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1
00:00:12,662 --> 00:00:15,832
Hello. Hello.
2
00:00:18,969 --> 00:00:24,109
Hello, I am the ghost
of Daniel Johnston.
3
00:00:25,242 --> 00:00:30,482
Many years ago
I lived in Austin, Texas,
4
00:00:30,580 --> 00:00:34,180
and I worked at McDonald's.
5
00:00:37,821 --> 00:00:40,391
It is an honor
and a privilege
6
00:00:41,624 --> 00:00:43,864
to speak to you today,
7
00:00:48,031 --> 00:00:50,971
to tell you
about my condition,
8
00:00:51,668 --> 00:00:56,638
and the other world.
9
00:01:11,021 --> 00:01:12,461
Ladies and gentlemen.
10
00:01:12,555 --> 00:01:16,485
The best singer/songwriter
alive today,
11
00:01:16,593 --> 00:01:18,833
Daniel Johnston.
12
00:01:25,869 --> 00:01:27,639
We love you, Daniel!
13
00:01:29,306 --> 00:01:32,836
* I've come this far
and I know I can make it *
14
00:01:34,812 --> 00:01:39,452
* I've got a broken heart
and you can't break
a broken heart *
15
00:01:39,549 --> 00:01:42,749
* I come knocking
at your door *
16
00:01:42,853 --> 00:01:45,923
* You don't love me anymore
17
00:01:46,023 --> 00:01:48,463
* But I just can't give up
18
00:01:48,558 --> 00:01:54,158
* 'Cause I don't know
what to do about it *
19
00:01:54,264 --> 00:02:00,374
* You must be wrong
if you think
you don't love me *
20
00:02:00,470 --> 00:02:05,080
* You could smile down
and put a happy ending
to my song *
21
00:02:05,175 --> 00:02:08,305
* I come knocking
at your door *
22
00:02:08,411 --> 00:02:11,481
* You don't live there
anymore *
23
00:02:11,581 --> 00:02:14,051
* Is it just a memory?
24
00:02:14,151 --> 00:02:19,691
* Or am I a little
crazy for you? *
25
00:02:19,789 --> 00:02:21,359
He was different.
26
00:02:21,458 --> 00:02:25,298
I noticed that from the start
that Dan was different.
27
00:02:25,395 --> 00:02:27,795
I had him on a crib
in our little bedroom
28
00:02:27,898 --> 00:02:30,468
and I would go in
and talk to him,
change his diaper,
29
00:02:30,567 --> 00:02:34,237
and I would squeal at him
and he would squeal back
at me.
30
00:02:34,337 --> 00:02:37,937
That's a small baby
communicating, I thought.
31
00:02:38,041 --> 00:02:42,181
Being, uh, six years younger
than his four brothers
and sisters,
32
00:02:42,279 --> 00:02:44,749
he was pampered by them.
33
00:02:44,848 --> 00:02:47,888
And, uh,
they nursed him along.
34
00:02:47,985 --> 00:02:49,685
But we didn't notice
at that time
35
00:02:49,786 --> 00:02:53,616
that there was
any special talents
involved or anything.
36
00:02:53,723 --> 00:02:56,593
When he went to school,
they tested the kids,
37
00:02:56,693 --> 00:03:01,433
and Dan was put
in the highest group
of the highest class.
38
00:03:01,531 --> 00:03:04,371
His teacher was
really mad at him
and it's understandable
39
00:03:04,467 --> 00:03:07,567
because Dan doesn't
follow directions.
40
00:03:07,670 --> 00:03:11,310
You know,
when he was in junior high,
41
00:03:11,408 --> 00:03:15,478
he suddenly lost
all his wonderful confidence,
42
00:03:15,578 --> 00:03:19,348
and I guess it was
the beginning of his illness.
43
00:03:20,951 --> 00:03:23,621
He and his brother
decided to make
their own movie.
44
00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:28,230
And it was a collaborative
effort between the two
brothers working together.
45
00:03:28,325 --> 00:03:32,655
And Dan had to change clothes
and pretend to be his mother.
46
00:03:32,762 --> 00:03:37,132
Because his mother and I
weren't in the movie actually.
47
00:03:37,234 --> 00:03:38,804
Tell about it, Mabel.
48
00:03:38,902 --> 00:03:42,012
Dan is the director
and the actor
49
00:03:42,105 --> 00:03:44,435
portraying himself
in parts
50
00:03:44,541 --> 00:03:49,111
and his horrible mother
in other parts.
51
00:03:49,212 --> 00:03:52,082
I think he was
having fun teasing me.
52
00:03:52,182 --> 00:03:53,852
What do you think, Bill?
53
00:03:53,951 --> 00:03:56,091
Yeah, he... he was
doin' it for humor.
54
00:03:56,186 --> 00:03:57,816
You are real lazy.
Wake up.
55
00:03:57,921 --> 00:03:59,791
Dan's hard to deal
with sometimes.
56
00:03:59,889 --> 00:04:04,429
He thought, "I'm artistic.
I shouldn't have to do
those things."
57
00:04:06,129 --> 00:04:10,029
Time to get up
and get ready for school.
58
00:04:10,133 --> 00:04:12,673
Get up in there,
breakfast is ready.
59
00:04:12,769 --> 00:04:17,139
He wanted to be comic
all the time. He just
couldn't get over it.
60
00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:18,310
OK.
61
00:04:18,408 --> 00:04:20,878
They were having
too good a time.
62
00:04:22,579 --> 00:04:26,219
I don't think
his relationship
with me was typical.
63
00:04:26,316 --> 00:04:30,116
Do you suppose he really
pictured me that way?
64
00:04:30,220 --> 00:04:32,260
This is ridiculous,
what they're showing.
65
00:04:32,355 --> 00:04:36,425
I think it's popcorn
and green Kool-Aid.
66
00:04:37,660 --> 00:04:39,930
He was a trial.
67
00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,870
I was sort of
the star art guy
at the high school.
68
00:04:46,970 --> 00:04:48,510
Oak Glen High School.
69
00:04:48,605 --> 00:04:50,905
And I started hearing
rumors of this new art guy,
70
00:04:51,008 --> 00:04:52,538
the new art star.
71
00:04:52,642 --> 00:04:54,282
You know,
the... the new kid in town,
72
00:04:54,377 --> 00:04:56,407
I had to find out
who this was.
73
00:04:56,513 --> 00:04:59,453
A friend of mine told me,
"There's this kid,
Dan Johnston,
74
00:04:59,549 --> 00:05:02,049
"he can really draw,
he's a musician
or something."
75
00:05:02,152 --> 00:05:05,122
So he kind of had one
up on me, he was a musician.
76
00:05:05,222 --> 00:05:07,092
The guy is a natural,
an absolute natural.
77
00:05:07,190 --> 00:05:08,960
He never even had
to learn to draw.
78
00:05:09,059 --> 00:05:11,959
He just got better
from great.
79
00:05:12,062 --> 00:05:13,362
You know, I had to
hang out with this guy.
80
00:05:13,463 --> 00:05:16,033
I had to be around this art.
81
00:05:16,133 --> 00:05:20,203
So we just started hanging out
and doing art together,
actually.
82
00:05:22,405 --> 00:05:26,905
The eyeball thing
was sort of like
his intro calling card.
83
00:05:27,010 --> 00:05:28,350
Did it
touch you emotionally?
84
00:05:28,445 --> 00:05:30,375
It was
his mysterious entry.
85
00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:32,650
It's definitely
different.
86
00:05:32,749 --> 00:05:34,149
I'm speechless.
87
00:05:34,251 --> 00:05:36,191
Everybody was,
"Who's the eyeball guy?"
88
00:05:36,286 --> 00:05:38,786
You know, he was painting
these eyeballs everywhere.
89
00:05:38,888 --> 00:05:42,458
He would actually draw
on walls all over
the high school.
90
00:05:42,559 --> 00:05:45,399
I thought Dan's
was very imaginative.
91
00:05:45,495 --> 00:05:47,325
Daniel,
he just exudes art.
92
00:05:47,430 --> 00:05:49,800
He... He can't stop
making art.
93
00:05:53,503 --> 00:05:56,873
He never sits and thinks,
what am I gonna do?
94
00:05:56,973 --> 00:05:58,383
He just grabs something.
95
00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:21,330
* Listen up
and I'll tell a story *
96
00:06:22,732 --> 00:06:26,502
* About an artist
growing old *
97
00:06:27,604 --> 00:06:31,374
* Some would try for
fame and glory *
98
00:06:32,942 --> 00:06:36,152
* Others aren't so bold
99
00:06:37,580 --> 00:06:41,450
* Everyone,
and friends and family *
100
00:06:42,985 --> 00:06:45,815
* saying, "Hey! Get a job!"
101
00:06:47,257 --> 00:06:50,757
* "Why do you only
do that only? *
102
00:06:53,196 --> 00:06:56,566
* "Why are you so odd?
103
00:06:58,535 --> 00:07:02,305
* "We don't really like
what you do *
104
00:07:03,340 --> 00:07:06,710
* "We don't think
anyone ever will *
105
00:07:08,178 --> 00:07:12,578
* "It's a problem
that you have *
106
00:07:12,682 --> 00:07:16,252
* "And this problem's
made you ill" *
107
00:07:18,054 --> 00:07:21,524
* The artist walks alone
108
00:07:22,559 --> 00:07:26,099
* Someone says
behind his back *
109
00:07:27,197 --> 00:07:30,627
* "He's got his gall
to call himself that! *
110
00:07:31,734 --> 00:07:35,274
* "He doesn't even know
where he's at!" *
111
00:07:39,242 --> 00:07:41,112
He wasn't buyin' them
for comic books,
112
00:07:41,211 --> 00:07:44,581
he was buying them for
the artwork that was
involved on the comics.
113
00:07:44,681 --> 00:07:47,421
And some of the artists
were his incentive
114
00:07:47,517 --> 00:07:50,017
to try to be
an artist himself.
115
00:07:50,119 --> 00:07:52,589
They were
an inspiration to him.
116
00:07:52,689 --> 00:07:55,289
Now talk about
the cinema of
Daniel Johnston, then.
117
00:07:55,392 --> 00:07:56,862
He doesn't have influences.
118
00:07:56,959 --> 00:07:59,759
He doesn't sit down
and consciously watch Chaplin
119
00:07:59,862 --> 00:08:02,232
and then learn,
or this is my Keaton period.
120
00:08:02,332 --> 00:08:04,902
It's not like that.
He doesn't even know
who these guys are.
121
00:08:05,001 --> 00:08:08,671
You know, he gets a Super 8
and he makes a movie.
122
00:08:10,540 --> 00:08:12,480
Dan took himself seriously.
123
00:08:12,575 --> 00:08:15,575
He, for some reason,
thought he was going to be
124
00:08:15,678 --> 00:08:19,078
an artist because probably
of the attention he got.
125
00:08:19,182 --> 00:08:23,592
The family room would
sometimes be almost
full of kids
126
00:08:23,686 --> 00:08:27,556
and one of them told me
that he's gonna be
famous someday.
127
00:08:27,657 --> 00:08:30,257
And I thought,
that silly stuff, you know?
128
00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:32,730
He lived
in the basement of
his parents' house.
129
00:08:32,829 --> 00:08:36,869
They got this perfectly
normal ranch house
out in the country
130
00:08:36,966 --> 00:08:38,796
behind New Cumberland.
131
00:08:38,901 --> 00:08:41,341
He's got this amazing lab,
132
00:08:41,438 --> 00:08:43,868
like this amazing
factory downstairs.
133
00:08:43,973 --> 00:08:48,143
He's turned a garage
and two sort of utility rooms
134
00:08:48,245 --> 00:08:51,275
into a bedroom
and an art factory,
135
00:08:51,381 --> 00:08:55,151
and he's just got
everywhere, magazines, tapes.
136
00:08:55,252 --> 00:08:58,152
In fact, he's
recreated it in Waller,
where he lives today.
137
00:08:58,255 --> 00:09:01,085
It's a duplicate
of the same room.
138
00:09:01,190 --> 00:09:04,660
* I was guilt stricken
139
00:09:05,462 --> 00:09:07,702
* To go away
140
00:09:08,698 --> 00:09:12,298
* She turned without saying
141
00:09:13,169 --> 00:09:15,769
* I could not stay
142
00:09:17,139 --> 00:09:20,209
* And all the while
143
00:09:20,310 --> 00:09:24,180
* she was smiling at me
144
00:09:24,281 --> 00:09:30,951
* Like I was a show
on her TV *
145
00:09:31,053 --> 00:09:32,223
They're sort of like this
146
00:09:32,322 --> 00:09:35,592
Christian fundamentalist
Glass Family.
147
00:09:35,692 --> 00:09:38,162
They're creative,
they're intellectual,
148
00:09:38,261 --> 00:09:42,231
but there's this, like,
West Virginia, kind of
right-wing Christian thing.
149
00:09:42,332 --> 00:09:45,132
Daniel wasn't
havin' any of it.
150
00:09:45,234 --> 00:09:47,144
Spiritually he was
separated from them,
151
00:09:47,236 --> 00:09:51,206
socially, every other way
he was gone from them.
152
00:09:51,308 --> 00:09:53,138
But at the same time
he was of them,
153
00:09:53,242 --> 00:09:57,812
in the sense that
he had certain material
to draw from.
154
00:09:58,715 --> 00:10:00,345
Bill and I both thought he was
155
00:10:00,450 --> 00:10:03,320
doing too much
concentrating on the art
156
00:10:03,420 --> 00:10:05,390
and the music and he wasn't
157
00:10:05,488 --> 00:10:10,128
having a well rounded life.
158
00:10:10,226 --> 00:10:14,756
She would constantly
try to get him, "Go to church
and save yourself,"
159
00:10:14,864 --> 00:10:16,604
and he just
would have none of it.
160
00:10:16,699 --> 00:10:18,539
He'd go to church, even,
but he wouldn't participate.
161
00:10:18,635 --> 00:10:20,635
He'd go to church
so he could
stare at the girls,
162
00:10:20,737 --> 00:10:22,067
try to find a girlfriend.
163
00:10:22,171 --> 00:10:23,411
Literally,
all he cared about
164
00:10:23,506 --> 00:10:25,106
was making art
and being John Lennon,
165
00:10:25,207 --> 00:10:27,877
and his parents' rules
were in the way of that.
166
00:10:27,977 --> 00:10:30,707
All he wanted them
to do was just
167
00:10:30,813 --> 00:10:34,853
keep the lights on,
keep the power on
so he could draw.
168
00:10:34,951 --> 00:10:37,391
Dan was
getting to be a problem.
169
00:10:37,487 --> 00:10:39,417
And he wanted to do everything
170
00:10:39,522 --> 00:10:41,792
but he didn't want to
do any of his chores,
171
00:10:41,891 --> 00:10:45,901
like help mow the lawn,
or wash the car,
172
00:10:45,995 --> 00:10:50,065
or any of those things
that I thought he was
lackin' in training,
173
00:10:50,166 --> 00:10:52,066
and I had to settle that.
174
00:11:27,504 --> 00:11:32,144
Every bit of the... of
the supposed persecution
175
00:11:32,241 --> 00:11:35,981
that Daniel portrays
in early music was there,
176
00:11:36,078 --> 00:11:39,678
but, um, but I'm not saying
it was without provocation.
177
00:11:39,782 --> 00:11:42,182
He did it.
He brought it on himself.
178
00:11:42,284 --> 00:11:43,494
He... He would cause it
179
00:11:43,586 --> 00:11:46,656
to tape record, to film.
180
00:11:46,756 --> 00:11:49,786
Many, many times, Mabel would
open the basement stairs door
181
00:11:49,892 --> 00:11:52,402
and she used to call him
an unprofitable servant.
182
00:11:52,495 --> 00:11:54,425
"You're an unprofitable
servant of the Lord.
183
00:11:54,531 --> 00:11:56,371
"You need to leave the house
and get a job."
184
00:11:56,466 --> 00:11:59,436
He turned it,
he used to call himself
an unserviceable prophet.
185
00:12:31,468 --> 00:12:33,368
I really didn't like it
when he put...
186
00:12:33,470 --> 00:12:36,940
He taped me
giving him what for.
187
00:12:37,039 --> 00:12:39,079
I didn't think
he would do that.
188
00:12:39,175 --> 00:12:43,205
She would really
harangue him and, uh,
and he... he, um...
189
00:12:43,312 --> 00:12:44,782
It was hard on him. It was.
190
00:12:44,881 --> 00:12:46,421
But he's this sort of like,
191
00:12:46,516 --> 00:12:48,686
coal burning in the basement,
you know,
192
00:12:48,785 --> 00:12:50,385
and it's heating up
the whole house,
193
00:12:50,487 --> 00:12:51,987
and they're just
going insane from it.
194
00:12:52,088 --> 00:12:54,058
So the whole place
is just going wild
195
00:12:54,156 --> 00:12:57,286
because he's just
such a problem.
196
00:12:59,596 --> 00:13:01,756
When the problem
became apparent
197
00:13:01,864 --> 00:13:05,104
was when he first
went to college,
198
00:13:05,201 --> 00:13:07,071
at Abilene Christian College.
199
00:13:07,169 --> 00:13:11,169
And, uh, he wasn't
getting to his classes.
200
00:13:11,273 --> 00:13:12,883
He was totally confused
201
00:13:12,975 --> 00:13:15,475
and, uh, we thought,
well, this is home sickness,
you know,
202
00:13:15,578 --> 00:13:17,808
and they sent him
to the local doctor
203
00:13:17,914 --> 00:13:20,754
to see if he was complaining
about pains in his arms,
204
00:13:20,850 --> 00:13:23,220
which are symptoms
of manic depression.
205
00:13:37,033 --> 00:13:38,843
He's going around
in a daze, we said,
206
00:13:38,935 --> 00:13:40,735
"Well, we'd better
bring him home."
207
00:13:40,837 --> 00:13:42,767
And immediately
he snapped out of it.
208
00:13:42,872 --> 00:13:45,242
And then back to being
a normal person again.
209
00:13:45,341 --> 00:13:47,511
And we thought,
"Well, everything's
all right."
210
00:13:47,610 --> 00:13:49,480
So we sent him
to a local college.
211
00:13:49,579 --> 00:13:51,279
He goes
to art school at
212
00:13:51,380 --> 00:13:53,980
Kent State University branch
in East Liverpool, Ohio.
213
00:13:54,083 --> 00:13:56,723
And I am attending
the same school.
214
00:13:56,819 --> 00:13:59,689
We found all these kind
of lethargic professors
215
00:13:59,789 --> 00:14:01,919
and sort of
half-talented students.
216
00:14:02,024 --> 00:14:04,394
And, Daniel, of course,
he just scoops them up
217
00:14:04,493 --> 00:14:07,533
and he just mixes them
into his art form.
218
00:14:07,630 --> 00:14:11,400
Like everybody's his subject,
you know, all of a sudden
he's interviewing people
219
00:14:11,500 --> 00:14:15,610
with his little tape recorder
and then taking
little phrases from them
220
00:14:15,705 --> 00:14:19,205
and cutting them
into his songs.
221
00:14:19,308 --> 00:14:22,608
And he meets
the love of his life.
He meets Laurie Allen.
222
00:14:22,712 --> 00:14:26,252
I was alone
in my life
223
00:14:26,348 --> 00:14:28,888
with little to live for,
224
00:14:31,253 --> 00:14:34,493
trying my hand at art,
225
00:14:34,591 --> 00:14:38,731
thinking that maybe
I could save myself,
226
00:14:38,828 --> 00:14:41,598
but in my desperation
227
00:14:41,698 --> 00:14:44,568
all my hope would fly away
228
00:14:45,635 --> 00:14:48,765
until there was
nothing left of me,
229
00:14:49,772 --> 00:14:51,972
nothing left to say.
230
00:14:54,143 --> 00:14:58,383
And in this nightmare
there was a dream
231
00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:00,150
of a girl
232
00:15:00,983 --> 00:15:04,653
so beautiful beyond compare.
233
00:15:06,656 --> 00:15:09,256
The girl of my dreams.
234
00:15:12,028 --> 00:15:16,328
So wonderful.
So beautiful.
235
00:15:19,468 --> 00:15:21,738
And I had her boots.
236
00:15:25,307 --> 00:15:29,147
This was so long ago
in my idealistic dream
237
00:15:29,245 --> 00:15:31,205
of so many songs.
238
00:15:33,049 --> 00:15:34,579
Laurie.
