1 00:00:13,223 --> 00:00:15,684 Hello. Hello. 2 00:00:19,688 --> 00:00:24,317 Hello, I am the ghost of Daniel Johnston. 3 00:00:26,152 --> 00:00:30,448 Many years ago I lived in Austin, Texas, 4 00:00:31,199 --> 00:00:34,452 and I worked at McDonald's. 5 00:00:38,456 --> 00:00:40,709 It is an honor and a privilege 6 00:00:42,210 --> 00:00:44,087 to speak to you today, 7 00:00:48,925 --> 00:00:51,177 to tell you about my condition, 8 00:00:52,303 --> 00:00:56,766 and the other world. 9 00:00:57,475 --> 00:00:59,269 (PIANO PLAYING) 10 00:01:10,530 --> 00:01:11,740 (AUDIENCE CHEERING) 11 00:01:11,823 --> 00:01:13,575 MALE ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen. 12 00:01:13,658 --> 00:01:17,245 The best singer/songwriter alive today, 13 00:01:17,328 --> 00:01:18,955 Daniel Johnston. 14 00:01:19,748 --> 00:01:21,499 (AUDIENCE CHEERING) 15 00:01:26,629 --> 00:01:28,381 MAN: We love you, Daniel! 16 00:01:30,175 --> 00:01:34,012 (SINGING) I've come this far and I know I can make it 17 00:01:35,930 --> 00:01:40,685 I've got a broken heart and you can't break a broken heart 18 00:01:40,769 --> 00:01:43,563 I come knocking at your door 19 00:01:43,646 --> 00:01:46,733 You don't love me anymore 20 00:01:46,858 --> 00:01:49,569 But I just can't give up 21 00:01:49,652 --> 00:01:54,616 'Cause I don't know what to do about it 22 00:01:55,533 --> 00:01:59,537 You must be wrong if you think you don't love me 23 00:02:01,331 --> 00:02:06,211 You could smile down and put a happy ending to my song 24 00:02:06,294 --> 00:02:09,297 I come knocking at your door 25 00:02:09,380 --> 00:02:12,300 You don't live there anymore 26 00:02:12,383 --> 00:02:15,136 Is it just a memory? 27 00:02:15,220 --> 00:02:20,558 Or am I a little crazy for you? 28 00:02:20,725 --> 00:02:21,935 MABEL JOHNSTON: He was different. 29 00:02:22,018 --> 00:02:25,396 I noticed that from the start that Dan was different. 30 00:02:26,314 --> 00:02:29,150 I had him on a crib in our little bedroom 31 00:02:29,234 --> 00:02:31,611 and I would go in and talk to him, change his diaper, 32 00:02:31,694 --> 00:02:35,240 and I would squeal at him and he would squeal back at me. 33 00:02:35,740 --> 00:02:39,077 That's a small baby communicating, I thought 34 00:02:39,702 --> 00:02:43,289 Being, uh, six years younger than his four brothers and sisters, 35 00:02:43,373 --> 00:02:45,667 he was pampered by them. 36 00:02:45,750 --> 00:02:48,336 And, uh, they nursed him along. 37 00:02:49,003 --> 00:02:50,755 But we didn't notice at that time 38 00:02:50,839 --> 00:02:54,133 that there was any special talents involved or anything. 39 00:02:54,926 --> 00:02:57,929 MABEL: When he went to school, they tested the kids, 40 00:02:58,012 --> 00:03:01,891 and Dan was put in the highest group of the highest class. 41 00:03:02,725 --> 00:03:05,645 His teacher was really mad at him and it's understandable 42 00:03:05,728 --> 00:03:08,314 because Dan doesn't follow directions. 43 00:03:08,940 --> 00:03:11,693 You know, when he was in junior high, 44 00:03:12,569 --> 00:03:15,905 he suddenly lost all his wonderful confidence, 45 00:03:16,781 --> 00:03:19,826 and I guess it was the beginning of his illness. 46 00:03:22,245 --> 00:03:25,081 BILL: He and his brother decided to make their own movie. 47 00:03:25,164 --> 00:03:29,252 And it was a collaborative effort between the two brothers working together. 48 00:03:29,335 --> 00:03:33,673 And Dan had to change clothes and pretend to be his mother. 49 00:03:34,132 --> 00:03:37,176 Because his mother and I weren't in the movie actually. 50 00:03:38,303 --> 00:03:40,054 Tell about it, Mabel. 51 00:03:40,471 --> 00:03:43,141 -(RINGING) - MABEL: Dan is the director and the actor 52 00:03:43,224 --> 00:03:45,560 portraying himself in parts 53 00:03:45,643 --> 00:03:48,813 and his horrible mother in other parts. 54 00:03:50,023 --> 00:03:54,569 I think he was having fun teasing me. What do you think, Bill? 55 00:03:54,986 --> 00:03:57,238 BILL: Yeah, he... He was doing it for humor. 56 00:03:57,322 --> 00:03:58,740 DANIEL: You are real lazy. Wake up. 57 00:03:58,823 --> 00:04:01,075 MABEL". Dan's hard to deal with sometimes. 58 00:04:01,159 --> 00:04:05,038 He thought, "I'm artistic. I shouldn't have to do those things." 59 00:04:05,496 --> 00:04:07,040 (SCATTING) 60 00:04:07,290 --> 00:04:10,209 Time to get up and get ready for school. 61 00:04:11,169 --> 00:04:14,047 DANIEL: Get up in there, breakfast is ready. 62 00:04:14,130 --> 00:04:17,884 MABEL: He wanted to be comic all the time. He just couldn't get over it. 63 00:04:17,967 --> 00:04:19,052 DANIEL: Okay. 64 00:04:19,469 --> 00:04:21,846 MABEL: They were having too good a time. (CHUCKLING) 65 00:04:21,930 --> 00:04:23,431 -(VOCALIZING) -(YELLS) 66 00:04:23,514 --> 00:04:26,851 I don't think his relationship with me was typical. 67 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:30,521 Do you suppose he really pictured me that way? 68 00:04:31,272 --> 00:04:33,399 This is ridiculous, what they're showing. 69 00:04:33,483 --> 00:04:36,903 I think it's popcorn and green Kool-Aid. 70 00:04:38,404 --> 00:04:40,323 He was a trial. 71 00:04:43,993 --> 00:04:47,830 I was sort of the star art guy at the high school. 72 00:04:47,914 --> 00:04:49,040 - Oak Glen High School. -(BELL RINGING) 73 00:04:49,123 --> 00:04:53,461 And I started hearing rumors of this new art guy, the new art star. 74 00:04:53,544 --> 00:04:57,382 You know, the new kid in town, I had to find out who this was. 75 00:04:57,715 --> 00:05:00,718 A friend of mine told me, "There's this kid, Dan Johnston, 76 00:05:00,802 --> 00:05:03,137 "he can really draw, he's a musician or something." 77 00:05:03,221 --> 00:05:05,974 So he kind of had one up on me, he was a musician. 78 00:05:06,057 --> 00:05:08,309 The guy is a natural, an absolute natural. 79 00:05:08,393 --> 00:05:10,061 He never even had to learn to draw. 80 00:05:10,144 --> 00:05:12,730 He just got better from great. 81 00:05:13,022 --> 00:05:16,901 You know, I had to hang outwith this guy. I had to be around this art. 82 00:05:17,068 --> 00:05:21,030 So we just started hanging out and doing art together, actually. 83 00:05:21,114 --> 00:05:23,157 (PEOPLE TALKING INDISTINCTLY) 84 00:05:23,241 --> 00:05:27,495 The eyeball thing was sort of like his intro calling card. 85 00:05:27,578 --> 00:05:29,205 DANIEL: Did it touch you emotionally? 86 00:05:29,288 --> 00:05:31,165 DAVID: It was his mysterious entry. 87 00:05:31,249 --> 00:05:33,334 - GIRL: It's definitely different. -(BOY CHUCKLES) 88 00:05:33,418 --> 00:05:34,919 GIRL 2: I'm speechless. 89 00:05:35,086 --> 00:05:37,088 DAVID: Everybody was, "Who's the eyeball guy?" 90 00:05:37,171 --> 00:05:39,757 You know, he was painting these eyeballs everywhere. 91 00:05:39,841 --> 00:05:43,428 He would actually draw on walls all over the high school. 92 00:05:43,511 --> 00:05:46,347 GIRL 3: I thought Dan's was very imaginative. 93 00:05:46,431 --> 00:05:48,307 DAVID: Daniel, he just exudes an'. 94 00:05:48,391 --> 00:05:50,435 He can't stop making art. 95 00:05:54,313 --> 00:05:57,400 He never sits and thinks, "What am I gonna do?" 96 00:05:57,483 --> 00:05:59,318 He just grabs something. 97 00:06:05,783 --> 00:06:07,493 (INAUDIBLE) 98 00:06:10,955 --> 00:06:12,707 (INAUDIBLE) 99 00:06:18,546 --> 00:06:21,424 (DANIEL SINGING) Listen up and I'll tell a story 100 00:06:23,801 --> 00:06:26,637 About an artist growing old 101 00:06:28,473 --> 00:06:31,309 Some would try for fame and glory 102 00:06:33,603 --> 00:06:36,147 Others aren't so bold 103 00:06:38,566 --> 00:06:41,527 Everyone, and friends and family 104 00:06:43,488 --> 00:06:45,865 saying, "Hey! Get a job!" 105 00:06:48,117 --> 00:06:50,953 "Why do you only do that only? 106 00:06:53,831 --> 00:06:56,667 "Why are you so odd? 107 00:06:59,295 --> 00:07:02,340 "We don't really like what you do 108 00:07:04,008 --> 00:07:06,844 "We don't think anyone ever will 109 00:07:09,055 --> 00:07:11,891 "It's a problem that you have 110 00:07:13,434 --> 00:07:16,270 "And this problem's made you ill" 111 00:07:18,689 --> 00:07:21,651 The artist walks alone 112 00:07:23,319 --> 00:07:26,072 Someone says behind his back 113 00:07:27,865 --> 00:07:30,743 "He's got his gall to call himself that! 114 00:07:32,537 --> 00:07:35,331 "He doesn't even know where he's at!" 115 00:07:39,877 --> 00:07:41,963 BILL: He wasn't buying them for comic books, 116 00:07:42,046 --> 00:07:45,299 he was buying them for the artwork that was involved on the comics. 117 00:07:45,383 --> 00:07:48,594 And some of the artists were his incentive 118 00:07:48,719 --> 00:07:50,555 to try to be an artist himself. 119 00:07:50,638 --> 00:07:52,932 They were an inspiration to him. 120 00:07:53,432 --> 00:07:55,893 DAVID: Now talk about the cinema of Daniel Johnston, then. 121 00:07:55,977 --> 00:07:57,311 He doesn't have influences. 122 00:07:57,395 --> 00:08:00,565 He doesn't sit down and consciously watch Chaplin 123 00:08:00,648 --> 00:08:03,317 and then learn, or this is my Keaton period. 124 00:08:03,401 --> 00:08:05,987 It's not like that. He doesn't even know who these guys are. 125 00:08:06,070 --> 00:08:09,198 (CHUCKLING) You know, he gets a Super 8 and he makes a movie. 126 00:08:11,325 --> 00:08:13,327 Dan took himself seriously. 127 00:08:13,411 --> 00:08:16,455 He, for some reason, thought he was going to be 128 00:08:16,539 --> 00:08:19,750 an artist because probably of the attention he got. 129 00:08:20,251 --> 00:08:24,338 The family room would sometimes be almost full of kids 130 00:08:24,422 --> 00:08:28,384 and one of them told me that he's going to be famous someday. 131 00:08:28,467 --> 00:08:31,429 And I thought, "That silly stuff," you know? 132 00:08:31,637 --> 00:08:33,848 DAVID: He lived in the basement of his parents' house. 133 00:08:33,931 --> 00:08:39,312 They got this perfectly normal ranch house out in the country behind New Cumberland. 134 00:08:39,395 --> 00:08:42,148 He's got this amazing lab, 135 00:08:42,231 --> 00:08:44,692 like this amazing factory downstairs. 136 00:08:44,775 --> 00:08:48,863 He's turned a garage and two sort of utility rooms 137 00:08:48,946 --> 00:08:51,949 into a bedroom and an art factory, 138 00:08:52,033 --> 00:08:55,620 and he's just got everywhere, magazines, tapes. 139 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:58,998 In fact, he's recreated it in Waller, where he lives today. 140 00:08:59,081 --> 00:09:01,459 It's a duplicate of the same room. 141 00:09:02,293 --> 00:09:04,795 (SINGING) I was guilt stricken 142 00:09:06,088 --> 00:09:07,798 to go away 143 00:09:09,383 --> 00:09:12,303 She turned without saying 144 00:09:13,721 --> 00:09:15,932 I could not stay 145 00:09:17,683 --> 00:09:19,644 And all the while 146 00:09:20,937 --> 00:09:23,314 she was smiling at me 147 00:09:25,149 --> 00:09:30,529 Like I was a show on her TV 148 00:09:31,489 --> 00:09:32,907 They're sort of like this 149 00:09:32,990 --> 00:09:35,952 Christian fundamentalist Glass Family. 