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Legendary lo-fi and outsider singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston dead at 58. (Heart attack)

BLEEN

BLEEN

Member
Oct 27, 2017
21,862
Dude was just a pure legend. Enjoy this classic album, folks.

R.I.P.


and this:



Story is just breaking but he has been in bad health for a while now. Man, this is a sad day. On 9/11, no less.


Edit* I just wanna give a shout to this amazing documentary. Saw it when it first came out and it's beautiful but it's heartbreaking.
The Devil and Daniel Johnston


DailyMotion is down at the moment but I'll leave that for when it comes back up.
For now, here he is Live in São Paulo
 
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ExhaustedWalrus

ExhaustedWalrus

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,846
Wow, I'm gutted. I know he has had his fair share of problems but I always expected him to be around for a long time.

RIP to a tortured, beautiful artist.
 
SatoAilDarko

SatoAilDarko

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,824
One of my all time favorite artists. I absolutely adore him.

It's super crazy but just two days ago I got into a listening binge of his albums after not having listening to multiple in a row so in well over a year.

The only artist whose art I really felt was him sharing his innermost being.

Sad I never got to see him live.

Seriously such an absolutely incredible songwriter with his lyrics and the limited tools available to him in his early recordings.

If there's anything further I hope there's happiness for him. He truly deserves it.
 
Mr. Doop

Mr. Doop

Member
Oct 25, 2017
113
Don't be sad, I know you will...

I don't know why, but this death is hitting me really hard. RIP to one of the most influential people in all of outsider music.
 
SatoAilDarko

SatoAilDarko

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,824
His two most famous songs.




Just so beautifully heartbreaking. Even more so, if that's possible, if you know his biography.
 
Futureman

Futureman

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,396
Never heard of him but enjoying some songs I'm listening to right now.

Lo-fi, underappreciated, tortured artist, dead too early in their 50s.... and now I'm sad about David Berman again.
 
uncelestial

uncelestial

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,060
San Francisco, CA, USA
Aw that's terrible... I saw him about 8 years ago and it was really sweet and inspiring even though he was in bad shape (lots of involuntary tremors).

Kurt Cobain was wearing a t-shirt with the artwork for one of his tapes when he died.

01-holding-sacai-breakout.jpg


Here's a beautiful cover of "Some Things Last a Long Time" by Built to Spill.


RIP, Daniel.
 
OP
OP
BLEEN

BLEEN

Member
Oct 27, 2017
21,862
Futureman said:
Never heard of him but enjoying some songs I'm listening to right now.

Lo-fi, underappreciated, tortured artist, dead too early in their 50s.... and now I'm sad about David Berman again.
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There's a ton to dive in to. Too much, even lol

And yeah, Berman. Fuuuuck. What a rockstar. Both were in their own ways.
 
andrew

andrew

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,906
chadskin said:


RIP
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this is beautiful
uncelestial said:
Aw that's terrible... I saw him about 8 years ago and it was really sweet and inspiring even though he was in bad shape (lots of involuntary tremors).

Kurt Cobain was wearing a t-shirt with the artwork for one of his tapes when he died.

01-holding-sacai-breakout.jpg


Here's a beautiful cover of "Some Things Last a Long Time" by Built to Spill.


RIP, Daniel.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
wasn't he wearing a half japanese shirt when he died?

that cover is great. Beach House's cover is great...every cover of that song is great. what a song
 
OP
OP
BLEEN

BLEEN

Member
Oct 27, 2017
21,862
andrew said:
this is beautiful

wasn't he wearing a half japanese shirt when he died?

that cover is great. Beach House's cover is great...every cover of that song is great. what a song
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Dude was def. a musical genius, no lie. His pop sensibilities were out of this world. Just on another level of greatness and he churned them out with, seemingly, ease.
 
nachum00

nachum00

Member
Oct 26, 2017
8,397
This is horrible. Such an amazing talent and his music really helped me through dark times.

If you're interested at all in his music or him in general please checkout his albums (my personal favorites Don't Be Scared, Hi How Are You?, and Continued Story) and try to watch the fantastic documentary about his life The Devil and Daniel Johnston.
 

Deleted member 58401

User requested account closure
Banned
Jul 7, 2019
895
Very sad. For anyone who doesn't know his music, the double album, "Discovered Covered," is a pretty excellent gateway into his stuff. One disc is the originals and one disc is covers by a lot of big names in early 2000s indie rock.

