tell me about daniel johnston

B

beam,coke,&horns

100+ Posts
I was on you tube looking for the song that plays on the FNL previews. I guessed it was called devil town and was correct.
There were tons of videos of this dude that looks like he has Parkinsons singing. Watched a video for a documentary about him. Should I check it out? I did notice his first album cover is the same as the wall at what is now "Baja Fresh". Which came first?
 
Not Parkinsons. Schizo.

The wall came first. Then a record store called the Record Exchange, which then was called Sound Exchange. Between the Record and the Sound came the painting (they used to sell his cassettes at the Exchanges). SE closed and became a string of eateries that have meant nothing to me so their names are lost (wrap joints and other sundry collegiate eatery ventures).

The doc is good. Watch it.
 
Baja Fresh wanted to get rid of the frog. But there was a huge outcry, so they decided to keep it. The frog is, indeed, a part of Austin lore.
 
As a long time fan, the documentary is very good.

My favorite story of him was back in the mid 80's he worked in the McDonald's at Dobie Mall and he would slip his homemade cassette tapes into peoples to go orders. I just love **** like that! DIY

He has a long sad story of mental pyschiatric problems and has spent a good deal of time in the Austin State Hospital. His music and voice are raw for sure, but his songwriting (especially in the 80's) was brilliant.

Not everyone's cup of tea, and i can certainly understand why. But i have great admiration for his talent and creativity. An Austin original for sure.

Oh, in the mid 80's, him hooking up with Gibby Haynes and a lot of acid, probably didn't serve him too well.
 
It's not a record store anymore, it's a ****** burrito place that will soon be replaced by the next failed business venue. It sits on the drag across from Dobie mall.

The drawing on the wall was painted by Daniel in 1993.

The Link
 
I my have spent more time at Record/Sound Exchange than I did actually attending class in the late 80's. It was an awesome, awesome record store.

Yes, i still say "record store".
 
Two of Daniel's biggest supporters over the years have been Brian Beattie and Kathy McCarty. They recorded an album of his songs called "Dead Dog's Eyeball: The Songs of Daniel Johnston". It's pure genius. I can't recommend it enough. Kathy's a great singer and she makes Daniel Johnston's quirky, funny, bizarro songs much more accessible.

Here's a link to a review of the album that has other background info, too.

I haven't seen the documentary, but I'll definitely check it out.
 
a lot of musicians have covered his songs:

Tom Waits
Yo La Tengo
Bright Eyes
Built to Spill
The Pastels
Wilco
Beck
Pearl Jam
TV on the Radio
Death Cab for Cutie
Mercury Rev
 
our first song at our wedding was "true love will find you in the end", and the second was "Go". We met him when he showed up for the documentary when it was at the drafthouse. His handler/t-shirt lady told him that story and he smiled really big.

For some reason the stickiest earworm I have ever had, and still start mumbling when I'm tired and delirious starts "monkey middle with a fiddle, and a real tight ragtime band". Called "poptunes".
 
I have one of his paintings. When people see it they usually say, "Hey, cool painting" They look closer and see his signature at the bottom and go, "WHOA MAN! WHERE DID YOU GET THAT! I CANT BELIEVE YOU HAVE ONE OF HIS PAINTINGS!!!" I got it for $35 like 10 years ago. Of course I dont tell them that
tongue.gif
 
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