In its function as documentary on legendary rocker Roger "Roky" Erickson, 'You're Gonna Miss Me' features testimonials from rock notables like Patti Smith and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, as well as ubiquitous MTV talking head Kurt Loder. Interestingly enough, before we see any of them, and even before we see Roky himself, the first faces shown in this documentary are Roky's brother Sumner and his mother Evelyn.
The typical modus operandi for documentaries on rock 'n' roll legends is to go heavy on exceedingly positive interviews about the history and significance of the subject. In the case of Roky Erickson, we do get a sense that his work with the 13th Floor Elevators in the mid '60s was seminal and worthy of recognition. Roky's songs heard throughout the film are uniformly strong and attention-grabbing. Even in a disheveled, hesitant state, Roky still slips into a performance effortlessly and beautifully. Surprisingly, though, the majority of interviews concentrate on Roky's relationships. Ex-wives, friends and relatives get more screen time - by far - than critics or rock stars. It all adds up to a striking and singular portrait of a creative yet troubled soul.
In a sense, 'You're Gonna Miss Me' is the intrusion of a family drama on a rock documentary, with very compelling results. Intercutting keeps both narratives alive, though slowly, a shift occurs. The talking heads and text identifiers subside, leaving us to fully concentrate on Roky's present-day state (suffering from schizophrenia and unchecked physical health), as well as the conflicting points of view of what is best for his future well-being.
The subtext of the family drama here is the difficulties that often go hand in hand with extreme creativity. The portrait of mother Evelyn is particularly striking, as we are exposed to a wide array of projects that some might consider strange. She scrapbooks her life story on giant cardboard panels with text pages that look as if they were written by children. We see a video made by the mother featuring herself as a Queen and Roky as "King of the Beasts."
About an hour into 'You're Gonna Miss Me,' we get deeper into this family's story, starting with the background on Evelyn's experiences as a mother and wife, followed up with Sumner's tale of his break from the family home. Like a great fictional drama, all the pieces are in place for the showdown between these factions, and for that, you must see the film yourself.
Former newspaper editor and first-time director Keven McAlester does a skillful job interweaving these stories that appear to tell themselves. He is assisted adeptly by cinematographer Lee Daniel, who has worked on Richard Linklater's naturalistic, documentary-like films. Normally you don't think of how a cinematographer contributes to a documentary, but in this case, Daniel captures the almost surreal nature of the surroundings of the film's three principals and provides a sense of place. McAlester, Daniel and editor Victor Livingston all bring a very cinematic touch to the documentary form, using archive footage in very dramatic and complex ways.
Though not exceedingly harrowing or grotesque, 'You're Gonna Miss Me' might still be a difficult film to watch. Roky and Evelyn's lives are shown without compromise or judgement, including some tendencies that may be mildly disturbing. It's not as focused or streamlined as might be possible, but the film is still quite worthy of attention for the subtle and unique ways it plays with the conventions of a rock documentary. In the end, it comes down to being a dramatic story - not the one you might have expected about a rock star, but about a family.