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Daniel Johnston
Put the name 'Daniel Johnston' into any Internet
search engine and you will find hundreds of
pages about America's most unlikely pop
phenomenon. Dating back to the earliest
compilation of Songs of Pain in 1981,
Johnston has spent nearly three decades exposing
his heartrending tales of unrequited love,
cosmic mishaps and existential torment to an
ever-growing international cult audience.
As a result, he has been hailed as an American
original akin to blues-man Robert Johnson and
country legend Hank Williams.
Johnston is the musician's cult hero, whose
music is appreciated for its utter lack of
artifice and undeniable simple brilliance. A
wide range of notable artists have covered
Johnston's songs, including Beck, Wilco, Sonic
Youth, TV On The Radio, M. Ward, Flaming Lips,
Death Cab For Cutie, Bright Eyes, Tom Waits, and
Pearl Jam.
With the October 6, 2009 release of his latest
- and possibly greatest - work, Is And Always
Was, Daniel adds another chapter to his
artistic legend.
Is And Always Was
is a decided step away from the lo-fi homemade
recordings for which Johnston is famous.
"Everyone needs to take their demos and go back
to the studio," says Daniel.
On this album, Daniel allied with the musician
and producer Jason Falkner, who is known for his
own stellar solo career as well as his work with
Beck, Air, and Paul McCartney. With Jason
manning the boards, "Is And Always Was" was a
project that aimed to take the rock and roll
symphonies in Daniel's prolific musical brain
and deliver fully-realized and
professionally-produced recorded songs.
"He possesses that rare individuality that makes
the listener wonder where this music comes
from," Falkner says of Daniel Johnston. "It was
challenging to make our minds work together but
I really found myself immersed in his musical
world. It's a unique place to live, that's for
sure!"
While the Beatles may be an obvious touch point
- Johnston has often exclaimed his passion for
the Fab Four while Falkner has released two
acclaimed Bedtime with the Beatles
instrumental lullaby albums - the Is And
Always Was sessions were frequented by
discussions on the shared appreciation for 70's
pop-rock icons such as Queen, Elton John, Wings,
and ELO.
The high-level production is matched by
top-notch musicianship. Daniel's
guitar/piano and vocal melodies are backed by
Falkner on guitar, bass, and keyboards with help
from Joey Waronker (REM, Beck, Smashing
Pumpkins) on drums. As with all Johnston
recordings however, it's the
only-Daniel-Johnston-could-write-those-lyrics
that shines throughout.
On the high-tempo rave-up "Freedom," Daniel
sings:
I want to win
Freedom talks of Freedom
I'm just a whim
I'm so trapped in boredom
I touched the shore
How did I get there?
To go away
Just to be nowhere
The album finishes with an epic six minute and
thirty-four second masterpiece titled "Light Of
Day" where love triumphs and "life's alright."
Took a ride in my car
Traveling far just to see you
I knew nothing about it
Destiny's star guided me to you
Got me thinking life's alright
In the middle of the night
I can see the light of day
Daniel Johnston is 48 now. Within his oversized
adolescent frame and underneath that
incongruously mopped grey hair lies a history of
crash-and-burn volatility which co-exists with
prolific creativity in music and the visual
arts.
Daniel has said that his goal in life was to
become a great artist, and the music was kind of
'accidental'. While he's always received
attention for his music, his accomplishments in
the art world have come to fruition as well.
With exhibits worldwide since the late 80's,
Daniel could finally feel he had "arrived" when
his art was included in the Whitney Museum Of
American art Biennial in 2006. In
addition, his first formal table-top art book
was release in March of this year by Rizzoli
Publication.
Little surprises Daniel any more. On
the heels of the successful 2005 documentary
The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Daniel has
now signed with Regenerate (independent
filmmakers whose most recent release was My
Suicide) for the production of a feature
length movie about his life.
Now, for the technically savvy, you can even buy
an iPhone game that features his art characters
and music.
His output has been erratic and his career
trajectory unpredictable, but Johnston continues
to exert a powerful creative presence despite
the demons with which he is beset.
Johnston's personal troubles have sometimes
overshadowed his music legacy, but they didn't
derail his prodigious talents. Listening
to the amazing 11-song journey that Is and
Always Was, you get the feeling that
Johnston is feeling a lot better and that
everything is going to be alright.
Daniel Johnston is currently on a North American
and European tour that will go through the end
of the year.
Is And Always Was
is scheduled for an October 6, 2009 release on
Daniel's own Eternal Yip Eye Music label with
distribution in the US, Canada, Europe, Japan,
and Australia.
DANIEL JOHNSTON
09/03/09 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
09/04/09 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
09/05/09 - Vancouver, BC @ The Venue
09/07/09 - Calgary, AB @ Knox United Church
09/08/09 - Edmonton, AB @ Meyer Horowitz Theatre
10/02/09 - Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
Festival
10/13/09 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
10/14/09 - New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
10/15/09 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
10/16/09 - Montreal, PQ @ UK Fed
10/17/09 - Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
10/22/09 - San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
10/23/09 - San Diego, CA @ Caines
10/24/09 - Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre
Daniel Johnston
Is And Always Was
(Eternal Yip Eye Music / High Wire Music)
Street date: Oct. 6, 2009
Mind Movies
Fake Records Of Rock And Roll
Queenie The Doggie
High Horse
Without You
I Had Lost My Mind
Freedom
Tears
Is And Always Was
Lost In My Infinite Memory
Light Of Day
DANIEL JOHNSTON LINKS:
Official site -
http://hihowareyou.com/
Press Materials -
http://hihowareyou.com/press/
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