Weekly Spotlight: Daniel Johnston
Posted by Mentally Interesting on March 12, 2006
The weekly spotlight will feature an individual who has made a contribution to mental health: either through research and advocacy for those with a mental illness or by individuals who have battled with their own demons and brought awareness to issues of mental health.
Daniel Johnston is a singer/songwriter and artist with bipolar disorder. Born in 1961, he showed an interest in art and music since he was a child. In 1983 he moved to Texas and soon settled in Austin where he became something of a local legend for the songs he recorded on a $59.00 Sanyo mono boom box.
Though his songs have been covered by the likes of Yo La Tengo, Wilco, Tom Waits, and Beck he remains a largely unknown cult figure in music. His songs can be heart-wrenchingly raw, full of yearning, pain, and confusion but whimsical and childish at the same time. His drawings are surreal and cartoonish, portraying a bizarre fantasy world.
The 90’s were a difficult time for Johnston but in recent years he has been stabilized by medication and able to produce more music and art. In 2005 the feature length documentary “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” premiered at the Sundance film festival to postivie reviews. The film shows Johnston’s life as an artist, musician and how his illness affects that life. It will begin a limited national release on March 31, 2006.
More information:
IMDB information page for “The Devil and Daniel Johnston”
The official Daniel Johnston site “Hi How Are You”
The official Daniel Johnston Fan site “Rejected Unknown”
Wikipedia article on Daniel Johnston