239
00:15:41,290 --> 00:15:42,660
Yes.
240
00:15:49,598 --> 00:15:53,698
She inspired a thousand songs
241
00:15:54,503 --> 00:15:59,183
and then I knew
I was an artist.
242
00:16:00,910 --> 00:16:05,950
He wrote a lot of sweet songs
about Laurie.
243
00:16:06,048 --> 00:16:10,888
And I remember something
from listening he wanted
to play one for me.
244
00:16:10,987 --> 00:16:13,587
I remember it
and he doesn't have it.
245
00:16:13,690 --> 00:16:15,120
It goes...
246
00:16:15,224 --> 00:16:19,164
* Walking down the road
I'm feeling lonely *
247
00:16:19,261 --> 00:16:20,761
* But don't be sad
248
00:16:20,863 --> 00:16:22,773
* Be glad you're just
one step closer *
249
00:16:22,865 --> 00:16:25,225
* To the girl
you're going to meet *
250
00:16:25,334 --> 00:16:28,474
He starts
following her around
with a tape recorder
251
00:16:28,570 --> 00:16:30,170
and... and his little Super 8,
252
00:16:30,272 --> 00:16:32,912
following her around,
making movies and
tape recording her
253
00:16:33,009 --> 00:16:34,539
and begging her,
254
00:16:34,643 --> 00:16:37,083
begging Laurie to say,
"I love you, Dan,"
255
00:16:37,179 --> 00:16:39,749
into the tape,
which she eventually does.
256
00:16:49,358 --> 00:16:50,428
She has no idea.
257
00:16:50,526 --> 00:16:54,396
He's massively
258
00:16:54,496 --> 00:16:55,966
obsessed with her.
259
00:17:37,406 --> 00:17:39,436
This is the kind
of love he needed to have.
260
00:17:39,541 --> 00:17:42,581
He needed to have a love
that he couldn't
really successfully
261
00:17:42,678 --> 00:17:43,908
connect up with.
262
00:17:44,013 --> 00:17:45,413
He had to have
the thing to chase.
263
00:17:45,514 --> 00:17:47,684
He could never have
a thing he could catch.
264
00:17:47,784 --> 00:17:50,594
So, when she married
someone else,
265
00:17:50,686 --> 00:17:54,516
it was even better because
then he could really pine.
266
00:17:54,623 --> 00:17:56,763
You know, she was gone.
267
00:17:56,859 --> 00:18:01,559
And it's just God's
little joke that it happens
to be an undertaker.
268
00:18:01,663 --> 00:18:04,033
So he really liked that event
269
00:18:04,133 --> 00:18:08,073
even though
it causes him great pain.
270
00:18:08,170 --> 00:18:10,870
Well, when Dan got depressed,
271
00:18:10,973 --> 00:18:15,683
he took to playing the piano,
but I didn't understand
the depression.
272
00:18:19,715 --> 00:18:24,045
* I had lost my mind
273
00:18:24,153 --> 00:18:25,923
* I lost my head for a while
274
00:18:26,022 --> 00:18:29,262
* Was off my rocker,
out of line, out of whack *
275
00:18:29,358 --> 00:18:33,398
* You see I had this
tiny crack in my head *
276
00:18:33,495 --> 00:18:36,725
* That slowly split open
and my brains oozed out *
277
00:18:36,833 --> 00:18:39,943
* It's lying on the sidewalk
and I didn't even know it *
278
00:18:40,036 --> 00:18:43,866
* I had lost my mind
279
00:18:43,973 --> 00:18:48,643
* Why, I was sitting
in the basement when I
first realized it was gone *
280
00:18:48,744 --> 00:18:52,654
* Got in my car
Rushed right over
to the lost and found *
281
00:18:52,748 --> 00:18:57,018
* I said, "Pardon me
but I seem to have
lost my mind" *
282
00:18:57,119 --> 00:19:02,259
* She said, "Well,
can you identify it please?" *
283
00:19:02,358 --> 00:19:06,098
* I said, "Why sure,
it's a cute little bugger *
284
00:19:06,195 --> 00:19:10,465
* "About yay big a little
warped from the rain" *
285
00:19:10,566 --> 00:19:14,696
* She said, "Well then, sir,
this must be your brain" *
286
00:19:14,803 --> 00:19:19,913
* I said, "Thank you, ma'am,
I'm always losing
that dang thing" *
287
00:19:20,009 --> 00:19:24,879
* I had lost my mind *
288
00:19:27,683 --> 00:19:30,053
We felt that it was,
uh, wasting time
289
00:19:30,152 --> 00:19:31,992
to keep him in college
290
00:19:32,088 --> 00:19:34,458
because he was
never gonna graduate
the way he was goin'.
291
00:19:34,556 --> 00:19:37,926
So we took him out of college
and sent him to, uh,
292
00:19:38,027 --> 00:19:40,827
Houston to live
with his brother.
293
00:19:40,930 --> 00:19:44,070
Mom and Dad were
trying to get him
on the right track.
294
00:19:44,166 --> 00:19:46,696
In all of our minds,
that meant a productive life.
295
00:19:46,802 --> 00:19:48,342
A well rounded life.
296
00:19:48,437 --> 00:19:51,807
Not a self-absorbed life.
A job is part of that.
297
00:19:51,908 --> 00:19:53,908
And in an effort to help,
298
00:19:54,010 --> 00:19:57,510
I said, "Let Dan come down
for the summer,
work at Astroworld.
299
00:19:57,613 --> 00:20:02,923
"And maybe this will get him
on his feet or something."
300
00:20:24,506 --> 00:20:26,436
When he found out
that he had to go to Texas
301
00:20:26,542 --> 00:20:28,242
and he would be
without his piano,
302
00:20:28,344 --> 00:20:30,984
that put a wrench
in his plans.
303
00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:32,850
So he got a hold of this organ
304
00:20:32,949 --> 00:20:34,419
and he takes it into my garage
305
00:20:34,516 --> 00:20:37,186
and he turned my weight bench
into a recording studio.
306
00:20:37,286 --> 00:20:40,056
How are you doing,
Dave? How's it going?
307
00:20:40,156 --> 00:20:42,316
I'm working on
the album now.
308
00:20:42,424 --> 00:20:47,004
On the new release,
Yip/Jump Music.
309
00:20:47,096 --> 00:20:50,466
I sound like some kind
of MTV person, don't I?
310
00:20:50,566 --> 00:20:52,696
I brought out the chord organ.
I just set it up.
311
00:20:52,801 --> 00:20:56,541
I thought I'd play you
one of the songs
I played on the album.
312
00:20:56,638 --> 00:21:00,308
So, I'll turn on
the chord organ here.
313
00:21:00,409 --> 00:21:03,609
I knew he was recording.
I could hear him singing.
314
00:21:03,712 --> 00:21:06,552
But I... I had no perception
that he was,
315
00:21:06,648 --> 00:21:10,948
you know, in his mind,
making this masterpiece.
316
00:21:34,476 --> 00:21:38,746
I wanted to help Dan
and I thought I was giving
great prophetic advice.
317
00:21:38,847 --> 00:21:41,317
I said, "Dan, you know,
someday you're gonna
be really good
318
00:21:41,417 --> 00:21:42,987
at something
and very successful.
319
00:21:43,085 --> 00:21:44,285
But it's not gonna be
your art
320
00:21:44,386 --> 00:21:46,716
and it's not
gonna be your music."
321
00:21:46,822 --> 00:21:49,932
We had to say, "Look, Dan,
you can't stay up all night.
322
00:21:50,026 --> 00:21:53,196
You're gonna have
to go to bed at some
kind of decent hour.
323
00:21:53,295 --> 00:21:55,055
And kind of live life
with the rest of us."
324
00:22:10,879 --> 00:22:14,219
Margie kind of
stepped in and said
that she could, uh,
325
00:22:14,316 --> 00:22:16,346
you know, see what
she could do to help him.
326
00:22:16,452 --> 00:22:19,862
And we packed him up
and off he went into
the distance.
327
00:22:19,955 --> 00:22:21,355
I thought, well...
328
00:22:21,457 --> 00:22:24,387
Uh, he needs a place to go
and I'm his sister,
329
00:22:24,493 --> 00:22:25,963
and, well, he can come
and stay here.
330
00:22:26,062 --> 00:22:27,762
So he came to live
with me in my duplex.
331
00:22:27,863 --> 00:22:30,373
Now, I didn't have
extra furniture for him.
332
00:22:30,466 --> 00:22:32,566
We got him a mattress
that was just on the floor.
333
00:22:32,668 --> 00:22:35,438
But he seemed to thrive
in this atmosphere
334
00:22:35,537 --> 00:22:37,137
because he was
allowed to make a mess.
335
00:22:52,588 --> 00:22:55,988
I thought everything was fine.
Then one day I came home
336
00:22:56,092 --> 00:22:57,362
and he wasn't there, which...
337
00:22:57,459 --> 00:22:58,789
I wasn't too worried 'cause
338
00:22:58,894 --> 00:23:00,604
we didn't tell each other
everywhere we were going.
339
00:23:00,696 --> 00:23:03,666
But, uh, when he wasn't there
in the morning when I got up,
340
00:23:03,765 --> 00:23:06,165
and he hadn't
come home all night,
that was not typical.
341
00:23:06,268 --> 00:23:09,638
He made a decision
to buy a moped.
342
00:23:12,608 --> 00:23:14,978
And he disappeared
on the moped,
343
00:23:15,077 --> 00:23:17,247
- right, Bill?
- Yes.
344
00:23:17,346 --> 00:23:20,976
And he joined
the carnival and
went with them.
345
00:23:21,083 --> 00:23:23,053
We weren't able
to contact him.
346
00:23:23,152 --> 00:23:24,952
It's the saddest time
in my life,
347
00:23:25,053 --> 00:23:28,863
not to know where your son is
and he might be needing help.
348
00:23:57,719 --> 00:23:59,359
When I was
with the carnival,
349
00:23:59,455 --> 00:24:00,755
this little girl
at the carnival,
350
00:24:00,856 --> 00:24:01,756
her name was Tricia.
351
00:24:01,857 --> 00:24:03,017
She's a carnival girl.
352
00:24:03,125 --> 00:24:04,425
She's grown up
with the carnival
353
00:24:04,526 --> 00:24:05,956
and she's about
three years old.
354
00:24:06,061 --> 00:24:07,061
All the time she would
355
00:24:07,163 --> 00:24:08,033
come into the corndog stand
356
00:24:08,130 --> 00:24:09,200
when we were open.
357
00:24:09,298 --> 00:24:10,228
And it was slow, you know,
358
00:24:10,332 --> 00:24:11,372
and we would pretend
359
00:24:11,467 --> 00:24:12,697
it was a spaceship, you know.
360
00:24:12,801 --> 00:24:15,041
I would bang on
this untuned guitar
361
00:24:15,137 --> 00:24:16,537
and she started singing
this little song,
362
00:24:16,638 --> 00:24:20,408
* "Pizza Hut, Pizza Hut,
merry-go-round" *
363
00:24:21,277 --> 00:24:23,207
Yeah, I do miss home.
364
00:24:23,312 --> 00:24:24,952
I'm down here and I'm OK.
365
00:24:25,046 --> 00:24:29,186
Because wherever I am,
I got music in my heart.
366
00:24:29,285 --> 00:24:34,815
During that time, I had a...
a rock inside my chest.
367
00:24:34,923 --> 00:24:38,893
I thought he might be
in a shallow grave someplace.
368
00:24:38,994 --> 00:24:40,564
He left the first part
of April
369
00:24:40,662 --> 00:24:44,132
and I think it was
Father's Day when he called
370
00:24:44,233 --> 00:24:46,643
and let us know
where he was.
371
00:24:46,735 --> 00:24:49,505
Collect call from
Daniel Johnston, please.
372
00:24:52,841 --> 00:24:55,441
* Speeding motorcycle
373
00:24:56,745 --> 00:24:58,475
* Of my heart
374
00:24:58,580 --> 00:25:02,250
* Pretty girls have
taken you for a ride *
375
00:25:02,351 --> 00:25:04,251
* Hurt you deep inside
376
00:25:04,353 --> 00:25:06,793
* The road is ours *
377
00:25:12,561 --> 00:25:15,501
The way Daniel ended up
in Austin is so incredible
378
00:25:15,597 --> 00:25:18,397
that it really sounds
like an urban legend.
379
00:25:19,735 --> 00:25:22,335
When the carnival
came to Austin,
380
00:25:22,438 --> 00:25:25,608
he was going to the bathroom
in the porta-potty
381
00:25:25,707 --> 00:25:27,707
and someone was upset
about how long he was taking
382
00:25:27,809 --> 00:25:29,179
and they were
banging on the door.
383
00:25:29,278 --> 00:25:30,308
And so when he came out,
384
00:25:30,412 --> 00:25:31,552
it turned out it was like
385
00:25:31,647 --> 00:25:33,577
a really big, tough carnie guy.
386
00:25:33,682 --> 00:25:36,752
And he just hauled off
and like, socked him.
387
00:25:36,852 --> 00:25:39,522
And really,
really hurt him bad.
388
00:25:39,621 --> 00:25:41,921
And Daniel didn't know
what to do.
389
00:25:42,023 --> 00:25:44,493
He just started looking
for a Church of Christ.
390
00:25:44,593 --> 00:25:48,833
And, uh, he wandered until
he saw the University
Church of Christ.
391
00:25:48,930 --> 00:25:51,030
And he went in and he just
asked them to help him.
392
00:25:51,132 --> 00:25:52,572
And they ended up taking him,
393
00:25:52,668 --> 00:25:54,168
you know, to the doctor
and everything
394
00:25:54,270 --> 00:25:55,470
and leasing him an apartment.
395
00:26:17,025 --> 00:26:19,695
He had heard
the band I was in,
which was Glass Eye.
396
00:26:19,795 --> 00:26:22,695
And we were just
getting popular locally.
397
00:26:22,798 --> 00:26:25,498
And he saw
a poster for our show.
398
00:26:25,601 --> 00:26:27,541
And he decided that this was
a really magical sign
399
00:26:27,636 --> 00:26:29,436
and he really
needed to go to it.
400
00:26:29,538 --> 00:26:30,738
And he came to the show
401
00:26:30,839 --> 00:26:33,109
and he gave me a copy
of his cassette.
402
00:26:33,208 --> 00:26:36,608
So the next time we played,
he came over to me
and he was so excited.
403
00:26:36,712 --> 00:26:39,552
You could tell he was like,
screwing up his nerve,
404
00:26:39,648 --> 00:26:41,348
like, getting ready to, like,
405
00:26:41,450 --> 00:26:43,490
ask me what I thought
of his music.
406
00:26:43,585 --> 00:26:45,545
And he came over and he goes,
"What'd you think?"
407
00:26:45,654 --> 00:26:47,264
And I looked at him
and I couldn't,
408
00:26:47,356 --> 00:26:49,586
I just couldn't
really let him know
409
00:26:49,691 --> 00:26:53,801
how much of an asshole
I really was, that I hadn't
even listened to his music,
410
00:26:53,895 --> 00:26:56,625
his most important thing
in his life. And I said,
411
00:26:56,732 --> 00:26:57,832
"It was great.
412
00:26:57,933 --> 00:27:00,173
I loved it. You can totally
open for us."
413
00:27:00,268 --> 00:27:02,638
And so I went home and I
listened to it and I was
414
00:27:02,738 --> 00:27:05,338
blown away at
its incredible genius.
415
00:27:19,821 --> 00:27:22,921
I met Daniel Johnston,
in kind of the classic
Daniel Johnston way.
416
00:27:23,024 --> 00:27:25,794
It was a Saturday.
I was working
at the Austin Chronicle.
417
00:27:25,894 --> 00:27:28,804
I was alone in the office
and I was sitting there
writing,
418
00:27:28,897 --> 00:27:31,327
and I heard somebody
at the door. Not a knock.
419
00:27:31,433 --> 00:27:32,903
But somebody like,
shuffling at the door.
420
00:27:33,001 --> 00:27:34,541
Finally I went over
and I opened the door,
421
00:27:34,636 --> 00:27:36,096
and Daniel was standing there.
422
00:27:36,204 --> 00:27:37,374
And he was this skinny
little kid
423
00:27:37,473 --> 00:27:39,173
who looked
fairly demented.
424
00:27:39,274 --> 00:27:40,784
And he had a tape.
And he said,
425
00:27:40,876 --> 00:27:42,276
"I just wanted
to give you my tape."
426
00:27:42,378 --> 00:27:43,578
So I said, "Great.
You know,
427
00:27:43,679 --> 00:27:45,179
I'll give it
to a music person.
428
00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:46,520
"If they like it,
maybe we'll review it.
429
00:27:46,615 --> 00:27:47,715
"But I'm not
promising you anything."
430
00:27:47,816 --> 00:27:49,446
And Daniel goes, "You know,
431
00:27:49,551 --> 00:27:51,121
I wasn't really giving you
that to review.
432
00:27:51,219 --> 00:27:52,589
I just wanted you
to listen to it.
433
00:27:52,688 --> 00:27:54,458
I'm not trying to get
a review or anything."
434
00:27:54,556 --> 00:27:55,716
So Daniel goes away.
435
00:27:55,824 --> 00:27:57,134
And I put it on
the tape player
436
00:27:57,225 --> 00:27:58,685
and it just blew my mind.
437
00:27:58,794 --> 00:28:00,904
I mean, it was one of those
where I got it right away.
438
00:28:02,464 --> 00:28:03,874
* Get attached
to a rolling stone *
439
00:28:03,965 --> 00:28:07,635
* And you're liable
to get crushed *
440
00:28:07,736 --> 00:28:11,236
* You're better off
to sit at home *
441
00:28:11,339 --> 00:28:14,979
* And watch
the toilet flush *
442
00:28:15,076 --> 00:28:17,646
And so then he gives you
Hi, How Are You
and Yip/Jump Music.
443
00:28:17,746 --> 00:28:20,016
It's like, you know,
imagine meeting,
444
00:28:20,115 --> 00:28:23,315
you know, Bob Dylan,
and he gives you his
first six albums and saying,
445
00:28:23,419 --> 00:28:25,089
"Here's some stuff
I'm working on."
446
00:28:25,186 --> 00:28:26,346
So it's this body of music
447
00:28:26,455 --> 00:28:28,155
where you're suddenly hearing
448
00:28:28,256 --> 00:28:30,056
20 amazing songs
449
00:28:30,158 --> 00:28:32,788
and... and they're
out of nowhere from
this weird little guy.
450
00:28:32,894 --> 00:28:35,664
I played it for
a lot of music writers
and some musicians
451
00:28:35,764 --> 00:28:37,374
and he was giving it
to other musicians,
452
00:28:37,466 --> 00:28:39,296
and gradually over like
a period of weeks,
453
00:28:39,401 --> 00:28:42,601
people began to talk a lot
about who this crazy kid was.
454
00:28:42,704 --> 00:28:44,514
Daniel Johnston
and this really weird music.
455
00:28:44,606 --> 00:28:47,336
* The picture
gets all blurred *
456
00:28:47,443 --> 00:28:50,653
* I see shadows
dancing on my walls *
457
00:28:50,746 --> 00:28:53,816
* Thoughts scatter
like birds *
458
00:28:53,915 --> 00:28:56,845
Daniel, of course,
loves The Beatles,
worships them.
459
00:28:56,952 --> 00:29:01,992
And, uh, I can see that
Hi, How Are You could be
like Meet The Beatles!
460
00:29:02,090 --> 00:29:06,230
Come grab this
and start the new
Daniel Johnston mania!
461
00:29:06,327 --> 00:29:09,097
And in his head,
of course, it was there.
462
00:29:09,197 --> 00:29:10,567
He was The Beatles.
463
00:29:10,666 --> 00:29:13,966
And it was from
deep inside here.
464
00:29:14,069 --> 00:29:15,939
Hi, How Are You?
I'm Daniel Johnston,
465
00:29:16,037 --> 00:29:18,767
and this is what scares me
and this is what I love,
466
00:29:18,874 --> 00:29:21,244
and this is
what terrifies me.
467
00:29:21,342 --> 00:29:22,942
You just hear that
468
00:29:23,044 --> 00:29:25,384
and, uh, your mind will
turn around to his.
469
00:29:25,481 --> 00:29:27,021
You start off hearing
this noise,
470
00:29:27,115 --> 00:29:29,515
then eventually
you hear The Beatles.
