Daniel Johnston and Friends
By: Dan Monsell
Touring this week:
23 Jul 2008 The Old Fruit Market Glasgow, UK
24 Jul 2008 New Century House Manchester, UK
25 Jul 2008 Indig02 London, UK
27 Jul 2008 Whelans Dublin, Ireland
28 Jul 2008 Whelans Dublin, Ireland
Ticket details: available for roughly £20 + booking fee HERE
Why is this worthy of my time and money?: With almost aggressive critical acclaim coming from the likes of David Bowie, Kurt Cobain and Sonic Youth, Austin singer/songwriter Johnston has long been heralded as one of America's finest talents. Now moving into his mid-forties, recent performances have still been as unpredictable as ever, moving quickly from dark to light, childlike to adult, even with bizarre changes in his vocal register. The stark contrasts of his live shows, with performances descending as quickly into car crash fascination as they do life-changing musical splendour, all reflect Johnston's lifetime struggle with mental illness - specifically bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. It's something that's led his music and art to become scattered with amazing incidents recently documented in the 2006 Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary, The Devil and Daniel Johnston. Johnston has not only wrestled his world war two pilot father to the ground while flying a jet across the American plains, causing an emergency crash landing that they unbelievably survived, he's also had many different psychotic episodes where he's become obsessed that people are controlled by Satan, even causing him to lose a record deal with Electra - after he refused to sign for a label sporting Metallica on their roster, a band he was sure was possessed by the devil and out to get him.
But disregarding Johnston's colourful and unique life in music and art (regularly producing his own artwork and exhibiting), it's his live show that has so regularly caused so many to love him so. When Mr. Johnston's on form - and we hate to say it, suitably stable - there aren't many who can touch the sincerity, vulnerability and tenderness of his live performance. This tour is also suitably exciting for the inclusion of a fantastic array of "friends" who will appear as support acts and backing musicians. These include: Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse), Scout Niblett, Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), Jad Fair (Half Japanese) and James McNew (Yo La Tengo). This sort of cult stuff only comes around once in a long while and you'd be a crazy kind of person yourself to miss out.