DANIEL JOHNSTON - Hi how are you

In this illustrated biography of Daniel Johnston, his life and art are chronicled through extremely rare photos from his early childhood through all stages of his career, along with his own artwork, interviews with the people in his life, and an up to date discography. About Daniel Johnston: Daniel Johnston has spent the last 20 or so years exposing his heartrending tales of unrequited love, cosmic mishaps, and existential torment to an ever-growing international cult audience. Initiates, including a healthy number of discerning musicians and critics, have hailed him as an American original in the style of bluesman Robert Johnson and country legend Hank Williams. A number of artists—among them the Dead Milkmen, Yo La Tengo, the Velvet Underground’s songs. And he as collaborated with the likes of Jad Fair (a founding member of Half Japanese, who’ve also done Daniel’s songs), the Butthole Surfers, Bongwater/Shimmydisc guru Kramer, and members of Sonic Youth. Daniel gained his widest public exposure to date when, at the 1992 MTV Music Awards, Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain (who constantly touted Daniel in interviews) wore a Johnston T-shirt.
It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that next month is Daniel Johnston Month in New York. The Biennial begins on March 2, with more than a dozen of Mr. Johnston’s recent hallucinatory pen and Magic Marker drawings on view. —The New York Times
Paperback: 225 pages

About the Artist

Daniel Johnston

The award-winning documentary “The Devil and Daniel Johnston”, a property of Sony Pictures Classics, opened to rave reviews on March 31st 2006, in both NY and LA. Running concurrently with the opening of the film was a major show of Daniel’s artwork at a prominent NY gallery and a collection of Daniel’s work at the Whitney Museum’s Biennial exhibit!

Much has also been written about the music of Daniel Johnston. And there is good reason; Daniel is one of the greatest songwriters of this or any other generation. Daniel’s been playing his intensely unique songs since he was a young teenager and garnering fans all over the world, including such notables as Kurt Cobain, David Bowie, Pete Townshend, Matt Groening (creator of “The Simpsons”), Jad Fair, Lou Reed and Maureen Tucker. Unfortunately, much less has been written about his artwork. That, however, is beginning to change. Over the last few years, Daniel’s drawings are showing in larger and larger galleries and prices for his work are climbing steadily higher. What is astounding about Daniel’s work is the fact that he is an absolute unending wellspring of creativity, the likes of which I have never witnessed before. No creative blocks here… what he thinks and feels gushes out on to the paper, or into a song. But, perhaps the most incredible part of the story is that all of the superlatives that have been used in describing how wonderful his music is can also be used for his artwork. There may be one other artist in history who has so excelled in two such diverse artistic fields: visual art and music.