150 00:09:36,452 --> 00:09:38,746 They're creative, they're intellectual, 151 00:09:39,247 --> 00:09:43,084 but there's this, like, West Virginia, kind of right-wing Christian thing. 152 00:09:43,167 --> 00:09:45,378 Daniel wasn't having any of it. 153 00:09:45,836 --> 00:09:48,214 Spiritually he was separated from them, 154 00:09:48,297 --> 00:09:51,676 socially, every other way he was gone from them. 155 00:09:51,926 --> 00:09:54,011 But at the same time he was of them, 156 00:09:54,095 --> 00:09:57,932 in the sense that he had certain material to draw from. 157 00:09:59,267 --> 00:10:00,893 Bill and I both thought he was 158 00:10:00,977 --> 00:10:03,688 doing too much concentrating on the art 159 00:10:03,938 --> 00:10:05,982 and the music and he wasn't 160 00:10:06,065 --> 00:10:09,193 having a well-rounded life. 161 00:10:09,735 --> 00:10:10,987 (PEOPLE SINGING HYMN) 162 00:10:11,070 --> 00:10:15,449 DAVID: She would constantly try to get him, "Go to church and save yourself," 163 00:10:15,533 --> 00:10:17,285 and he just would have none of it. 164 00:10:17,368 --> 00:10:19,370 He'd go to church, even, but he wouldn't participate. 165 00:10:19,453 --> 00:10:21,330 He'd go to church so he could stare at the girls, 166 00:10:21,414 --> 00:10:22,540 try to find a girlfriend. 167 00:10:22,623 --> 00:10:26,085 Literally, all he cared about was making art and being John Lennon, 168 00:10:26,168 --> 00:10:28,796 and his parents' rules were in the way of that. 169 00:10:28,879 --> 00:10:31,257 All he wanted them to do was just 170 00:10:31,841 --> 00:10:35,803 keep the lights on, keep the power on so he could draw. 171 00:10:35,886 --> 00:10:37,888 MABEL: Dan was getting to be a problem. 172 00:10:37,972 --> 00:10:40,641 And he wanted to do everything 173 00:10:40,725 --> 00:10:42,476 but he didn't want to do any of his chores, 174 00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:46,063 like help mow the lawn, or wash the car, 175 00:10:46,772 --> 00:10:50,609 or any of those things that I thought he was lacking in training, 176 00:10:50,693 --> 00:10:51,902 and I had to settle that. 177 00:10:53,070 --> 00:10:54,947 (MABEL SPEAKING ON TAPE) 178 00:10:58,909 --> 00:10:59,910 (DANIEL SPEAKING ON TAPE) 179 00:10:59,994 --> 00:11:01,912 (MABEL SPEAKING) 180 00:11:03,247 --> 00:11:04,290 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 181 00:11:04,373 --> 00:11:06,292 (MABEL SPEAKING) 182 00:11:06,375 --> 00:11:07,418 (DANIEL LAUGHING) 183 00:11:07,918 --> 00:11:11,213 (MABEL SPEAKING) 184 00:11:26,979 --> 00:11:28,022 (CLICKING) 185 00:11:28,105 --> 00:11:32,276 Every bit of the supposed persecution 186 00:11:33,152 --> 00:11:36,447 that Daniel portrays in early music was there, 187 00:11:36,906 --> 00:11:40,659 but I'm not saying it was without provocation. 188 00:11:40,785 --> 00:11:44,121 He did it. He brought it on himself. He would cause it 189 00:11:44,205 --> 00:11:46,457 to tape record, to film. 190 00:11:47,458 --> 00:11:50,711 Many, many times, Mabel would open the basement stairs door 191 00:11:50,795 --> 00:11:52,963 and she used to call him an unprofitable servant. 192 00:11:53,047 --> 00:11:55,174 "You're an unprofitable servant of the Lord. 193 00:11:55,257 --> 00:11:57,176 "You need to leave the house and get a job." 194 00:11:57,259 --> 00:12:00,221 He turned it, he used to call himself an unserviceable prophet. 195 00:12:00,304 --> 00:12:02,098 (MABEL SPEAKING) 196 00:12:31,961 --> 00:12:34,046 I really didn't like it when he put... 197 00:12:34,130 --> 00:12:36,841 He taped me giving him what for. 198 00:12:37,883 --> 00:12:39,760 I didn't think he would do that. 199 00:12:39,844 --> 00:12:43,597 She would really harangue him and, uh... And he... He, um... 200 00:12:43,764 --> 00:12:45,432 It was hard on him. It was. 201 00:12:45,516 --> 00:12:46,976 But he's this sort of like, 202 00:12:47,059 --> 00:12:49,478 coal burning in the basement, you know, 203 00:12:49,562 --> 00:12:50,938 and it's heating up the whole house, 204 00:12:51,021 --> 00:12:52,857 and they're just going insane from it. 205 00:12:52,940 --> 00:12:55,025 So the whole place is just going wild 206 00:12:55,109 --> 00:12:57,820 because he's just such a problem. 207 00:12:58,070 --> 00:12:59,196 (PIANO PLAYING) 208 00:13:00,322 --> 00:13:02,658 BILL: When the problem became apparent 209 00:13:02,741 --> 00:13:05,536 was when he first went to college, 210 00:13:05,619 --> 00:13:07,788 at Abilene Christian College. 211 00:13:07,872 --> 00:13:11,625 And he wasn't getting to his classes. 212 00:13:11,709 --> 00:13:16,130 He was totally confused and we thought, "Well, this is home sickness," you know, 213 00:13:16,213 --> 00:13:18,591 and they sent him to the local doctor 214 00:13:18,674 --> 00:13:21,468 to see if he was complaining about pains in his arms, 215 00:13:21,552 --> 00:13:24,013 which are symptoms of manic depression. 216 00:13:24,096 --> 00:13:25,598 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 217 00:13:36,734 --> 00:13:37,776 (CLICKING) 218 00:13:37,860 --> 00:13:41,322 He's going around in a daze, we said, "Well, we'd better bring him home." 219 00:13:41,405 --> 00:13:43,449 And immediately he snapped out of it. 220 00:13:43,532 --> 00:13:46,327 And then back to being a normal person again. 221 00:13:46,410 --> 00:13:50,164 And we thought, "Well, everything's all right." So we sent him to a local college. 222 00:13:50,247 --> 00:13:51,665 DAVID: He goes to an' school at 223 00:13:51,749 --> 00:13:54,835 Kent State University branch in East Liverpool, Ohio. 224 00:13:54,919 --> 00:13:57,504 And I am attending the same school. 225 00:13:57,588 --> 00:14:00,341 We found all these kind of lethargic professors 226 00:14:00,424 --> 00:14:02,635 and sort of half-talented students. 227 00:14:02,718 --> 00:14:04,970 And, Daniel, of course, he just scoops them up... 228 00:14:05,054 --> 00:14:08,098 (LAUGHING) ...and he just mixes them into his an' form. 229 00:14:08,641 --> 00:14:12,394 Like everybody's his subject, you know, all of a sudden he's interviewing people 230 00:14:12,478 --> 00:14:16,440 with his little tape recorder and then taking little phrases from them 231 00:14:16,565 --> 00:14:18,943 and cutting them into his songs. 232 00:14:20,110 --> 00:14:23,280 And he meets the love of his life. He meets Laurie Allen. 233 00:14:23,364 --> 00:14:25,783 DANIEL: I was alone in my life 234 00:14:26,867 --> 00:14:28,827 with little to live for... 235 00:14:28,911 --> 00:14:30,788 (PIANO PLAYING) 236 00:14:31,622 --> 00:14:33,624 ...trying my hand at art, 237 00:14:34,959 --> 00:14:38,337 thinking that maybe I could save myself, 238 00:14:39,380 --> 00:14:41,632 but in my desperation 239 00:14:42,424 --> 00:14:44,593 all my hope would fly away 240 00:14:46,345 --> 00:14:48,806 until there was nothing left of me, 241 00:14:50,307 --> 00:14:52,059 nothing left to say. 242 00:14:54,895 --> 00:14:58,482 And in this nightmare there was a dream 243 00:14:59,024 --> 00:15:00,317 of a girl 244 00:15:01,568 --> 00:15:04,655 so beautiful beyond compare. 245 00:15:04,738 --> 00:15:05,864 (INAUDIBLE) 246 00:15:07,157 --> 00:15:09,451 The girl of my dreams. 247 00:15:12,746 --> 00:15:16,500 So wonderful. So beautiful. 248 00:15:19,962 --> 00:15:21,755 And I had her boots. 249 00:15:26,010 --> 00:15:29,305 This was so long ago in my idealistic dream 250 00:15:29,722 --> 00:15:31,348 of so many songs. 251 00:15:31,890 --> 00:15:33,267 (INAUDIBLE) 252 00:15:33,350 --> 00:15:34,560 Laurie. 253 00:15:41,608 --> 00:15:42,651 Yes. 254 00:15:42,735 --> 00:15:44,737 (PIANO CONTINUES PLAYING) 255 00:15:50,117 --> 00:15:53,704 She inspired a thousand songs 256 00:15:54,913 --> 00:15:59,043 and then I knew I was an artist. 257 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:06,091 He wrote a lot of sweet songs about Laurie. 258 00:16:06,675 --> 00:16:10,929 And I remember something from listening... He wanted to play one for me. 259 00:16:11,555 --> 00:16:14,141 I remember it and he doesn't have it. 260 00:16:14,224 --> 00:16:15,559 It goes... 261 00:16:15,976 --> 00:16:19,605 (SINGING) Walking down the road I'm feeling lonely 262 00:16:19,730 --> 00:16:21,106 But don't be sad 263 00:16:21,607 --> 00:16:25,652 Be glad you're just one step closer to the girl you're going to meet 264 00:16:26,111 --> 00:16:28,947 DAVID: He starts following her around with a tape recorder 265 00:16:29,031 --> 00:16:30,532 and his little Super 8, 266 00:16:30,616 --> 00:16:33,619 following her around, making movies and tape recording her 267 00:16:33,702 --> 00:16:35,120 and begging her, 268 00:16:35,204 --> 00:16:37,956 begging Laurie to say, "I love you, Dan," 269 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:40,501 into the tape, which she eventually does. 270 00:16:40,751 --> 00:16:42,503 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 271 00:16:45,005 --> 00:16:46,048 (LAURIE SPEAKING) 272 00:16:46,131 --> 00:16:47,174 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 273 00:16:47,257 --> 00:16:48,258 (LAURIE SPEAKING) 274 00:16:48,384 --> 00:16:49,426 (LAURIE LAUGHS) 275 00:16:49,676 --> 00:16:50,844 She has no idea. 276 00:16:50,928 --> 00:16:54,139 He's massively 277 00:16:54,848 --> 00:16:56,016 obsessed with her. 278 00:16:57,476 --> 00:16:59,311 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 279 00:17:38,308 --> 00:17:40,018 DAVID: This is the kind of love he needed to have. 280 00:17:40,102 --> 00:17:43,188 He needed to have a love that he couldn't really successfully 281 00:17:43,272 --> 00:17:44,231 connect up with. 282 00:17:44,314 --> 00:17:46,191 He had to have the thing to chase. 283 00:17:46,275 --> 00:17:48,318 He could never have a thing he could catch. 284 00:17:48,402 --> 00:17:50,988 So, when she married someone else, 285 00:17:51,655 --> 00:17:54,950 it was even better because then he could really pine. 286 00:17:55,033 --> 00:17:56,910 You know, she was gone. 287 00:17:58,328 --> 00:18:02,082 And it's just God's little joke that it happens to be an undertaker. 288 00:18:02,166 --> 00:18:04,918 So he really liked that event 289 00:18:05,002 --> 00:18:07,671 even though it causes him great pain. 290 00:18:08,714 --> 00:18:11,425 Well, when Dan got depressed, 291 00:18:11,884 --> 00:18:16,138 he took to playing the piano, but I didn't understand the depression. 