Daniel Johnston

Johnston in December 2006
Background information
Birth name Daniel Dale Johnston
Born (1961-01-22) January 22, 1961 (age 51)
Sacramento, California, United States
Origin West Virginia, United States
Genres Lo-fi, outsider music
Occupations Musician, singer-songwriter, visual artist
Years active 1978–present
Labels Yip Eye Music
Atlantic Records
Website hihowareyou.com

Daniel Dale Johnston (born January 22, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He currently lives in Waller, Texas.

Johnston has been diagnosed with manic depression and schizophrenia which has been a recurring problem throughout his life.[1][2]

Contents

Early life [link]

Johnston was born in Sacramento, California, and grew up in the northern panhandle of West Virginia between Ohio and Pennsylvania near Chester and New Cumberland, West Virginia. He began recording music in the late 1970s on a $59 Sanyo monaural Boombox, singing and playing piano and chord organ. Following graduation from Oak Glen High School, Johnston spent a few weeks at Abilene Christian University in West Texas, but soon dropped out. Later he attended the East Liverpool branch of Kent State University.

Music career [link]

Johnston's musical work gained some notoriety when he moved to Austin, Texas. Johnston began to attract the attention of the local press and gain a following augmented in numbers by his habit of handing out tapes to people he met. Live performances were well-attended and hotly anticipated.[3]

His local standing led to him being featured in a 1985 episode of the MTV program The Cutting Edge featuring performers from Austin's "New Sincerity" music scene.[4] Subsequently he performed at the 1985 Woodshock music festival in Austin, where he was featured in a short documentary of the festival, Woodshock.

In 1988, Johnston visited New York City and recorded 1990 with producer Kramer[5] at his Noise New York studio. It was released in 1990 on Kramer's Shimmy-Disc label. This was Johnston's first experience in a professional recording environment after a decade of releasing home-made cassette recordings. His mental health further deteriorated during the making of 1990.

Interest in Johnston increased when Kurt Cobain was frequently photographed wearing a t-shirt featuring the cover image of Johnston's album Hi, How Are You which music journalist Everett True gave him. In spite of Johnston being resident in a mental hospital at the time, a bidding war to sign him ensued. He refused to sign a multi-album deal with Elektra Records because Metallica was on the label's roster and he was convinced that they were possessed by Satan and would hurt him. He also dropped his manager who brokered the deal, because Johnston believed he too was possessed by Satan.[6] Ultimately he signed with Atlantic Records and released Fun, produced by Paul Leary of Butthole Surfers in 1994.[7]

Johnston contributed two songs to the soundtrack for Larry Clark's controversial 1995 film Kids, produced by Folk Implosion and Sebadoh's frontman, Lou Barlow. Johnston later covered Schoolhouse Rock!'s "Unpack Your Adjectives" for a compilation of the popular education songs called Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks in 1996. In 1989 Johnston released the album It's Spooky in collaboration with Half Japanese singer Jad Fair.

In 1990, Johnston played at a music festival in Austin, Texas. On the way back to West Virginia on a small, private two-seater plane piloted by his father Bill, Johnston had a manic episode believing he was Casper the Friendly Ghost and removed the key from the plane's ignition and threw it out of the plane. His father, a former Air Force pilot, managed to successfully crash-land the plane, even though "there was nothing down there but trees". Although the plane was destroyed, Johnston and his father emerged with only minor injuries. As a result of this episode, Johnston was involuntarily committed to a mental hospital.[8]

In 2004, he released The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered, a two-disc compilation. The first disc featured many artists, such as Tom Waits, Beck, TV on the Radio, Jad Fair, Eels, Bright Eyes, Calvin Johnson, Death Cab for Cutie, Sparklehorse, Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips covering songs written by Johnston. The second disc featured Johnston's original recordings of the songs.

In 2005, Texas-based theater company Infernal Bridegroom Productions received a Multi-Arts Production/MAP Fund grant[9] to work with Johnston to create a rock opera based on his music, titled Speeding Motorcycle.

A 2005, Dutch documentary about Johnston for the TV series R.A.M. was followed in 2006 by The Devil and Daniel Johnston. Jeff Feuerzeig's documentary, four years in the making, collated some of the vast amount of recorded material Johnston (and in some case, others) had produced over the years to portray his life and music. The film won high praise, receiving the Director's Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. The film also inspired more interest in Johnston's work, such as the film's theme song, "I Had Lost My Mind", and increased his pull as a touring artist.

