Recently, the Great John Ike Walton, Drummer for the 13th Floor Elevators, was interviewed by the 13th Floor Elevators Facebook Group for this blog. Below is the interaction:
Who made the call and what were the circumstances? What was the offer to play with the 13th Floor Elevators?
Paul (Drummond) pushed for this reunion because he had Charly products and t shirts to sell at that gig and other Levitation Festivals He and Stephen (Curran) and Rob (Fitzpatrick) have that 13th floor elevator llc and a free hand to rob the members of any merch money they could have had and they are doing it.
Yes Ronnie and I agreed to play the show for $5,000 each which is what Darren (Roky's Manager) said everyone was getting. He neglected to reveal that he was paid $60,000 for the band. Freddie KRC demanded a contract from Rob Fitzpatrick at the last moment which revealed around $43,000 went to him and Jegar. Since we want to see any further contracts for the 13th floor elevators shows there will be no further shows with the original lineup.
The bandits have been exposed and won't be able to cheat us again. However I'm sure Rob and Paul and Stephen will continue to sell our merchandise at all the Levitation festivals, since no band members received any money for the sale of merchandise at the psych fest in Austin that this will continue to be another profit making enterprise for the 3 amigos and the band members will get no money.
There was some kind of "merchandising" snafu prior to the gig. What was all that about?
Curran Drummond and Fitzpatrick have a free hand to Sell Elevator Merchandise because they conned the members except for me into letting them sell elevator merchandise; $12,775 dollars of T-shirts and no telling how many CD's and LP's were sold exclusively by Drummond. They only say they owe anyone money for T shirts. They say the band is excluded from Drummonds CD and LP sales and will only be paid for T shirts. However, the band owes in "expenses" $14,725 and will not receive any of the $12,775 until these bogus expenses are paid. I smell rats as the expenses are not itemized you must trust them to be honest. FAT CHANCE!
I can't believe the thievery of these three and they can do this at all of Fitzpatrick's Levitation festivals 7 per year. They are so screwing the elevators. Drummond got (Stephen) Curran involved and then Fitzpatrick was added because of his festivals. They're all working together and will not be contested by the stupid elevators that signed their agreement.
I'm sure Drummond and Curran and Fitzpatrick are selling elevator merch at Fitzpatrick's Levitation festivals they are not reporting any sales from the 7 world wide festivals to the members but you know they are; they sold around 45 thou at Austin. Ask around and let me know I have legal assistance and will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law They all need a hillbilly ass whippin' 1 or maybe 3 times
What was it like at the Psych Fest seeing all of those thousands of fans screaming for you? Were there any issues with putting the sounds out?
My wife said the jug was too loud and hurt our groovy sound. That has always been the case. We all hated it and never asked him to play jug nor change the lyrics to Stacy and Roky's songs But he had control because he had the speed and weed. When acid finally reached them it was too late; years of speed and weed trashed that band.
He was never asked to be on the bandstand with us. He just did it and they were afraid to tell him to get down. He found International Artists records for us so he was "in charge".
What was it like immediately after the show? What did you guys do? What was the vibe?
Jegar and Darren walked off with around $43,000; I don't think they paid Roky anything. His pay goes into a trust fund controlled by Jegar. Roky lives like a pauper in Mexican town in Austin Drives a car with expired inspection sticker because Jegar won't spend the $2,000 to make it pass inspection. Any money Roky gets comes from Jegar.
How soon did talk of other gigs by the 13th Floor Elevators begin?
Darren and Jegar can't fool us anymore on what any future elevator gigs pay as Ronnie and I are union musicians and must sign a contract. Since they can't cheat us anymore, like they did at the psych fest, they will continue to be Hounds of the Baskervilles featuring the "most awesome" JEGAR!
Soon after, there was a 13th Floor Elevators gig advertised at Threadgill's, with the Bubble Puppy, that fizzled out. What happened?
Mikel Erickson tried to get involved with the elevators and booked that bubble puppy thing but Jegar said no. It was going to be a gate split with the puppy no guarantee. Mikel raised his ugly head again to try to make money for himself. Roky said he wanted to do it but was not allowed to that's my guess. Mikel said Roky was up for it.
Why weren't there more 13th Floor Elevators gigs? It seems to me that you guys should be headlining festivals in Europe, Asia, America. What happened?
They could book us but Jegar wants to promote his musical career. He actually thinks he has a chance, yuk yuk.
What are the chances of future 13th Floor Elevators gigs?
-no reply-
BTW John Ike, THANKS for coming to our little fan get-together the day before the show. I know that you were busy. It was great having you there.