292 00:18:20,225 --> 00:18:24,021 (DANIEL SINGING) l had lost my mind 293 00:18:24,980 --> 00:18:29,693 I lost my head for a while Was off my rocker, out of line, out of whack 294 00:18:30,110 --> 00:18:33,989 You see I had this tiny crack in my head 295 00:18:34,531 --> 00:18:37,701 That slowly split open and my brains oozed out 296 00:18:37,784 --> 00:18:40,579 It's lying on the sidewalk and I didn't even know it 297 00:18:40,662 --> 00:18:44,124 I had lost my mind 298 00:18:45,083 --> 00:18:49,421 Why, I was sitting in the basement when I first realized it was gone 299 00:18:49,713 --> 00:18:53,467 Got in my car Rushed right over to the lost and found 300 00:18:53,842 --> 00:18:57,763 I said, "Pardon me but I seem to have lost my mind" 301 00:18:57,846 --> 00:19:01,225 She said, "Well, can you identify it please?" 302 00:19:03,227 --> 00:19:06,021 I said, "Why sure, it's a cute little bugger 303 00:19:07,189 --> 00:19:10,234 "About yea big a little warped from the rain" 304 00:19:11,443 --> 00:19:15,656 She said, "Well then, sir, this must be your brain" 305 00:19:15,906 --> 00:19:19,785 I said, "Thank you, ma'am, I'm always losing that dang thing" 306 00:19:20,619 --> 00:19:24,915 I had lost my mind 307 00:19:28,085 --> 00:19:30,545 We felt that it was, uh, wasting time 308 00:19:30,629 --> 00:19:32,464 to keep him in college 309 00:19:32,631 --> 00:19:35,217 because he was never gonna graduate the way he was going. 310 00:19:35,300 --> 00:19:38,345 So we took him out of college and sent him to 311 00:19:38,845 --> 00:19:41,515 Houston to live with his brother. 312 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:44,685 Mom and Dad were trying to get him on the right track. 313 00:19:44,768 --> 00:19:47,187 In all of our minds, that meant a productive life. 314 00:19:47,271 --> 00:19:48,939 A well-rounded life. 315 00:19:49,106 --> 00:19:52,401 Not a self-absorbed life. A job is part of that. 316 00:19:52,484 --> 00:19:54,695 And in an effort to help, 317 00:19:55,153 --> 00:19:58,365 I said, "Let Dan come down for the summer, work at Astroworld. 318 00:19:58,448 --> 00:20:02,953 "And maybe this will get him on his feet or something." 319 00:20:04,246 --> 00:20:05,580 (DANIEL WHISPERING) 320 00:20:25,350 --> 00:20:27,352 DICK: When he found out that he had to go to Texas 321 00:20:27,436 --> 00:20:29,229 and he would be without his piano, 322 00:20:29,313 --> 00:20:31,523 that put a wrench in his plans. 323 00:20:31,606 --> 00:20:33,358 So he got ahold of this organ 324 00:20:33,442 --> 00:20:35,027 and he takes it into my garage 325 00:20:35,110 --> 00:20:38,030 and he turned my weight bench into a recording studio. 326 00:20:38,113 --> 00:20:40,657 DANIEL: How are you doing, Dave? How's it going? 327 00:20:40,741 --> 00:20:42,951 I'm working on the album now. 328 00:20:43,201 --> 00:20:47,289 On the new release, Yip/Jump Music. 329 00:20:47,664 --> 00:20:50,709 I sound like some kind of MTV person, don't I? 330 00:20:51,251 --> 00:20:53,587 I brought out the chord organ. I just set it up. 331 00:20:53,670 --> 00:20:57,382 I thought I'd play you one of the songs I played on the album. 332 00:20:57,466 --> 00:21:00,177 So, I'll turn on the chord organ here. 333 00:21:01,053 --> 00:21:04,264 DICK: I knew he was recording. I could hear him singing. 334 00:21:04,514 --> 00:21:07,225 But I had no perception that he was, 335 00:21:07,601 --> 00:21:11,355 you know, in his mind, making this masterpiece. 336 00:21:15,192 --> 00:21:17,361 (DANIEL SINGING) 337 00:21:35,712 --> 00:21:39,633 DICK: I wanted to help Dan and I thought I was giving great prophetic advice. 338 00:21:39,716 --> 00:21:42,094 I said, "Dan, you know, someday you're going to be really good 339 00:21:42,177 --> 00:21:43,804 "at something and very successful. 340 00:21:43,887 --> 00:21:47,557 "But it's not gonna be your art and it's not gonna be your music." 341 00:21:47,641 --> 00:21:50,977 We had to say, "Look, Dan, you can't stay up all night. 342 00:21:51,061 --> 00:21:53,814 "You're gonna have to go to bed at some kind of decent hour. 343 00:21:53,897 --> 00:21:55,982 "And kind Of live life With the rest of us." 344 00:21:56,066 --> 00:21:57,859 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 345 00:22:11,957 --> 00:22:14,835 DICK: Margie kind of stepped in and said that she could, uh, 346 00:22:15,168 --> 00:22:17,129 you know, see what she could do to help him. 347 00:22:17,212 --> 00:22:20,382 And we packed him up and off he went into the distance. 348 00:22:20,465 --> 00:22:22,843 I thought, "Well... 349 00:22:22,926 --> 00:22:26,471 "He needs a place to go and I'm his sister, and, well, he can come and stay here." 350 00:22:26,555 --> 00:22:28,890 So he came to live with me in my duplex. 351 00:22:28,974 --> 00:22:31,184 Now, I didn't have extra furniture for him. 352 00:22:31,268 --> 00:22:33,270 We got him a mattress that was just on the floor. 353 00:22:33,353 --> 00:22:36,148 But he seemed to thrive in this atmosphere 354 00:22:36,231 --> 00:22:37,858 because he was allowed to make a mess. 355 00:22:38,567 --> 00:22:39,818 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 356 00:22:53,290 --> 00:22:56,460 I thought everything was fine. Then one day I came home 357 00:22:56,543 --> 00:22:57,878 and he wasn't there, which... 358 00:22:57,961 --> 00:23:01,214 I wasn't too worried 'cause we didn't tell each other everywhere we were going. 359 00:23:01,298 --> 00:23:04,509 But when he wasn't there in the morning when I got up, 360 00:23:04,593 --> 00:23:07,137 and he hadn't come home all night, that was not typical. 361 00:23:07,220 --> 00:23:09,848 MABEL: He made a decision to buy a moped. 362 00:23:10,348 --> 00:23:13,101 (ENGINE REVVING) 363 00:23:13,518 --> 00:23:16,479 And he disappeared on the moped, right, Bill? 364 00:23:16,813 --> 00:23:17,814 Yes. 365 00:23:17,898 --> 00:23:21,568 And he joined the carnival and went with them. 366 00:23:21,651 --> 00:23:23,737 We weren't able to contact him. 367 00:23:23,820 --> 00:23:25,780 It's the saddest time in my life, 368 00:23:25,864 --> 00:23:29,534 not to know where your son is and he might be needing help. 369 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:32,329 (DANIEL SINGING) 370 00:23:58,813 --> 00:24:00,023 DANIEL: When I was with the carnival, 371 00:24:00,106 --> 00:24:02,317 this little girl at the carnival, her name was Tricia. 372 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:05,070 She's a carnival girl. She's grown up with the carnival 373 00:24:05,153 --> 00:24:06,446 and she's about three years old. 374 00:24:06,529 --> 00:24:09,950 All the time she would come into the corn-dog stand when we were open. 375 00:24:10,033 --> 00:24:13,495 And it was slow, you know, and we would pretend it was a spaceship, you know. 376 00:24:13,578 --> 00:24:17,332 I would bang on this untuned guitar and she started singing this little song, 377 00:24:17,415 --> 00:24:20,543 (SINGS) "Pizza Hut, Pizza Hut, merry-go-round" 378 00:24:21,836 --> 00:24:25,840 Yeah, I do miss home. I'm down here and I'm okay. 379 00:24:26,049 --> 00:24:29,052 Because wherever I am, I got music in my heart. 380 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:35,433 MABEL: During that time, I had a rock inside my chest. 381 00:24:35,850 --> 00:24:39,104 I thought he might be in a shallow grave someplace. 382 00:24:39,604 --> 00:24:41,523 He left the first part of April 383 00:24:41,606 --> 00:24:46,569 and I think it was Father's Day when he called and let us know where he was. 384 00:24:47,737 --> 00:24:50,240 DANIEL: Collect call from Daniel Johnston, please. 385 00:24:53,868 --> 00:24:55,620 (DANIEL SINGING) Speeding motorcycle 386 00:24:57,289 --> 00:24:59,249 Of my heart 387 00:24:59,332 --> 00:25:02,585 Pretty girls have taken you for a ride 388 00:25:03,169 --> 00:25:05,046 Hurt you deep inside 389 00:25:05,130 --> 00:25:07,090 The road is ours 390 00:25:09,759 --> 00:25:11,261 (WHOOPS) 391 00:25:13,388 --> 00:25:16,266 The way Daniel ended up in Austin is so incredible 392 00:25:16,349 --> 00:25:18,435 that it really sounds like an urban legend. 393 00:25:20,770 --> 00:25:23,189 When the carnival came to Austin, 394 00:25:23,273 --> 00:25:26,067 he was going to the bathroom in the porta-potty 395 00:25:26,609 --> 00:25:28,611 and someone was upset about how long he was taking 396 00:25:28,695 --> 00:25:29,904 and they were banging on the door. 397 00:25:29,988 --> 00:25:34,367 And so when he came out, it turned out it was like a really big, tough carnie guy. 398 00:25:34,451 --> 00:25:37,704 - And he just hauled off and like, socked him. -(PUNCHING) 399 00:25:37,787 --> 00:25:40,290 And really, really hurt him bad. 400 00:25:40,373 --> 00:25:42,792 And Daniel didn't know what to do. 401 00:25:43,293 --> 00:25:44,669 He just started looking 402 00:25:44,753 --> 00:25:45,879 -for a Church of Christ. -(HYMN PLAYING) 403 00:25:45,962 --> 00:25:49,716 And he wandered until he saw the University Church of Christ. 404 00:25:49,799 --> 00:25:51,593 And he went in and he just asked them to help him. 405 00:25:51,676 --> 00:25:54,804 And they ended up taking him, you know, to the doctor and everything 406 00:25:54,888 --> 00:25:56,473 and leasing him an apartment. 407 00:25:56,723 --> 00:25:58,308 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 408 00:25:58,433 --> 00:26:00,310 (TRAIN HORN BLOWING) 409 00:26:16,159 --> 00:26:17,911 (ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) 410 00:26:17,994 --> 00:26:20,747 KATHY: He had heard the band I was in, which was Glass Eye. 411 00:26:20,830 --> 00:26:23,500 And we were just getting popular locally. 412 00:26:23,583 --> 00:26:26,503 And he saw a poster for our show. 413 00:26:26,586 --> 00:26:28,463 And he decided that this was a really magical sign 414 00:26:28,546 --> 00:26:30,090 and he really needed to go to it. 415 00:26:30,173 --> 00:26:33,843 And he came to the show and he gave me a copy of his cassette. 416 00:26:34,469 --> 00:26:37,764 So the next time we played, he came over to me and he was so excited. 417 00:26:37,847 --> 00:26:40,225 You could tell he was like, screwing up his nerve, 418 00:26:40,308 --> 00:26:42,102 like, getting ready to, like, 419 00:26:42,185 --> 00:26:44,229 ask me what I thought of his music. 420 00:26:44,312 --> 00:26:46,398 And he came over and he goes, "What'd you think?" 421 00:26:46,481 --> 00:26:50,693 And I looked at him and I couldn't, I just couldn't really let him know 422 00:26:50,777 --> 00:26:54,531 how much of an asshole I really was, that I hadn't even listened to his music, 423 00:26:54,614 --> 00:26:58,618 his most important thing in his life. And I said, "It was great. 424 00:26:58,701 --> 00:27:01,413 "I loved it. You can totally open for us." 425 00:27:01,496 --> 00:27:05,917 And so I went home and I listened to it and I was blown away at its incredible genius. 426 00:27:06,209 --> 00:27:08,545 (DANIEL SINGING) 427 00:27:20,932 --> 00:27:24,185 I met Daniel Johnston, in kind of the classic Daniel Johnston way. 428 00:27:24,436 --> 00:27:27,272 It was a Saturday. I was working at the Austin Chronicle. 