i didnt know who daniel johnston was before i watched this documentary about his life. judging from his musical popularity, i would guess i'm not the only one who doesnt know who he is. the film follows his life, getting interviews with family members and childhood friends as it paints for us what daniel was like growing up. he was a pretty normal kid who loved to draw and sing, but then when he hit puberty things started to change, he started acting weird and showing signs of mental illness. his artistic abilities continued to increase, both in drawing and in song writing. he tried to make a go of a singing career, becoming the hit of austin after a few memorable music festivals. he also made an important fan: curt cobain! positively affected by the interest, his career was about to take off when his illnesses reared their ugly heads. the story of his life, both good and bad, is very interesting. its always fascinating to see stories of people who try to reach for their dreams but due to unexpected problems never quite achieve it. through out the film there are many people who always talk about how daniel johnston is a song writing genius, how he is comparable to van gogh: an artist who was never recognized in his own time. they go on and on about how amazing his songs are, as if they will change the world. and through out the film they play many of the songs he recorded. but here's the big problem: they arent that great. in fact, many of the songs sound infantile and derivative, like they were written by a teenager or something. i found this documentary very interesting, but i dont buy in to adoration they place upon johnston.
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