My Take On Daniel Johnston


I liked this film, but while I was watching the movie I hated Daniel's music. Since there seemed to be all these Danielheads, I figured there must be something to his music that I wasn't getting. So I decided to delve a little more into his music and I listened to a lot of his work.

My final take is that he is 'not' a good songwriter. Though he sometimes writes interesting lyrics, other times the lyrics are amateurish and too 'on the nose.' But songwriting encompasses musical composition as well, and not just lyrics. Even if he were a brilliant lyricist, without good melodies and music the songs are not really songs. People who like DJ's music usually cite his lyrics. But without music, lyrics are not songs, they are poems. It seems like DJ is more of a poet who set his poems to awful melodies. Any child could come up with 99% of Daniel's melodies.

I think Daniel is more of a novelty, which explains his appeal. There also seems to be a little 'Emperor's New Clothes' element which has contributed to his notoriety (people feel cool because they see something others don't).

Daniel Johnston is an intriguing character with a fascinating history. And perhaps because of this his music has a haunting quality. But people who call him a songwriting genius are really the one's who don't understand music.

Now, having said all this, I will say that I found two of Daniel's songs which I thought worked both musically and lyrically, and I'm quite a fan of both. They are 'True Love Will Find You In The End,' and 'Worried Shoes.'

PS. I am musically trained, so I know what I'm talking about, and no, I do not like Justin Bieber.

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When I first watched this film...I didn't know who he was and had never heard any of his music...I rented because of the name...sad i know but still true...I watched the movie and listened to the songs and thought...really...but I enjoyed his story so much that I really tried to find something of his I liked...then it just slowly started to make sense to me...his voice is different...his style is very simple...but...I haven't heard anything else like it...I think that's what got me...True Love Will Find You In The End...is an amazing son...also Story of an Artist, equally as great...some stuff is not for me but, that can be said about anyone...I didn't think I was cool because I thought I discovered something...half the time I was embarrassed to tell people because an outsider would go...what the hell are you listening too...but I really think he can be described as a genius just for the volume and style in which he presents his art...I personally think Andy Warhol's art is lame, but he is still an artist...same with Daniel Johnston except this time I'm one of his loyal fans...

don't you know there ain't no devil, theres just God when he's drunk...

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Story of an Artist is not really a song. It's Daniel repeating lines that were said to him by his concerned family and setting them to a repetitive melody. I don't see how that's good songwriting. As always with his music, there's a haunting quality to it, though I suspect it has more to do with our knowledge of his condition and hardships than with the music itself.

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I can see Johnston has some charm to his music, and I like several of his songs. Because they are so simple, they are accessible, I suppose. If his fans would say "Listen to this, his songs are cool" or whatever, I would have no problem with it.

But to say he's the best songwriter ever, like so many of them do, it just seems ridiculous. To say he's better than Brian Wilson especially, is practically a travesty.

I like some of what I've heard of his stuff, however. I just picked up Yip!/Jump Music, so I'm willing to listen further. But part of me feels like I have fallen for some flim flam scheme by buying it :)

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When I first heard of Daniel I was dating his nephew in early 2003. I remember his Dad (Dick Johnston) really being involved then, and letting me listen to some of his music and asking me what I thought. I'm pretty sure I was honest, and made a face indicating that it was horrible and I hated it! They both laughed at me, because it was obviously a unique taste that wouldn't appeal to everyone. I remember heading home and remembering I forgot something, so we headed back. Dick said, "Oh, Molly, did you forget a couple of Daniel's CDs?"

But, what can I say, I listen to the radio, and in 2003 enjoyed John Mayer, Maroon 5, Sister Hazel, Bare Naked Ladies, etc. I still hate the music, would never actually listen to it, but I watched the movie, purely for my friendship/love for that family (and they are a fantastic family) and really enjoyed the story. I didn't know much about Daniel, just enthralled with the nephew at the time, but when I asked if I could meet him, my boyfriend (his nephew) said, "He'll probably just hit on you."

But I did live near Austin, so I took a picture of me in front of the Austin mural.

Yours in Christ,
~Molly~
www.hcdoxies.com

"Elephants are not purple. This is wrong."

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[deleted]

Just want to say thanks to angelthman. Now that you've given your self-proclaimed expert opinion on Daniel Johnston's work, we must now realise that thousands of fans were simply mistaken about his talent. Unfortunately your 'any child could come up with 99% of Daniel's melodies' exposes your fraudulence. Oh, and before I go, where can I find your work please, I'm looking forward to hearing the work of someone who is musically trained and knows what they're talking about. Or is it simply talking?

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No, Johnston is painful to listen to, and his songs are juvenile.






"Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"

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"I am musically trained, so I know what I'm talking about"

Ha.

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The fact that you are musically trained bears no relevance whatsoever. Music is a thing of taste, there is no right or wrong. It is all subjective.

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So I'm a bit late coming to this conversation, but I'll add to it anyhow. I wouldn't call DJ a musical genius, though I am a fan of his music. He clearly has a very simple understanding of music and melody. He's not good at the guitar and he can't sing in key. That isn't what makes him so appealing, though. Dylan and Cohen weren't great singers. Their music wasn't amazing and their lyrics were straight forward and fairly simple. Now, I'm not saying he is that caliber, but merely pointing out that the greatest singer/songwriters of our time were very simple and not great vocalists. And you made this statement:

My final take is that he is 'not' a good songwriter

What made them great is their uniqueness. This is what makes DJ so great. Then you have to put his music in context. Once you know his story and how he is a developmentally challenged, you can "grade" his music accordingly. You don't compare it to a classically trained musician with a superb voice. He's like a child. His raw honesty is captivating, imo. It's a tragic story and this is how he communicates.

angelthman, you say:
I think Daniel is more of a novelty, which explains his appeal. There also seems to be a little 'Emperor's New Clothes' element which has contributed to his notoriety (people feel cool because they see something others don't).

I know we all speak in generalities, from time to time, but saying anyone that likes his music is doing so because it's a novelty and because we feel cool because we see something others don't is no different then me telling you that you just don't understand art. It's not a fair conclusion. I, like you, am musically trained. I love technicality and precision. I love really good songwriting. Great lyrics. Great melodies etc. I also love artists who aren't run-of-the-mill and who don't have flawless voices. I genuinely love vocals that crack and don't always hit the right note, but have a rawness to them. I like when a guy is strumming a guitar so hard that it can sound slightly out of tune and his voice swells from singing to a yell as his voice cracks. I like the way it makes me feel, much more than a polished and produced sound. Believe it or not, there are people that will take songs that are simple and raw over technicality any day. I am one of those people.

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