429 00:27:27,355 --> 00:27:29,858 I was alone in the office and I was sitting there writing, 430 00:27:29,941 --> 00:27:32,026 and I heard something at the door. Not a knock. 431 00:27:32,110 --> 00:27:33,736 But somebody like, shuffling at the door. 432 00:27:33,820 --> 00:27:36,739 Finally I went over and I opened the door, and Daniel was standing there. 433 00:27:36,823 --> 00:27:40,034 And he was this skinny little kid who looked fairly demented. 434 00:27:40,118 --> 00:27:42,996 And he had a tape. And he said, "I just wanted to give you my tape." 435 00:27:43,079 --> 00:27:45,498 So I said, "Great. You know, I'll give it to a music person. 436 00:27:45,582 --> 00:27:47,125 "If they like it, maybe we'll review it. 437 00:27:47,208 --> 00:27:48,501 "But I'm not promising you anything." 438 00:27:48,585 --> 00:27:51,754 And Daniel goes, "You know, I wasn't really giving you that to review. 439 00:27:51,838 --> 00:27:55,133 "I just wanted you to listen to it. I'm not trying to get a review or anything." 440 00:27:55,216 --> 00:27:56,342 So Daniel goes away. 441 00:27:56,426 --> 00:27:59,179 And I put it on the tape player and it just blew my mind. 442 00:27:59,262 --> 00:28:01,639 I mean, it was one of those where I got it right away. 443 00:28:02,140 --> 00:28:04,767 (DANIEL SINGING) Get attached to a rolling stone 444 00:28:04,851 --> 00:28:08,396 And you're liable to get crushed 445 00:28:08,771 --> 00:28:12,192 You're better off to sit at home 446 00:28:12,275 --> 00:28:15,612 And watch the toilet flush 447 00:28:15,904 --> 00:28:18,531 And so then he gives you Hi, How Are You and Yip/Jump Music. 448 00:28:18,615 --> 00:28:20,950 It's like, you know, imagine meeting, 449 00:28:21,034 --> 00:28:24,204 you know, Bob Dylan, and he gives you his first six albums and saying, 450 00:28:24,287 --> 00:28:25,830 "Oh, here's some stuff I'm working on." 451 00:28:25,914 --> 00:28:28,875 So it's this body of music where you're suddenly hearing 452 00:28:28,958 --> 00:28:30,960 20 amazing songs 453 00:28:31,127 --> 00:28:33,713 and they're out of nowhere from this weird little guy. 454 00:28:33,796 --> 00:28:36,549 I played it for a lot of music writers and some musicians 455 00:28:36,633 --> 00:28:40,303 and he was giving it to other musicians, and gradually over like a period of weeks, 456 00:28:40,386 --> 00:28:43,431 people began to talk a lot about who this crazy kid was. 457 00:28:43,515 --> 00:28:45,475 Daniel Johnston and this really weird music. 458 00:28:45,558 --> 00:28:48,228 (DANIEL SINGING) The picture gets all blurred 459 00:28:48,311 --> 00:28:51,731 I see shadows dancing on my walls 460 00:28:51,814 --> 00:28:54,609 Thoughts scatter like birds 461 00:28:55,026 --> 00:28:58,112 Daniel, of course, loves The Beatles, worships them. 462 00:28:58,530 --> 00:29:02,992 And I can see that Hi, How Are You could be like Meet The Beatles! 463 00:29:03,201 --> 00:29:07,163 Come grab this and start the new Daniel Johnston mania! 464 00:29:07,497 --> 00:29:11,292 And in his head, of course, it was there. He was The Beatles. 465 00:29:11,501 --> 00:29:14,629 And it was from deep inside here. 466 00:29:14,963 --> 00:29:16,923 Hi, How Are You? I'm Daniel Johnston, 467 00:29:17,006 --> 00:29:19,717 and this is what scares me and this is what I love, 468 00:29:19,801 --> 00:29:21,844 and this is what terrifies me. 469 00:29:22,011 --> 00:29:26,140 You just hear that and your mind will turn around to his. 470 00:29:26,224 --> 00:29:30,186 You start off hearing this noise, then eventually you hear The Beatles. 471 00:29:30,270 --> 00:29:32,188 You hear the whole symphony. 472 00:29:32,272 --> 00:29:35,358 He actually didn't just record a tape and mass produce it. 473 00:29:35,441 --> 00:29:39,279 He sometimes couldn't duplicate, so he had to sing the entire tape 474 00:29:39,362 --> 00:29:42,365 from beginning to end to hand you a copy. 475 00:29:43,116 --> 00:29:46,786 Go back home. Start again. Song by song. Fill up the tape. 476 00:29:46,869 --> 00:29:51,374 Hand another person a copy. Fill it up. Go. And finally write another album. 477 00:29:51,582 --> 00:29:53,543 Start the whole process over again. 478 00:29:53,876 --> 00:29:57,005 KATHY: As far as I know his very first, like, public show that he did 479 00:29:57,088 --> 00:29:59,340 was done opening for Glass Eye. 480 00:29:59,424 --> 00:30:01,259 And he was so nervous. 481 00:30:01,342 --> 00:30:02,969 He literally was vibrating. 482 00:30:03,052 --> 00:30:06,514 And he also had recently decided, since coming to Austin, 483 00:30:06,597 --> 00:30:09,600 that he wasn't going to play piano anymore, something he does rather well. 484 00:30:09,684 --> 00:30:12,812 He decided that he was gonna play guitar like all the Austin guitar slingers. 485 00:30:12,895 --> 00:30:14,147 And he really couldn't play. 486 00:30:14,230 --> 00:30:16,065 That was scary for him, too. 487 00:30:16,149 --> 00:30:19,485 All of a sudden it quieted down like it was church or something. 488 00:30:19,569 --> 00:30:21,070 Daniel comes on stage. It was very unusual 489 00:30:21,154 --> 00:30:23,323 because anyone playing their first show, it's like you're lucky 490 00:30:23,406 --> 00:30:24,657 to get anyone to pay attention. 491 00:30:24,741 --> 00:30:27,577 But everyone was absolutely silent and he looked so nervous, 492 00:30:27,660 --> 00:30:29,746 he looked like he was gonna vomit the whole time. 493 00:30:29,829 --> 00:30:32,373 (DANIEL SINGING) Time is a matter of fact 494 00:30:32,457 --> 00:30:35,585 And it's gone and it'll never come back 495 00:30:35,918 --> 00:30:37,503 And mine 496 00:30:38,296 --> 00:30:40,965 It's wasted all the time 497 00:30:43,259 --> 00:30:46,512 Tears, stupid tears 498 00:30:46,596 --> 00:30:47,847 Bring me down 499 00:30:47,930 --> 00:30:49,432 LOUIS: So when you saw him perform, 500 00:30:49,515 --> 00:30:53,019 I mean, especially in the early days, when he did the two or three song sets, 501 00:30:53,102 --> 00:30:54,479 sometimes they were God-awful, 502 00:30:54,562 --> 00:30:56,272 and sometimes they were unbelievably brilliant. 503 00:30:56,356 --> 00:31:00,193 I mean, sometimes he just nailed it. I mean, sometimes it was so abstract. 504 00:31:00,276 --> 00:31:02,195 I mean, some of it was what wasn't there. 505 00:31:02,278 --> 00:31:03,696 Sometimes there was too much not there. 506 00:31:03,780 --> 00:31:05,782 (DANIEL SINGING) Tie my brain 507 00:31:06,657 --> 00:31:08,868 Into a knot 508 00:31:10,953 --> 00:31:14,957 Those tears, stupid tears 509 00:31:15,333 --> 00:31:18,920 Bring me down 510 00:31:19,128 --> 00:31:20,880 People in the audience tended to be like, 511 00:31:20,963 --> 00:31:24,842 "What? Is this is a joke? Is this guy supposed to be cool?" 512 00:31:24,926 --> 00:31:28,388 And they would be looking around at each other like, "How am I supposed to react?" 513 00:31:28,471 --> 00:31:32,350 Because he was so raw and so real in a lot of ways, that people couldn't take it. 514 00:31:37,939 --> 00:31:39,023 (INTERVIEWER SPEAKING) 515 00:31:42,318 --> 00:31:43,319 (INTERVIEWER SPEAKS) 516 00:31:46,197 --> 00:31:47,281 (INTERVIEWER SPEAKS) 517 00:31:49,325 --> 00:31:51,911 LOWS: He's got a full shift at McDonald's. 518 00:31:51,994 --> 00:31:54,038 And as close as I can tell, he can't do anything. 519 00:31:54,122 --> 00:31:57,250 He can't cook. He doesn't clean very well. 520 00:31:58,167 --> 00:32:01,254 DICK: As in a lot of places, you know, they'll give him work, 521 00:32:01,337 --> 00:32:06,175 but then he migrates to the job with the least skill, which was cleaning tables. 522 00:32:06,300 --> 00:32:07,969 KEN: It was amazing that he could keep his job 523 00:32:08,052 --> 00:32:10,096 because everybody was always coming in there wanting to, 524 00:32:10,179 --> 00:32:11,931 "Hey, Daniel. Hi, Daniel!" 525 00:32:12,014 --> 00:32:15,476 And, well, they don't take well to that at, you know, fast food joints. 526 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:17,937 But he was employed there for a long time. 527 00:32:18,062 --> 00:32:19,939 And you knew you could find him there, 528 00:32:20,022 --> 00:32:23,025 just in his little hat and his little shirt there, 529 00:32:23,484 --> 00:32:24,902 cleaning up, 530 00:32:24,986 --> 00:32:27,780 cleaning up other people's spills and stuff. 531 00:32:27,864 --> 00:32:29,949 DICK: When I went to visit him at McDonald's, 532 00:32:30,032 --> 00:32:33,286 I think it was probably the first time I recognized that 533 00:32:33,369 --> 00:32:35,371 he was spacing out, you know. 534 00:32:35,455 --> 00:32:39,333 That there was a disconnection from reality or something going on. 535 00:32:39,417 --> 00:32:40,543 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 536 00:32:43,629 --> 00:32:45,214 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 537 00:33:46,275 --> 00:33:48,027 (CHUCKLING) 538 00:33:56,202 --> 00:34:00,081 1985 was just an enormous year for Austin music. 539 00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:03,042 It was like everything was about to break, 540 00:34:03,125 --> 00:34:05,795 and again, Daniel just came in right at that time. 541 00:34:06,170 --> 00:34:09,715 MTV started sniffing around. And they brought in Peter Zaremba 542 00:34:09,799 --> 00:34:11,342 and the show they had, The Cutting Edge. 543 00:34:12,718 --> 00:34:14,512 They lined up all these bands 544 00:34:14,595 --> 00:34:17,598 and they had a big old barbeque and Daniel showed up there with his tapes. 545 00:34:17,682 --> 00:34:20,977 This is Daniel Johnston. Local man about town. Musician. 546 00:34:21,060 --> 00:34:23,271 Everyone knows who he is but... Say hi to everyone. 547 00:34:23,354 --> 00:34:25,022 My name is Daniel Johnston 548 00:34:25,106 --> 00:34:27,108 and this is the name of my tape and it's, Hi, How Are You. 549 00:34:27,191 --> 00:34:29,860 And I was having a nervous breakdown when I recorded it. 550 00:34:29,944 --> 00:34:33,030 He wasn't scheduled to be on the show. They had already listened to tapes 551 00:34:33,114 --> 00:34:35,283 and talked to people at the Chronicle and the music critics 552 00:34:35,366 --> 00:34:37,910 and they decided who was gonna be on this special and everything. 553 00:34:38,160 --> 00:34:40,413 But Daniel was unstoppable at that point. 554 00:34:40,496 --> 00:34:42,540 He was so full of confidence. 555 00:34:42,623 --> 00:34:44,417 He always presented himself like, 556 00:34:44,500 --> 00:34:46,669 "I am a very incredible, extraordinary human being 557 00:34:46,752 --> 00:34:49,255 "and you're gonna be really happy you listened to this." 558 00:34:49,672 --> 00:34:53,676 How you doing? We are having a casual conversation on national TV. 559 00:34:53,801 --> 00:34:55,761 Daniel is on MTV. 560 00:34:56,762 --> 00:34:59,890 You know, out of nowhere, from my point of view. (CHUCKLES) 561 00:35:00,182 --> 00:35:03,561 And he's on MTV and I actually do get to see it. 562 00:35:03,853 --> 00:35:07,148 And, uh, he says to me... 563 00:35:07,356 --> 00:35:10,401 This is to David Thornberry from Daniel Johnston. 