roger kynard erickson's
all-seeing eye, or some outlandishly fiendish occult plot ?
This song was recorded in Roky's manager's office in Marin County, California during an acoustic solo performance in which the Aliens were notable by their absence.
"from the gargoyles to stone henge
from the sphynx to the pyramids
religious temples praising the devil right
to the devils club as it strikes midnight..."
Hear that first line quoted above ? I'm still not convinced.
Ever since my friend, Gus - an Erickson aficionado - first brought this song to my attention a couple of years after its original release, I have been stone cold certain Roky actually sings "From The Gorbals to Stone Henge"...despite the odds. Even listening to it now, having finally sourced the lyric on the web somewhere in a bid to lay old ghosts to rest, I continue to harbour grave doubts.
Gargoyles just don't do it for me.
▼ ROKY ERICKSON: I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE BEFORE from "Gremlins Have Pictures" LP (Pink Dust) 1986 (US)
6 comments:
I love this song. It actually gave me the creeps the first time I heard it, unlike some lame songs that are supposed to inspire creepy feelings but only inspire irritation. A friend once met Roky and described it as a frightening experience. I asked her why and she couldn't quite explain it. "I guess I felt like something terrible could happen, but I don't know what." Check out @eloh's post about vacationing at Dachau if you need to get creeped out further.
There is something genuinely awful about this song, in the archaic sense of the word. A foreboding that starts in the back in the head before the first rush of coming up on hallucinogenics. I don't know whether I would actually like to meet Roky or not. At least not on acid. Your friend's account strikes a precise note, that vague disquiet again...
I just finished reading @eloh's post. Chilling is the best word I can find to describe it. Like something tapping under the skin.
Clicking on that link to the new world order website brought me back to the months after 9/11, when I attempted to unravel that day's connection to the Illuminati plot to rule the world. I remember all the masonry symbolism on U.S. currency these sites pointed out. One of the best uses of the Interwebs...
I have to confess I don't really buy that new world order shit, although the 'evidence' on the conspiracy is entertaining in the extreme. This is the kind of colourful nonsense I lapped up when I was a good deal younger and my mind befuddled with narcotics. These days I am more inclined to believe the reality is far more prosaic; a bunch of fat cat motherfuckers lining their pockets while the rest of us are spoonfed the cult of meaningless celebrity.
Peoples' lives are spent on a daily basis lining those stinking pockets, I won't deny. Mining for diamonds or brokering drugs and human bodies. It is the same as it always was. Sharper suits and faster spin, but the hoi polloi are busy falling over themselves to buy a ticket on the carousel. Business as usual. The same old slave trade with better dressed concessions.
Roky is soooooo heavy. I don't know if the third eye see's it all, but Roky's see's quite a way.
I think its just a song about acceptence rather than ancient plotting, not saying anything more sinister than 'I Have Always Been Here Before'. But that can be taken as pretty sinister.
I always wondered what exactly was going on in 'Slip Inside This House' also, i think maybe quite a bit.
Seeing him next week. I don't expect he'll play this.
I had no idea Roky was gigging this side of the water. It completely escaped my attention.
Have a good time, man. Whatever form he's in, it's sure to be a memorable night.
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