471
00:29:29,618 --> 00:29:31,248
You hear the whole symphony.
472
00:29:31,352 --> 00:29:34,362
He actually didn't
just record a tape
and mass produce it.
473
00:29:34,456 --> 00:29:38,486
He sometimes couldn't
duplicate, so he had
to sing the entire tape
474
00:29:38,594 --> 00:29:41,464
from beginning to end
to hand you a copy.
475
00:29:41,563 --> 00:29:46,133
Go back home. Start again.
Song by song.
Fill up the tape.
476
00:29:46,234 --> 00:29:47,804
Hand another person a copy.
477
00:29:47,903 --> 00:29:50,673
Fill it up. Go. And finally
write another album.
478
00:29:50,772 --> 00:29:52,712
Start the whole process
over again.
479
00:29:52,808 --> 00:29:55,038
As far as I know
his very first, like,
480
00:29:55,143 --> 00:29:56,343
public show that he did
481
00:29:56,444 --> 00:29:58,384
was done opening
for Glass Eye.
482
00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:00,550
And he was so nervous.
483
00:30:00,649 --> 00:30:02,019
He literally was vibrating.
484
00:30:02,117 --> 00:30:04,487
And he also had
recently decided,
485
00:30:04,586 --> 00:30:07,586
since coming to Austin,
that he wasn't gonna
play piano anymore,
486
00:30:07,689 --> 00:30:08,919
something he does rather well.
487
00:30:09,024 --> 00:30:10,534
He decided that he
was gonna play guitar
488
00:30:10,626 --> 00:30:12,256
like all the Austin
guitar slingers.
489
00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:14,960
And he really couldn't play.
That was scary for him, too.
490
00:30:15,063 --> 00:30:17,803
All of a sudden
it quieted down like
it was church or something.
491
00:30:17,899 --> 00:30:19,839
Daniel comes on stage.
It was very unusual
492
00:30:19,935 --> 00:30:22,395
because anyone playing
their first show,
it's like you're lucky
493
00:30:22,504 --> 00:30:23,914
to get anyone
to pay attention.
494
00:30:24,005 --> 00:30:25,505
But everyone was
absolutely silent
495
00:30:25,607 --> 00:30:27,077
and he looked so nervous,
496
00:30:27,175 --> 00:30:28,875
he looked like he was
gonna vomit the whole time.
497
00:30:30,411 --> 00:30:31,781
* Time is a matter of fact
498
00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:35,150
* And it's gone
and it'll never come back *
499
00:30:35,250 --> 00:30:37,490
* And mine
500
00:30:37,586 --> 00:30:40,786
* It's wasted all the time
501
00:30:42,558 --> 00:30:45,658
* Tears, stupid tears
502
00:30:45,761 --> 00:30:47,301
* Bring me down
503
00:30:47,395 --> 00:30:48,695
So when you
saw him perform,
504
00:30:48,797 --> 00:30:50,097
I mean, especially
in the early days,
505
00:30:50,198 --> 00:30:52,328
when he did
the two or three song sets,
506
00:30:52,433 --> 00:30:53,873
sometimes
they were God-awful,
507
00:30:53,969 --> 00:30:55,499
and sometimes they were
unbelievably brilliant.
508
00:30:55,604 --> 00:30:57,014
I mean, sometimes
he just nailed it.
509
00:30:57,105 --> 00:30:59,465
I mean, sometimes
it was so abstract.
510
00:30:59,575 --> 00:31:01,135
I mean, some of it was
what wasn't there.
511
00:31:01,242 --> 00:31:02,812
Sometimes there was
too much not there.
512
00:31:02,911 --> 00:31:06,081
* Tie my brain
513
00:31:06,181 --> 00:31:08,721
* Into a knot
514
00:31:10,085 --> 00:31:14,455
* Those tears, stupid tears
515
00:31:14,556 --> 00:31:18,456
* Bring me down *
516
00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:20,160
People in the audience
tended to be like,
517
00:31:20,261 --> 00:31:23,771
"What? Is this is a joke?
Is this guy
supposed to be cool?"
518
00:31:23,865 --> 00:31:27,365
And they would be looking
around at each other like,
"How am I supposed to react?"
519
00:31:27,468 --> 00:31:32,108
Because he was so raw
and so real in a lot of ways,
that people couldn't take it.
520
00:31:48,056 --> 00:31:50,956
He's got
a full shift
at McDonald's.
521
00:31:51,059 --> 00:31:53,029
And as close as I can tell,
he can't do anything.
522
00:31:53,128 --> 00:31:57,068
He can't cook.
He doesn't clean very well.
523
00:31:57,165 --> 00:32:00,265
As in a lot of places,
you know,
they'll give him work,
524
00:32:00,368 --> 00:32:03,438
but then he migrates to
the job with the least skill,
525
00:32:03,538 --> 00:32:05,208
which was cleaning tables.
526
00:32:05,306 --> 00:32:07,206
It was amazing that
he could keep his job
527
00:32:07,308 --> 00:32:09,408
because everybody was always
coming in there wanting to,
528
00:32:09,510 --> 00:32:11,010
"Hey, Daniel. Hi, Daniel!"
529
00:32:11,112 --> 00:32:12,752
And, well, they don't
take well to that at,
530
00:32:12,848 --> 00:32:14,618
you know, fast food joints.
531
00:32:14,716 --> 00:32:17,146
But he was employed there
for a long time.
532
00:32:17,252 --> 00:32:19,052
And you knew you could
find him there,
533
00:32:19,154 --> 00:32:22,724
just in his little hat
and his little shirt there,
534
00:32:22,824 --> 00:32:24,164
cleanin' up,
535
00:32:24,259 --> 00:32:26,459
cleanin' up other people's
spills and stuff.
536
00:32:26,561 --> 00:32:28,931
When I went to
visit him at McDonald's,
537
00:32:29,030 --> 00:32:32,130
I think it was probably
the first time I
recognized that
538
00:32:32,233 --> 00:32:34,473
he was spacing out,
you know.
539
00:32:34,569 --> 00:32:38,369
That there was
a disconnection from reality
or something going on.
540
00:33:55,283 --> 00:33:59,963
1985 was just an enormous year
for Austin music.
541
00:34:00,055 --> 00:34:02,055
It was like everything
was about to break,
542
00:34:02,157 --> 00:34:04,487
and... and again,
Daniel just came in
right at that time.
543
00:34:04,592 --> 00:34:08,962
MTV started sniffing around.
And they brought in
Peter Zaremba
544
00:34:09,064 --> 00:34:11,834
and the show they had,
The Cutting Edge.
545
00:34:11,933 --> 00:34:13,573
They lined up
all these bands
546
00:34:13,668 --> 00:34:15,138
and they had
a big old barbeque
547
00:34:15,236 --> 00:34:16,966
and Daniel showed up
there with his tapes.
548
00:34:17,072 --> 00:34:19,942
This is Daniel Johnston.
Local man about town.
Musician.
549
00:34:20,041 --> 00:34:22,511
Everyone knows who he is
but... Say hi to everyone.
550
00:34:22,610 --> 00:34:24,180
My name is
Daniel Johnston
551
00:34:24,279 --> 00:34:26,209
and this is the name
of my tape and it's,
Hi, How Are You.
552
00:34:26,314 --> 00:34:28,954
And I, I was having
a nervous breakdown
when I recorded it.
553
00:34:29,050 --> 00:34:30,590
He wasn't scheduled
to be on the show.
554
00:34:30,685 --> 00:34:32,345
They had already
listened to tapes
555
00:34:32,453 --> 00:34:34,363
and talked to people
at the Chronicle
and the music critics
556
00:34:34,455 --> 00:34:36,855
and they decided who was
gonna be on this special
and everything.
557
00:34:36,958 --> 00:34:39,658
But Daniel was unstoppable
at that point.
558
00:34:39,761 --> 00:34:41,731
He was so full of confidence.
559
00:34:41,830 --> 00:34:43,360
He always
presented himself like,
560
00:34:43,464 --> 00:34:45,574
"I am a very incredible,
extraordinary human being
561
00:34:45,666 --> 00:34:48,196
and you're gonna be
really happy
you listened to this."
562
00:34:48,303 --> 00:34:52,713
How you doing? We are having
a casual conversation
on national TV.
563
00:34:52,808 --> 00:34:55,338
Daniel is on MTV.
564
00:34:55,443 --> 00:34:58,513
You know, out of nowhere,
from my point of view.
565
00:34:58,613 --> 00:35:02,753
And, uh, he's...
he's on MTV and I
actually do get to see it.
566
00:35:02,851 --> 00:35:06,151
And, uh, he says to me...
567
00:35:06,254 --> 00:35:08,924
This is to David Thornberry
from Daniel Johnston.
568
00:35:09,024 --> 00:35:13,194
And, Dave, here I am on MTV,
holding up my tape,
Hi, How Are You.
569
00:35:13,294 --> 00:35:15,634
And they're recording me
tonight. I'm on MTV.
570
00:35:15,730 --> 00:35:18,570
Remember when we used to
watch MTV back home?
571
00:35:18,666 --> 00:35:20,666
Look, I'm on MTV, David.
572
00:35:20,768 --> 00:35:22,798
And that was his dream.
I mean, literally, that's
what he wanted to do,
573
00:35:22,904 --> 00:35:24,274
is be on MTV.
574
00:35:43,358 --> 00:35:46,728
* When I was out
in San Marcos *
575
00:35:46,828 --> 00:35:49,358
* A year ago today
576
00:35:49,464 --> 00:35:54,404
* They probably would've
put me in a home *
577
00:35:54,502 --> 00:36:00,442
* But I threw
all my belongings
into a garbage bag *
578
00:36:00,541 --> 00:36:05,551
* And out into the worldness
I did roam *
579
00:36:05,646 --> 00:36:10,616
* My hopes lay shattered
like a mirror on the floor *
580
00:36:10,718 --> 00:36:16,718
* I see myself and I
looked really scattered *
581
00:36:16,824 --> 00:36:23,704
* But I lived
my broken dreams *
582
00:36:23,798 --> 00:36:26,428
He always knew
where to be
at any given moment
583
00:36:26,534 --> 00:36:29,874
and while this was
being filmed it was,
like, MTV...
584
00:36:29,971 --> 00:36:31,771
He knew MTV is here in town.
585
00:36:31,873 --> 00:36:34,243
And by far he became
one of the most memorable
things from the show
586
00:36:34,342 --> 00:36:38,512
and he basically
just scammed his way into it.
587
00:36:38,613 --> 00:36:41,453
* The wildest summer
588
00:36:41,549 --> 00:36:43,219
* that I ever knew
589
00:36:43,318 --> 00:36:49,058
* I had a flat tire
down memory lane *
590
00:36:49,157 --> 00:36:51,257
* But I came back
591
00:36:51,359 --> 00:36:54,399
* After five months
and a half *
592
00:36:54,495 --> 00:36:59,565
* And now I'm just
trying to explain *
593
00:37:00,201 --> 00:37:02,741
* And now I'm here
594
00:37:02,837 --> 00:37:05,937
* And here I stand
595
00:37:06,041 --> 00:37:08,641
* With a sweet angel
596
00:37:08,743 --> 00:37:11,383
* Holding my hand
597
00:37:12,780 --> 00:37:18,120
* I lived my broken dreams *
598
00:37:41,342 --> 00:37:43,482
Instantly McDonald's
expands his hours to, like,
599
00:37:43,578 --> 00:37:45,808
20 or 30 hours a week.
They give him more shifts.
600
00:37:45,913 --> 00:37:48,583
Not because he's doing
anything, but because
he's become a star.
601
00:37:48,683 --> 00:37:50,793
And whoever the manager is,
thinks this is entertaining.
602
00:37:50,885 --> 00:37:52,915
And then the other weird thing
that begins happening is,
603
00:37:53,021 --> 00:37:54,621
there's all this
interest in Daniel.
604
00:37:54,722 --> 00:37:56,962
So you hear record companies
are calling McDonald's
605
00:37:57,058 --> 00:37:59,188
'cause that's the only way
you can call Daniel.
Daniel doesn't have a phone.
606
00:37:59,294 --> 00:38:02,234
So SPIN is calling McDonald's
and music magazines...
607
00:38:02,330 --> 00:38:03,660
So you get all these calls...
608
00:38:03,764 --> 00:38:05,374
And in the beginning I think
the McDonald's people
609
00:38:05,466 --> 00:38:07,196
were really kind of
entertained by this.
610
00:38:07,302 --> 00:38:09,072
But after a while, when you'd
call to talk to Daniel,
611
00:38:09,170 --> 00:38:10,210
they were not happy.
612
00:38:10,305 --> 00:38:11,935
They had hamburgers to make.
613
00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:13,610
And then in 1986,
614
00:38:13,708 --> 00:38:15,878
he wins a bunch of awards
in the Austin Music Awards.
615
00:38:15,977 --> 00:38:18,577
He wins Songwriter
of the Year and Best Folk Act,
which is very controversial
616
00:38:18,679 --> 00:38:21,519
and, of course,
it goes to Daniel's head
in new and different ways.
617
00:38:21,616 --> 00:38:25,446
In a town with a lot
of singer/songwriters
and a lot of folkies,
618
00:38:25,553 --> 00:38:27,093
who can play guitar,
619
00:38:27,188 --> 00:38:29,918
that might've not gone
over too well with
some people.
620
00:38:31,659 --> 00:38:34,059
* He was smiling through
his own personal hell *
621
00:38:34,162 --> 00:38:36,762
* Dropped his last dime
in a wishing well *
622
00:38:36,864 --> 00:38:40,674
* But he was hoping to close
and then he fell *
623
00:38:40,768 --> 00:38:45,638
* Now he's Casper
the friendly ghost *
624
00:38:45,740 --> 00:38:49,810
In the spring of 1986, um,
I started helping Daniel.
625
00:38:49,910 --> 00:38:52,450
The first thing I did was
set up his publishing company
with Bug Music.
626
00:38:52,547 --> 00:38:56,417
I knew his music was great,
but I felt like for him to
actually make a living,
627
00:38:56,517 --> 00:38:58,947
he would be better off
if other,
more well-known artists
628
00:38:59,054 --> 00:39:00,624
were to cover his material.
629
00:39:00,721 --> 00:39:04,191
* He was always polite
to the people who'd tell him *
630
00:39:04,292 --> 00:39:07,262
* That he was nothing
but a lazy bum *
631
00:39:07,362 --> 00:39:10,932
* But goodbye to them
he had to go *
632
00:39:11,032 --> 00:39:14,172
* Now he's Casper
633
00:39:14,269 --> 00:39:18,109
* The friendly ghost *
634
00:39:18,206 --> 00:39:20,606
I thought that he was
almost angelic.
635
00:39:20,708 --> 00:39:23,378
And then I got to
know him better.
636
00:39:23,478 --> 00:39:25,378
And we started being
really close friends.
637
00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:27,620
And for a little while
I was his "girlfriend."
638
00:39:27,715 --> 00:39:30,585
And because he was
very religious,
639
00:39:30,685 --> 00:39:32,915
this was a very chaste
relationship.
640
00:39:33,020 --> 00:39:36,490
But even within
the context of that,
641
00:39:36,591 --> 00:39:39,691
it was undeniable
after maybe one or two weeks
642
00:39:39,794 --> 00:39:44,174
that something was
dreadfully wrong with him.
643
00:39:44,265 --> 00:39:47,465
Something that wasn't angelic
and pure and naive
644
00:39:47,568 --> 00:39:49,468
and innocent and beautiful.
645
00:39:49,570 --> 00:39:52,270
So I realized I can't let him
keep on thinking
646
00:39:52,373 --> 00:39:53,873
that I'm his girlfriend
647
00:39:53,974 --> 00:39:55,614
because his parents came
to visit him
648
00:39:55,710 --> 00:39:58,450
and he introduced me
as his fiancée.
649
00:39:58,546 --> 00:40:01,146
I realized that I was
going to have to say,
650
00:40:01,249 --> 00:40:05,249
"Daniel, we're not
going out anymore, you know.
651
00:40:05,353 --> 00:40:07,093
We're just friends."
652
00:40:07,188 --> 00:40:08,418
And I essentially spent,
653
00:40:08,523 --> 00:40:12,263
oh, the entire summer
reminding him.
654
00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:14,960
We broke up.
655
00:40:32,980 --> 00:40:35,020
- Now you're filming?
- Dan, this is so wild.
656
00:40:35,116 --> 00:40:38,186
Daniel began
hanging out with his manager,
Randy Kemper.
657
00:40:38,286 --> 00:40:40,116
And was smoking
a lot of marijuana.
658
00:40:40,221 --> 00:40:41,991
And he would not perform live.
659
00:40:42,089 --> 00:40:45,159
Everybody was bugging him
to play live, but he just
didn't want to.
660
00:40:45,260 --> 00:40:46,930
There were some changes
in his behavior
661
00:40:47,027 --> 00:40:49,157
and we didn't really
quite know what was
going on with him.
662
00:40:49,264 --> 00:40:50,434
You know, when you do
stuff like that,
663
00:40:50,531 --> 00:40:52,571
you throw me off, Daniel.
664
00:40:52,667 --> 00:40:55,937
I always kind of
imagined Daniel performing
like Elton John
665
00:40:56,036 --> 00:40:58,036
with costume changes
and Rockettes
666
00:40:58,139 --> 00:41:01,539
and a big grand piano.
Just the kind of show
that's just ridiculous.
667
00:41:01,642 --> 00:41:04,282
Almost like Andy Kaufman-esque
kind of thing.
668
00:41:04,379 --> 00:41:06,879
But unfortunately,
he had his mental breakdown.
669
00:41:16,557 --> 00:41:18,157
So he goes to
a Butthole Surfers show
670
00:41:18,259 --> 00:41:19,859
and somebody there
gives him a hit of acid.
671
00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:21,800
And the trip really begins
to change everything.
672
00:41:21,896 --> 00:41:24,966
Again, one of the classic
scenarios of Daniel's life
673
00:41:25,065 --> 00:41:27,665
is whenever anything
starts getting really good,
674
00:41:27,768 --> 00:41:29,938
you know something
really ugly is gonna happen.
675
00:41:35,009 --> 00:41:40,049
The night in question
is September 11, 1986
676
00:41:40,147 --> 00:41:42,517
on which Daniel
677
00:41:43,951 --> 00:41:47,021
had a bad experience, uh,
678
00:41:47,121 --> 00:41:50,161
and I guess, uh, he was
under the influence
679
00:41:50,258 --> 00:41:53,388
of some sort of
psychoactive substance.
680
00:42:02,437 --> 00:42:06,167
You know, I remember
a little bit about seeing
Daniel that night.
681
00:42:06,274 --> 00:42:10,284
I remember him being
sort of difficult
to deal with.
682
00:42:10,378 --> 00:42:15,648
And then we had
our thing going on and
683
00:42:17,252 --> 00:42:19,892
everybody started saying,
"Daniel's freaked out.
684
00:42:19,987 --> 00:42:22,287
Daniel's freaked out.
Daniel's freaked out."
685
00:42:22,390 --> 00:42:25,330
I'm coming back
to tell you, man.
686
00:42:25,426 --> 00:42:28,756
I'm serious like Billy Graham.
Nothing like Billy Graham.
687
00:42:28,863 --> 00:42:32,173
Or nothing like that.
Or nothing like nobody you
ever heard tell about nothing.
688
00:42:32,267 --> 00:42:36,067
But I'm coming back
and I'm telling you
there's a supernatural world.
689
00:42:36,170 --> 00:42:38,610
There's a supernatural world
690
00:42:38,706 --> 00:42:41,976
and Gibby,
Gibby knows about it.
691
00:42:43,944 --> 00:42:47,584
No. I didn't give
him any LSD.
692
00:42:47,682 --> 00:42:51,192
I think at that point it was
pretty much known that, uh,
he was not necessarily
693
00:42:51,286 --> 00:42:56,556
"an" unstable character,
but slightly unstable
"of" character.
694
00:42:56,657 --> 00:43:01,957
So that's the kind of person
you really wouldn't want to
engage in the, uh...
695
00:43:02,863 --> 00:43:04,773
In the LSD experience.
696
00:43:09,337 --> 00:43:11,307
Are you
Daniel Johnston?
697
00:43:11,406 --> 00:43:13,936
I used to be Daniel Johnston.
698
00:43:15,976 --> 00:43:17,576
And who are you now?