Who made the call and what were the circumstances? What was the offer to play with the 13th Floor Elevators?
Paul (Drummond) pushed for this reunion because he had Charly products and t shirts to sell at that gig and other Levitation Festivals He and Stephen (Curran) and Rob (Fitzpatrick) have that 13th floor elevator llc and a free hand to rob the members of any merch money they could have had and they are doing it.
Yes Ronnie and I agreed to play the show for $5,000 each which is what Darren (Roky's Manager) said everyone was getting. He neglected to reveal that he was paid $60,000 for the band. Freddie KRC demanded a contract from Rob Fitzpatrick at the last moment which revealed around $43,000 went to him and Jegar. Since we want to see any further contracts for the 13th floor elevators shows there will be no further shows with the original lineup.
The bandits have been exposed and won't be able to cheat us again. However I'm sure Rob and Paul and Stephen will continue to sell our merchandise at all the Levitation festivals, since no band members received any money for the sale of merchandise at the psych fest in Austin that this will continue to be another profit making enterprise for the 3 amigos and the band members will get no money.
There was some kind of "merchandising" snafu prior to the gig. What was all that about?
Curran Drummond and Fitzpatrick have a free hand to Sell Elevator Merchandise because they conned the members except for me into letting them sell elevator merchandise; $12,775 dollars of T-shirts and no telling how many CD's and LP's were sold exclusively by Drummond. They only say they owe anyone money for T shirts. They say the band is excluded from Drummonds CD and LP sales and will only be paid for T shirts. However, the band owes in "expenses" $14,725 and will not receive any of the $12,775 until these bogus expenses are paid. I smell rats as the expenses are not itemized you must trust them to be honest. FAT CHANCE!
I can't believe the thievery of these three and they can do this at all of Fitzpatrick's Levitation festivals 7 per year. They are so screwing the elevators. Drummond got (Stephen) Curran involved and then Fitzpatrick was added because of his festivals. They're all working together and will not be contested by the stupid elevators that signed their agreement.
I'm sure Drummond and Curran and Fitzpatrick are selling elevator merch at Fitzpatrick's Levitation festivals they are not reporting any sales from the 7 world wide festivals to the members but you know they are; they sold around 45 thou at Austin. Ask around and let me know I have legal assistance and will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law They all need a hillbilly ass whippin' 1 or maybe 3 times
What was it like at the Psych Fest seeing all of those thousands of fans screaming for you? Were there any issues with putting the sounds out?
My wife said the jug was too loud and hurt our groovy sound. That has always been the case. We all hated it and never asked him to play jug nor change the lyrics to Stacy and Roky's songs But he had control because he had the speed and weed. When acid finally reached them it was too late; years of speed and weed trashed that band.
He was never asked to be on the bandstand with us. He just did it and they were afraid to tell him to get down. He found International Artists records for us so he was "in charge".
What was it like immediately after the show? What did you guys do? What was the vibe?
Jegar and Darren walked off with around $43,000; I don't think they paid Roky anything. His pay goes into a trust fund controlled by Jegar. Roky lives like a pauper in Mexican town in Austin Drives a car with expired inspection sticker because Jegar won't spend the $2,000 to make it pass inspection. Any money Roky gets comes from Jegar.
How soon did talk of other gigs by the 13th Floor Elevators begin?
Darren and Jegar can't fool us anymore on what any future elevator gigs pay as Ronnie and I are union musicians and must sign a contract. Since they can't cheat us anymore, like they did at the psych fest, they will continue to be Hounds of the Baskervilles featuring the "most awesome" JEGAR!
Soon after, there was a 13th Floor Elevators gig advertised at Threadgill's, with the Bubble Puppy, that fizzled out. What happened?
Mikel Erickson tried to get involved with the elevators and booked that bubble puppy thing but Jegar said no. It was going to be a gate split with the puppy no guarantee. Mikel raised his ugly head again to try to make money for himself. Roky said he wanted to do it but was not allowed to that's my guess. Mikel said Roky was up for it.
Why weren't there more 13th Floor Elevators gigs? It seems to me that you guys should be headlining festivals in Europe, Asia, America. What happened?
They could book us but Jegar wants to promote his musical career. He actually thinks he has a chance, yuk yuk.
What are the chances of future 13th Floor Elevators gigs?
-no reply-
BTW John Ike, THANKS for coming to our little fan get-together the day before the show. I know that you were busy. It was great having you there.
This post first appeared on Texas Psych - Psychedelic Music, 13th Floor Elevat, please read the originial post: here
