Daniel Johnston Dead at 58... Rip...

[ghoul]

Never really liked listening to him, his voice was...something else. but I enjoy covers by other artists. He was a great songwriter. RIP.

 

[Luthien]

Never heard of the man.
But godspeed good sir!

 

[Noveltymortar]

Bowie was a fan and wrote this song about him (despite the song title it was apparently about Johnston, not "Wood Jackson").

 

[Jesus X]

Natural causes at 58?!

I concur if you die before the average age of death in your country that already means it wasn't normal or natural.

 

[Fedorgasm]

He wasn't fat until he started taking this certain medication. They said it made him gain weight.

I'm in the camp that hated his music, although I played speeding motorcycle so much as a punishment for my kids that the song kind of grew on me. At the very least we have a good laugh when he starts howling like a dog.

 

[Danger Dave]

RIP Daniel Johnson.

 

[what-wut]

I like this song and the lyrics. He had a difficult life, RIP.

 

[Kingz]

While I don’t doubt that a lot of hipsters latched on to his music because he was mentally ill, and his music really reflected it. I always really liked him on the merits of his recordings, but mostly his songwriting. I actually had put together compilations of his songs before I really knew any backstory about him. Which I hadn’t learned for several years until I saw his documentary. I was introduced to his music through the Kids Soundtrack back in the mid 90’s. I was drawn in by the lyrics and the grittiness of the sound. You could actually envision somebody like Daniel Johnston before you had actually really seen and learned about Daniel Johnston.

He wasn’t a good musician or a singer but that was usually a given. Nobody really argued that he was. He especially didn’t argue that. He was a lyricist. A lot of his most notable work is musically backed by the an organ mostly flushed out by the sound of his thumping. It worked for me though. There really still isn’t anything else like it. The minimalism and the shit production where the lyrics and melodies can still shine through.

What he deserves credit for, and why he’s lauded in songwriter circles was because he was an excellent songwriter. Walking the Cow, To Go Home, Worried Shoes, Devil Town, Spirit World Rising, True Love Finds You In The End, Despair Came Knocking, Don’t Let The Sun Go Down In Your Grievances, King Kong, The list goes on. His lyrics cut deep. Not just for mentally ill people but for anybody. That’s where he rightfully earned his appreciation.

Songwriters latch on because so much of the sound was underdeveloped and they get to put their own takes on his undeniably catchy lyrics and melodies. Like Tom Waits did with “King Kong” or Eddie Vedder with “Walking the Cow”

Daniel Johnston was legit.

RIP

 

[Anung Un Rama]