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Topic: Any Daniel Johnston fans??? |
Terry Edwards
From:
Florida... livin' on spongecake...
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Posted 6 Apr 2007 3:38 pm |
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I recently rented a DVD called "The Devil and Daniel Johnston". It won best director for a documentary at Sundance in 2005. I was blown away!
I had never heard of Daniel. I ordered some CDs from ebay and what an inspiration. Daniel Johnston is an artist/musician who had an onset of manic depression at around age 15 and has been in and out of mental institutions ever since. His lyrics are brilliant. His recordings are primitive. He was voted songwriter of the year in Austin, TX around 1985.
Daniel has always had a cult following but since the documentary came out he is huge.
His music and art is not for everyone though, and I highly recommend watching the documentary first or his music/performance/art won't make sense.
Lyrically as good as Dylan (sorry b0b!). Performance closer to The Shaggs.
Dan Johnston
Terry |
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Keith Cordell
From:
San Diego
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Posted 6 Apr 2007 5:44 pm
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| I've seen Daniel live at least 40 times, and I used to have all the vinyl and most of the CD's. He is a real innovator, with a real gift- unfortunately his illness makes him a bit more than most folks can deal with. He did a CD with Jad Fair years ago that I can still hear in my head, note for note, 15+ years after I last heard it. |
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Martin Abend
From:
Berlin, Germany
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Posted 9 Apr 2007 8:20 am
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| Daniel is amazing. I've wanted to get the Documentary for quite some time now, thanks for reminding me. |
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Randy Reeves
From:
LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 10 Apr 2007 3:44 am
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not my cup of tea. his Songs of Pain is down right painful.
brilliant genius and mentally ill. a combination that is tragic. does one create the other?
I have a hard time with people like this.
the struggling sane artists do not have a chance when insane artists are taken so seriously.
I have to try to be neutral with this because I believe Jonhston and others like him make the world interesting. |
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Keith Cordell
From:
San Diego
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Posted 10 Apr 2007 4:30 am
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| Some of the material is hard to digest; I don't care at all for certain recordings he has done, I have the same problem with Roky Erickson- some of the material is just not very good, bordering on terrible. Just remember, though, that some of the best music in history- possibly the majority of it- has come from people with mild to severe mental issues. Everything from depression to compulsiveness to outright schizophrenia has been behind some of the greatest musicians ever. And if you think about it, for most musicians, you have to be TOTALLY INSANE to take this on as a career anyway. |
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Terry Edwards
From:
Florida... livin' on spongecake...
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Posted 10 Apr 2007 5:19 pm
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I just received Yip Jump Music and haven't really listened to it yet.
Daniel wrote as many songs of love and hope as he has songs of pain. And some of his material is humerous.
One of my favorites:
Big Business Monkey
Nothings funny
Big business monkey
Everythings money
You sold cheeseburgers with that cashier's smile
He runs his house like a Burger King manager
And the only jokes he knows
Are the ones that put you down
Big business monkey
You'll take over the world
An you can have it now
But you can't take it with you
Everything you cling to will rot
And everything you do will be forgot
By everyone you ever tried to impress
- Daniel Johnston 1983
Pretty good for a twenty something kid manic depressive or not !
I'm a fan. Daniel on MTV
Terry
Some famous people with depression (from "mixed nuts.net"):
Dick Clark
Kurt Cobain
Winston Churchhill
Barbara Bush
Sheryl Crow
John Denver
Billy Joel
John Lennon
Rod McKuen
Marylin Monroe
Alanis Morissette
Richard Nixon
Dolly Parton
Bonny Raitt
Paul Simon
James Taylor
Tammy Wynette
...and many more |
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