I'm not a person who goes to show after show...I'm very selective...like the catholic who only goes to church on Christmas or Easter...making sure the ones I do attend are as close to religious experiences as I may ever know.

last night I made the two hour drive to Brooklyn for one such journey. navigating the fucked up streets of that borough which I tend to avoid at all costs. in the ten years I lived in New York City, I could count the number of times I was in Crooklyn...a toddler would probably have the skills to count that high as well...but it was an exceptional night...it was Friday the 13th....and Roky Erickson was playing at Southpaw, his first ever show in New York and as it turns out, his first ever visit to New York period.

the Southpaw is more like a glorfied bar than a venue for a proper concert. but the atmosphere seemed to suit a notoriously reclusive icon for a warm-up gig before playing a crowd three times as big at the Bowery this upcoming Sunday. As I sat impatiently through 2 opening acts who wouldn't have had the drawing power to fill my living room, I had plenty of time observe. I was impressed by the stage. It had a curtain that they actually opened and closed between acts. It added a sense of magic to the place. Something about always seeing the guys tear down and set up the equipment between acts has always had a mass produced feeling for me. I liked that the curtain was closed...then Presto! It's show time.

I was also impressed by the cross-section of those in attendance. To be sure, the place was packed with Brooklyn hipsters who I noticed tend to always look rather unhealthy...thin faces and sunken eyes and the expression of someone young who is drinking themselves into early old age. Still, it was tribute to a man who has become more popular to the generation after his than he ever was to his contempories. There were also a fair amount of retired hippies making the trip to see the front of man of The 13th Floor Elevators wail out some the best rock n roll music ever made. And unlike most New York crowds, there was genuine excitement in the room.

The curtain opened and the place was lost in the sound of admiration...for most, including myself, there was that Christmas morning feeling of disbelief seeing Roky actually on stage in front of us. The applause was real and he felt it...smiling and waiting before going into the classic "It's A Cold Night For Alligators".

The set list included the old 13th Floor gem "The Interpretor", along with Rocky classics such as "Don't Shake Me Lucifer", "Bermuda", "I Think of Demons" and "Bloody Hammer" which was damn well religious. He also played "Creature With the Atom Brain" which is a song that heavily inspired parts of my new zombie novel. He even did the "skit" voices in the between the verses. I missed the gunshot sound effects that can be found on the record (I can't prove it, but I think that song is the first ever to use gunshots as music)...The set closer was naturally "You're Gonna Miss Me" and though I've heard the song thousands of times, I still got goose bumps. It's incredible to think that a song written almost 40 years ago could still be a hit today...it still sounds ahead of its time.

The encore included "I Walked With a Zombie" (a song taken from the title of an 1940's B horror movie, which I actually watched on cable not too long ago, simply because of the song)...and ended with "The Wind and More" and the entire audience singing along. The only tune I really missed hearing was "Don't Slander Me", but I will survive.

After the show, Roky stuck around to sign autographs...but the place was a madhouse and I had a two plus hour drive back to the mountains and it was already 1:30 in the am. So I passed, knowing I wouldn't know what to say anyway...except maybe the same thing he said each time the crowd cheered manically after each song...thank you.

thanks to one of my idols who is still sticking around.