564 00:35:10,484 --> 00:35:14,613 And, Dave, here I am on MTV, holding up my tape, Hi, How Are You. 565 00:35:14,697 --> 00:35:17,116 And they're recording me tonight. I'm on MTV. 566 00:35:17,199 --> 00:35:19,577 Remember when we used to watch MTV back home? 567 00:35:19,660 --> 00:35:21,454 Look, I'm on MTV, David. 568 00:35:21,537 --> 00:35:23,706 And that was his dream. I mean, literally, that's what he wanted to do, 569 00:35:23,789 --> 00:35:24,874 is be on MTV. 570 00:35:25,291 --> 00:35:27,209 (AUDIENCE CHEERING) 571 00:35:30,546 --> 00:35:32,173 (PLAYING GUITAR) 572 00:35:34,133 --> 00:35:35,760 (PEOPLE WHISTLING) 573 00:35:44,810 --> 00:35:47,563 (SINGING) When I was out in San Marcos 574 00:35:47,897 --> 00:35:50,358 A year ago today 575 00:35:50,941 --> 00:35:54,570 They probably would've put me in a home 576 00:35:55,946 --> 00:36:01,369 But I threw all my belongings into a garbage bag 577 00:36:01,869 --> 00:36:06,082 And out into the worldness I did roam 578 00:36:06,999 --> 00:36:11,921 My hopes lay shattered like a mirror on the floor 579 00:36:12,254 --> 00:36:17,093 I see myself and I looked really scattered 580 00:36:18,094 --> 00:36:23,891 But I lived my broken dreams 581 00:36:24,809 --> 00:36:27,853 BRIAN: He always knew where to be at any given moment 582 00:36:27,937 --> 00:36:30,856 and while this was being filmed it was, like, MTV... 583 00:36:30,940 --> 00:36:32,775 He knew MTV is here in town. 584 00:36:32,858 --> 00:36:35,444 And by far he became one of the most memorable things from the show 585 00:36:35,528 --> 00:36:38,447 and he basically just scammed his way into it. 586 00:36:39,448 --> 00:36:41,909 (SINGING) The wildest summer 587 00:36:42,493 --> 00:36:44,578 that I ever knew 588 00:36:44,662 --> 00:36:49,125 I had a flat tire down memory lane 589 00:36:50,292 --> 00:36:52,628 But I came back 590 00:36:52,711 --> 00:36:55,464 after five months and a half 591 00:36:55,881 --> 00:37:00,177 And now I'm just trying to explain 592 00:37:01,262 --> 00:37:03,764 And now I'm here 593 00:37:03,848 --> 00:37:06,559 And here I stand 594 00:37:07,059 --> 00:37:09,270 With a sweet angel 595 00:37:09,770 --> 00:37:11,981 holding my hand 596 00:37:13,816 --> 00:37:18,612 I lived my broken dreams 597 00:37:19,155 --> 00:37:21,115 (PEOPLE WHOOPING) 598 00:37:26,036 --> 00:37:28,330 (AUDIENCE CHEERING) 599 00:37:31,750 --> 00:37:33,586 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 600 00:37:42,303 --> 00:37:44,805 LOUIS: Instantly McDonald's expands his hours to, like, 601 00:37:44,889 --> 00:37:47,141 20 or 30 hours a week. They give him more shifts. 602 00:37:47,224 --> 00:37:49,852 Not because he's doing anything, but because he's become a star. 603 00:37:49,935 --> 00:37:52,021 And whoever the manager is, thinks this is entertaining. 604 00:37:52,104 --> 00:37:54,106 And then the other weird thing that begins happening is, 605 00:37:54,190 --> 00:37:55,399 there's all this interest in Daniel. 606 00:37:55,483 --> 00:37:58,569 So you hear record companies are calling McDonald's 'cause that's the only way 607 00:37:58,652 --> 00:38:00,279 you can call Daniel. Daniel doesn't have a phone. 608 00:38:00,362 --> 00:38:03,282 So SPIN is calling McDonald's and music magazines... 609 00:38:03,365 --> 00:38:04,658 So you get all these calls... 610 00:38:04,742 --> 00:38:06,577 And in the beginning I think the McDonald's people 611 00:38:06,660 --> 00:38:08,204 were really kind of entertained by this. 612 00:38:08,287 --> 00:38:11,248 But after a while, when you'd call to talk to Daniel, they were not happy. 613 00:38:11,332 --> 00:38:12,833 They had hamburgers to make. 614 00:38:13,334 --> 00:38:16,795 And then in 1986, he wins a bunch of awards in the Austin Music Awards. 615 00:38:16,879 --> 00:38:20,090 He wins Songwriter of the Year and Best Folk Act, which is very controversial 616 00:38:20,174 --> 00:38:22,760 and, of course, it goes to Daniel's head in new and different ways. 617 00:38:22,843 --> 00:38:26,305 In a town with a lot of singer/songwriters and a lot of folkies, 618 00:38:26,388 --> 00:38:28,224 who can play guitar... (LAUGHS) 619 00:38:28,307 --> 00:38:30,684 ...that might've not gone over too well with some people. 620 00:38:30,768 --> 00:38:34,396 (DANIEL SINGING) He was smiling through his own personal hell 621 00:38:34,939 --> 00:38:37,816 Dropped his last dime in a wishing well 622 00:38:37,900 --> 00:38:41,695 But he was hoping to close and then he fell 623 00:38:41,779 --> 00:38:46,408 Now he's Casper the friendly ghost 624 00:38:47,076 --> 00:38:50,829 In the spring of 1986 I started helping Daniel. 625 00:38:50,913 --> 00:38:53,999 The first thing I did was set up his publishing company with Bug Music. 626 00:38:54,083 --> 00:38:57,336 I knew his music was great, but I felt like for him to actually make a living, 627 00:38:57,419 --> 00:38:59,672 he would be better off if other, more well-known artists 628 00:38:59,755 --> 00:39:01,173 were to cover his material. 629 00:39:01,257 --> 00:39:04,969 (SINGING) He was always polite to the people who'd tell him 630 00:39:05,177 --> 00:39:08,180 That he was nothing but a lazy bum 631 00:39:08,264 --> 00:39:11,684 But goodbye to them he had to go 632 00:39:11,767 --> 00:39:14,520 Now he's Casper 633 00:39:15,020 --> 00:39:17,523 The friendly ghost 634 00:39:18,774 --> 00:39:21,110 I thought that he was almost angelic. 635 00:39:21,694 --> 00:39:24,071 And then I got to know him better. 636 00:39:24,238 --> 00:39:26,073 And we started being really close friends. 637 00:39:26,156 --> 00:39:28,701 And for a little while I was his "girlfriend." 638 00:39:28,784 --> 00:39:31,412 And because he was very religious, 639 00:39:31,495 --> 00:39:33,706 this was a very chaste relationship. 640 00:39:33,789 --> 00:39:36,375 But even within the context of that, 641 00:39:37,459 --> 00:39:40,713 it was undeniable after maybe one or two weeks 642 00:39:40,796 --> 00:39:44,300 that something was dreadfully wrong with him. 643 00:39:45,050 --> 00:39:49,930 Something that wasn't angelic and pure and naive and innocent and beautiful. 644 00:39:50,431 --> 00:39:54,560 So I realized I can't let him keep on thinking that I'm his girlfriend 645 00:39:54,643 --> 00:39:59,148 because his parents came to visit him and he introduced me as his fiancée. 646 00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:01,942 I realized that I was going to have to say, 647 00:40:02,026 --> 00:40:05,946 "Daniel, we're not going out anymore, you know. 648 00:40:06,030 --> 00:40:07,698 "We're just friends." 649 00:40:07,781 --> 00:40:12,411 And I essentially spent, oh, the entire summer reminding him. 650 00:40:13,287 --> 00:40:14,705 We broke up. 651 00:40:15,956 --> 00:40:17,166 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 652 00:40:33,766 --> 00:40:36,018 DANIEL: Now you're filming? RANDY KEMPER: Dan, this is so wild. 653 00:40:36,101 --> 00:40:39,021 JEFF: Daniel began hanging out with his manager, Randy Kemper. 654 00:40:39,104 --> 00:40:40,814 And was smoking a lot of marijuana. 655 00:40:40,898 --> 00:40:42,941 And he would not perform live. 656 00:40:43,025 --> 00:40:45,861 Everybody was bugging him to play live, but he just didn't want to. 657 00:40:45,944 --> 00:40:47,613 There were some changes in his behavior 658 00:40:47,696 --> 00:40:49,948 and we didn't really quite know what was going on with him. 659 00:40:50,032 --> 00:40:53,452 RANDY: You know, when you do stuff like that, you throw me off, Daniel. 660 00:40:53,535 --> 00:40:56,705 KATHY: I always kind of imagined Daniel performing like Elton John 661 00:40:56,789 --> 00:40:58,916 with costume changes and Rockettes 662 00:40:58,999 --> 00:41:02,336 and a big grand piano. Just the kind of show that's just ridiculous. 663 00:41:02,419 --> 00:41:05,089 Almost like Andy Kaufman-esque kind of thing. 664 00:41:05,172 --> 00:41:07,508 But unfortunately, he had his mental breakdown. 665 00:41:07,966 --> 00:41:10,135 (METAL MUSIC PLAYING) 666 00:41:17,309 --> 00:41:18,852 LOUIS: So he goes to a Butthole Surfers show 667 00:41:18,936 --> 00:41:20,729 and somebody there gives him a hit of acid. 668 00:41:20,813 --> 00:41:22,898 And the trip really begins to change everything. 669 00:41:22,981 --> 00:41:25,984 Again, one of the classic scenarios of Daniel's life 670 00:41:26,068 --> 00:41:28,570 is whenever anything starts getting really good, 671 00:41:28,654 --> 00:41:30,572 you know something really ugly is gonna happen. 672 00:41:30,906 --> 00:41:32,449 (MECHANICAL WHIRRING) 673 00:41:32,825 --> 00:41:33,951 (GROANS) 674 00:41:35,911 --> 00:41:40,290 GIBBY HAYNES: The night in question is September 11, 1986 675 00:41:40,874 --> 00:41:46,713 on which Daniel had a bad experience, uh, 676 00:41:47,673 --> 00:41:50,759 and I guess he was under the influence 677 00:41:50,843 --> 00:41:53,595 of some sort of psychoactive substance. 678 00:42:00,269 --> 00:42:02,104 (WHIRRING) 679 00:42:03,772 --> 00:42:07,359 You know, I remember a little bit about seeing Daniel that night. 680 00:42:07,443 --> 00:42:10,737 I remember him being sort of difficult to deal with. 681 00:42:11,071 --> 00:42:12,448 And then 682 00:42:13,240 --> 00:42:15,951 we had our thing going on and 683 00:42:18,454 --> 00:42:20,747 everybody started saying, "Daniel's freaked out. 684 00:42:20,831 --> 00:42:22,583 "Daniel's freaked out. Daniel's freaked out." 685 00:42:22,958 --> 00:42:25,752 (LAUGHING) I'm coming back to tell you, man. 686 00:42:26,128 --> 00:42:29,715 I'm serious like Billy Graham. Nothing like Billy Graham. 687 00:42:29,798 --> 00:42:33,177 Or nothing like that. Or nothing like nobody you ever heard tell about nothing. 688 00:42:33,260 --> 00:42:36,680 But I'm coming back and I'm telling you there's a supernatural world. 689 00:42:36,763 --> 00:42:39,391 There's a supernatural world and 690 00:42:39,475 --> 00:42:42,728 Gibby, Gibby knows about it. 691 00:42:42,895 --> 00:42:44,354 (JEFF FEUERZEIG SPEAKING) 692 00:42:45,147 --> 00:42:47,691 (CHUCKLING) No. I didn't give him any LSD. 693 00:42:49,151 --> 00:42:52,779 I think at that point it was pretty much known that he was not necessarily 694 00:42:52,863 --> 00:42:57,409 "an" unstable character, but slightly unstable "of" character. 695 00:42:58,076 --> 00:43:02,456 So that's the kind of person you really wouldn't want to engage in the, uh... 696 00:43:03,540 --> 00:43:05,209 In the LSD experience. 697 00:43:10,130 --> 00:43:12,132 RANDY: Are you Daniel Johnston? 