In 2006, Johnston's own Eternal Yip Eye Music label released his first greatest hits compilation, Welcome to My World.[10] He also appeared as musical guest on The Henry Rollins Show on which he performed "Mask" and "Care Less" (the latter was exclusive to the internet).

Through the next few years Johnston toured extensively across the world, and continued to attract press attention. In 2008, Dick Johnston, Daniel's brother and manager, revealed that "a movie deal based on the artist's life and music had been finalized with a tentative 2011 release."[11] He also said that a deal had been struck with the Converse company for a "signature series" Daniel Johnston shoe.[11] Later, it was revealed by Dick Johnston that Converse had dropped the plan.[12] In late 2008, Adjustable Productions released Johnston's first concert DVD, The Angel and Daniel Johnston – Live at the Union Chapel, featuring a 2007 appearance in Islington, London.[13]

On January 31, 2009, Daniel Johnston joined the band The Swell Season on a broadcast of Austin City Limits (previously recorded on September 28, 2008) to perform the song "Life in Vain".

His latest album, Is and Always Was, was released on October 6, 2009 on his Eternal Yip Eye Music record label. In 2009, it was announced that Matt Groening had chosen Johnston to perform at the edition of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that he curated in May 2010 in Minehead, England. Later that year, he was invited by rock band Cage the Elephant to appear at Starry Nights Fest, an upstart music festival in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Johnston performed a brief solo set before being joined on stage by Cage, who backed performances of several songs, including "Speeding Motorcycle" and "True Love Will Find You in the End".

Reviews [link]

One critic from Pitchfork Media writes that Johnston's recordings range from "spotty to brilliant."[14]

Art career [link]

Johnston's "Hi, How Are You" mural in Austin, Texas

His artwork is shown in galleries such as in London's Aquarium Gallery and New York's Clementine Gallery. both in 2006, and the 2008 Liverpool Biennial. Currently his work is being exhibited as "The Museum of Love" at Verge Gallery in Sacramento, California.

In 1993 Johnston was commissioned to paint a mural of the Hi, How Are You? frog (also known as "Jeremiah the Innocent") from his 1983 album cover on the side of the Sound Exchange record store located on the corner of 21st and Guadalupe in Austin, Texas (the "Drag").[15] At the time, the frog image had recently become nationally recognized from media images of Kurt Cobain wearing a "Hi, How Are You?" t-shirt during Nirvana's promotion of their 1991 album Nevermind.[16] The building remained unoccupied until 2004 when a Mexican grill franchise called Baja Fresh took ownership and decided to paint over the mural. Diego Gonzalez Joven, an international student from The University of Texas at Austin convinced the managers and contractors to keep the mural intact, later that year it became a sushi and Thai restaurant called Crave.[17] In Spring 2008, a Jeremiah the Innocent collectible figurine was released in limited runs of four different colors.[18]

As of June 2010, a biopic about Johnston's life featuring Gabriel Sunday of My Suicide is in production.[19]

March 1, 2012, Brooklyn based photographer Jung Kim announced her photo book and traveling exhibition project with Johnston, a collaboration 4 years in the making. It is cited on the project's Kickstarter campaign page that the photo book and first exhibition will launch at SXSW 2013 in Austin, Texas, hosted by Louis Black who was an early supporter of Johnston.[20]

March 13, 2012, Johnston released his first comic book, Space Ducks – An Infinite Comic Book of Musical Greatness at SXSW in Austin, Texas, published by BOOM! Studios. The comic book is complemented by the Space Ducks album and an iOS app. [21]

New media [link]

Daniel Johnston worked with Dr. Fun Fun and Smashing Studios to develop an iPhone platform game called "Hi, How Are You". The game is similar to Frogger, but features Johnston's art and music.[22]

Discography [link]

References [link]

