“There is a devil, and he knows my name.” – Daniel Johnston
I had an opportunity to catch a screening of the movie The Devil and Daniel Johnston. I had heard a lot of hype about the movie. About how great it was and how it was a portrait of a genius, the greatest songwriter who ever lived, etc.
I had high expectations for the movie. The reviews I had read described it as a genius who had suffered from extreme mental illness yet succeeded anyway.
I would be less than honest if I said it was another Braveheart or Citizen Kane. Instead it was like a 20/20 true story that lasted 2 hours or so.
The music, on first listen, was terrible. Johnston recorded it himself on a basic mono tape recorder. The sound was like something a child would put together if given the same equipment. His voice was “immature” and high-pitched. I almost died laughing when one of his managers said “Daniel’s music would be much better if he could sing or play guitar.”
But the other side of his art was he is an excellent cartoonist. So I enjoyed watching some of the art he created.
Leaving the “genius” aspect of his musical ability undecided for now, I’ll say that this is a story of an artist who finds himself harassed by delusions of the devil. There are particularly unnerving parts of Daniel breaking down into insanity right in front of a live audience. Strangely, it seems like his family has a video camera handy during almost every breakdown of his life.
Many have compared his to Brian Wilson’s mental torment, however in comparison Wilson internalized his problems. Johnston would lash out and hurt others with his delusional rage. Including beating his manager in the head with a metal pipe because he thought the guy was controlled by demons. And later scaring an old woman so bad she jumped from her apartment window to get away from him and broke both of her ankles.
One part I found especially interesting was the excessive amount of time he spent in mental institutions. Personally, if I lose one day because of a cold or flu, it can get me down. I feel like I get behind in my work. Johnston cumulatively spent years in the institution, but in his later years he seemed to take it all in stride and achieve his goal of fame anyway.
He hung out in New York, performing with Sonic Youth and clubbing with the Butthole Surfers. Kurt Cobain wore one of Johnston’s tee-shirts at the MTV music awards. So his goal of being famous came true.
Epilogue
I am still on the fence as far as his music is concerned. As a music fan, I am searching for the reason people call him a genius. I cannot hear genius in his music as of yet. However, I will say, some of the “covers” of his music by Guster and Teenage Fanclub are catchy. In the case of the Sun Shines Down on me, it’s quite haunting when performed by Guster.
So would I recommend the movie? I’d say it’s a good one to watch if you feel that you can’t succeed because of your past troubles, a mental condition or depression. The story is inspiring in that a man struggling with a debilitating mental illness is able to keep at his art and get the results he wants. Otherwise, it may interest you if you want to experiment with a new music style that most people find horrible. Who knows, you may end up finding some gems in there.
Technorati Tags: daniel johnston, devil, movies, success
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http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002MH3KQ?v=glance
That album is a great peak into Johnston’s genius.
The Beck song is plaintively wonderful, despite the review on that page.
But Sparklehorse backed up by The Flaming Lips makes the brilliance of the song “Go” so evident you won’t ever question how you feel about the music again.
Pete, I’ve had my eye on that album since I saw the movie.
Do you find yourself ever listening to the disc with the songs performed by Johnston himself?
Yeah, I go back and forth.
I notice the reviews consistently say that the covers suck. I just disagree. They work well. Also, Johnston and Wait’s King Kong both get to the heart of the story way better than Peter Jackson’s mega-depiction.
Woah! After hearing Vic Chestnut’s version of Like A Monkey In The Zoo all I can say is now I understand
Nice!
When people agree with me, I always assume they are being sarcastic.
Just in case, try this one:
http://play.napster.com/track/13782025
Nope, not being sarcastic. I listened to that song 3 times yesterday. Usually I can’t do something like that because the songs tend to sort of get stuck in my head and “loop” if I hear them more than once. This song was complex enough I didn’t have to worry about earworm setting in.
The way he (Johnston) wrote the chorus of the song is dramatic and downright brilliant – you might even say brave. I’ve complained many times in recent years about how some of the music today “never seems to go anywhere” because the band/composer is afraid to jump into a minor key to make a point. This song does it – and hits a home run along the way.
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