699
00:43:19,614 --> 00:43:22,684
You know, I don't know.
I don't know.
700
00:43:24,285 --> 00:43:25,945
In December of 1986,
701
00:43:26,053 --> 00:43:30,263
Daniel was taking
a lot of acid and was
just not himself.
702
00:43:30,358 --> 00:43:32,328
Was very, very delusional.
703
00:43:32,427 --> 00:43:36,557
And there was one violent
incident with his manager
in which he attacked him
704
00:43:36,664 --> 00:43:40,004
and, uh, put him
in the hospital
with a concussion.
705
00:43:48,008 --> 00:43:51,278
Dan was imagining
all kinds of things
706
00:43:51,379 --> 00:43:53,809
and he thought of himself
as God's man
707
00:43:53,914 --> 00:43:58,354
to straighten things up
and so caused
a lot of trouble.
708
00:43:58,453 --> 00:44:00,023
All the family met
together for Christmas.
709
00:44:00,120 --> 00:44:02,820
Mom and Dad couldn't
come that year
and so we had decided
710
00:44:02,923 --> 00:44:05,163
since all of the siblings
were in Texas, that we would
711
00:44:05,259 --> 00:44:07,189
get together
and have Christmas.
712
00:44:07,294 --> 00:44:10,104
So we're all making these
Christmas ornaments and
his Christmas ornament
713
00:44:10,197 --> 00:44:12,027
is this black number nine.
714
00:44:12,132 --> 00:44:14,542
We asked and said,
"Dan, that's not an
appropriate Christmas symbol.
715
00:44:14,635 --> 00:44:16,935
"What does that mean?
And why are you doing black?
716
00:44:17,037 --> 00:44:19,167
"That's not gonna look good
hanging on the tree."
717
00:44:19,273 --> 00:44:21,583
I remember staring
at him while we were
talking and saying,
718
00:44:21,676 --> 00:44:24,346
"That doesn't even
look like Dan."
719
00:44:24,445 --> 00:44:26,905
His face doesn't
look like Dan to me.
720
00:44:27,014 --> 00:44:29,824
He was in some kind
of manic state.
721
00:44:29,917 --> 00:44:31,517
We get up for
a family portrait
722
00:44:31,619 --> 00:44:33,049
and he would hang
a Beatles album
723
00:44:33,153 --> 00:44:34,463
on a Christmas tree.
724
00:44:34,555 --> 00:44:36,355
Well, I went to take it down
off the tree
725
00:44:36,457 --> 00:44:37,527
and he came for me.
726
00:44:37,625 --> 00:44:39,325
And he had super strength.
727
00:44:39,427 --> 00:44:43,227
And in just
a very brief struggle,
he broke my rib.
728
00:44:43,330 --> 00:44:46,030
So they were
rolling around
on the floor
729
00:44:46,133 --> 00:44:47,643
and it was just
730
00:44:47,735 --> 00:44:50,335
not the way
our Christmas gatherings
usually are.
731
00:44:50,438 --> 00:44:52,738
He was talking
in different voices
732
00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:56,710
and was accusing us
of teaching the children
Satanist practice.
733
00:44:56,811 --> 00:44:58,951
And that whole night we
didn't wanna go to sleep
734
00:44:59,046 --> 00:45:00,646
because if he believed
we were Satanists,
735
00:45:00,748 --> 00:45:02,448
he might try to do
something to harm us
736
00:45:02,550 --> 00:45:04,820
if he's the "Hero of Good"
or something.
737
00:45:04,919 --> 00:45:06,919
He decided
to make a dash
738
00:45:07,021 --> 00:45:09,421
to go up to the attic space
where the kids were playing.
739
00:45:09,524 --> 00:45:12,764
And at that point,
Sally went to the phone
and called the police.
740
00:45:12,860 --> 00:45:16,260
We had to call
for some assistance and
741
00:45:16,363 --> 00:45:19,873
remove him from the house.
And my husband took him
to the bus station
742
00:45:19,967 --> 00:45:22,037
and then stayed and watched
to make sure he got on it,
743
00:45:22,136 --> 00:45:23,896
so that we would
all feel safe.
744
00:45:24,004 --> 00:45:27,014
I remember
going upstairs with Margie
745
00:45:27,107 --> 00:45:30,547
and laying down on the bed
and we just both wept
746
00:45:30,645 --> 00:45:33,905
like he was dead, you know.
Because we didn't know
who he was.
747
00:45:34,014 --> 00:45:37,654
* Rudolph the Red Nosed
Reindeer *
748
00:45:37,752 --> 00:45:41,822
* You'll go down in history
749
00:45:41,922 --> 00:45:43,992
* Yeah! *
750
00:46:02,477 --> 00:46:04,647
I'm lying in bed.
I have pneumonia.
751
00:46:04,745 --> 00:46:08,275
And the phone rings and I
have like a 103 temperature
and the phone rings
752
00:46:08,382 --> 00:46:11,692
and somebody says, uh,
"Do you know
a Daniel Johnston?"
753
00:46:11,786 --> 00:46:13,486
I go, "Yeah, Daniel
and I are friends."
754
00:46:13,588 --> 00:46:15,158
He goes,
"Well, I think maybe
you should come here."
755
00:46:15,255 --> 00:46:17,115
I go, "Well,
I really don't think
I should. I'm sick."
756
00:46:17,224 --> 00:46:20,164
"No. I really, really think
you should come here."
757
00:46:20,260 --> 00:46:23,630
I get to campus. I have
a 103 degrees temperature.
758
00:46:23,731 --> 00:46:26,031
It's 1986 and it's Christmas,
so there's nothing there.
759
00:46:26,133 --> 00:46:27,943
There's no cars.
There's no people.
760
00:46:28,035 --> 00:46:29,895
This campus is
completely empty.
761
00:46:30,004 --> 00:46:32,014
It's weird.
It's eerie. It's quiet.
762
00:46:32,106 --> 00:46:35,606
These people I don't know
are leading me down
and we start walking down
763
00:46:35,710 --> 00:46:36,810
to go towards the river.
764
00:46:36,911 --> 00:46:38,781
And we look over
and there's the water.
765
00:46:38,879 --> 00:46:40,879
And there standing
in the middle of the water
is Daniel.
766
00:46:40,981 --> 00:46:43,081
And he's standing
in the water,
he's about knee-deep,
767
00:46:43,183 --> 00:46:46,793
splashing the water,
and he's looking at us,
his eyes are like white.
768
00:46:46,887 --> 00:46:48,257
At one point he looks up
and starts singing,
769
00:46:48,355 --> 00:46:50,755
* Running water,
running water *
770
00:46:50,858 --> 00:46:53,158
And then he's preaching.
And he's talking about
baptism.
771
00:46:53,260 --> 00:46:55,730
And he's talking about evil.
He's really whacked.
772
00:46:55,830 --> 00:46:58,070
We're tryin' to talk him
into coming onto the shore.
773
00:46:58,165 --> 00:47:00,795
It's going on and on and on
and it's getting real weird.
774
00:47:00,901 --> 00:47:02,871
All of a sudden,
we look over there.
775
00:47:02,970 --> 00:47:04,440
A couple of police cars
have pulled up.
776
00:47:04,539 --> 00:47:06,039
They forced me out,
they came...
777
00:47:06,140 --> 00:47:07,880
People were...
People were afraid.
778
00:47:07,975 --> 00:47:09,835
They were afraid
to come up to me.
779
00:47:09,944 --> 00:47:12,614
They didn't want me
to splash them with water.
780
00:47:12,713 --> 00:47:15,483
What was I doing down there?
What was going on?
781
00:47:15,583 --> 00:47:17,353
I knew exactly
what was going on.
782
00:47:17,451 --> 00:47:20,291
I wanted to take my life
only a few nights before.
783
00:47:20,387 --> 00:47:23,917
I hit my best friend
over the head with
a lead pipe.
784
00:47:24,024 --> 00:47:26,234
I thought there was
nowhere to go.
785
00:47:26,326 --> 00:47:29,496
I thought the military
takeover was going to happen
over Christmas time.
786
00:47:29,597 --> 00:47:32,597
But it didn't.
You know what I mean?
787
00:47:32,700 --> 00:47:35,670
I thought, I knew, I saw.
I knew, I saw.
788
00:47:35,770 --> 00:47:37,870
I went inside
the building of U.T.
789
00:47:37,972 --> 00:47:40,642
I saw... I saw the things,
the programming,
790
00:47:40,741 --> 00:47:44,651
the confusion,
the Coke, Coca-Cola,
791
00:47:44,745 --> 00:47:47,245
the Snickers, all the candy,
792
00:47:47,347 --> 00:47:52,217
and everything being used
as a drug, the confusion,
the mind control,
793
00:47:52,319 --> 00:47:55,619
spiritualism,
the cultural upheaval, flip.
794
00:47:55,723 --> 00:47:58,433
Man, yes, it's really
happening. They were
really doing it, man.
795
00:47:58,525 --> 00:48:02,595
I'm talking, if you don't
know about it. I'm talking
like Nazi Germany.
796
00:48:02,697 --> 00:48:03,957
All great artists are crazy,
797
00:48:04,064 --> 00:48:05,774
but there's
a difference between
798
00:48:05,866 --> 00:48:07,496
the abstract
great artist being crazy
799
00:48:07,602 --> 00:48:10,502
and this person doing
damage to you or to himself,
800
00:48:10,605 --> 00:48:12,405
and how involved
do you wanna be?
801
00:48:12,506 --> 00:48:15,006
We'd spent our whole lives,
we're those kind of people
802
00:48:15,109 --> 00:48:16,739
who love the notion
of the crazy artist.
803
00:48:16,844 --> 00:48:18,354
You know, Van Gogh
cutting off his ear.
804
00:48:18,445 --> 00:48:19,705
And we've read those books
and we've,
805
00:48:19,814 --> 00:48:20,854
you know,
collected the art
806
00:48:20,948 --> 00:48:22,118
and we've seen the movies
807
00:48:22,216 --> 00:48:23,616
and we really loved
the crazy people
808
00:48:23,718 --> 00:48:25,148
because they were
the pure people.
809
00:48:25,252 --> 00:48:26,752
You know, they didn't have
any commercial sense.
810
00:48:26,854 --> 00:48:28,864
And yet, he was
a real sick person.
811
00:48:28,956 --> 00:48:31,626
And it was really,
"What are we gonna do?"
812
00:48:31,726 --> 00:48:34,456
And so, I mean, we do
the most pedestrian thing
possible.
813
00:48:34,561 --> 00:48:35,531
We commit him.
814
00:48:35,630 --> 00:48:36,660
And you actually felt,
815
00:48:36,764 --> 00:48:38,074
I mean,
a certain amount of guilt.
816
00:48:38,165 --> 00:48:40,265
I mean, it was like,
if I was around Van Gogh...
817
00:48:40,367 --> 00:48:42,637
You know, I've always had
contempt for those people
818
00:48:42,737 --> 00:48:44,097
who didn't understand genius,
819
00:48:44,204 --> 00:48:46,214
and here I am given my shot
and what I'm saying is,
820
00:48:46,306 --> 00:48:48,876
please put him in the hospital
'cause we don't wanna
have to deal with him.
821
00:48:48,976 --> 00:48:50,376
We don't know what to do.
822
00:48:50,477 --> 00:48:51,947
When I went to see him
in the hospital,
823
00:48:52,046 --> 00:48:54,006
they wanted to know
what my relationship
with Daniel was.
824
00:48:54,114 --> 00:48:56,354
And I had been working
informally as his publicist.
825
00:48:56,450 --> 00:48:59,820
But, um, I needed
to tell them something
a little better than that.
826
00:48:59,920 --> 00:49:01,720
And I assumed
that Randy Kemper,
827
00:49:01,822 --> 00:49:04,592
after having been
beat over the head
with a lead pipe
828
00:49:04,692 --> 00:49:06,732
did not wanna continue
managing Daniel.
829
00:49:06,827 --> 00:49:09,357
So I said I was his manager.
830
00:49:09,463 --> 00:49:11,373
I helped get Daniel
out of the hospital
831
00:49:11,465 --> 00:49:13,965
because I didn't
fully understand
why he was there.
832
00:49:14,068 --> 00:49:16,168
All I knew was he needed
to get out of there.
833
00:49:16,270 --> 00:49:17,910
And as soon
as I did get him out,
834
00:49:18,005 --> 00:49:19,735
I began hearing from
other people asking me,
835
00:49:19,840 --> 00:49:21,310
why did I do that.
836
00:49:21,408 --> 00:49:23,538
But it seemed like he was
doing well enough.
837
00:49:23,644 --> 00:49:25,014
He was back in his home.
838
00:49:25,112 --> 00:49:27,052
And it seemed like
everything was OK,
839
00:49:27,147 --> 00:49:29,017
although it was very
borderline.
840
00:49:29,116 --> 00:49:31,646
It's like true
in science fiction
841
00:49:31,752 --> 00:49:34,692
and it's the new
supernatural age,
842
00:49:34,789 --> 00:49:36,659
you know, they spoke
of in Revelations.
843
00:49:36,757 --> 00:49:38,287
And Number nine,
number nine,
844
00:49:38,392 --> 00:49:39,832
The Beatles' song,
Number nine.
845
00:49:39,927 --> 00:49:42,597
He was obsessed
with the Devil and Satan.
846
00:49:42,697 --> 00:49:45,127
Do not
get that number, 6-6-6.
847
00:49:45,232 --> 00:49:48,372
Do not get 6-6-6
imprinted on your hand.
848
00:49:48,468 --> 00:49:51,238
I had never really
heard him talk about
the Devil before,
849
00:49:51,338 --> 00:49:54,368
and he became so obsessed
that it was all he could
talk about.
850
00:49:54,474 --> 00:49:58,314
You must not give in
to the Devil,
ladies and gentlemen.
851
00:49:58,412 --> 00:50:01,952
The world in confusion,
ladies and gentlemen.
852
00:50:02,049 --> 00:50:03,919
Somebody is
manufacturing these.
853
00:50:04,018 --> 00:50:05,888
They're spreading
those around.
854
00:50:05,986 --> 00:50:07,686
They might be
mounting them up around.
855
00:50:07,788 --> 00:50:10,858
Evil, ladies and gentlemen,
evil.
856
00:50:10,958 --> 00:50:12,428
Over the next few days,
857
00:50:12,526 --> 00:50:14,896
he began to throw literally
everything he owned away.
858
00:50:14,995 --> 00:50:16,825
He threw all
his drawings away.
859
00:50:16,931 --> 00:50:18,401
He threw master tapes away.
860
00:50:18,498 --> 00:50:20,798
And he was down to just
three of four possessions
861
00:50:20,901 --> 00:50:22,541
the last time I went
to his apartment.
862
00:50:22,636 --> 00:50:24,296
He still had his tape deck.
863
00:50:24,404 --> 00:50:27,544
He still had his guitar
and maybe one or two
other things.
864
00:50:27,641 --> 00:50:29,181
And as soon as I saw this,
865
00:50:29,276 --> 00:50:32,246
my immediate fear was that
he's gonna kill himself.
866
00:50:32,346 --> 00:50:34,846
It's better to die,
ladies and gentlemen.
867
00:50:34,949 --> 00:50:37,049
And live forever.
868
00:50:38,652 --> 00:50:40,252
And that is
what I intend to do.
869
00:50:40,354 --> 00:50:43,194
I went home that night,
not knowing what to do.
870
00:50:43,290 --> 00:50:45,460
The world is
turning to hell.
871
00:50:45,559 --> 00:50:48,959
I did not know very much
about his relationship
with his family,
872
00:50:49,063 --> 00:50:50,773
but I figured
they need to know this.
873
00:50:50,865 --> 00:50:52,725
And I called his father
that night
874
00:50:52,833 --> 00:50:57,243
and he was in Austin
within 24 hours.
875
00:50:57,337 --> 00:51:00,407
He was thin as a rail
and losing weight
876
00:51:00,507 --> 00:51:02,837
and, uh, all kinds of things.
877
00:51:02,943 --> 00:51:05,213
His depression finally
caught up with him.
878
00:51:05,645 --> 00:51:07,105
Evil!
879
00:51:08,983 --> 00:51:11,693
Because he,
he was losing it.
880
00:51:11,786 --> 00:51:13,446
Number nine.
881
00:51:13,553 --> 00:51:15,823
When Daniel's father
took him back
to West Virginia,
882
00:51:15,923 --> 00:51:17,723
Daniel announced
his retirement.
883
00:51:17,825 --> 00:51:20,555
And instantly became
a living legend in Austin.
884
00:51:20,660 --> 00:51:24,800
He pretty much spent
the entire year of 1987
on medication.
885
00:51:32,572 --> 00:51:34,112
A little tired.
886
00:51:39,046 --> 00:51:42,646
Haldol is
a control drug, and at times
he was a vegetable.
887
00:51:42,749 --> 00:51:46,489
And we finally talked
to the psychiatrist
888
00:51:46,586 --> 00:51:48,756
and she said she would have
889
00:51:48,856 --> 00:51:50,886
a psychiatrist examine him.
890
00:51:50,991 --> 00:51:54,361
They wire your brain up
and make sure you got
what your brain activity is,
891
00:51:54,461 --> 00:51:56,761
and check if there is
any brain damage or anything.
892
00:51:56,864 --> 00:51:58,274
And he checked out OK.
893
00:51:58,365 --> 00:51:59,825
But, uh, we took him
894
00:51:59,934 --> 00:52:01,704
to the University
of Pittsburgh...
895
00:52:01,802 --> 00:52:02,942
Psychiatric Institute.
896
00:52:03,037 --> 00:52:04,497
They had, uh,
seven people
897
00:52:04,604 --> 00:52:07,044
interview him
for a whole day.
898
00:52:08,542 --> 00:52:10,142
The reason...
899
00:52:10,244 --> 00:52:11,714
Um...
900
00:52:11,812 --> 00:52:13,782
They said he's
on the wrong medicine.
901
00:52:13,881 --> 00:52:15,151
Yeah.
902
00:52:15,249 --> 00:52:17,379
Every medicine
he reacted different to.
903
00:52:17,484 --> 00:52:21,794
And we kept trying,
and we tried,
and tried different ones.
904
00:52:44,711 --> 00:52:47,281
He literally spent
the entire year in bed.
905
00:52:47,381 --> 00:52:49,821
He calls it
his "lost year."
906
00:52:49,917 --> 00:52:53,617
During this period,
I was continuing to work on
building his relationships
907
00:52:53,720 --> 00:52:56,860
with bands like Sonic Youth
and Jad Fair of Half Japanese.
908
00:52:56,957 --> 00:52:59,527
I had become friends
with Steve Shelley
of Sonic Youth.
909
00:52:59,626 --> 00:53:02,156
Steve turned a lot of people
on to Daniel's music.
910
00:53:02,262 --> 00:53:05,132
And as Daniel finally started
to show some improvement,
911
00:53:05,232 --> 00:53:07,332
Steve invited him
to New York City
912
00:53:07,434 --> 00:53:09,304
to check out a recording
studio,
913
00:53:09,403 --> 00:53:10,973
just basically
to hang out a little bit,
914
00:53:11,071 --> 00:53:12,811
get to know each other
and have some fun.
915
00:53:12,907 --> 00:53:14,737
We're on our way
to the studio.
916
00:53:14,841 --> 00:53:17,881
One day he's scheduled
to do some recording
at Noise New York,
917
00:53:17,978 --> 00:53:19,748
with Steve and Lee
from Sonic Youth.
918
00:53:19,846 --> 00:53:22,316
And he's just as happy
as can be, joking around,
919
00:53:22,416 --> 00:53:25,246
talking about making movies.
He says he's gonna
make a movie someday
920
00:53:25,352 --> 00:53:27,022
and all he has to do
is act naturally.
921
00:53:39,266 --> 00:53:43,366
He's there to become famous.
That is his one and only goal in his mind.
922
00:53:43,470 --> 00:53:45,270
How has New York been
for the last two days?
923
00:53:45,372 --> 00:53:46,912
It's the greatest city
on the Earth.
924
00:53:47,007 --> 00:53:48,307
This is day number three
for you here.
925
00:53:48,408 --> 00:53:50,678
Yeah, it's happening for sure.
926
00:53:50,777 --> 00:53:55,047
- If I can make it here,
I can make it anywhere, right?
- That's what they say.
927
00:53:55,149 --> 00:53:57,079
There were two
primary goals of this trip.