  1. ^ Burr, Ty (2006-04-07). "His life is troubling, his fame disturbing". The Boston Globe. https://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2006/04/07/his_life_is_troubling_his_fame_disturbing/?rss_id=Boston%2BGlobe%2B--%2BTy%2BBurr%2B%2Bcolumns. 
  2. ^ Seitz, Matt. "The Devil Goes Down to Texas". New York Press. https://www.nypress.com/19/13/film/MattZollerSeitz.cfm. 
  3. ^ Black, Louis. "Genius and Jive: My roller-coaster relationship with Daniel Johnston Austin Screens". AustinChronicle.com. https://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:363536. Retrieved 2010-09-18. 
  4. ^ Barry Shank, Dissonant Identities: The Rock'N'Roll Scene in Austin, Texas (Wesleyan University Press, 1994), ISBN 978-0-8195-6276-0, p. 157-58 (excerpt available at Google Books).
  5. ^ "kramershimmy home". Kramershimmy.com. https://www.kramershimmy.com. Retrieved 2010-09-18. 
  6. ^ Senft, Michael (August 11, 2006). "The Devil and Daniel Johnston". The Arizona Republic (United States). https://www.azcentral.com/ent/movies/articles/0811johnston0811.html. Retrieved March 15, 2011. 
  7. ^ Robinson, John (August 20, 2005). "Personal demons". The Guardian (London). https://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2005/aug/20/edinburghfilmfestival2005.popandrock. Retrieved April 30, 2010. 
  8. ^ O'Hagan, Sean (April 2, 2006). "Sean O'Hagan on Daniel Johnston". The Guardian (London). https://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/apr/02/metallica. Retrieved March 15, 2011. 
  9. ^ MAP Fund | Infernal Bridegroom Productions
  10. ^ Filter-Mag.com[dead link]
  11. ^ a b The Austin Chronicle article: "Off the Record: Music News".
  12. ^ "Unreleased Daniel Johnston Converse All-Stars". MonsterFresh.com. https://monsterfresh.com/2009/06/16/daniel-johnston-converse-shoes-photos-unreleased/#more-3588. Retrieved 2010-09-18. 
  13. ^ "The Angel And Daniel Johnston – Live At The Union Chapel". Prlog.org. 2008-10-30. https://www.prlog.org/10134907-the-angel-and-daniel-johnston-live-at-the-union-chapel.html. Retrieved 2010-09-18. 
  14. ^ Kristin Sage Rockermann (2002-01-01). "Interview: Daniel Johnston". Pitchfork Media. https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/31391/Interview_Interview_Daniel_Johnston. Retrieved 2007-02-02. 
  15. ^ https://rejectedunknown.com/art/public/bajafresh.htm
  16. ^ https://www.hihowareyou.com/images/Curt.jpg
  17. ^ https://www.texasobserver.org/dateline/the-peoples-frog
  18. ^ Daniel Johnston Frog Becomes Collectable Figurine
  19. ^ "Daniel Johnston Biopic, My Suicide Soundtrack, & More". TwentyFourBit. 2010-03-18. https://www.twentyfourbit.com/post/457060631/daniel-johnston-biopic-my-suicide-soundtrack-more. Retrieved 2010-09-18. 
  20. ^ "DANIEL JOHNSTON: Here". Kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jungkimphoto/daniel-johnston-here. 
  21. ^ "Official Press Release for SPACE DUCKS". HiHowAreYou.com. https://www.hihowareyou.com/news/posts/14. 
  22. ^ Work of Daniel Johnston, Texas Artist, Inspires Video Game. Retrieved 2009-10-01.

External links [link]

Official [link]

Other [link]


https://wn.com/Daniel_Johnston

Daniel Johnston (disambiguation)

Daniel Johnston is an American singer.

Daniel or Dan Johnston may also refer to:

  • Daniel Johnston (consultant), American writer and consultant to the petroleum industry
  • Dan Johnston (politician), lawyer and former politician in Iowa
  • Danny Johnston, member of Doggy Style
  • Mrs Daniel Johnston, sponsor of USNS Mission Los Angeles
  • See also

  • Daniel Johnson (disambiguation)
  • Daniel Johnston (consultant)

    Daniel Johnston is an American writer and consultant to the international petroleum industry. He has done expert witness and consulting work for both governments and oil companies worldwide.

    He is most well known for his May 2006 publication of a report on the proposed Alaskan gas pipeline. At the time, he was under contract with the Alaskan State Legislature.

    He is currently the vice chair of the executive committee of Oxford Journals' "Journal of World Energy Law and Business".

