During his performances, Terzo didn't just mention Roky Erickson as the author of If You Have Ghosts—he also said: "In times of trouble father Roky comes and speaks to me" (apparently as a ghost).
Who is this man who made such an impression on Terzo (and Secondo who has made a cover)?
A few facts about Roky Erickson, a pioneer of psychedelic rock
🔹 In 1965, he dropped out of school a month before graduation, refusing to cut his hair to comply with the school dress code. His father once forcibly shaved his head so he wouldn't look like a Beatle.
🔹 At 18, he founded The 13th Floor Elevators. Their debut single, You're Gonna Miss Me, became a hit and is considered a garage rock classic.
🔹 In 1968, during a performance, Erickson began speaking gibberish. He was soon diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and committed to a psychiatric hospital.
🔹 In 1969, he was arrested for marijuana possession. To avoid 10 years in prison, he feigned insanity—but he was found incompetent and sent to a hospital for the criminally insane. There, he underwent electroconvulsive therapy and heavy-duty drug treatment for 3 years. While hospitalized, he secretly wrote songs that friends smuggled out and published in a book.
🔹 After his release, he formed the band The Aliens and got into horror rock. During this period, he drafted a notarized statement declaring that he was a Martian living in a human body.