928
00:53:57,184 --> 00:53:59,024
One was to, uh, meet Kramer
929
00:53:59,119 --> 00:54:01,489
and check out
the Noise New York
recording studio,
930
00:54:01,588 --> 00:54:03,758
with the possibility of
recording for Shimmy Disc.
931
00:54:03,857 --> 00:54:06,527
And the other was
to do some recording
with Moe Tucker,
932
00:54:06,626 --> 00:54:08,326
the drummer for
The Velvet Underground.
933
00:54:08,428 --> 00:54:10,758
This session was
put together by Jad Fair.
934
00:54:10,864 --> 00:54:14,674
And this would allow
Daniel to meet Jad
for the first time.
935
00:54:25,812 --> 00:54:29,422
As Daniel's manager, I'm
in touch with Steve Shelley
on a nightly basis.
936
00:54:29,516 --> 00:54:31,316
And all of a sudden,
one night I get a call
937
00:54:31,418 --> 00:54:33,418
that Daniel has been
arrested that day.
938
00:54:33,520 --> 00:54:36,690
It seems that they decided
to take him to
the Statue of Liberty.
939
00:54:36,790 --> 00:54:39,030
And while Daniel was touring
the Statue of Liberty,
940
00:54:39,126 --> 00:54:41,156
like any tourist
would want to,
941
00:54:41,261 --> 00:54:44,201
he apparently was
drawing graffiti
inside the stairwell.
942
00:54:44,298 --> 00:54:47,298
Christian fish.
Hundreds of them,
from what I understand.
943
00:54:47,401 --> 00:54:51,041
I guess it's
the anti-Satan symbol. Um...
944
00:55:09,223 --> 00:55:13,233
A couple days after
that, there's a bizarre gig
at Pier Platters.
945
00:55:13,327 --> 00:55:15,697
I say bizarre because he's
proselytizing the audience.
946
00:55:15,795 --> 00:55:19,095
Trying to force
his religious beliefs
on the audience, basically.
947
00:55:19,199 --> 00:55:21,699
Jesus Christ
is number seven.
948
00:55:21,801 --> 00:55:24,001
Satan is number six.
949
00:55:24,104 --> 00:55:26,074
Number eight is eternal death.
950
00:55:26,173 --> 00:55:30,483
And number nine,
number nine, number nine,
951
00:55:30,577 --> 00:55:33,177
is the human number.
952
00:55:33,280 --> 00:55:37,080
Remember these things
and don't listen to the lies
that people will tell you.
953
00:55:37,184 --> 00:55:39,024
Number seven is Jesus Christ.
954
00:55:39,119 --> 00:55:41,119
When Daniel performed
at Pier Platters,
955
00:55:41,221 --> 00:55:45,261
it was like the cream
of the crop of the New York
underground music scene.
956
00:55:45,359 --> 00:55:46,859
During the song
Funeral Home,
957
00:55:46,960 --> 00:55:49,260
he actually gets the audience
to sing along with him.
958
00:55:49,363 --> 00:55:50,963
So you've got everybody
singing along
959
00:55:51,065 --> 00:55:52,765
about going to
the funeral home and dying.
960
00:55:52,866 --> 00:55:56,396
* I'm going to the funeral
and I'm never coming back *
961
00:55:56,503 --> 00:55:59,373
Sing along with us,
won't you?
962
00:56:00,207 --> 00:56:03,537
* Funeral home
963
00:56:03,643 --> 00:56:04,983
* Funeral home
964
00:56:05,079 --> 00:56:06,349
Louder.
965
00:56:06,446 --> 00:56:12,616
* Going to that funeral home
966
00:56:12,719 --> 00:56:15,189
* Got me a coffin
967
00:56:15,289 --> 00:56:18,459
* Shiny and black
968
00:56:18,558 --> 00:56:21,398
* I'm going to the funeral
969
00:56:21,495 --> 00:56:26,665
* And I'm never coming back
970
00:56:26,766 --> 00:56:29,266
* Got me a coffin
971
00:56:29,369 --> 00:56:33,039
* Shiny and black
972
00:56:33,140 --> 00:56:35,510
* I'm going to the funeral
973
00:56:35,609 --> 00:56:39,949
* and I'm never coming back
974
00:56:41,047 --> 00:56:43,777
* Funeral home
975
00:56:43,883 --> 00:56:46,623
* Funeral home
976
00:56:46,720 --> 00:56:49,560
* Funeral home *
977
00:56:53,193 --> 00:56:57,733
It became more and more
fanatically religious
as the show went on.
978
00:56:57,831 --> 00:57:01,241
He has a bit of a breakdown,
starts crying at one point,
979
00:57:01,335 --> 00:57:03,465
and is just obviously
right on the edge.
980
00:57:03,570 --> 00:57:06,570
And it was my belief
and the belief of others
around him
981
00:57:06,673 --> 00:57:09,313
that things were getting
a little bit out of control.
982
00:57:09,409 --> 00:57:15,249
* You'll be called
to meet your God *
983
00:57:16,183 --> 00:57:19,693
* Careless Soul
984
00:57:19,786 --> 00:57:23,656
* Oh, heed the warning
985
00:57:23,757 --> 00:57:25,927
* For your life
986
00:57:26,025 --> 00:57:28,955
* Will soon be gone *
987
00:57:29,062 --> 00:57:32,372
The concert made
everyone feel very awkward.
988
00:57:32,466 --> 00:57:35,366
And after the show,
walking back to Steve's place,
989
00:57:35,469 --> 00:57:37,669
Daniel and Steve had
a bit of a falling out.
990
00:58:00,260 --> 00:58:05,300
He told Kramer that if he
can't get anywhere, he was
gonna sleep in my hallway.
991
00:58:05,399 --> 00:58:06,969
Yeah, but that's
just an idle threat.
992
00:58:07,066 --> 00:58:08,596
When's
the next train to...
993
00:58:08,702 --> 00:58:10,372
I mean, I can't
imagine him staying
in the bus station,
994
00:58:10,470 --> 00:58:13,470
and actually getting
on the bus all by himself.
995
00:58:13,573 --> 00:58:16,783
I know the members
of Sonic Youth were
looking all over for Daniel.
996
00:58:16,876 --> 00:58:19,076
He had been spotted
in various places,
997
00:58:19,179 --> 00:58:22,949
and they just felt this
responsibility to his parents
to get him home.
998
00:58:23,049 --> 00:58:25,649
Keep an eye peeled for Daniel.
He might just be a...
999
00:58:25,752 --> 00:58:27,992
If you see a wandering guy
in white.
1000
00:58:28,087 --> 00:58:29,787
Steve didn't
really want to deal with it.
1001
00:58:29,889 --> 00:58:31,589
So Lee and Thurston were
driving around,
1002
00:58:31,691 --> 00:58:33,691
driving around.
They finally spotted him
1003
00:58:33,793 --> 00:58:37,233
in a hotel parking lot,
I believe in Jersey.
1004
00:58:37,331 --> 00:58:39,101
- There he is.
- Really?
1005
00:58:39,199 --> 00:58:41,169
Yeah. He's walking over here.
1006
00:58:41,268 --> 00:58:42,938
Let's go get him.
1007
00:58:43,036 --> 00:58:45,036
Steve is totally,
totally pissed off.
1008
00:58:45,138 --> 00:58:47,768
- He's freaked out.
- Yeah, he's freaked out and he's not gonna...
1009
00:58:47,874 --> 00:58:50,684
He was gonna call my parents
and my parents will put me
in a mental home.
1010
00:58:50,777 --> 00:58:53,647
The best thing to do
at this point,
you have a bus ticket,
1011
00:58:53,747 --> 00:58:55,847
- I think you should
use it.
- I'm not going home.
1012
00:58:55,949 --> 00:58:58,919
I'm on a mission from God
and I have two more weeks
to spend in this town.
1013
00:58:59,018 --> 00:59:03,158
The situation here
for you now is not
the best that it could be.
1014
00:59:03,257 --> 00:59:04,587
And we really don't know
what to do,
1015
00:59:04,691 --> 00:59:07,131
I mean, you're
a long way from home,
1016
00:59:07,227 --> 00:59:08,187
and we don't...
1017
00:59:08,295 --> 00:59:09,795
Listen, I called
my manager
1018
00:59:09,896 --> 00:59:11,596
and I started to
talk to him about it
and was I going to...
1019
00:59:11,698 --> 00:59:13,068
- Jeff?
- Yeah, I was
going to warn him
1020
00:59:13,166 --> 00:59:14,826
not to say anything
to my parents.
1021
00:59:14,934 --> 00:59:17,404
I was going to say,
"If you say anything
to my parents,
1022
00:59:17,504 --> 00:59:18,744
I'm gonna fire you."
1023
00:59:18,838 --> 00:59:20,438
And I was saying,
"This is a warning
1024
00:59:20,540 --> 00:59:21,880
and this is a threat."
And he says,
1025
00:59:21,975 --> 00:59:23,335
"I don't wanna hear
any of your damn threats."
1026
00:59:23,443 --> 00:59:24,783
And he hung up on me.
My manager.
1027
00:59:24,878 --> 00:59:27,708
Now, don't you see the Devil?
The Devil Satan
1028
00:59:27,814 --> 00:59:30,484
is trying to stop me
from staying in this town?
1029
00:59:30,584 --> 00:59:32,554
Don't you see
how clear that is?
1030
00:59:32,652 --> 00:59:34,392
He just would
not go home
1031
00:59:34,488 --> 00:59:37,688
and was determined
to stay in New York.
1032
00:59:37,791 --> 00:59:39,861
He ended up on the Bowery,
in a men's shelter,
1033
00:59:39,959 --> 00:59:43,229
where he was assaulted
once or twice,
lost some possessions.
1034
00:59:45,799 --> 00:59:50,339
At this point, Daniel
is homeless and hungry and
having the time of his life
1035
00:59:50,437 --> 00:59:52,707
while everybody else
is completely freaked out.
1036
00:59:52,806 --> 00:59:54,666
His parents, myself,
his hosts.
1037
00:59:54,774 --> 00:59:56,284
We don't know what to do,
whereas Daniel
1038
00:59:56,376 --> 00:59:58,546
doesn't even
realize there's a problem.
1039
00:59:58,645 --> 01:00:02,245
Finally, a couple of friends
made arrangements to take him
to the bus station,
1040
01:00:02,349 --> 01:00:03,879
to buy him a ticket
to go back home.
1041
01:00:03,983 --> 01:00:06,423
They thought they saw him
getting on the bus.
1042
01:00:06,520 --> 01:00:10,620
The next thing they know,
two days later, Daniel is
spotted back in New York City.
1043
01:00:10,724 --> 01:00:12,934
He'd spent some time
in Bellevue, a day or two,
1044
01:00:13,026 --> 01:00:16,396
was released due to
a clerical error and actually
opened for Firehose
1045
01:00:16,496 --> 01:00:18,326
at CBGB's that night.
1046
01:00:30,644 --> 01:00:33,654
After the CBGB's gig,
he did his two songs and left.
1047
01:00:33,747 --> 01:00:35,777
All anybody could
think of was we've got
to get him home
1048
01:00:35,882 --> 01:00:38,652
before he either kills
somebody or gets killed.
1049
01:00:38,752 --> 01:00:40,692
His goal in New York
was to become famous.
1050
01:00:40,787 --> 01:00:45,527
And I think he accomplished
his goal by the time he left.
1051
01:00:45,625 --> 01:00:48,455
* At The Cross
At The Cross *
1052
01:00:48,562 --> 01:00:50,402
When Daniel returned
home from New York,
1053
01:00:50,497 --> 01:00:52,067
he was hospitalized
almost immediately
1054
01:00:52,165 --> 01:00:55,335
and let out
way too soon in my opinion.
1055
01:01:27,434 --> 01:01:31,874
Just a few weeks later
he traveled to Maryland
to record with Jad Fair.
1056
01:01:31,971 --> 01:01:35,171
Putting Jad and Daniel together was...
was...
1057
01:01:35,274 --> 01:01:37,144
I mean, I think
they're both geniuses.
1058
01:01:37,243 --> 01:01:40,583
So if you put them together,
you know, I don't see
how that could miss.
1059
01:01:40,680 --> 01:01:43,520
I think you get like two,
1060
01:01:43,617 --> 01:01:46,117
you know,
two giants together
1061
01:01:46,219 --> 01:01:48,559
and, um, it's gigantic.
1062
01:01:48,655 --> 01:01:53,855
* If I'd only known
I could have said
something sooner *
1063
01:01:53,960 --> 01:01:57,660
* But I didn't, so I didn't
and now it's done *
1064
01:01:57,764 --> 01:02:02,604
* The last thing I'd do
was the first thing you did *
1065
01:02:02,702 --> 01:02:05,872
* What we once had
is all gone *
1066
01:02:11,911 --> 01:02:13,751
He had
a white T-shirt on
1067
01:02:13,847 --> 01:02:15,817
or white painter pants
maybe or something, he has...
1068
01:02:15,915 --> 01:02:18,915
- Actually he was dressed
all in white.
- All white.
1069
01:02:19,018 --> 01:02:21,188
During that time period.
1070
01:02:21,287 --> 01:02:25,287
He... He thought it would be
the Christian thing to do,
to dress in white.
1071
01:02:25,391 --> 01:02:27,761
- Yeah.
- - David invited Daniel
1072
01:02:27,861 --> 01:02:30,431
and... and me to his home
to have dinner.
1073
01:02:30,530 --> 01:02:36,070
Back then, the movie, uh,
My Dinner with Andre
was very popular.
1074
01:02:36,169 --> 01:02:40,539
And we decided,
well, let's have
My Dinner With Daniel,
1075
01:02:40,640 --> 01:02:41,940
and film that.
1076
01:02:42,041 --> 01:02:44,411
And we'll just be
talking during dinnertime.
1077
01:02:44,511 --> 01:02:49,151
So I went to college
right across the river from
where the funeral home is.
1078
01:02:49,248 --> 01:02:54,248
There was this girl there,
and as soon as I saw her,
you know,
1079
01:02:54,353 --> 01:02:57,363
I swear to God, it looked like
she was glowing, you know.
1080
01:02:57,457 --> 01:02:59,227
Daniel wanted to,
uh, direct.
1081
01:02:59,325 --> 01:03:02,855
Stand right there,
the cameraman,
and you sit in the chair.
1082
01:03:02,962 --> 01:03:06,332
He had very
specific ideas
for everything.
1083
01:03:06,432 --> 01:03:09,172
You know,
he would figure out shots,
he'd change angles.
1084
01:03:09,268 --> 01:03:12,938
I mean, at the beginning
of the evening it was
a film I had in mind.
1085
01:03:13,039 --> 01:03:16,479
Very soon it became,
you know,
somebody else's film.
1086
01:03:16,576 --> 01:03:17,836
Film the... the chair, OK?
1087
01:03:17,944 --> 01:03:19,714
The highlight
probably, though,
1088
01:03:19,813 --> 01:03:21,553
was when Daniel
started playing the songs.
1089
01:03:21,648 --> 01:03:23,578
I mean, at one point
when he started weeping,
1090
01:03:23,683 --> 01:03:25,283
you know, this is...
You know,
1091
01:03:25,384 --> 01:03:27,524
wh-where are you gonna see
a performance like that?
1092
01:03:27,621 --> 01:03:31,661
* I saw my own heart laying
1093
01:03:34,093 --> 01:03:37,563
* Black with blood
1094
01:03:43,970 --> 01:03:48,340
* Don't play cards
with Satan *
1095
01:03:48,441 --> 01:03:50,941
* He'll deal you
1096
01:03:51,645 --> 01:03:53,445
* An awful hand *
1097
01:03:53,547 --> 01:03:55,747
When we dropped him off
at the bus station,
1098
01:03:55,849 --> 01:03:57,679
I... I don't think anything
really seemed strange.
1099
01:03:57,784 --> 01:04:00,524
I don't think
he seemed different
1100
01:04:00,620 --> 01:04:02,360
from how he had been
all week long.
1101
01:04:02,455 --> 01:04:06,285
He had a ticket
to go to his parents' home,
1102
01:04:06,392 --> 01:04:09,002
in Chester, uh, West Virginia,
1103
01:04:09,095 --> 01:04:14,025
which is only about
a five-hour, uh, bus ride.
1104
01:04:14,133 --> 01:04:17,103
And we... we thought
he'd be fine.
1105
01:04:30,049 --> 01:04:32,589
Just some great,
great music and art
came out of this week.
1106
01:04:32,686 --> 01:04:34,686
But unfortunately,
he went off his meds again
1107
01:04:34,788 --> 01:04:37,018
and had problems
when he left.
1108
01:04:37,123 --> 01:04:39,033
He took a bus back
to West Virginia,
1109
01:04:39,125 --> 01:04:43,255
got off a little too soon
and was completely delusional,
1110
01:04:43,362 --> 01:04:45,602
thought that everybody
was possessed by Satan.
1111
01:04:45,699 --> 01:04:49,969
It was very early
in the morning, maybe 6:00,
7:00 in the morning.
1112
01:05:07,153 --> 01:05:09,163
He was making noise
in the street.
1113
01:05:09,255 --> 01:05:12,655
An elderly woman
came to her window,
asked him to be quiet,
1114
01:05:12,759 --> 01:05:15,729
and that set off
another major incident.
1115
01:05:15,829 --> 01:05:17,759
And the next thing
she knew,
1116
01:05:17,864 --> 01:05:19,504
he was coming up the stairs
in the apartment building
1117
01:05:19,599 --> 01:05:21,739
and pounding on the door.
1118
01:05:21,835 --> 01:05:25,035
And whatever he was saying
and whatever his demeanor was,
1119
01:05:25,138 --> 01:05:27,038
was enough to terrify her
such that
1120
01:05:27,140 --> 01:05:29,040
she felt like the only thing
she could do
1121
01:05:29,142 --> 01:05:30,682
was jump out
of the second story window.
1122
01:05:30,777 --> 01:05:32,707
And, of course,
she broke both her ankles.
1123
01:05:37,016 --> 01:05:40,316
And she was an elderly woman,
from church.
1124
01:05:55,501 --> 01:05:59,011
The law pretty well takes over
when he gets into trouble.
1125
01:05:59,105 --> 01:06:03,105
The law stepped in and, uh,
took Dan away from us.
1126
01:07:04,603 --> 01:07:07,813
He was quite busy
during this time
writing me audio letters
1127
01:07:07,907 --> 01:07:09,977
with all sorts
of instructions.
1128
01:07:10,076 --> 01:07:13,976
Earth
to Jeff Tartakov,
ten four come three.
1129
01:07:14,080 --> 01:07:16,820
This is a message from
Daniel Dale Johnston.
1130
01:07:16,916 --> 01:07:19,146
Here with a few ideas
I'd like to do.
1131
01:07:19,252 --> 01:07:22,462
First of all I wish
that The Beatles
would reunite
1132
01:07:22,555 --> 01:07:24,615
and back me up as a band.
1133
01:07:24,724 --> 01:07:28,664
He continued to want me
to get in touch with people
like Yoko Ono.
1134
01:07:28,762 --> 01:07:30,432
But he also had
some additional ideas.
1135
01:07:30,529 --> 01:07:32,869
He wanted to be a spokesperson
for Mountain Dew.
1136
01:07:32,966 --> 01:07:37,366
This is
Daniel Johnston speaking
from a mental hospital.
1137
01:07:37,470 --> 01:07:38,940
They tell me
I'm crazy here,
1138
01:07:39,038 --> 01:07:41,008
because I love
the Mountain Dew so much.
1139
01:07:41,107 --> 01:07:42,937
I can't get enough
of the Mountain Dew.
1140
01:07:43,042 --> 01:07:46,482
* I was sinking deep in sin
1141
01:07:46,579 --> 01:07:49,419
* Far from Mountain Dew
1142
01:07:49,515 --> 01:07:51,745
* I had problems out within
1143
01:07:51,851 --> 01:07:54,191
* Nothing that I could do
1144
01:07:54,287 --> 01:07:59,027
* But the Mountain Dew came
to me and I drank it all up *
1145
01:07:59,125 --> 01:08:03,825
* Now I'm happy as can be,
oh Mountain Dew *
1146
01:08:03,930 --> 01:08:06,000
* We drink Mountain Dew
1147
01:08:06,099 --> 01:08:08,229
* We drink Mountain Dew
1148
01:08:08,334 --> 01:08:12,814
* We have nothing better to do
but drink Mountain Dew *
1149
01:08:12,906 --> 01:08:15,036
* We drink Mountain Dew
1150
01:08:15,141 --> 01:08:17,341
* We drink Mountain Dew
1151
01:08:17,443 --> 01:08:23,723
* No thing better to do
than to drink Mountain Dew *
1152
01:08:23,817 --> 01:08:25,947
Yahoo! Mountain Dew.
