Biography
22 January 1961, Sacramento, California, USA. A celebrated figure in the US rock underground through his various activities with small-pressing fanzines and cassette-only releases, Daniel Johnston is the ultimate ‘lo-fi’ Syd Barrett. A number of such cassettes were distributed throughout the early 80s. Featuring cheap keyboards and elementary guitar playing, the real attraction was Johnston’s plaintive vocals, capable of conveying an alarming level of honesty and emotional depth. His debut, 1980’s Songs Of Pain, revealed how close to the edge of sanity he was - hangovers from his fundamentalist background made themselves known through statements against pre-marital sex and humanity’s descent into decadence as Johnston struggled to explain himself, producing both pathos and high comedy. Subsequent efforts proved just as harrowing, particularly the disorientating The What Of Whom. Having moved to Austin, Texas, by 1985 and with Respect, he...
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