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DANIEL JOHNSTON CASSETTE ARCHIVE - INTRODUCTION
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MONTH from the list on the LEFT
Prior to his arrival in Texas in 1983, Daniel was an
avid artist and song-writer. And he regularly created
compilations of songs and lyrical monologues for friends and relatives.
Going to school at East Liverpool, Ohio Kent State
branch, he was immersed in art classes and regular jam sessions and other
creative activities with friends outside of the class.
An important mechanism in his compulsive creative
outlet was the cassette tape recorder, and he had it running a lot - often
turned on to capture some events of life the rest of us would prefer to
forget.
But the audio capture was just another way in which
Daniel's stark honesty would permeate all his work.
When he moved to Texas in 1983, he immediately began
a series of cassette tape letters to his best friend David Thornberry, back
home in West Virginia. These letters are stand-alone creative
compilations of songs, reflections and artistic sound compositions - many in
creative caliber to the albums he compiled for distribution.
By 1984 he was in Austin handing out cassette tape
compilations of songs made in those early years, and making new music all
the time. He was regularly recording sessions alone or with
other artists, telephone conversations, or just conversations or events as
they occurred.
A few years later, he had the attention of the
Austin Area music world and very quickly the nation - as an "outsider" and
pioneer in the all new "lo-fi" recording world.
While in Austin, Jeff Tartakov assumed an important
role propagating Daniel's creations, and actively sought out copies of
cassette tapes from Daniel, and from these made several additional cassette
album "bootlegs", such as "Lost Recordings Volume 1" and "Lost Recordings
Volume 2".
Daniel's spiral-bound notebooks (see NOTEBOOK)
section were chronicling his song-writing. Daniel did not record
his songs in musical notation (musical staffs), but wrote the WORDS and
CHORD LETTERS in the spiral bound notebooks, and carefully captured the
music "jist" (basic chords and melody) of the song in a cassette recording
to preserve the song for re-creation later.
Daniel had the cassette tape recorder going
regularly, and as an example, accumulated over 50 cassette recordings during
his hellacious but history-making trip to New York City in 1989.
From his arrival to his arrest at the statue of liberty - to his manic
states in conflict with friends - to his living on the streets and sleeping
at a YMCA.
Well, we have a lot to share, and we are going to
"start out slowly" but hopefully pick up the pace as time goes on.
We invite you to respond with your COMMENTARIES on
things posted in the MEMBERS AREA on the
YIP JUMP MESSAGE
BOARD.
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