1153
01:08:26,052 --> 01:08:28,192
It's the new sensation.
1154
01:08:28,287 --> 01:08:30,917
The best, the greatest,
the most fantastic.
1155
01:08:31,024 --> 01:08:36,304
The most sensational soda pop
in the cosmic universe.
1156
01:08:36,395 --> 01:08:39,995
Mountain Dew!
1157
01:08:46,672 --> 01:08:49,882
Out come the demons.
1158
01:08:49,976 --> 01:08:53,906
Demons, demons, demons,
drink the Mountain Dew.
1159
01:08:54,013 --> 01:08:55,983
I sent that off to
the Pepsi Corporation,
1160
01:08:56,082 --> 01:08:58,322
but unfortunately
never got a response.
1161
01:08:58,417 --> 01:09:01,187
So it's 1990,
we hear Daniel's better.
1162
01:09:01,287 --> 01:09:03,057
We hear he's gotten...
Put on a lot of weight.
1163
01:09:03,156 --> 01:09:05,386
But we hear, you know,
he's doing his meds,
he's under control.
1164
01:09:05,491 --> 01:09:08,191
So we invite him to play
the Austin Music Awards show.
1165
01:09:08,294 --> 01:09:10,104
And to come and play
South by Southwest.
1166
01:09:10,196 --> 01:09:12,196
And everybody's
very excited about this.
1167
01:09:12,298 --> 01:09:14,428
Now his rep has really,
really grown.
1168
01:09:14,533 --> 01:09:16,703
Tartakov has really been
getting those tapes out there.
1169
01:09:16,802 --> 01:09:18,502
Tartakov's really working it.
1170
01:09:18,604 --> 01:09:20,474
Daniel sends me a comic,
1171
01:09:20,573 --> 01:09:23,383
about how Daniel's
coming back to Austin
to play the Music Awards.
1172
01:09:23,476 --> 01:09:26,306
How he's gonna get laid.
How all the girls should be
ready for him.
1173
01:09:26,412 --> 01:09:29,582
And the last page is this
whole thing about the Devil
1174
01:09:29,682 --> 01:09:32,992
being really excited
that Daniel's coming back
to Austin,
1175
01:09:33,086 --> 01:09:36,186
'cause of all the mayhem
he can cause.
1176
01:09:36,289 --> 01:09:40,459
Whenever Daniel was gonna
perform, starting around now,
he went off his meds,
1177
01:09:40,559 --> 01:09:42,559
for a couple of weeks
before the performance.
1178
01:09:42,661 --> 01:09:44,861
Because he knew
the performance would be
better the crazier he was.
1179
01:09:44,964 --> 01:09:47,774
The more real he was,
the better the performance
would be.
1180
01:09:47,867 --> 01:09:49,097
But nobody really knew this
at the time.
1181
01:09:53,006 --> 01:09:56,436
* I took my lucky break
and broke it *
1182
01:09:56,542 --> 01:09:58,842
Try it again.
1183
01:09:58,945 --> 01:10:01,145
As a professional,
you know, performer,
1184
01:10:01,247 --> 01:10:05,077
I haven't performed,
you know, for two years. So...
1185
01:10:08,888 --> 01:10:10,958
I'm barely doing it now.
1186
01:10:11,057 --> 01:10:12,657
He flew to town
with his dad.
1187
01:10:12,758 --> 01:10:15,898
Did two in-store appearances
at record stores.
1188
01:10:15,995 --> 01:10:18,495
Hundreds and hundreds
of people turned out.
1189
01:10:18,597 --> 01:10:20,527
People were coming up
for autographs
1190
01:10:20,633 --> 01:10:22,743
and he would give them
so much more than just
an autograph.
1191
01:10:22,835 --> 01:10:26,635
He would take a full sheet
of paper and draw a frog,
an entire scene.
1192
01:10:28,407 --> 01:10:32,407
This was really
the highlight of my career,
up until that point.
1193
01:10:32,511 --> 01:10:36,621
Because I was able to see
an audience, a large audience,
respond to Daniel.
1194
01:10:36,715 --> 01:10:39,585
Palmer Auditorium had
3,000 people there that night.
1195
01:10:41,087 --> 01:10:43,557
* Never knowing where you go
1196
01:10:43,656 --> 01:10:45,056
* Always running
1197
01:10:45,158 --> 01:10:47,428
* Never stopping to see
where you're at *
1198
01:10:47,526 --> 01:10:49,226
* Never looking back
1199
01:10:49,328 --> 01:10:54,028
* Nothing seems to
slow you down *
1200
01:10:55,568 --> 01:10:57,938
* Running water
1201
01:10:58,037 --> 01:11:00,267
* Running water
1202
01:11:00,373 --> 01:11:04,083
* What are you running from?
1203
01:11:05,211 --> 01:11:11,251
* You always seem to be
on the run *
1204
01:11:12,418 --> 01:11:19,128
* You always seem to be
on the run *
1205
01:11:24,663 --> 01:11:27,903
Daniel was scheduled
to play about a 15-minute set,
1206
01:11:28,001 --> 01:11:29,701
but he's not
a very good judge of time.
1207
01:11:29,802 --> 01:11:32,512
So he walked off the stage
after three songs.
1208
01:11:32,605 --> 01:11:34,265
Oh, my God...
1209
01:11:34,373 --> 01:11:35,673
Daniel.
1210
01:11:37,810 --> 01:11:40,080
- Dad?
- - Yeah?
1211
01:11:40,179 --> 01:11:41,749
You wanna do
another, Dan?
1212
01:11:41,847 --> 01:11:43,077
They want me to do
another song?
1213
01:11:43,182 --> 01:11:44,922
- You wanna go back?
- OK.
1214
01:11:45,018 --> 01:11:46,918
When he finally
came out, it was as if
1215
01:11:47,020 --> 01:11:49,890
The Rolling Stones had
come back on stage.
1216
01:11:54,260 --> 01:11:59,000
* But if this really is love
1217
01:11:59,098 --> 01:12:03,398
* Then let's get it on, on
1218
01:12:03,502 --> 01:12:07,112
During the song Do You Love Me?
the chorus goes, Do you love me now?
1219
01:12:07,206 --> 01:12:10,976
And you could hear girls
in the audience screaming,
"Yes!"
1220
01:12:11,077 --> 01:12:12,407
It was Daniel mania.
1221
01:12:12,511 --> 01:12:14,211
* Tell me now
1222
01:12:15,148 --> 01:12:18,118
* Do you really love me?
1223
01:12:19,185 --> 01:12:21,715
* Do you really love me?
1224
01:12:23,156 --> 01:12:25,986
* Do you really love me?
1225
01:12:29,428 --> 01:12:31,758
The audience was
stomping and screaming.
1226
01:12:31,864 --> 01:12:35,674
You could feel
the entire floor shaking.
1227
01:12:35,768 --> 01:12:38,398
* When they said that
love was dead *
1228
01:12:38,504 --> 01:12:42,184
* They were just playing
with your head *
1229
01:12:43,642 --> 01:12:44,912
* Love is real
1230
01:12:45,010 --> 01:12:47,250
* That's the way that I feel
1231
01:12:50,015 --> 01:12:51,775
* I love you
1232
01:12:53,186 --> 01:12:56,556
* Do you really love me?
1233
01:12:57,923 --> 01:13:01,063
* Do you really love me?
1234
01:13:02,495 --> 01:13:05,595
* Do you really love me?
1235
01:13:08,067 --> 01:13:10,337
* Tell me now *
1236
01:13:16,175 --> 01:13:18,835
Thanks a lot.
1237
01:13:18,944 --> 01:13:21,354
He was
the hit of that show.
1238
01:13:22,448 --> 01:13:26,488
He got standing ovations.
Nobody else did.
1239
01:13:26,585 --> 01:13:29,515
But then,
he was feeling funny.
1240
01:13:31,424 --> 01:13:35,134
And right after his
last performance we left.
1241
01:13:35,228 --> 01:13:39,268
We passed up interviews
and we left.
1242
01:14:03,589 --> 01:14:05,359
Well...
1243
01:14:05,458 --> 01:14:10,528
It shouldn't have happened,
but Dan was secretly
duckin' his medicine.
1244
01:14:10,629 --> 01:14:14,129
I was giving it to him,
but he was chuckin' it.
1245
01:14:34,019 --> 01:14:35,749
Captain America?
1246
01:14:38,557 --> 01:14:39,787
No, he thought he was Casper.
1247
01:14:39,892 --> 01:14:42,602
He was reading
a Casper comic book.
1248
01:14:42,695 --> 01:14:45,855
There's a picture
on the front of the book,
1249
01:14:45,964 --> 01:14:48,474
of Casper and a parachute.
1250
01:14:48,567 --> 01:14:52,807
And Dan decided,
"Let's... Let's bail out.
1251
01:14:52,905 --> 01:14:55,265
"Let's jump out."
I said, "No. We can't do that.
1252
01:14:55,374 --> 01:14:57,014
We don't have
any parachutes."
1253
01:14:57,109 --> 01:14:59,079
So his mind was gone.
1254
01:14:59,178 --> 01:15:02,378
Eventually,
he took the key out,
1255
01:15:02,481 --> 01:15:06,051
turned the engine off,
and threw the key
out the window.
1256
01:15:06,151 --> 01:15:07,621
How did you
recover the flight?
1257
01:15:07,720 --> 01:15:11,260
Well, he grabbed the controls,
took the plane away from me.
1258
01:15:11,357 --> 01:15:13,787
He's stronger than me.
1259
01:15:13,892 --> 01:15:18,762
We were kind of
going straight up
and then straight down.
1260
01:15:18,864 --> 01:15:23,404
But he kind of let go
in time for me to get it
out of the spin.
1261
01:15:25,938 --> 01:15:28,168
Nothing down there but trees.
1262
01:15:30,676 --> 01:15:34,406
But I'd had
training on ditching in trees,
1263
01:15:35,848 --> 01:15:37,118
so I didn't stall it in,
1264
01:15:37,216 --> 01:15:40,616
I flew it into the trees,
between two big ones.
1265
01:15:42,288 --> 01:15:44,488
And we got out safe.
1266
01:15:44,590 --> 01:15:47,490
But the plane was
a total loss.
1267
01:15:47,593 --> 01:15:50,333
The family came
and got us, got me.
1268
01:15:50,429 --> 01:15:54,169
We put him in a hospital
and left him there
for five months.
1269
01:15:54,267 --> 01:15:56,537
There's Dan.
He's had a good time,
1270
01:15:56,635 --> 01:16:01,005
because he thought
that was great,
coming down in a spin.
1271
01:16:01,106 --> 01:16:02,606
He was all mixed-up.
1272
01:16:02,708 --> 01:16:04,578
He felt like he did
something good
1273
01:16:04,677 --> 01:16:07,377
and he wanted us
to be proud of him.
1274
01:16:07,480 --> 01:16:12,220
There's Dan being rolled into
the emergency room.
1275
01:16:12,318 --> 01:16:14,718
They passed
a Church of Christ,
1276
01:16:14,820 --> 01:16:18,320
and to Bill and Dick's
amazement,
1277
01:16:18,424 --> 01:16:20,464
this sign was
on the Church of Christ
1278
01:16:20,559 --> 01:16:22,999
bulletin board out front.
1279
01:16:23,095 --> 01:16:26,365
"God promises a safe landing
1280
01:16:26,465 --> 01:16:29,595
but not a calm voyage."
1281
01:16:35,841 --> 01:16:40,011
* In the sky
1282
01:16:42,114 --> 01:16:46,254
* The number seven
1283
01:16:47,653 --> 01:16:53,333
* The Devil defeated
1284
01:16:56,929 --> 01:17:02,029
* The new Jerusalem *
1285
01:17:21,019 --> 01:17:24,919
The Johnstons moved
to Waller, Texas in late 1991
1286
01:17:25,023 --> 01:17:28,563
and I believe Daniel began
having some problems
fairly immediately
1287
01:17:28,661 --> 01:17:32,001
and ended up back
in the Austin State Hospital.
1288
01:17:32,097 --> 01:17:37,337
During this time
his career continued
to, uh, reach for the stars.
1289
01:17:37,436 --> 01:17:39,336
Bands were covering his songs
left and right.
1290
01:17:39,438 --> 01:17:43,208
Kurt Cobain of
the band Nirvana wore
his T-shirt on MTV
1291
01:17:43,308 --> 01:17:45,108
at the MTV Music Awards Show
1292
01:17:45,210 --> 01:17:46,980
which was seen
by millions of people.
1293
01:17:47,079 --> 01:17:48,809
He had had the shirt
for a few months.
1294
01:17:48,914 --> 01:17:50,654
Apparently, a writer
that I had given the shirt to,
1295
01:17:50,749 --> 01:17:52,919
a guy named Everett True,
had given it to Kurt.
1296
01:17:53,018 --> 01:17:55,848
And the next thing you know,
he's wearing it
not only on national TV
1297
01:17:55,954 --> 01:17:58,494
but everywhere he goes.
And over the next
several months,
1298
01:17:58,591 --> 01:18:01,191
every single photo shot he did,
he was wearing this shirt.
1299
01:18:01,293 --> 01:18:04,903
And just a tremendous amount
of publicity came Daniel's way
due to this.
1300
01:18:04,997 --> 01:18:07,267
Suddenly everybody knew
who Daniel was.
1301
01:18:07,366 --> 01:18:12,366
It was just incredible
that a... a T-shirt could
fuel this kind of a frenzy.
1302
01:18:12,471 --> 01:18:14,971
The T-shirt had many,
many thousands of fans
1303
01:18:15,073 --> 01:18:16,913
that wanted to know
more about the T-shirt.
1304
01:18:17,009 --> 01:18:19,509
And wanted to
hear the T-shirt,
and see the T-shirt
1305
01:18:19,612 --> 01:18:20,852
and get to know
the T-shirt.
1306
01:18:20,946 --> 01:18:22,476
Meanwhile, Daniel's
in a hospital
1307
01:18:22,581 --> 01:18:25,021
and has no idea
who Nirvana even is.
1308
01:18:25,117 --> 01:18:26,817
And within a matter of days,
1309
01:18:26,919 --> 01:18:28,989
I get a call from a guy
named Terry Tolkin,
1310
01:18:29,087 --> 01:18:31,317
who's an A&R executive
for Elektra Records.
1311
01:18:31,424 --> 01:18:34,864
And we got into
a long conversation that
ended with him saying,
1312
01:18:34,960 --> 01:18:36,600
"Well, I'd really
like to sign Daniel."
1313
01:18:36,695 --> 01:18:38,595
Terry and I met for
a couple of days,
1314
01:18:38,697 --> 01:18:40,127
hung out and discussed,
uh, everything
1315
01:18:40,232 --> 01:18:41,972
that needed to be discussed.
And then it was time
1316
01:18:42,067 --> 01:18:44,067
to take him over to the
hospital and meet with Daniel.
1317
01:18:44,169 --> 01:18:46,299
And we sat
in the waiting room,
Daniel came out,
1318
01:18:46,405 --> 01:18:49,005
and we had
a business meeting for
about 30, 45 minutes,
1319
01:18:49,107 --> 01:18:52,277
and it went as well as
a meeting can possibly go
in a mental institution
1320
01:18:52,377 --> 01:18:56,617
between a vice president
of a record label
and a patient.
1321
01:18:56,715 --> 01:18:58,545
We were trying to
structure a contract
1322
01:18:58,651 --> 01:19:01,751
that took his
delicate situation
into consideration.
1323
01:19:01,854 --> 01:19:04,694
It's not every day that
a major label signs somebody
1324
01:19:04,790 --> 01:19:06,560
who's in a mental institution.
1325
01:19:06,659 --> 01:19:08,789
They were looking out
for Daniel's best interests.
1326
01:19:08,894 --> 01:19:11,264
There was a clause in there
about his mental health,
1327
01:19:11,363 --> 01:19:12,673
about providing a doctor,
1328
01:19:12,765 --> 01:19:14,825
about how he would
never have to tour,
1329
01:19:14,933 --> 01:19:18,643
about how he could
never be dropped for
failure to promote a record.
1330
01:19:18,737 --> 01:19:20,407
And they looked at it
as a long-term project.
1331
01:19:20,506 --> 01:19:23,776
It wouldn't be
just one record,
it would be a career.
1332
01:19:23,876 --> 01:19:28,206
It was probably the most
one-sided contract in
the favor of artists' rights
1333
01:19:28,313 --> 01:19:31,183
that had ever been drawn up,
up until that time.
1334
01:19:31,283 --> 01:19:34,853
We obviously had to
get Daniel well, get him
out of the hospital.
1335
01:19:34,953 --> 01:19:38,193
And over the next few months,
Daniel continued to improve,
1336
01:19:38,290 --> 01:19:39,760
but it was very slow.
1337
01:19:39,858 --> 01:19:42,188
We bided our time,
did what we could for him
1338
01:19:42,294 --> 01:19:46,234
and just kept waiting
for the day
when he would be released.
1339
01:19:46,331 --> 01:19:50,141
Yves Beauvais of
Atlantic Records contacted me
around that time,
1340
01:19:50,235 --> 01:19:52,465
wanting to know
what was Daniel's situation.
1341
01:19:52,571 --> 01:19:55,541
And I told him,
"Well, we're fairly close
to signing with Elektra."
1342
01:19:55,641 --> 01:19:59,681
His boss, Danny Goldberg,
who was the head
of Atlantic Records,
1343
01:19:59,778 --> 01:20:02,078
formerly worked with
Kurt Cobain as their manager.
1344
01:20:02,180 --> 01:20:04,980
And he, uh, wasn't familiar
with Daniel's music,
1345
01:20:05,083 --> 01:20:08,193
but he certainly knew
who the guy
in the T-shirt was.
1346
01:20:08,286 --> 01:20:11,486
And the next thing you know,
I've got a bidding war
on my hands.
1347
01:20:11,590 --> 01:20:13,330
Daniel's in
a mental hospital
1348
01:20:13,425 --> 01:20:16,355
and I've got two major labels
trying to outbid each other.
1349
01:20:16,461 --> 01:20:20,431
Suddenly, we're looking
at a $100,000 possibility.
1350
01:20:20,533 --> 01:20:24,503
Once Daniel was released
from the hospital, I was
trying to get help for him.
1351
01:20:24,603 --> 01:20:28,143
I was working with his
parents, trying to make
doctor's appointments for him.
1352
01:20:28,240 --> 01:20:31,580
And Daniel thought
he was fine. He did not
want to see the doctor.
1353
01:20:31,677 --> 01:20:33,647
And Elektra wanted him
to sign this contract
1354
01:20:33,746 --> 01:20:36,376
and Daniel was
paranoid about that.
1355
01:20:36,481 --> 01:20:38,751
He was afraid that
Elektra was Satanic.
1356
01:20:38,851 --> 01:20:41,791
Um, they had a band
on their roster
called Metallica.
1357
01:20:41,887 --> 01:20:44,257
He was concerned that
they were going to
beat him and kill him.
1358
01:20:44,356 --> 01:20:48,126
And, uh, he could not be
convinced that he was safe.
1359
01:20:56,969 --> 01:20:58,899
His delusions would
just not go away.
1360
01:20:59,004 --> 01:21:03,044
He was convinced
that Elektra was evil
and that I was evil.
1361
01:21:03,141 --> 01:21:06,441
Elektra had to be evil
because they were tied to me.
1362
01:21:06,545 --> 01:21:08,205
And so the deal died.
1363
01:21:08,313 --> 01:21:11,283
And this was the deal
I had been working
for seven years for.
1364
01:21:11,383 --> 01:21:14,793
This is the deal
I had been working for
30 something years for.
1365
01:21:14,887 --> 01:21:18,787
It was what I had been
building towards
my whole life.
1366
01:21:18,891 --> 01:21:21,831
Jeffrey Tartakov is
really a lot like
Broadway Danny Rose.
1367
01:21:21,927 --> 01:21:22,897
Have you ever seen that movie?
1368
01:21:22,995 --> 01:21:25,425
This guy loves his acts.