698 00:43:12,424 --> 00:43:14,635 I used to be Daniel Johnston. 699 00:43:15,135 --> 00:43:16,595 (LAUGHING) 700 00:43:16,678 --> 00:43:18,180 RANDY: And who are you now? 701 00:43:20,474 --> 00:43:23,101 You know, I don't know. I don't know. 702 00:43:23,310 --> 00:43:24,853 (LAUGHING) 703 00:43:25,145 --> 00:43:26,772 JEFF: In December of 1986, 704 00:43:26,855 --> 00:43:31,151 Daniel was taking a lot of acid and was just not himself. 705 00:43:31,235 --> 00:43:33,153 Was very, very delusional. 706 00:43:33,237 --> 00:43:37,783 And there was one violent incident with his manager in which he attacked him 707 00:43:37,866 --> 00:43:40,744 and put him in the hospital with a concussion. 708 00:43:40,827 --> 00:43:42,496 -(SIRENS BLARING) -(INDISTINCT POLICE RADIO CHATTER) 709 00:43:42,663 --> 00:43:44,373 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 710 00:43:49,211 --> 00:43:52,339 Dan was imagining all kinds of things 711 00:43:52,422 --> 00:43:54,925 and he thought of himself as God's man 712 00:43:55,008 --> 00:43:58,637 to straighten things up and so caused a lot of trouble. 713 00:43:58,971 --> 00:44:01,014 All the family met together for Christmas. 714 00:44:01,098 --> 00:44:03,976 Mom and Dad couldn't come that year and so we had decided 715 00:44:04,059 --> 00:44:07,813 since all of the siblings were in Texas, that we would get together and have Christmas. 716 00:44:07,896 --> 00:44:10,941 So we're all making these Christmas ornaments and his Christmas ornament 717 00:44:11,024 --> 00:44:12,859 is this black number nine. 718 00:44:12,943 --> 00:44:15,570 We asked and said, "Dan, that's not an appropriate Christmas symbol. 719 00:44:15,654 --> 00:44:18,156 "What does that mean? And why are you doing black? 720 00:44:18,240 --> 00:44:19,992 "That's not gonna look good hanging on the tree." 721 00:44:20,075 --> 00:44:22,703 DICK: I remember staring at him while we were talking and saying, 722 00:44:22,786 --> 00:44:25,330 "That doesn't even look like Dan." 723 00:44:25,414 --> 00:44:28,166 His face doesn't look like Dan to me. 724 00:44:28,250 --> 00:44:30,877 He was in some kind of manic state. 725 00:44:30,961 --> 00:44:35,257 We get up for a family portrait and he would hang a Beatles album on a Christmas tree. 726 00:44:35,340 --> 00:44:38,218 Well, I went to take it down off the tree and he came for me. 727 00:44:38,302 --> 00:44:40,012 And he had super strength. 728 00:44:40,095 --> 00:44:43,640 And in just a very brief struggle, he broke my rib. 729 00:44:44,141 --> 00:44:46,518 So they were rolling around on the floor 730 00:44:46,601 --> 00:44:48,103 and it was just 731 00:44:48,603 --> 00:44:51,189 not the way our Christmas gatherings usually are. 732 00:44:51,273 --> 00:44:53,692 He was talking in different voices 733 00:44:53,775 --> 00:44:57,738 and was accusing us of teaching the children Satanist practice. 734 00:44:57,821 --> 00:45:00,741 And that whole night we didn't want to go to sleep because if he believed 735 00:45:00,824 --> 00:45:03,368 we were Satanists, he might try to do something to harm us 736 00:45:03,452 --> 00:45:06,038 if he's the "Hero of Good" or something. 737 00:45:06,121 --> 00:45:10,459 DICK: He decided to make a dash to go up to the attic space where the kids were playing. 738 00:45:10,542 --> 00:45:13,545 And at that point, Sally went to the phone and called the police. 739 00:45:13,628 --> 00:45:16,548 SALLY: We had to call for some assistance and 740 00:45:17,591 --> 00:45:20,886 remove him from the house. And my husband took him to the bus station 741 00:45:20,969 --> 00:45:23,138 and then stayed and watched to make sure he got on it, 742 00:45:23,221 --> 00:45:24,681 so that we would all feel safe. 743 00:45:24,765 --> 00:45:27,351 DICK: I remember going upstairs with Margie 744 00:45:28,143 --> 00:45:31,730 and laying down on the bed and we just both wept 745 00:45:31,813 --> 00:45:34,900 like he was dead, you know. Because we didn't know who he was. 746 00:45:34,983 --> 00:45:38,153 (DANIEL SINGING) Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer 747 00:45:38,528 --> 00:45:42,491 You'll go down in history 748 00:45:42,574 --> 00:45:43,950 Yeah! 749 00:45:44,993 --> 00:45:47,287 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 750 00:46:03,303 --> 00:46:05,722 I'm lying in bed. I have pneumonia. 751 00:46:05,806 --> 00:46:09,267 And the phone rings and I have like a 103 temperature and the phone rings 752 00:46:09,351 --> 00:46:12,521 and somebody says, "Do you know a Daniel Johnston?" 753 00:46:12,604 --> 00:46:14,106 I go, "Yeah, Daniel and I are friends." 754 00:46:14,189 --> 00:46:16,108 He goes, "Well, I think maybe you should come here." 755 00:46:16,191 --> 00:46:18,110 I go, "Well, I really don't think I should. I'm sick." 756 00:46:18,193 --> 00:46:19,986 "No. I really, really think you should come here." 757 00:46:21,363 --> 00:46:24,366 I get to campus. I have a 103 degrees temperature. 758 00:46:24,449 --> 00:46:27,035 It's 1986 and it's Christmas, so there's nothing there. 759 00:46:27,119 --> 00:46:28,954 There's no cars. There's no people. 760 00:46:29,037 --> 00:46:32,874 This campus is completely empty. It's weird. It's eerie. It's quiet. 761 00:46:32,958 --> 00:46:36,419 These people I don't know are leading me down and we start walking down 762 00:46:36,503 --> 00:46:39,631 to go towards the river. And we look over and there's the water. 763 00:46:39,714 --> 00:46:41,800 And there standing in the middle of the water is Daniel. 764 00:46:41,883 --> 00:46:43,885 And he's standing in the water, he's about knee-deep, 765 00:46:43,969 --> 00:46:47,430 splashing the water, and he's looking at us, his eyes are like white. 766 00:46:47,514 --> 00:46:48,974 At one point he looks up and starts singing, 767 00:46:49,057 --> 00:46:51,476 (SINGING) Running water, running water 768 00:46:51,560 --> 00:46:54,146 And then he's preaching. And he's talking about baptism. 769 00:46:54,229 --> 00:46:56,565 And he's talking about evil. He's really whacked. 770 00:46:56,648 --> 00:46:59,276 We're trying to talk him into coming onto the shore. 771 00:46:59,359 --> 00:47:01,736 It's going on and on and on and it's getting real weird. 772 00:47:01,820 --> 00:47:03,572 - All of a sudden, we look over there. -(SIREN WAILING) 773 00:47:03,655 --> 00:47:05,240 A couple of police cars have pulled up. 774 00:47:05,365 --> 00:47:07,033 They forced me out, they came... 775 00:47:07,117 --> 00:47:08,910 People were... People were afraid. 776 00:47:08,994 --> 00:47:10,662 They were afraid to come up to me. 777 00:47:10,745 --> 00:47:13,373 They didn't want me to splash them with water. 778 00:47:13,498 --> 00:47:16,334 What was I doing down there? (CHUCKLING) What was going on? 779 00:47:16,418 --> 00:47:18,420 I knew exactly what was going on. 780 00:47:18,503 --> 00:47:21,381 I wanted to take my life only a few nights before. 781 00:47:21,464 --> 00:47:24,759 I hit my best friend over the head with a lead pipe. 782 00:47:24,968 --> 00:47:26,887 I thought there was nowhere to go. 783 00:47:26,970 --> 00:47:30,265 I thought the military takeover was going to happen over Christmas time. 784 00:47:30,348 --> 00:47:32,684 But it didn't. You know what I mean? 785 00:47:33,643 --> 00:47:36,479 I thought, I knew, I saw. I knew, I saw. 786 00:47:36,563 --> 00:47:38,857 I went inside the building of U.T. 787 00:47:38,940 --> 00:47:41,443 I saw... I saw the things, the programming, 788 00:47:41,526 --> 00:47:45,322 the confusion, the Coke, Coca-Cola, 789 00:47:45,405 --> 00:47:48,575 the Snickers, all the candy, 790 00:47:48,658 --> 00:47:53,205 and everything being used as a drug, the confusion, the mind control, 791 00:47:53,288 --> 00:47:56,625 spiritualism, the cultural upheaval, flip. 792 00:47:56,875 --> 00:47:59,544 Man, yes, it's really happening. They were really doing it, man. 793 00:47:59,628 --> 00:48:03,298 I'm talking, if you don't know about it. I'm talking like Nazi Germany. 794 00:48:03,506 --> 00:48:04,883 All great artists are crazy, 795 00:48:04,966 --> 00:48:08,094 but there's a difference between the abstract great artist being crazy 796 00:48:08,178 --> 00:48:11,097 and this person doing damage to you or to himself, 797 00:48:11,181 --> 00:48:13,183 and how involved do you want to be? 798 00:48:14,184 --> 00:48:15,894 We'd spent our whole lives, we're those kind of people 799 00:48:15,977 --> 00:48:17,562 who love the notion of the crazy artist. 800 00:48:17,646 --> 00:48:18,980 You know, Van Gogh cutting off his ear. 801 00:48:19,064 --> 00:48:21,524 And we've read those books and we've, you know, collected the art 802 00:48:21,608 --> 00:48:23,985 and we've seen the movies and we really loved the crazy people 803 00:48:24,069 --> 00:48:25,278 because they were the pure people. 804 00:48:25,362 --> 00:48:27,572 You know, they didn't have any commercial sense. 805 00:48:27,656 --> 00:48:29,616 And yet, he was a real sick person. 806 00:48:29,699 --> 00:48:32,535 And it was really, "What are we gonna do?" 807 00:48:32,911 --> 00:48:35,038 And so, I mean, we do the most pedestrian thing possible. 808 00:48:35,121 --> 00:48:36,081 We commit him. 809 00:48:36,164 --> 00:48:38,625 And you actually felt, I mean, a certain amount of guilt. 810 00:48:38,708 --> 00:48:41,294 I mean, it was like, if I was around Van Gogh... 811 00:48:41,378 --> 00:48:43,255 You know, I've always had contempt for those people 812 00:48:43,338 --> 00:48:44,673 who didn't understand genius, 813 00:48:44,756 --> 00:48:46,758 and here I am given my shot and what I'm saying is, 814 00:48:46,841 --> 00:48:49,886 please put him in the hospital 'cause we don't want to have to deal with him. 815 00:48:49,970 --> 00:48:51,054 We don't know what to do. 816 00:48:51,137 --> 00:48:53,223 When I went to see him in the hospital, they wanted to know 817 00:48:53,306 --> 00:48:54,891 what my relationship with Daniel was. 818 00:48:54,975 --> 00:48:57,310 And I had been working informally as his publicist. 819 00:48:57,394 --> 00:49:00,772 But I needed to tell them something a little better than that. 820 00:49:00,855 --> 00:49:02,440 And I assumed that Randy Kemper, 821 00:49:02,524 --> 00:49:05,277 after having been beat over the head with a lead pipe 822 00:49:05,360 --> 00:49:07,445 did not want to continue managing Daniel. 823 00:49:07,529 --> 00:49:09,531 So I said I was his manager. 824 00:49:10,657 --> 00:49:12,325 I helped get Daniel out of the hospital 825 00:49:12,409 --> 00:49:14,953 because I didn't fully understand why he was there. 826 00:49:15,036 --> 00:49:17,080 All I knew was he needed to get out of there. 827 00:49:17,163 --> 00:49:20,458 And as soon as I did get him out, I began hearing from other people asking me, 828 00:49:20,542 --> 00:49:22,293 Why did I do that. 829 00:49:22,377 --> 00:49:24,295 But it seemed like he was doing well enough. 