Those two plus that obscure Texan Roky Erickson… that dang 'rule of threes' prevails again. At least I hope it stops at three.
I reacted differently on hearing the news that each of those had died. Leon Redbone was always a curious oddity. His music was an anachronism, but he was well liked during the later 70s and early 80s. I remember seeing him in an outdoor summer performance in Hartford, CT in '79 or '80. He clearly commanded complete attention of the crowd on a warm summer evening in a large city park. His popularity seemed to fade after that, and I had all but forgotten him when I heard he died. I was sad, but I couldn't tell if it was over his death, or if it was over the memory of my long gone younger days. Probably both.
Roky Erickson was quite a bit more obscure. In fact, I didn't know his name, only his mid 60s band the 13th Floor Elevator and their one hit song. He seemed to be known mainly by fans of 60s garage rock, as
Lenny Kaye famously brought to our attention. I remember hearing my younger brother's copy of the Nuggets album. The songs were fun to hear again (I was in high school in the mid 60s) but Lenny Kaye's comments on each song were hilarious gems. His brief account at what Erickson suffered at the hands of Texan law enforcement in the late 60s was anything but funny. When the 4 CD set of Nuggets came out, I rushed to buy a copy. Of course, Roky Erickson's song, "You're Gonna Miss Me" was on it. That same song was used in the opening of
the movie "High Fidelity". (I've always wondered if this 2000 movie was indirectly responsible for the return from the grave of vinyl LPs.)
And now Dr. John… enough already.
You are young
. Jerry Garcia had been playing poker with Death for some time before he finally cashed in his chips. By that time, I was used to the idea that many famous musicians died too young.
My plane crash moment was in 1959 when Buddy Holly died. Honestly, as a 10-year-old kid, I didn't know who those other two were. Buddy Holly, like Erickson, was from Texas.
By 1970/71, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin (yet another ex-Texan),and Duane Allman all died early and unnecessary deaths. They could have had longer and more productive careers if they hadn't flamed out so young. I was a young 20-21 year-old, and their deaths over that short time span taught me that musical fame is fleeting and costly. So, despite being saddened by the recent deaths of Leon Redbone, Roky Erickson, and Dr. John, I'm glad to realize they were survivors of a business where many rapidly come and go.
