[AGL] EYE MIND

[Gerry]

I believe Sumner plays tuba in the Pittsburgh Orchestra or did when Andre
Previn was conductor (he may still be). At least that's what I heard back in
those days. I don't know him.

I used to work for the father, did drafting work for him, LeRoi lettering.
Yes, the mother has a couple of circuits missing and her children all
inherited the trait. I guess Michael is still in prison (for the 3rd or 4th
time). He was a kind of wunderkind in the grass biz back in the early '70's.
Used to stay with me when he was in the SF area and I with him when in
Austin. But he was much crazy even tho not without a certain charm and dark
intelligence. There is another Erickson brother born after Michael, named
Danny (???) who was the best rock guitarist in the family. He used to play
gigs around Austin but well out of the spotlight, played with buddies but he
was married and worked a day job and did not seem to aspire to fame. Hell of
blues player and neat guy. Maybe he didn't carry the seed...

Altho the documentary does not mention it, the reason the state put Roky in
the Rusk Institution was that his friends kept "rescuing" him from the
Austin State School where he was originally incarcerated (minimum security
facility). I saw him in the Haight one time when he was supposed to be
recovering in Austin. Big Rikke and crew had rescued him on that occasion
and he was mad as a hatter, unable to communicate with anyone save my 3 year
old son who used to be able to converse with him. We would instruct Miles to
go in and ask Roky questions and report back to us...very weird scene. Roky
just sat and stared all day. Since Evelyn would also occasionally rescue him
herself and since none of the rescues aided him in a noticeably positive
way, when the state caught up with him again it was off to Rusk. Probably
the best thing for him at the time, out of the clutches of friends and
family for an extended time.

Michael paid many thousands of dollars to shrinks to certify that Roky was
OK and get him released from Rusk. Was going to finance his return to music,
etc. but Roky, altho much better than when he went in, was not really OK. I
formed the idea back then that he would never be. Hope I was wrong. It is
both satisfying and disturbing to me to see him being touted as a rock icon,
poor guy would be a lot better off if he put a long distance between himself
in the present and the talented teenager who was famous for a minute.
G



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Eisenstadt" <mike.eisenstadt at gmail.com>
To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"
<austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2007 9:28 AM
Subject: Re: [AGL] EYE MIND



> My roommate tells me that Sumner Erickson was

> playing recently at some local club. Sumner used to

> be/still is 1st trumbonist in an orchestra up north.

>

> He is Roky's guardian. Houston White and Sandy

> Lockett and Tary (the last two of blessed memory)

> were his guardians at one point to keep Evelyn out

> of the picture. Evelyn is their eccentric mother. My

> roommate grew up in South Austin down the street

> from the Ericksons, babysitted there, and knows/tells

> some fantastic tales about this fantastic family. We

> have been all afternoon guests at Michael E's

> twilight zone hacienda in fabled Austin Lake

> Estates. He spent the afternoon extolling the

> greatness of my father-in-law which was kinda

> boring. After all how much dope can one smoke

> in one afternoon?

>

> I look forward to reading the book, for Rocky's

> early days he shudda interviewed my roommate.

> And then there was Benjy, the youngest Erickson.

> He was 14 when he started coming around to

> where we were living, in my brother-in-law's cinder

> block hovel in 78704. Why? I have no idea. After

> the 2 or 3d visit I ran him off. Benjy was staying out

> late at nite. Too late at night. I can say no more.

>

> Tommy Hall and 2 scruffies stopped at my table

> in the Chuck Wagon once. I say my table

> because no-one else was sitting there. Mike

> he said We're going to debut at the such and

> such lounge, we're the 13th floor elevators you

> should come and see us. I shudda gone to see

> them but i dint. Oh well.

>

>

>

>