830 00:49:24,379 --> 00:49:25,797 He was back in his home. 831 00:49:25,880 --> 00:49:29,676 And it seemed like everything was okay, although it was very borderline. 832 00:49:30,093 --> 00:49:32,512 It's like true in science fiction and 833 00:49:32,595 --> 00:49:35,265 it's the new supernatural age, 834 00:49:35,598 --> 00:49:37,434 you know, they spoke of 'm Revelations. 835 00:49:37,517 --> 00:49:40,353 And Number nine, number nine, The Beatles' song, Number nine. 836 00:49:40,437 --> 00:49:43,189 JEFF: He was obsessed with the Devil and Satan. 837 00:49:43,273 --> 00:49:45,817 DANIEL: Do not get that number, 6-6-6. 838 00:49:45,942 --> 00:49:49,571 Do not get 6-6-6 imprinted on your hand. 839 00:49:49,779 --> 00:49:52,282 JEFF: I had never really heard him talk about the Devil before, 840 00:49:52,365 --> 00:49:55,326 and he became so obsessed that it was all he could talk about. 841 00:49:55,410 --> 00:49:58,872 You must not give in to the Devil, ladies and gentlemen. 842 00:49:59,164 --> 00:50:02,250 The world in confusion, ladies and gentlemen. 843 00:50:02,876 --> 00:50:04,836 Somebody is manufacturing these. 844 00:50:04,919 --> 00:50:06,546 They're spreading those around. 845 00:50:06,629 --> 00:50:08,506 They might be mounting them up around. 846 00:50:08,590 --> 00:50:11,092 (CHUCKLING) Evil, ladies and gentlemen, evil. 847 00:50:11,593 --> 00:50:13,970 JEFF: Over the next few days, he began to throw 848 00:50:14,054 --> 00:50:15,847 literally everything he owned away. 849 00:50:15,930 --> 00:50:17,557 He threw all his drawings away. 850 00:50:17,640 --> 00:50:19,225 He threw master tapes away. 851 00:50:19,309 --> 00:50:21,603 And he was down to just three or four possessions 852 00:50:21,686 --> 00:50:23,188 the last time I went to his apartment. 853 00:50:23,271 --> 00:50:25,023 He still had his tape deck. 854 00:50:25,106 --> 00:50:28,193 He still had his guitar and maybe one or two other things. 855 00:50:28,276 --> 00:50:30,070 And as soon as I saw this, 856 00:50:30,153 --> 00:50:33,073 my immediate fear was that he's gonna kill himself. 857 00:50:33,156 --> 00:50:35,575 It's better to die, ladies and gentlemen. 858 00:50:35,658 --> 00:50:37,243 And live forever. 859 00:50:39,370 --> 00:50:40,955 And that is what I intend to do. 860 00:50:41,039 --> 00:50:44,000 JEFF: I went home that night, not knowing what to do. 861 00:50:44,084 --> 00:50:46,711 DANIEL: The world is turning to hell. 862 00:50:46,795 --> 00:50:49,714 JEFF: I did not know very much about his relationship with his family, 863 00:50:49,798 --> 00:50:51,466 but I figured they need to know this. 864 00:50:51,549 --> 00:50:53,510 And I called his father that night 865 00:50:53,593 --> 00:50:56,471 and he was in Austin within 24 hours. 866 00:50:57,972 --> 00:51:00,934 He was thin as a rail and losing weight 867 00:51:01,017 --> 00:51:03,311 and, uh, all kinds of things. 868 00:51:03,561 --> 00:51:05,438 His depression finally caught up with him. 869 00:51:06,189 --> 00:51:07,315 Evil! 870 00:51:09,859 --> 00:51:12,112 BILL: Because he... He was losing it. 871 00:51:12,403 --> 00:51:13,822 Number nine. 872 00:51:14,447 --> 00:51:16,783 JEFF: When Daniel's father took him back to West Virginia, 873 00:51:16,866 --> 00:51:18,326 Daniel announced his retirement. 874 00:51:18,409 --> 00:51:21,454 And instantly became a living legend in Austin. 875 00:51:21,663 --> 00:51:25,333 He pretty much spent the entire year of 1987 on medication. 876 00:51:25,583 --> 00:51:27,001 (FEMALE INTERVIEWER SPEAKING) 877 00:51:28,670 --> 00:51:30,213 (FEMALE INTERVIEWER SPEAKING) 878 00:51:32,132 --> 00:51:33,174 (FEMALE INTERVIEWER SPEAKING) 879 00:51:33,258 --> 00:51:34,509 A little tired. 880 00:51:40,223 --> 00:51:43,685 BILL: Haldol is a control drug, and at times he was a vegetable. 881 00:51:43,893 --> 00:51:47,063 MABEL: And we finally talked to the psychiatrist 882 00:51:47,147 --> 00:51:49,440 and she said she would have 883 00:51:49,524 --> 00:51:51,943 a psychiatrist examine him. 884 00:51:52,026 --> 00:51:55,280 BILL: They wire your brain up and make sure you got what your brain activity is, 885 00:51:55,363 --> 00:51:57,365 and check if there is any brain damage or anything. 886 00:51:57,448 --> 00:51:58,741 And he checked out okay. 887 00:51:58,825 --> 00:52:02,453 But we took him to the University of Pittsburgh... 888 00:52:02,537 --> 00:52:03,621 MABEL: Psychiatric Institute. 889 00:52:03,705 --> 00:52:07,041 BILL: They had seven people interview him for a whole day. 890 00:52:09,127 --> 00:52:11,588 The reason, um... 891 00:52:12,380 --> 00:52:15,675 - They said he's on the wrong medicine. - Yeah. 892 00:52:16,050 --> 00:52:18,469 BILL: Every medicine he reacted different to. 893 00:52:18,553 --> 00:52:21,890 And we kept trying, and we tried, and tried different ones. 894 00:52:24,601 --> 00:52:26,227 (FEMALE INTERVIEWER SPEAKING) 895 00:52:31,399 --> 00:52:33,318 (SINGING) 896 00:52:45,830 --> 00:52:48,333 JEFF: He literally spent the entire year in bed. 897 00:52:48,416 --> 00:52:50,543 He calls it his "lost year." 898 00:52:51,085 --> 00:52:54,505 During this period, I was continuing to work on building his relationships 899 00:52:54,589 --> 00:52:57,926 with bands like Sonic Youth and Jad Fair of Half Japanese. 900 00:52:58,009 --> 00:53:00,470 I had become friends with Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth. 901 00:53:00,553 --> 00:53:03,181 Steve turned a lot of people on to Daniel's music. 902 00:53:03,264 --> 00:53:06,184 And as Daniel finally started to show some improvement, 903 00:53:06,267 --> 00:53:08,311 Steve invited him to New York City 904 00:53:08,394 --> 00:53:11,940 to check out a recording studio, just basically to hang out a little bit, 905 00:53:12,023 --> 00:53:13,483 get to know each other and have some fun. 906 00:53:13,566 --> 00:53:15,652 DANIEL: We're on our way to the studio. 907 00:53:15,777 --> 00:53:18,738 JEFF: One day he's scheduled to do some recording at Noise New York, 908 00:53:18,821 --> 00:53:20,823 with Steve and Lee from Sonic Youth. 909 00:53:20,907 --> 00:53:23,201 And he's just as happy as can be, joking around, 910 00:53:23,284 --> 00:53:26,120 talking about making movies. He says he's gonna make a movie someday 911 00:53:26,204 --> 00:53:27,747 and all he has to do is act naturally. 912 00:53:28,039 --> 00:53:29,582 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 913 00:53:40,593 --> 00:53:44,180 JEFF: He's there to become famous. That is his one and only goal in his mind. 914 00:53:44,263 --> 00:53:46,140 How has New York been for the last two days? 915 00:53:46,224 --> 00:53:47,558 It's the greatest city on the Earth. 916 00:53:47,642 --> 00:53:51,312 - This is day number three for you here. - Yeah, it's happening for sure. 917 00:53:51,646 --> 00:53:54,607 If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere, right? 918 00:53:54,691 --> 00:53:55,900 STEVE SHELLEY: That's what they say. 919 00:53:55,984 --> 00:53:57,819 JEFF: There were two primary goals of this trip. 920 00:53:57,902 --> 00:54:00,488 One was to meet Kramer and check out 921 00:54:00,571 --> 00:54:02,490 the Noise New York recording studio, 922 00:54:02,573 --> 00:54:04,701 with the possibility of recording for Shimmy Disc. 923 00:54:04,784 --> 00:54:07,704 And the other was to do some recording with Moe Tucker, 924 00:54:07,787 --> 00:54:09,205 the drummer for The Velvet Underground. 925 00:54:09,288 --> 00:54:11,916 This session was put together by Jad Fair. 926 00:54:12,000 --> 00:54:15,586 And this would allow Daniel to meet Jad for the first time. 927 00:54:15,670 --> 00:54:17,588 (MUSIC PLAYING) 928 00:54:26,764 --> 00:54:30,226 As Daniel's manager, I'm in touch with Steve Shelley on a nightly basis. 929 00:54:30,309 --> 00:54:34,272 And all of a sudden, one night I get a call that Daniel has been arrested that clay. 930 00:54:34,355 --> 00:54:37,650 It seems that they decided to take him to the Statue of Liberty. 931 00:54:37,734 --> 00:54:39,986 And while Daniel was touring the Statue of Liberty, 932 00:54:40,069 --> 00:54:41,779 like any tourist would want to, 933 00:54:41,863 --> 00:54:45,033 he apparently was drawing graffiti inside the stairwell. 934 00:54:45,116 --> 00:54:48,244 Christian fish. Hundreds of them, from what I understand. 935 00:54:48,327 --> 00:54:51,122 I guess it's the anti-Satan symbol. Um... 936 00:54:53,249 --> 00:54:54,375 (OFFICER SPEAKING) 937 00:54:54,459 --> 00:54:55,460 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 938 00:54:55,543 --> 00:54:56,836 (OFFICER SPEAKING) 939 00:55:03,342 --> 00:55:04,302 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 940 00:55:04,385 --> 00:55:06,095 (OFFICER SPEAKING) 941 00:55:07,263 --> 00:55:08,264 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 942 00:55:08,347 --> 00:55:09,891 (OFFICER SPEAKING) 943 00:55:10,558 --> 00:55:14,145 JEFF: A couple days after that, there's a bizarre gig at Pier Platters. 944 00:55:14,228 --> 00:55:16,981 I say bizarre because he's proselytizing the audience. 945 00:55:17,065 --> 00:55:19,734 Trying to force his religious beliefs on the audience, basically. 946 00:55:19,817 --> 00:55:22,028 Jesus Christ is number seven. 947 00:55:22,361 --> 00:55:24,280 Satan is number six. 948 00:55:24,739 --> 00:55:26,908 Number eight is eternal death. 949 00:55:27,033 --> 00:55:30,203 And number nine, number nine, number nine, 950 00:55:30,995 --> 00:55:32,747 is the human number. 951 00:55:34,457 --> 00:55:37,710 Remember these things and don't listen to the lies that people will tell you. 952 00:55:37,794 --> 00:55:39,837 Number seven is Jesus Christ. 953 00:55:39,921 --> 00:55:41,923 JEFF: When Daniel performed at Pier Platters, 954 00:55:42,006 --> 00:55:45,968 it was like the cream of the crop of the New York underground music scene. 955 00:55:46,052 --> 00:55:50,014 During the song Funeral Home, he actually gets the audience to sing along with him. 956 00:55:50,098 --> 00:55:53,851 So you've got everybody singing along about going to the funeral home and dying. 