1369
01:21:25,530 --> 01:21:26,500
Never took a lesson.
1370
01:21:26,599 --> 01:21:27,829
He lives
1371
01:21:27,933 --> 01:21:29,573
to make them successful.
1372
01:21:29,668 --> 01:21:32,938
And that's the way Jeff
always was with Daniel.
1373
01:21:33,038 --> 01:21:35,408
Jeff literally was like that
old time kind of manager
1374
01:21:35,507 --> 01:21:38,777
you hear about,
and you read about,
and people make movies about.
1375
01:21:38,877 --> 01:21:41,547
This sort of person who lived
for the good of his client.
1376
01:21:41,647 --> 01:21:43,377
The man would be
perfect for your room.
1377
01:21:43,481 --> 01:21:48,251
He literally
devoted his life 100%
to Daniel Johnston,
1378
01:21:48,353 --> 01:21:50,723
for all the years
where nothing was happening.
1379
01:21:50,823 --> 01:21:53,433
And then right when
Daniel was poised
1380
01:21:53,525 --> 01:21:57,325
to get an
international bidding war
on his... on his career,
1381
01:21:57,429 --> 01:22:01,869
he just completely dropped him
like a hot potato for
absolutely no reason.
1382
01:22:01,967 --> 01:22:04,667
- I gotta make a few changes.
- What kind of changes?
1383
01:22:04,770 --> 01:22:06,610
Like management.
1384
01:22:07,773 --> 01:22:09,113
What do you mean
"management"?
1385
01:22:09,207 --> 01:22:11,877
Like, what do you mean
"management"?
1386
01:22:11,977 --> 01:22:15,007
I was fired so many times
over the years,
1387
01:22:15,113 --> 01:22:16,723
and over these months
specifically,
1388
01:22:16,815 --> 01:22:19,215
that it's hard to tell
which one actually counted.
1389
01:22:19,317 --> 01:22:22,247
But I continued trying
to work things out,
1390
01:22:22,354 --> 01:22:23,824
until I received
a call one day
1391
01:22:23,922 --> 01:22:25,392
from a guy named Tom Gimbel,
1392
01:22:25,490 --> 01:22:28,790
who informed me
that he was Daniel's
new manager.
1393
01:22:28,894 --> 01:22:30,904
I felt like a failure
at that time.
1394
01:22:30,996 --> 01:22:35,026
I felt like I was
the biggest failure
and loser in the world.
1395
01:22:42,107 --> 01:22:44,607
* I love that girl so much
1396
01:22:44,710 --> 01:22:48,110
* I can't get enough
of her love *
1397
01:22:48,213 --> 01:22:50,023
* Crazy love
1398
01:22:50,115 --> 01:22:54,315
* She walks on
down the street *
1399
01:23:18,076 --> 01:23:23,316
Living with Dan
in the same house is
something that is not easy
1400
01:23:23,415 --> 01:23:25,275
to get along with at times.
1401
01:23:25,383 --> 01:23:28,623
We have kind of worked out
a system that works
a little bit for us.
1402
01:23:28,721 --> 01:23:33,761
It's past noon
and Dan has been asleep
since we got up this morning.
1403
01:23:33,859 --> 01:23:36,059
We get up about 7:00
and he's still sleeping.
1404
01:23:36,161 --> 01:23:40,001
That gives us that
half of the day without Dan.
1405
01:23:40,098 --> 01:23:43,598
And we appreciate that
as a relief because
the minute he gets up,
1406
01:23:43,702 --> 01:23:48,172
he'll want us to make him
some tea, he'll want
something to eat,
1407
01:23:48,273 --> 01:23:51,083
he'll wanna go...
"Are we goin' shopping today?"
1408
01:23:51,176 --> 01:23:54,006
Every other day
he wants to go shopping.
1409
01:23:54,112 --> 01:23:57,352
We try to take him
somewhere every week.
1410
01:23:57,449 --> 01:24:00,419
And we take him
to church with us
at least once a week.
1411
01:24:00,518 --> 01:24:04,658
And we take him to the mall
or to a local Wal-Mart
once a week.
1412
01:24:04,757 --> 01:24:08,827
And then his friends come
to... to see him,
and take him to practice.
1413
01:24:08,927 --> 01:24:13,327
The band that he's working
with now will practice
once a week.
1414
01:24:13,431 --> 01:24:16,001
Yeah, I think...
You wanna do it one more time?
1415
01:24:16,101 --> 01:24:18,941
Turn the...
OK, that's good.
1416
01:24:19,671 --> 01:24:21,811
Testing! OK.
1417
01:24:26,044 --> 01:24:30,654
* Imagine a world
without rock 'n' roll *
1418
01:24:30,749 --> 01:24:32,279
* There'd be no *
1419
01:24:32,384 --> 01:24:35,224
Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
I can't hear my vocal.
1420
01:24:35,320 --> 01:24:37,320
We moved here from Ohio
about two and a half years ago
1421
01:24:37,422 --> 01:24:40,862
and then we were
driving down
the road one day,
1422
01:24:40,959 --> 01:24:42,899
toward my grandma's house,
who lives here,
1423
01:24:42,995 --> 01:24:45,695
and, uh, we saw this guy
being attacked by dogs.
1424
01:24:45,798 --> 01:24:49,228
And I told Bridget,
"Man, this looks like
Daniel Johnston.
1425
01:24:49,334 --> 01:24:51,204
"I... I think this is
Daniel Johnston."
1426
01:24:51,303 --> 01:24:54,513
And, uh, she's like,
"Oh, no. That's not
Daniel Johnston."
1427
01:24:54,606 --> 01:24:58,836
So we... What we did was, um,
we stopped anyway, you know,
to help the guy out.
1428
01:24:58,944 --> 01:25:03,124
And Bridget got out of the car
and she kicked the dog
right in the face
1429
01:25:03,215 --> 01:25:04,375
and it ran off.
1430
01:25:04,482 --> 01:25:06,852
And then, um,
Daniel was like,
1431
01:25:06,952 --> 01:25:08,452
"Hey, do you guys
play guitar?"
1432
01:25:12,757 --> 01:25:16,527
* He's a man obsessed
1433
01:25:16,628 --> 01:25:17,998
* He couldn't be a lover
1434
01:25:18,096 --> 01:25:19,596
* So now he's a pest
1435
01:25:19,697 --> 01:25:20,797
* He played the game
1436
01:25:20,899 --> 01:25:22,199
* But he failed the test
1437
01:25:22,300 --> 01:25:25,140
* And now he's a pest
He's a pest *
1438
01:25:26,839 --> 01:25:28,069
* He's a pest
1439
01:25:28,173 --> 01:25:30,543
He said,
"Well, how about, um...
1440
01:25:30,642 --> 01:25:32,012
"How about I come over
some time?"
1441
01:25:32,110 --> 01:25:34,950
And I said, "Yeah, yeah.
Are you Daniel Johnston?"
1442
01:25:35,047 --> 01:25:37,177
He's like,
"Yeah. I'm Daniel Johnston.
You know who I am?"
1443
01:25:37,282 --> 01:25:40,492
And I thought, well,
this is amazing, man.
1444
01:25:40,585 --> 01:25:44,085
Daniel Johnston in Waller.
I had no idea that
he even lived here.
1445
01:25:44,189 --> 01:25:48,629
* The only way you could
get her to look at you
is to die *
1446
01:25:48,726 --> 01:25:50,826
- * Why don't you die? *
- We got his number
1447
01:25:50,929 --> 01:25:52,459
and we called him up
the next week
1448
01:25:52,564 --> 01:25:53,874
and he came over
to the house
1449
01:25:53,966 --> 01:25:56,026
and we recorded
four songs with him
1450
01:25:56,134 --> 01:25:57,774
in, like, one hour.
1451
01:25:57,870 --> 01:25:59,470
* He's a man obsessed
1452
01:25:59,571 --> 01:26:00,911
* He couldn't be a lover
1453
01:26:01,006 --> 01:26:02,766
* So now he's a pest
1454
01:26:02,875 --> 01:26:06,175
We were wondering
why we moved to Waller
to begin with, you know, we...
1455
01:26:06,278 --> 01:26:08,078
Now we know why
we moved to Waller.
1456
01:26:08,180 --> 01:26:10,880
You know...
Because, you know,
it was heaven sent.
1457
01:26:12,985 --> 01:26:14,945
* He's a pest
1458
01:26:16,021 --> 01:26:18,461
* He's a pest
1459
01:26:18,556 --> 01:26:20,886
* Man obsessed *
1460
01:26:20,993 --> 01:26:23,263
Daniel started listening
to The Beach Boys,
1461
01:26:23,361 --> 01:26:26,501
like, after we played
Pet Sounds for him. I think.
1462
01:26:26,598 --> 01:26:28,428
He said he never heard
Pet Sounds before,
1463
01:26:28,533 --> 01:26:29,973
but we played it
for him one night
1464
01:26:30,068 --> 01:26:31,298
and he was floored by it.
1465
01:26:31,403 --> 01:26:32,403
And so he went out
1466
01:26:32,504 --> 01:26:34,514
and bought like
every Beach Boys record
1467
01:26:34,606 --> 01:26:36,266
you could possibly imagine.
1468
01:26:43,548 --> 01:26:48,618
I don't know
if Brian Wilson and Daniel
are very much alike.
1469
01:26:50,889 --> 01:26:54,559
Every time I read
something about Daniel
in a magazine or something,
1470
01:26:54,659 --> 01:26:56,689
it mentions Brian Wilson.
1471
01:26:56,794 --> 01:27:01,174
I honestly think Daniel
is far more brilliant
than Brian Wilson is.
1472
01:27:01,266 --> 01:27:03,896
Of course the Beach Boys'
music is really far-out,
1473
01:27:04,002 --> 01:27:07,042
but, um, it's not quite
Daniel Johnston.
1474
01:27:10,775 --> 01:27:15,875
I read the story
of Brian Wilson
that he wrote himself.
1475
01:27:18,850 --> 01:27:24,520
And he tells that his father
was not a fair manager.
1476
01:27:24,622 --> 01:27:26,722
Bill is a fair manager
1477
01:27:26,824 --> 01:27:30,834
and is not after
the money for himself.
1478
01:27:30,929 --> 01:27:32,629
He's after it for Dan.
1479
01:27:32,730 --> 01:27:36,770
Brian Wilson had
a lot of the similar
characteristics
1480
01:27:36,868 --> 01:27:38,568
and infirmities that Dan has.
1481
01:27:38,670 --> 01:27:41,540
And he went through
the same stages of development
1482
01:27:41,639 --> 01:27:42,809
that Dan has gone through.
1483
01:27:42,907 --> 01:27:44,577
And reading his history,
1484
01:27:44,676 --> 01:27:47,606
it smacks a whole lot of
exactly what's happening
to Dan.
1485
01:27:47,712 --> 01:27:50,852
We're learning from it.
We don't want to make
the same mistakes.
1486
01:27:50,949 --> 01:27:53,549
Uh, he did well
actually in the end.
1487
01:27:53,651 --> 01:27:57,221
And we'd like Dan
to do well, too,
1488
01:27:58,690 --> 01:28:00,490
because he needs to.
1489
01:28:29,754 --> 01:28:31,864
His new songs for the movie?
1490
01:28:34,526 --> 01:28:37,396
It just depends on when
he's in the mood, he will.
1491
01:28:37,495 --> 01:28:39,755
Yeah, I don't
even know my old songs.
1492
01:28:39,864 --> 01:28:41,474
Now that's the thing.
1493
01:28:41,566 --> 01:28:46,896
He doesn't remember
the tune and he doesn't
remember the words.
1494
01:28:47,005 --> 01:28:53,405
* I had a dream about you
1495
01:28:53,511 --> 01:28:58,221
* You were the queen
of quite a few *
1496
01:28:58,316 --> 01:29:01,746
* And I was there
but you didn't care *
1497
01:29:01,853 --> 01:29:05,163
* I didn't matter somehow *
1498
01:29:05,257 --> 01:29:08,057
By the time Glass Eye
broke up in 1993,
1499
01:29:08,160 --> 01:29:09,830
Daniel was still
in the mental hospital.
1500
01:29:09,927 --> 01:29:12,997
And he'd been there
for a long time
and I rather thought,
1501
01:29:13,098 --> 01:29:17,598
the possibility existed,
sad as it was, that he might
never produce anything again.
1502
01:29:17,702 --> 01:29:20,312
And a lot of the music
that he had recorded
1503
01:29:20,405 --> 01:29:23,435
was, to the general populous,
unlistenable.
1504
01:29:23,541 --> 01:29:26,441
And I felt like people would
maybe never get him
1505
01:29:26,544 --> 01:29:29,084
and he would just be
like a flower that
bloomed in the desert,
1506
01:29:29,181 --> 01:29:30,751
you know,
and was forgotten.
1507
01:29:30,848 --> 01:29:33,318
So I thought that I would
do some of his songs,
1508
01:29:33,418 --> 01:29:36,088
some of my favorites.
And do them in such a way
1509
01:29:36,188 --> 01:29:37,888
that they kind of bloomed
1510
01:29:37,989 --> 01:29:42,529
and became from like
say a ballpoint
and notepaper sketch,
1511
01:29:42,627 --> 01:29:45,227
they kind of came into
more of a full color painting.
1512
01:29:45,330 --> 01:29:47,400
So, I decided to
make the record.
1513
01:29:47,499 --> 01:29:49,829
And it was so fun
working with material
that was so good.
1514
01:29:49,934 --> 01:29:52,844
And it's probably
the best thing
I've ever done.
1515
01:29:52,937 --> 01:29:57,707
And, if I'm remembered
for anything ever,
it will be for that record.
1516
01:29:57,809 --> 01:29:59,839
After the FUN
and Kathy McCarty release,
1517
01:29:59,944 --> 01:30:02,084
Daniel and I did not talk
for four years.
1518
01:30:02,180 --> 01:30:03,720
I went into
such a deep depression
1519
01:30:03,815 --> 01:30:05,745
that I just wanted to have
nothing to do with the guy.
1520
01:30:05,850 --> 01:30:07,790
I really could not even
listen to his music.
1521
01:30:07,885 --> 01:30:10,415
But I still had
this fascination
with his artwork.
1522
01:30:10,522 --> 01:30:14,762
I continued to compile
my collection purchasing
drawings from other sources.
1523
01:30:14,859 --> 01:30:16,359
- How's it going?
- - How you doing today?
1524
01:30:16,461 --> 01:30:17,931
Pretty good.
Seen Daniel lately?
1525
01:30:18,029 --> 01:30:19,159
Actually, he came by
a few months ago.
1526
01:30:19,264 --> 01:30:20,274
We're almost out
of what he brought us.
1527
01:30:20,365 --> 01:30:21,325
I'll take what I can get.
1528
01:30:21,433 --> 01:30:22,903
The black and white ones.
1529
01:30:23,000 --> 01:30:24,200
Oh, yeah, not bad at all.
1530
01:30:24,302 --> 01:30:25,842
I was
occasionally contacted
1531
01:30:25,937 --> 01:30:28,137
by galleries around the world,
wanting to show his art,
1532
01:30:28,240 --> 01:30:29,710
and if it sounded like
a good thing,
1533
01:30:29,807 --> 01:30:31,307
I would help them out.
1534
01:30:31,409 --> 01:30:35,709
We had shows in Berlin,
Eindhoven, Paris, Barcelona,
1535
01:30:35,813 --> 01:30:38,623
London, Manchester,
New York City,
1536
01:30:38,716 --> 01:30:41,046
Washington D.C.,
Los Angeles.
1537
01:30:41,153 --> 01:30:44,163
There were really
more than I could count,
during these four years
1538
01:30:44,256 --> 01:30:46,886
that Daniel and I were
not even talking.
1539
01:30:46,991 --> 01:30:50,031
He was beginning to get
reviewed in art magazines
1540
01:30:50,128 --> 01:30:53,768
and his art was becoming
as well known as his music.
1541
01:30:56,201 --> 01:30:57,801
Zero One.
1542
01:30:57,902 --> 01:31:01,772
Uh, do we know for sure
what time Daniel's
actually gonna play?
1543
01:31:01,873 --> 01:31:04,743
I sort of said around 9:00.
Yeah, OK. Yeah, 9:00.
1544
01:31:04,842 --> 01:31:07,752
We're at the corner
of Melrose and La Brea.
1545
01:31:07,845 --> 01:31:09,575
He's here right now.
1546
01:31:11,783 --> 01:31:15,453
You wanna get some tape, Don,
and we can get started?
1547
01:31:16,454 --> 01:31:18,424
The hardest thing
to find in art
1548
01:31:18,523 --> 01:31:21,263
is somebody that comes up
with something new,
1549
01:31:21,359 --> 01:31:23,559
somebody completely original.
1550
01:31:23,661 --> 01:31:26,661
No, it's double stick,
so you can put it on the back.
1551
01:31:26,764 --> 01:31:28,734
Oh.
1552
01:31:28,833 --> 01:31:32,043
I'm not looking for people
that are part of movements
that much.
1553
01:31:32,136 --> 01:31:34,636
I... I'm more interested
in people who are
their own movement
1554
01:31:34,739 --> 01:31:36,669
or they're moving
beyond any movement.
1555
01:31:36,774 --> 01:31:40,754
Or, you know, are doing
things that no movement
has thought of.
1556
01:31:40,845 --> 01:31:44,315
I think Daniel Johnston
is his own movement.
1557
01:31:44,416 --> 01:31:46,346
He's doing things
as original in his way
1558
01:31:46,451 --> 01:31:49,191
as Joseph Cornell
did or Westerman
1559
01:31:49,287 --> 01:31:52,587
or even going back
to Marcel Duchamp or Man Ray
1560
01:31:52,690 --> 01:31:55,330
or somebody that just
comes up with stuff that,
1561
01:31:55,427 --> 01:31:57,697
you know,
who would've thought it?
1562
01:31:59,231 --> 01:32:02,031
Well, I think it's wrong
to put him in that
outsider art thing.
1563
01:32:02,133 --> 01:32:05,373
He's as much as an inside
as any major artist.
1564
01:32:05,470 --> 01:32:09,570
He's just going in his
own direction,
doing his own thing,
1565
01:32:09,674 --> 01:32:11,414
which more artists should do.
1566
01:32:11,509 --> 01:32:15,579
An unidentified collector
has just bought
1567
01:32:15,680 --> 01:32:17,680
98% of the show.
1568
01:32:17,782 --> 01:32:20,892
And the show has
not even started yet.
1569
01:32:20,985 --> 01:32:24,755
We've sold practically
every drawing that he brought,
1570
01:32:24,856 --> 01:32:27,016
except for four.
That's what happened so far.
1571
01:32:27,124 --> 01:32:32,034
And the show has just, uh...
You know, we haven't...
1572
01:32:32,129 --> 01:32:33,599
Nobody's showed up yet.
1573
01:32:33,698 --> 01:32:35,668
You know, we're gonna
have to start taking orders,
I guess.
1574
01:32:35,767 --> 01:32:38,437
I mean, last year
his stuff sold pretty fast
but not this fast.
1575
01:32:38,536 --> 01:32:41,536
Yeah, there are some themes.
You know, I mean, with the artwork.
1576
01:32:41,639 --> 01:32:44,439
I do some Captain Americas,
you know, some ducks.
1577
01:32:44,542 --> 01:32:47,552
I do a lot of ducks
and they're like my armies
1578
01:32:47,645 --> 01:32:52,245
and sometimes I use them
in my battles against Satan.
1579
01:33:00,592 --> 01:33:03,462
Daniel's art mirrors
his songwriting in many ways.
1580
01:33:03,561 --> 01:33:06,061
The same characters,
the same themes.
1581
01:33:06,163 --> 01:33:09,303
There are plenty of drawings
that refer to unrequited love.
1582
01:33:09,401 --> 01:33:13,411
You'll find the same
characters such as Casper
The Friendly Ghost,
1583
01:33:13,505 --> 01:33:16,565
Captain America.
Frankenstein appears
quite often.
1584
01:33:16,674 --> 01:33:21,954
You have Joe The Boxer
and the Eternal Struggle,
the Eternal Battle.
1585
01:33:22,046 --> 01:33:24,776
For two years,
all Daniel drew were
fight scenes
1586
01:33:24,882 --> 01:33:27,082
of a boxer fighting
a creature in the ring.
1587
01:33:27,184 --> 01:33:30,294
The boxer clearly
represented Daniel while
the, uh, creature was evil.