And the documentary posted earlier in this thread is very, very good. He was more than a musician, and he'll be missed by many. Poor Austin, too. Roky and Daniel in the same year.
 
BearPawB

BearPawB

I'm a fan of the erotic thriller genre
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Oct 25, 2017
3,998
I Had Lost My Mind is one of my all time favorite songs.
RIP Daniel
 
SatoAilDarko

SatoAilDarko

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,824
Listening right now to disc 2 of Discovered, Uncovered.

gorkvondonsler said:
Very sad. For anyone who doesn't know his music, the double album, "Discovered Covered," is a pretty excellent gateway into his stuff. One disc is the originals and one disc is covers by a lot of big names in early 2000s indie rock.
Click to expand...
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MI0002444095.jpg


Haha, I literally came to recommend this and was beaten by three minutes. I think the second disc of his original songs is a better entry point than a single album as some od those early tapes can be rough recording quality-wise.

MI0002463364.jpg


Spotify Link
 
Einchy

Einchy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
42,659
RIP

A Story of an Artist and True Love Will Find You In The End always break my heart.
 
Unicorn

Unicorn

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 29, 2017
9,506
This hit as hard as Ken Nordine for me.

Luminary and tortured soul. Much of his life with mental illness mirrors much of someone in my family and his death only put their life and death into perspective even more acutely.

Still need to watch the documentary that came out a few years ago. Really enjoyed The Devil and Daniel Johnston when I saw it in an art house theater whenever that came out (2005?) as a fan for nearly 2 decades.

Edit:

I also was able to see him live a number of years ago. Initially bought tickets but it was cancelled the day of... then rescheduled... then the venue was packed and when he came on stage someone yelled "We love you Daniel!" and he meekly replied "I doubt it..." The crowd didn't really know how to respond, but we all just tried to shower him with overwhelming support throughout his set.

Chills down our spines the entire time. Pure authenticity throughout his entire life.


This song rends me to tears often.
 
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Heel

Heel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,283
Sad to hear. Rest in peace.

His song "Living Life" is a personal favorite of mine:
 
basic_text

basic_text

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,019
Derby, UK
uncelestial said:
Aw that's terrible... I saw him about 8 years ago and it was really sweet and inspiring even though he was in bad shape (lots of involuntary tremors).

Kurt Cobain was wearing a t-shirt with the artwork for one of his tapes when he died.

01-holding-sacai-breakout.jpg


Here's a beautiful cover of "Some Things Last a Long Time" by Built to Spill.


RIP, Daniel.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Also, fuck Urban Outfitters for selling this shirt as part of a licensed Kurt Cobain range.

Johnson was a genius and The Devil and Daniel Johnston is a work of art. The dude had such a hard yet interesting life.
 
cdr Jameson

cdr Jameson

Member
Oct 27, 2017
336
RIP

A true genius.

I remember seeing him live late 90's. He quit after three songs and the promotor lured him back on stage with some sigarettes.
The man had a hard life.

I will be playing the old cassettes I bought from him at that show today.
 
OP
OP
BLEEN

BLEEN

Member
Oct 27, 2017
21,862
I had seen him at the bus terminal in Jersey City, NJ back in 2009. I never approached him as I was honestly a bit starstruck lol but as soon as I got home I checked where he was playing in the area. He had just finished his NYC tour that day. I should've taken a pic with him and his guide, in hindsight.
 
LuigiMario

LuigiMario

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,930
Dude was chewed up by an industry of people pretending to care about him just to make a buck, I feel horrendously awful for him and his family. Was very close to seeing his final tour but it sold out before I had a chance, kind of bummed I missed it now.
 
Mantrox

Mantrox

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,907
RIP
The first time i heard him playing "I will do anything but breakdance to you darling" i was transfixed.
He always seemed like a superstar being choked by mental illness.



Very sincere singing, big piano notes and tape warble.
 
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Deleted member 5596

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Oct 25, 2017
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This hit hard.

I discovered him just a couple years ago with 'Life in vain' and the song resonated so much with me, that I almost cried. I today I cried listening to it after learning the news.

He was inspiring to me, that even with such hardships he never stopped creating music and art. I should try to track down the documentary.

RIP Daniel

 
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alexthekid

Member
Oct 1, 2018
102
Wow, I have never heard him before but some of the stuff posted here got me to tears.

This might not be the right time but I would like to recommend another late genius that suffered from mental illness, norwegian st. Thomas.
 
Blah

Blah

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,602
He was such an amazing, interesting artist who struggled with so many issues. I appreciate the years we did have with him.
 
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