At the beginning and the end of the great documentary “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” the artist/songwriter is seen as a ghost. The producer points out (via his commentary on the DVD ) that that was intentional, since Johnston is a ghost of what he once was. He certainly knows Daniel better than I (having spent two years with him making the film) but I am in awe of the two Daniels in the film.
The first Daniel was a sweet, scrawny McDonald’s employee with endless charm. He recorded amazing album after album on a cheap cassette recorder and handed them out to anyone who would listen in Austin Texas during the early 80’s. He slyly conned his way on to MTV when they came to town and stole the show. But something went wrong just as the door to stardom was opening.
A friend and the editor of the Austin Chronicle, Louis Black, was pulled out of bed on Christmas of 1985 and brought to see Daniel in the middle of the local river -- and a mental breakdown. Louis remember the aftermath the way one would recall a jumbo jet crashing into their toddler’s wading pool on the veranda:
“All great artist are crazy -- but there is a difference between the abstract artist being crazy and this person doing damage to you or to himself... here was a real sick person... we did the most pedestrian thing possible -- we committed him.
“If I was around with Van Gogh -- I’ve always had contempt for the people who didn’t understand genius -- and here I am being given my shot and what I was saying, ‘Please put him in the hospital. We don’t wanna have to deal with him. We don’t know what to do.’”
Another friend of Johnston, Jeff Tartakov, recalls, “When I went to visit him in the hospital they wanted to know what my relationship with Daniel was. I had been working informally as his publicist, but -- ummm -- I needed to tell them something a little bit better than that and I assumed that Randy Kemper, after having been beaten over the head with a lead pipe, did not want to continue managing Daniel, so I said I was his manager.”
Jeff was tireless in sending out tape after tape to bands around the music world until over a 150 acts from Tom Waits to Beck had covered Johnston’s powerful and quirky songs. After all, Jeff’s client was simply unable to perform live due to his prior engagement. Johnston was once mistakenly discharged from Bellevue and showed up at the legendary birth place of punk rock, CBGBs. He was the opening act. They loved him.
That memorable week he also recorded with Moe Tucker of the Velvet Underground, wandered around New York as his host (the band Sonic Youth) tried to find him. He was tossed on a bus for home, got off too early and caused an elderly lady to jump out her second story window. He was walking past her place and decided to help her by exorcising demons he decided were bothering her. Johnston wasn’t a legend when he went to New York, he was when he left.
And the other Johnston? The Johnston of today? The one who is a ghost of his former self? He now lives in Texas when he is not touring the world. But this time it is his wonderful music that leaves the audience speechless -- not his behavior. His unique art work has garnered shows from London to LA, selling for thousands of dollars. He may not be the angelic, playful kid (or a lit bomb rolled into an unsuspecting room) that he once was --- but his legendry wit is anything but phantom. He told an audience at the Sundance Festival just what he thought of “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” after a screening in 2005:
“As comedies go it is pretty funny: Daniel goes to jail, Daniel goes to the mental hospital, Daniel crashes a plane.
“I sure appreciate my parents -- when I ended up in a mental hospital because of my manic depression they let me live back at home at my age... they allow me to play piano but not too late at night... and dad doesn’t like it when I draw naked women.”
I am ashamed to admit it, I just heard Daniel Johnston’s music and have seen his art for the first time last week. It is as unpolished, real and charming as Daniel -- either Daniel.
You can see and hear more of Daniel Johnston at his site.
The first Daniel was a sweet, scrawny McDonald’s employee with endless charm. He recorded amazing album after album on a cheap cassette recorder and handed them out to anyone who would listen in Austin Texas during the early 80’s. He slyly conned his way on to MTV when they came to town and stole the show. But something went wrong just as the door to stardom was opening.
A friend and the editor of the Austin Chronicle, Louis Black, was pulled out of bed on Christmas of 1985 and brought to see Daniel in the middle of the local river -- and a mental breakdown. Louis remember the aftermath the way one would recall a jumbo jet crashing into their toddler’s wading pool on the veranda:
“All great artist are crazy -- but there is a difference between the abstract artist being crazy and this person doing damage to you or to himself... here was a real sick person... we did the most pedestrian thing possible -- we committed him.
“If I was around with Van Gogh -- I’ve always had contempt for the people who didn’t understand genius -- and here I am being given my shot and what I was saying, ‘Please put him in the hospital. We don’t wanna have to deal with him. We don’t know what to do.’”
Another friend of Johnston, Jeff Tartakov, recalls, “When I went to visit him in the hospital they wanted to know what my relationship with Daniel was. I had been working informally as his publicist, but -- ummm -- I needed to tell them something a little bit better than that and I assumed that Randy Kemper, after having been beaten over the head with a lead pipe, did not want to continue managing Daniel, so I said I was his manager.”
Jeff was tireless in sending out tape after tape to bands around the music world until over a 150 acts from Tom Waits to Beck had covered Johnston’s powerful and quirky songs. After all, Jeff’s client was simply unable to perform live due to his prior engagement. Johnston was once mistakenly discharged from Bellevue and showed up at the legendary birth place of punk rock, CBGBs. He was the opening act. They loved him.
That memorable week he also recorded with Moe Tucker of the Velvet Underground, wandered around New York as his host (the band Sonic Youth) tried to find him. He was tossed on a bus for home, got off too early and caused an elderly lady to jump out her second story window. He was walking past her place and decided to help her by exorcising demons he decided were bothering her. Johnston wasn’t a legend when he went to New York, he was when he left.
And the other Johnston? The Johnston of today? The one who is a ghost of his former self? He now lives in Texas when he is not touring the world. But this time it is his wonderful music that leaves the audience speechless -- not his behavior. His unique art work has garnered shows from London to LA, selling for thousands of dollars. He may not be the angelic, playful kid (or a lit bomb rolled into an unsuspecting room) that he once was --- but his legendry wit is anything but phantom. He told an audience at the Sundance Festival just what he thought of “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” after a screening in 2005:
“As comedies go it is pretty funny: Daniel goes to jail, Daniel goes to the mental hospital, Daniel crashes a plane.
“I sure appreciate my parents -- when I ended up in a mental hospital because of my manic depression they let me live back at home at my age... they allow me to play piano but not too late at night... and dad doesn’t like it when I draw naked women.”
I am ashamed to admit it, I just heard Daniel Johnston’s music and have seen his art for the first time last week. It is as unpolished, real and charming as Daniel -- either Daniel.
You can see and hear more of Daniel Johnston at his site.
Hey boy, I would like to know if that image is a fanart of yours or a drawing by Johnston. I would like to use it for the cover of a book
ReplyDeletei hope they answer soon, i’m also curious
DeleteJamie
ReplyDelete