1588
01:33:30,388 --> 01:33:34,128
This was Vile Corrupt
from the Hi, How Are You
album.
1589
01:33:39,196 --> 01:33:43,466
The piece titled
Daniel Johnston's Symbolical
Visions is in many ways
1590
01:33:43,568 --> 01:33:45,898
the Rosetta stone
of Daniel's art.
1591
01:33:46,003 --> 01:33:50,013
It has all the figures
and symbols that appear
in so many of his drawings.
1592
01:33:50,107 --> 01:33:53,647
From Kathy McCarty's glasses,
to a baby block,
1593
01:33:53,745 --> 01:33:57,475
to the man with
the sawed-off head, to torsos.
1594
01:33:57,582 --> 01:33:59,452
All of the familiar figures
are there,
1595
01:33:59,551 --> 01:34:02,891
666, eyes, the pyramid.
1596
01:34:02,987 --> 01:34:06,417
If you listen to
all of Daniel's music
and know the songs
1597
01:34:06,524 --> 01:34:10,294
and then look at the drawings,
they have added meaning.
1598
01:34:10,395 --> 01:34:13,925
Sometimes it's
very hard to fathom
what goes on his mind.
1599
01:34:14,031 --> 01:34:18,441
I can see what he's thinking
just day by day
in his drawings.
1600
01:34:18,536 --> 01:34:21,366
He will, uh, put captions
on his drawings
1601
01:34:21,473 --> 01:34:24,683
that are coming
right from deep inside.
1602
01:34:24,776 --> 01:34:27,606
And, uh, by looking over his
shoulder every day,
1603
01:34:27,712 --> 01:34:32,382
I can get a little bit
of what goes on in his mind.
1604
01:34:32,484 --> 01:34:37,494
A friend of mine that saw
his art that's in the mental
health field said,
1605
01:34:39,591 --> 01:34:43,261
"I know Daniel's going
to heaven, he's already
been to hell."
1606
01:34:43,361 --> 01:34:48,001
She was lookin' at
the artwork and she said,
"This is hellacious.
1607
01:34:48,099 --> 01:34:51,969
I mean, someone tortured..."
And I don't even see it
that way.
1608
01:34:52,069 --> 01:34:54,839
A lot of his artwork I see
as very happy
1609
01:34:54,939 --> 01:34:57,579
and he really
believes in love.
1610
01:34:57,675 --> 01:35:00,075
I think he looks for
that superhero idea
1611
01:35:00,177 --> 01:35:04,777
of someone's gonna rescue
or save and be the good guy.
1612
01:35:04,882 --> 01:35:07,752
It's not really
a coincidence but,
1613
01:35:07,852 --> 01:35:09,592
I did a tribute album
of Daniel's songs
1614
01:35:09,687 --> 01:35:11,887
and later I went on to marry
Daniel's best friend.
1615
01:35:11,989 --> 01:35:14,189
The very first time I went
to Daniel's apartment,
1616
01:35:14,291 --> 01:35:17,231
Daniel handed me
a book of poetry and said,
"Oh, you might like this.
1617
01:35:17,328 --> 01:35:18,398
These are my friend
Dave's poems.
1618
01:35:18,496 --> 01:35:19,456
Why don't you
read them?"
1619
01:35:19,564 --> 01:35:21,004
And I loved them.
1620
01:35:21,098 --> 01:35:22,928
He was instantly
my favorite poet.
1621
01:35:23,034 --> 01:35:26,004
Two or three years after
Dead Dog's Eyeball
came out,
1622
01:35:26,103 --> 01:35:28,673
Dave emailed me and said,
"Hi, this is Dave Thornberry.
1623
01:35:28,773 --> 01:35:30,343
"Do you remember me?"
1624
01:35:30,442 --> 01:35:31,742
And I wrote him back like,
"Do I remember you?
1625
01:35:31,843 --> 01:35:33,683
"I read your poems
all the time, still."
1626
01:35:33,778 --> 01:35:37,078
And I went to visit him,
and as soon as we were
together,
1627
01:35:37,181 --> 01:35:39,721
it was like, we have to
get married. And we did.
1628
01:35:39,817 --> 01:35:43,347
And it was very romantic.
We got married two days
after we saw each other
1629
01:35:43,455 --> 01:35:46,455
for the first time
in 13 years.
1630
01:36:15,286 --> 01:36:18,616
Daniel never really
talked to me directly
about Laurie.
1631
01:36:18,723 --> 01:36:21,563
But, of course,
I knew that all the songs
were about someone.
1632
01:36:21,659 --> 01:36:24,729
I mean, I knew that he had
loved and lost, you know,
in his life.
1633
01:36:24,829 --> 01:36:28,299
And I don't think I even
ever really thought that
all those songs
1634
01:36:28,399 --> 01:36:29,669
were about the same person.
1635
01:36:29,767 --> 01:36:32,267
But after we had broke up,
so to speak,
1636
01:36:32,369 --> 01:36:35,639
I began to know
more about Laurie.
He talked more about Laurie.
1637
01:36:35,740 --> 01:36:38,780
And I began to know like,
how huge an obsession,
1638
01:36:38,876 --> 01:36:40,606
his obsession
with Laurie was.
1639
01:36:40,712 --> 01:36:43,852
* Love could save me somehow
1640
01:36:43,948 --> 01:36:47,048
* But I just can't make it
1641
01:36:47,151 --> 01:36:49,321
Most of my songs
are about her.
1642
01:36:49,420 --> 01:36:52,620
You know, because she does,
did, and hopefully
will love me,
1643
01:36:52,724 --> 01:36:54,394
you know, it keeps me goin'.
1644
01:36:54,492 --> 01:36:56,432
I'm always thinking about
another angle
1645
01:36:56,528 --> 01:36:58,858
about it
when I'm writing a song.
1646
01:36:58,963 --> 01:37:02,933
I think art has always been
inspired by beauty.
1647
01:37:04,836 --> 01:37:08,606
I think there have been
many artists, uh,
throughout history
1648
01:37:08,706 --> 01:37:10,706
who had a major inspiration,
1649
01:37:10,808 --> 01:37:14,708
whether it was a girl,
or even just a philosophy.
1650
01:37:16,881 --> 01:37:20,221
That's what I like
about life and about art.
1651
01:37:20,317 --> 01:37:23,887
Is that when you write a song,
it's just the way
that you saw it
1652
01:37:23,988 --> 01:37:25,588
or just the way that it was.
1653
01:37:25,690 --> 01:37:30,230
I think art is
the greatest frame of mind
1654
01:37:30,327 --> 01:37:34,097
to express a certain feeling
and you'll always
have that feeling.
1655
01:37:34,198 --> 01:37:35,168
It's always there.
1656
01:37:35,266 --> 01:37:37,396
* So magical *
1657
01:37:37,501 --> 01:37:42,871
Laurie is...
is his muse but in a completely passive way.
1658
01:37:42,974 --> 01:37:45,914
Laurie is the 17 syllables
of haiku
1659
01:37:46,010 --> 01:37:48,010
for him to hang his
creativity on.
1660
01:37:48,112 --> 01:37:52,722
That's what she is.
She's a structure
for him to build on.
1661
01:37:52,817 --> 01:37:55,447
She's not
the love of his life.
I mean, but she is.
1662
01:37:55,553 --> 01:37:58,323
When I first met
Daniel in '85, he was
burning with her.
1663
01:37:58,422 --> 01:38:00,692
I mean, she was in his eyes
all the time.
1664
01:38:00,792 --> 01:38:02,792
I mean, when he
talked about her
it was just intense.
1665
01:38:02,894 --> 01:38:05,464
And what's so weird about
Daniel is that went away
1666
01:38:05,563 --> 01:38:07,303
and it came back
more intense later on
1667
01:38:07,398 --> 01:38:09,768
because he realized
it was a really good story.
1668
01:38:09,867 --> 01:38:15,167
* True love will find you
in the end *
1669
01:38:18,509 --> 01:38:24,049
* You'll find out
just who was your friend *
1670
01:38:26,951 --> 01:38:31,661
* Don't be sad,
I know you will *
1671
01:38:35,026 --> 01:38:38,656
* But don't give up until
1672
01:38:38,763 --> 01:38:43,803
* True love will find you
in the end *
1673
01:38:47,104 --> 01:38:52,684
* This is a promise
with a catch *
1674
01:38:55,512 --> 01:39:00,822
* Only if you're looking
can it find you *
1675
01:39:03,755 --> 01:39:08,855
* 'Cause true love is
searching too *
1676
01:39:12,196 --> 01:39:14,996
* But how can it
recognize you *
1677
01:39:15,099 --> 01:39:18,339
* Unless you step out
into the light? *
1678
01:39:18,435 --> 01:39:20,835
* The light
1679
01:39:20,938 --> 01:39:25,338
* Don't be sad,
I know you will *
1680
01:39:28,913 --> 01:39:32,483
* But don't give up until
1681
01:39:32,583 --> 01:39:37,863
* True love will find you
in the end *
1682
01:39:41,425 --> 01:39:44,125
For as much as
Daniel has expanded
the myth of Laurie,
1683
01:39:44,228 --> 01:39:46,358
it really wasn't
that big of a deal,
1684
01:39:46,463 --> 01:39:48,103
except in Daniel's mind.
1685
01:39:48,199 --> 01:39:50,129
But what happened with Jeff
really was a big deal.
1686
01:39:50,234 --> 01:39:52,374
And as far as, like a story
that breaks your heart,
1687
01:39:52,469 --> 01:39:55,369
that's the story
that breaks my heart
about Daniel's life.
1688
01:39:55,472 --> 01:39:58,742
Daniel told me that
he was sorry about the way
he had treated me
1689
01:39:58,843 --> 01:40:01,213
and he admitted that
I had been unjustly fired,
1690
01:40:01,312 --> 01:40:03,652
and he told me
that he was not right
mentally at that time.
1691
01:40:03,748 --> 01:40:08,088
And he really said
all the things you would
hope to hear from somebody
1692
01:40:08,185 --> 01:40:10,285
who had behaved
the way he had behaved.
1693
01:40:10,387 --> 01:40:11,757
He was very sincere
1694
01:40:11,856 --> 01:40:13,956
and I believe
he truly felt bad
1695
01:40:14,058 --> 01:40:16,228
about the way things went down
between the two of us.
1696
01:40:16,327 --> 01:40:19,397
Even though I wasn't
his manager, I still had
the back catalog
1697
01:40:19,496 --> 01:40:21,466
and I couldn't just stop.
1698
01:40:21,565 --> 01:40:23,165
It just made no sense.
1699
01:40:23,267 --> 01:40:24,967
I didn't know
what would happen
with this music.
1700
01:40:25,069 --> 01:40:26,669
It would have
disappeared forever.
1701
01:40:26,771 --> 01:40:28,871
It wouldn't
exist today if I stopped.
1702
01:40:28,973 --> 01:40:32,913
Stress Records is my baby.
It's a company I started
about 23 years ago,
1703
01:40:33,010 --> 01:40:34,910
and today it exists
for the sole purpose
1704
01:40:35,012 --> 01:40:37,282
of spreading the word
of Daniel Johnston
to the masses.
1705
01:40:37,381 --> 01:40:41,321
I do that by dubbing
his cassettes and
distributing them myself.
1706
01:40:41,418 --> 01:40:43,188
I advertise them
over the internet.
1707
01:40:43,287 --> 01:40:45,887
I take mail orders daily.
I work the telephones.
1708
01:40:45,990 --> 01:40:49,390
I send them out to people
I know. I do everything I can.
1709
01:40:51,695 --> 01:40:54,325
I do it because
people need to hear
this music.
1710
01:40:54,431 --> 01:40:57,231
The music of Daniel Johnston
is something that I think
1711
01:40:57,334 --> 01:40:59,374
everybody needs to
at least be exposed to.
1712
01:40:59,470 --> 01:41:01,840
There's really nothing
to even to compare it to.
1713
01:41:01,939 --> 01:41:05,579
It goes way beyond
Dylan's basement recordings
or early Robert Johnson
1714
01:41:05,676 --> 01:41:09,246
or any other body of work
that I can think of.
1715
01:41:10,414 --> 01:41:13,624
Daniel's been so much better
these last few years,
1716
01:41:13,717 --> 01:41:15,047
it's a miracle.
1717
01:41:15,152 --> 01:41:16,822
It's even difficult for me
to grasp the fact
1718
01:41:16,921 --> 01:41:19,691
that he's playing
internationally and touring.
1719
01:42:18,349 --> 01:42:20,649
In Daniel's life,
everywhere he's gone,
1720
01:42:20,751 --> 01:42:25,791
he leaves this incredible
wake behind of creation
and destruction.
1721
01:42:25,890 --> 01:42:30,030
He's done all kinds of things,
both bad and good,
1722
01:42:30,127 --> 01:42:32,197
but they're all mythic.
1723
01:42:32,296 --> 01:42:37,166
And they're all
barely believable,
yet they're all true.
1724
01:42:37,268 --> 01:42:39,368
And the kinds of things
that he's done in his career,
1725
01:42:39,470 --> 01:42:40,940
are the kinds of things
someone would only do
1726
01:42:41,038 --> 01:42:43,808
if they were
so self-sabotaging
1727
01:42:43,908 --> 01:42:46,008
that it was
completely mystifying.
1728
01:42:46,110 --> 01:42:48,810
But in terms of
creating a legend,
1729
01:42:48,913 --> 01:42:51,883
he's done
absolutely everything right.
1730
01:42:54,818 --> 01:42:59,518
* He was smiling through
his own personal hell *
1731
01:42:59,623 --> 01:43:03,233
* Dropped his last dime
down a wishing well *
1732
01:43:03,327 --> 01:43:05,757
* But he was hoping
too close *
1733
01:43:05,863 --> 01:43:07,363
* And then he fell
1734
01:43:07,464 --> 01:43:13,544
* Now he's Casper
the Friendly Ghost *
1735
01:43:15,572 --> 01:43:19,512
* He was always polite
to the people who'd tell him *
1736
01:43:19,610 --> 01:43:23,210
* That he was nothing
but a lazy bum *
1737
01:43:23,314 --> 01:43:27,624
* But goodbye to them
he had to go *
1738
01:43:27,718 --> 01:43:30,488
* Now he's Casper
1739
01:43:30,587 --> 01:43:34,027
Is Matt Groening here tonight,
in the audience somewhere?
1740
01:43:34,125 --> 01:43:35,925
And somebody said,
"You gotta listen
to this guy."
1741
01:43:36,027 --> 01:43:37,627
And I said,
"Which tape should I get?"
1742
01:43:37,728 --> 01:43:39,728
And, uh, I was told,
"All of them.
1743
01:43:39,830 --> 01:43:41,970
"And it's right.
They are all fantastic."
1744
01:43:42,066 --> 01:43:44,066
There's more comics now
than there have
ever been before
1745
01:43:44,168 --> 01:43:46,368
- and The Simpsons comic
looks great.
- Thank you.
1746
01:43:46,470 --> 01:43:48,710
I love that.
And the superhero, the guy
turns into a superhero.
1747
01:43:48,805 --> 01:43:51,005
There should be
a Daniel Johnston
comic book.
1748
01:43:51,108 --> 01:43:54,108
- Yeah, there should.
- I wanna do,
I wanna do comics.
1749
01:43:54,211 --> 01:43:55,281
That's what I'm shooting for.
1750
01:43:55,379 --> 01:43:57,079
Good to see you.
I'll see you around.
1751
01:43:57,181 --> 01:43:58,381
I've got to go see your film.
1752
01:43:58,482 --> 01:44:01,222
Fantastic. Keep up
the fantastic work.
1753
01:44:01,318 --> 01:44:04,788
- Call me.
- I wanna do some music
for you. OK?
1754
01:44:04,888 --> 01:44:06,158
- OK.
- OK.
1755
01:44:06,257 --> 01:44:07,657
- OK. It's a deal.
- All right, then.
1756
01:44:07,758 --> 01:44:09,188
- See you.
- Bye-bye.
1757
01:44:09,293 --> 01:44:11,333
- Good luck.
- - You, too.
1758
01:44:11,428 --> 01:44:12,898
OK.
1759
01:44:13,497 --> 01:44:15,927
Yeah!
1760
01:44:16,033 --> 01:44:19,203
* And so the legend grew
1761
01:44:19,303 --> 01:44:24,243
* And all the people
that he knew *
1762
01:44:24,341 --> 01:44:29,011
* Go and spread the news
of Casper *
1763
01:44:29,746 --> 01:44:33,046
* The Friendly Ghost *
1764
01:44:38,155 --> 01:44:39,585
Thank you.
1765
01:44:39,690 --> 01:44:42,360
Good night.
Thanks a lot.
1766
01:44:42,459 --> 01:44:44,699
- Thank you.
- - More! More!
1767
01:44:44,795 --> 01:44:45,995
More!
1768
01:44:48,932 --> 01:44:51,742
More! More!
1769
01:44:51,835 --> 01:44:56,835
I don't think Dan
would have gotten as far as
he did without our help.
1770
01:44:56,940 --> 01:44:59,340
And he, uh, his own words was,
1771
01:44:59,443 --> 01:45:02,053
"I don't know
what will happen to me,
1772
01:45:02,146 --> 01:45:04,116
if you don't help me."
1773
01:45:04,215 --> 01:45:07,315
So we have, for years.
1774
01:45:07,418 --> 01:45:10,588
He does love us,
I can see that.
1775
01:45:10,687 --> 01:45:14,087
I guess I want the impossible,
I want Dan to be whole.
1776
01:45:14,191 --> 01:45:17,591
And be able to
take care of himself.
1777
01:45:18,762 --> 01:45:21,732
And we're worried now,
we're running out of time.
1778
01:45:23,167 --> 01:45:26,697
* Oh my lord
1779
01:45:29,340 --> 01:45:33,180
* I am so bored
1780
01:45:35,946 --> 01:45:41,116
* Held the hand of Satan
1781
01:45:50,627 --> 01:45:53,527
* Oh, Laura
1782
01:45:57,101 --> 01:46:00,771
* What has happened to you?
1783
01:46:03,507 --> 01:46:09,077
* Held the hand of the Devil
1784
01:46:18,689 --> 01:46:22,429
* I was on MTV
1785
01:46:25,429 --> 01:46:29,169
* Everybody was
looking at me *
1786
01:46:32,403 --> 01:46:37,673
* Held the hand
of the Devil *
1787
01:47:29,326 --> 01:47:31,826
* Your picture
1788
01:47:33,897 --> 01:47:36,097
* Is still
1789
01:47:38,034 --> 01:47:40,474
* On my wall
1790
01:47:42,606 --> 01:47:44,636
* On my wall
1791
01:47:47,043 --> 01:47:49,483
* The colors
1792
01:47:51,648 --> 01:47:54,588
* Are bright
1793
01:47:56,253 --> 01:47:58,793
* Bright
1794
01:48:00,191 --> 01:48:02,631
* As ever
1795
01:48:04,895 --> 01:48:08,925
* The red is strong
1796
01:48:09,032 --> 01:48:12,572
* The blue is pure
1797
01:48:13,670 --> 01:48:15,940
* Some things
1798
01:48:16,039 --> 01:48:19,539
* Last a long time
1799
01:48:22,846 --> 01:48:24,946
* Some things
1800
01:48:25,048 --> 01:48:28,448
* Last a long time
1801
01:48:39,963 --> 01:48:42,533
* Your picture
1802
01:48:44,701 --> 01:48:46,701
* Is still
1803
01:48:48,905 --> 01:48:51,275
* On my wall
1804
01:48:53,310 --> 01:48:55,680
* On my wall
1805
01:48:58,014 --> 01:49:00,424
* I think
1806
01:49:02,353 --> 01:49:04,923
* About you
1807
01:49:07,458 --> 01:49:09,558
* Often
1808
01:49:11,995 --> 01:49:13,895
* Often
1809
01:49:16,199 --> 01:49:20,269
* I won't forget
1810
01:49:20,371 --> 01:49:24,241
* All the things
we did *
1811
01:49:25,208 --> 01:49:27,408
* Some things
1812
01:49:27,511 --> 01:49:30,851
* Last a long time
1813
01:49:34,285 --> 01:49:36,285
* Some things
1814
01:49:36,387 --> 01:49:39,587
* Last a long time
1815
01:49:56,507 --> 01:49:58,477
Bye-bye, Dave.
1816
01:50:00,411 --> 01:50:02,281
Bye.
141201