    Publications

  • International Petroleum Fiscal Systems and Production Sharing Contracts
  • Introduction to Oil Company Financial Analysis
  • International Exploration Economics, Risk, and Contracts Analysis
  • International Oil Company Financial Management in Nontechnical Language
  • "The Alaska Gas Pipeline Story – As it Stands Now", Petroleum Accounting and Financial Management Journal (2006)
  • "Modern Reserves Disclosure", Petroleum Accounting and Financial Management Journal (2005)
  • "Higher Prices, Lower Government Take?", Petroleum Accounting and Financial Management Journal (2004)
  • Daniel

    Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means, "God is my judge", and derives from two early biblical figures, primary among them Daniel from the Book of Daniel. It is a common given name for males, and is also used as a surname. It is also the basis for various derived given names and surnames.

    Background

    The name evolved into over 100 different spellings in countries around the world. Nicknames (Dan, Danny) are common in both English and Hebrew, although in some instances "Dan" may be a complete given name rather than a nickname. The name "Daniil" (Даниил) is common in Russia. Feminine versions (Danielle, Daniela, Daniella, Dani, Danitza) are prevalent as well. The Dutch names "Daan" and "Daniël" are also variations of Daniel. A related surname developed as a patronymic, Daniels. Other surnames derived from "Daniel" include McDaniel and Danielson.

    In the United States, the U.S. Social Security Administration reports that Daniel has peaked as the fifth most popular name for newborns in 1985, 1990, 2007, and 2008. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in the 2000 census, "Daniels" was the 182nd most common surname in the U.S., while "McDaniel" was ranked at 323, and "Daniel" (without a final "s") was ranked at 380.

    Daniel (Bat for Lashes song)

    "Daniel" is a song by English recording artist Bat for Lashes, from her second studio album, Two Suns. It is her best selling single to date, selling over 46,000 copies worldwide. The song was announced as the lead single from Two Suns in January 2009, then released as a digital download single on 1 March 2009, and as a 7" vinyl single on 6 April 2009. The track was written by Natasha Khan and produced by David Kosten, as with all tracks on the album. Ira Wolf Tuton from Yeasayer provided the bass lines for the song and Khan did the rest of the instrumentation herself. Khan said in an interview with The Sun newspaper that "Daniel" is based on a fictional character that she fell in love with as a teenager. The single's cover features Khan with an image of the character Daniel LaRusso, from the film The Karate Kid, painted on her back. A character much like LaRusso also features at the end of the music video which goes with the song. The B-side of the 7" is a cover version of a 1980 single by The Cure.

    Daniel (department store)

    Daniel is an English department store chain and Royal Warrant holder, with its flagship store situated in central Windsor. It was established in 1901 by Walter James Daniel, and is privately owned.

    Department store locations

  • Ealing
  • Chiswick
  • Windsor
  • References

    External links

  • danielstores.co.uk
  • Coordinates: 51°28′55″N 0°36′35″W / 51.4820°N 0.6097°W / 51.4820; -0.6097

    Podcasts:

    Daniel Johnston

    ALBUMS

    PLAYLIST TIME:

    Cold Hard World

    by: Daniel Johnston

    It's a cold hard world
    it's a cold hard world
    it's a cold hard world
    oh no
    I heard Red Donley say
    it was on the news today
    it's a cold hard world
    it's a cold hard world
    it's hiking across the country
    looking for a bite to eat
    you'd be surprised at the animals
    and the people you'd meet
    rolling down that highway
    with eyes fixed straight ahead
    they have a caravan of cars
    to bury the dead
    and coke cans and pop bottles
    lined the streets like flowers instead
    and this guy gave me a ride
    I said this industrial waste sure stinks
    he said he likes that smell
    'cause that's the smell of money
    i said "well, mister money stinks, too."
    [ref.]
    I met a fireman
    he said you never forget burning flesh
    and the librarian said
    do you have a card here?
    I said I been coming here for weeks
    don't you recognize me by now
    I checked out a million books
    just to get you to notice me
    [ref.]
    Somebody's house burned down
    somebody's hubcap fell off
    somebody's soul got lost
    somebody's heart got broke
    I heard Red Donley say
    it was on the news today
    it's a cold hard world




    ×