Sunday, January 07, 2007

Daniel Johnston


I don't feel that i know enough about Daniel Johnston to truly do him justice but i'm hoping to be able to go to Scarecrow Video sometime soon and rent the documentary about him called The Devil and Daniel Johnston. while his music is definately off kilter and sometimes inconsistent, it is beautiful and moving.

Johnston suffers from Bipolar Disorder and has been hospitalized many times because of this and is unable to live on his own. much like that late Elliot Smith, Johnston is unable to write his music or create his art while on his medicine. Unlike Elliot Smith, however, Johnston's music is much more raw and somehow seems to be able to convey even more emotion than Smith did. Particularly in the song Cold Hard World his emotion becomes obvious, though in other songs like I Killed The Monster, he shows a lighter side. either way, Daniel Johnston is a musician that, whether or not you like the music, you have to respect simply because of the beauty of his songs.

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