people submitted death records, which was kind of funny, but why somebody would think I’d want to do that is totally beyond me at this point. I just want to do straight up rock ‘n’ roll.
Because ‘Leader of the Pack’ is on every karaoke machine I’ve ever seen. People are like, ‘Can you make another one so I can sing along to it when I’m drunk?’
Music is for me. It always was. And I went running so hard away from it. Now it’s time to reclaim and have some fun. I’m a firm believer that life is cyclical. Like every seven years you’re a different human being. And I’ve had so many offers over the years to do things and none of them seemed right and I wasn’t about to do something I didn’t want to do, even if I knew it was a huge moneymaker, and I knew it was. I guess I’ll never be rich. But you have to do what’s right for you. When this came up, it was the right timing in my life and it was what I wanted to do. We’ll see how we do with the next one.
This seven-year theory is intriguing.
If you think about it, it’s kind of true. 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42…I mean, it’s all about that. You are totally renewed. Your thoughts are different. You process things differently. You keep growing. Some people stagnate and never get past 19 or whatever. If you keep going, you do change and you do grow. How old are you?
25.
In a few years the things you think about will just go right out the window and you’ll laugh at yourself. It’s just the way it is. It’s a growing process. I just think in youth—well, some people never get over it—but in youth we create our own drama and most of the time our own disasters and people are their own worst enemies in that—oh, this is getting too philosophical! But I don’t know—if you learn, along the way, you kind of dismiss things. I used to talk about my baggage like it was a steamer trunk. Over the years, I like to think that it’s a weekender. Like when you grow up you dump all your garbage on your first relationships, and then hopefully you learn. Because we all carry baggage from the way we were raised and from the way we grew up and stuff. And we don’t even know, but that explodes into your grown-up relationships until it’s already there in your face. And then you learn and then you stop repeating certain behaviors and you grow. With any luck and maybe a little guidance. It’s just my observation of life, that’s all.
But that’s why anyone would want to talk to anybody else—to pass one thing from one to the other. Music jumps that process and spreads some general thing…
I find it amazing how much all of the kids—in Williamsburg, there are so many vinyl stores. The kids are buying vinyl. They’re hip and they understand what got lost in the reprocessing. The homogenizing versions of what’s spit out today. Half of the people you can’t even tell if they know how to sing when it goes through ProTools and gets cleaned up and what have you. But the kids are so in tune and they’re so much more open-minded. I come from a generation of don’t trust anyone over thirty. And that was the M.O. of everybody back then. But the kids are just reaching from every decade and putting all that stuff down and just listening to what they think is good and I really admire that.
That’s really cool. We, the kids, are hip.
You’re smart. You wanna learn and you’re all becoming little historians—it’s fascinating. When I can sit down and have a conversation about music with a twenty-something-year-old person and we’re both into the same thing, I love it.
And for us, it’s like talking to a jukebox.
[laughs] I feel fortunate to be in that period, in that point in my life. We’re going to have a good time in L.A.

MARY WEISS WITH JAIL WEDDINGS, THE GUANA BATZ, THE LORDS OF ALTAMONT, LUIS AND THE WILDFIRES AND MANY MORE ON SAT., AUG. 9, AT MONDO HOLLYWOOD AT THE KNITTING FACTORY, 7021 HOLLYWOOD BLVD., HOLLYWOOD. 2 PM / $30-$65 / 18+. KNITTINGFACTORY.COM. MONDO HOLLYWOOD CONTINUES ON SUN., AUG. 10. FOR COMPLETE LINE-UP AND MORE INFO VISIT MYSPACE.COM/TIGERMASKCLUB. MARY WEISS’ DANGEROUS GAME IS OUT NOW ON NORTON. VISIT MARY WEISS AT MARYWEISS.COM OR MYSPACE.COM/MARYWEISS.