957 00:55:53,935 --> 00:55:57,230 (SINGING) I'm going to the funeral and I'm never coming back 958 00:55:57,313 --> 00:55:59,565 Sing along with us, won't you? 959 00:56:01,109 --> 00:56:03,528 Funeral home 960 00:56:04,112 --> 00:56:05,571 (ALL SINGING) Funeral home 961 00:56:05,655 --> 00:56:06,656 Louder 962 00:56:07,198 --> 00:56:12,203 Going to that funeral home 963 00:56:13,329 --> 00:56:16,040 Got me a coffin 964 00:56:16,124 --> 00:56:19,127 shiny and black 965 00:56:19,377 --> 00:56:22,213 I'm going to the funeral 966 00:56:22,296 --> 00:56:26,801 and I'm never coming back 967 00:56:27,426 --> 00:56:30,096 Got me a coffin 968 00:56:30,179 --> 00:56:32,640 shiny and black 969 00:56:33,641 --> 00:56:36,394 I'm going to the funeral 970 00:56:36,477 --> 00:56:40,398 and I'm never coming back 971 00:56:40,481 --> 00:56:41,566 (AUDIENCE CLAPPING) 972 00:56:41,649 --> 00:56:43,442 Funeral home 973 00:56:44,485 --> 00:56:46,654 Funeral home 974 00:56:47,446 --> 00:56:49,782 Funeral home 975 00:56:50,992 --> 00:56:53,452 (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) 976 00:56:54,162 --> 00:56:58,374 JEFF: It became more and more fanatically religious as the show went on. 977 00:56:58,749 --> 00:57:02,086 He has a bit of a breakdown, starts crying at one point, 978 00:57:02,170 --> 00:57:04,589 and is just obviously right on the edge. 979 00:57:04,672 --> 00:57:07,466 And it was my belief and the belief of others around him 980 00:57:07,550 --> 00:57:10,261 that things were getting a little bit out of control. 981 00:57:10,344 --> 00:57:15,349 (SINGING) You'll be called to meet your God 982 00:57:16,893 --> 00:57:19,353 Careless Soul 983 00:57:20,396 --> 00:57:23,316 Oh, heed the warning 984 00:57:24,192 --> 00:57:29,739 For your life will soon be gone 985 00:57:30,156 --> 00:57:33,159 JEFF: The concert made everyone feel very awkward. 986 00:57:33,242 --> 00:57:36,162 And after the show, walking back to Steve's place, 987 00:57:36,245 --> 00:57:38,414 Daniel and Steve had a bit of a falling out. 988 00:57:38,539 --> 00:57:40,333 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 989 00:57:41,709 --> 00:57:42,877 (STEVE SPEAKING) 990 00:57:44,420 --> 00:57:45,546 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 991 00:57:46,881 --> 00:57:47,882 (STEVE SPEAKING) 992 00:57:48,007 --> 00:57:49,258 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 993 00:57:49,425 --> 00:57:51,010 (STEVE SPEAKING) 994 00:57:51,969 --> 00:57:54,472 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 995 00:58:01,562 --> 00:58:06,067 He told Kramer that if he can't get anywhere, he was gonna sleep in my hallway. 996 00:58:06,150 --> 00:58:07,652 LEE RANALDO: Yeah, but that's just an idle threat. 997 00:58:07,735 --> 00:58:09,070 THURSTON MOORE: When's the next train to... 998 00:58:09,153 --> 00:58:11,155 LEE: I mean, I can't imagine him staying in the bus station, 999 00:58:11,239 --> 00:58:14,450 and actually getting on the bus all by himself. 1000 00:58:14,742 --> 00:58:17,828 JEFF: I know the members of Sonic Youth were looking all over for Daniel. 1001 00:58:17,912 --> 00:58:19,914 He had been spotted in various places, 1002 00:58:19,997 --> 00:58:23,834 and they just felt this responsibility to his parents to get him home. 1003 00:58:23,918 --> 00:58:26,671 LEE: Keep an eye peeled for Daniel. He might just be a... 1004 00:58:26,754 --> 00:58:29,006 If you see a wandering guy in white. 1005 00:58:29,090 --> 00:58:30,675 JEFF: Steve didn't really want to deal with it. 1006 00:58:30,758 --> 00:58:33,386 So Lee and Thurston were driving around, driving around. 1007 00:58:33,469 --> 00:58:37,265 They finally spotted him in a hotel parking lot, I believe in Jersey. 1008 00:58:38,474 --> 00:58:39,725 THURSTON: There he is. LEE: Really? 1009 00:58:39,809 --> 00:58:43,437 THURSTON: Yeah. He's walking over here. LEE: Let's go get him. 1010 00:58:43,604 --> 00:58:45,564 THURSTON: Steve is totally, totally pissed off. 1011 00:58:45,648 --> 00:58:46,691 DANIEL: He's freaked out. 1012 00:58:46,774 --> 00:58:48,609 THURSTON: Yeah, he's freaked out and he's not gonna... 1013 00:58:48,693 --> 00:58:51,862 DANIEL: He was gonna call my parents and my parents will put me in a mental home. 1014 00:58:51,946 --> 00:58:54,573 LEE: The best thing to do at this point, you have a bus ticket, 1015 00:58:54,657 --> 00:58:56,492 - I think you should use it. - DANIEL: I'm not going home. 1016 00:58:56,575 --> 00:59:00,037 I'm on a mission from God and I have two more weeks to spend in this town. 1017 00:59:00,121 --> 00:59:03,624 LEE: The situation here for you now is not the best that it could be. 1018 00:59:03,874 --> 00:59:07,753 And we really don't know what to do, I mean, you're a long way from home, 1019 00:59:07,837 --> 00:59:08,838 and we don't... 1020 00:59:08,921 --> 00:59:10,214 DANIEL: Listen, I called my manager 1021 00:59:10,298 --> 00:59:12,383 and I started to talk to him about it and was I going to... 1022 00:59:12,466 --> 00:59:13,759 LEE: Jeff? DANIEL: Yeah, I was going to warn him 1023 00:59:13,843 --> 00:59:15,803 not to say anything to my parents. 1024 00:59:15,886 --> 00:59:18,139 I was going to say, "if you say anything to my parents, 1025 00:59:18,222 --> 00:59:19,598 "I'm gonna fire you." 1026 00:59:19,682 --> 00:59:22,018 And I was saying, "This is a warning and this is a threat." 1027 00:59:22,101 --> 00:59:24,103 And he says, "I don't wanna hear any of your damn threats." 1028 00:59:24,186 --> 00:59:25,396 And he hung up on me. My manager. 1029 00:59:25,479 --> 00:59:28,357 Now, don't you see the Devil? The Devil Satan 1030 00:59:28,566 --> 00:59:31,193 is trying to stop me from staying in this town? 1031 00:59:31,277 --> 00:59:33,446 Don't you see how clear that is? 1032 00:59:33,529 --> 00:59:38,117 JEFF: He just would not go home and was determined to stay in New York. 1033 00:59:38,993 --> 00:59:40,786 He ended up on the Bowery, in a men's shelter, 1034 00:59:40,870 --> 00:59:44,081 where he was assaulted once or twice, lost some possessions. 1035 00:59:44,332 --> 00:59:45,958 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 1036 00:59:47,043 --> 00:59:49,670 JEFF: At this point, Daniel is homeless and hungry 1037 00:59:49,754 --> 00:59:51,255 and having the time of his life 1038 00:59:51,339 --> 00:59:53,632 while everybody else is completely freaked out. 1039 00:59:53,716 --> 00:59:55,259 His parents, myself, his hosts. 1040 00:59:55,343 --> 00:59:58,554 We don't know what to do, whereas Daniel doesn't even realize there's a problem. 1041 01:00:00,014 --> 01:00:03,559 Finally, a couple of friends made arrangements to take him to the bus station, 1042 01:00:03,642 --> 01:00:04,935 to buy him a ticket to go back home. 1043 01:00:05,019 --> 01:00:07,521 They thought they saw him getting on the bus. 1044 01:00:07,605 --> 01:00:11,525 The next thing they know, two days later, Daniel is spotted back in New York City. 1045 01:00:11,609 --> 01:00:13,944 He'd spent some time in Bellevue, a day or two, 1046 01:00:14,028 --> 01:00:17,114 was released due to a clerical error and actually opened for Fire-hose 1047 01:00:17,198 --> 01:00:18,824 at CBGB's that night. 1048 01:00:19,367 --> 01:00:21,202 (DANIEL SINGING) 1049 01:00:31,504 --> 01:00:34,632 JEFF: After the CBGB's gig, he did his two songs and left. 1050 01:00:34,715 --> 01:00:35,883 All anybody could think of 1051 01:00:35,966 --> 01:00:39,553 was, "We've got to get him home before he either kills somebody or gets killed." 1052 01:00:39,637 --> 01:00:41,597 His goal in New York was to become famous. 1053 01:00:41,680 --> 01:00:45,226 And I think he accomplished his goal by the time he left. 1054 01:00:46,602 --> 01:00:49,397 (PEOPLE SINGING) At The Cross At The Cross 1055 01:00:49,480 --> 01:00:51,315 JEFF: When Daniel returned home from New York, 1056 01:00:51,399 --> 01:00:55,778 he was hospitalized almost immediately and let out way too soon in my opinion. 1057 01:00:56,362 --> 01:00:58,239 (MABEL SPEAKING) 1058 01:01:01,325 --> 01:01:02,952 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 1059 01:01:05,413 --> 01:01:06,455 (MABEL SPEAKING) 1060 01:01:07,123 --> 01:01:08,666 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 1061 01:01:08,749 --> 01:01:09,750 (MABEL SPEAKING) 1062 01:01:18,634 --> 01:01:20,594 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 1063 01:01:28,602 --> 01:01:31,647 JEFF: Just a few weeks later he traveled to Maryland 1064 01:01:31,730 --> 01:01:33,190 to record with Jad Fair. 1065 01:01:33,274 --> 01:01:35,860 DAVID FAIR: Putting Jad and Daniel together was. .. 1066 01:01:35,943 --> 01:01:38,028 I mean, I think they're both geniuses. 1067 01:01:38,112 --> 01:01:41,448 So if you put them together, you know, I don't see how that could miss. 1068 01:01:41,574 --> 01:01:43,450 I think you get like two, 1069 01:01:44,660 --> 01:01:49,456 you know, two giants together and it's gigantic. 1070 01:01:49,957 --> 01:01:54,253 (SINGING) If I'd only known I could have said something sooner 1071 01:01:55,045 --> 01:01:57,965 But I didn't, so I didn't and now it's done 1072 01:01:58,716 --> 01:02:02,761 The last thing I'd do was the first thing you did 1073 01:02:03,762 --> 01:02:06,140 What we once had is all gone 1074 01:02:12,897 --> 01:02:16,942 FAIR: He had a white T-shin' on or white painter pants maybe or something, he has... 1075 01:02:17,026 --> 01:02:19,403 - Actually he was dressed all in white. - All white. 1076 01:02:19,486 --> 01:02:21,322 During that time period. 1077 01:02:22,156 --> 01:02:26,035 He thought it would be the Christian thing to do, to dress in white. 1078 01:02:26,118 --> 01:02:27,077 Yeah. 1079 01:02:27,161 --> 01:02:31,498 JAD: David invited Daniel and me to his home to have dinner. 1080 01:02:31,916 --> 01:02:36,629 Back then, the movie, My Dinner with Andre was very popular. 1081 01:02:37,213 --> 01:02:41,175 And we decided, well, let's have My Dinner With Daniel, 1082 01:02:41,300 --> 01:02:42,760 and film that. 1083 01:02:42,843 --> 01:02:45,471 And we'll just be talking during dinnertime. 1084 01:02:45,554 --> 01:02:50,017 DANIEL: So I went to college right across the river from where the funeral home is. 1085 01:02:50,100 --> 01:02:54,396 There was this girl there, and as soon as I saw her, you know, 1086 01:02:55,272 --> 01:02:58,108 I swear to God, it looked like she was glowing, you know. 1087 01:02:58,192 --> 01:03:00,361 JAD: Daniel wanted to direct. 1088 01:03:00,444 --> 01:03:03,781 Stand right there, the cameraman, and you sit in the chair. 1089 01:03:03,864 --> 01:03:07,576 JAD: He had very specific ideas for everything. 1090 01:03:07,701 --> 01:03:10,412 FAIR: You know, he would figure out shots, he'd change angles. 1091 01:03:10,496 --> 01:03:13,999 I mean, at the beginning of the evening it was a film I had in mind. 1092 01:03:14,083 --> 01:03:17,211 Very soon it became, you know, somebody else's film. 1093 01:03:17,294 --> 01:03:19,088 Film the chair, okay? 1094 01:03:19,171 --> 01:03:22,299 FAIR: The highlight probably, though, was when Daniel started playing the songs. 1095 01:03:22,383 --> 01:03:25,678 I mean, at one point when he started weeping, you know, this is... 1096 01:03:25,761 --> 01:03:28,264 You know, where are you gonna see a performance like that? 1097 01:03:28,347 --> 01:03:32,142 (SINGING) I saw my own heart laying 1098 01:03:34,728 --> 01:03:37,731 Black With blood 1099 01:03:45,030 --> 01:03:48,534 Don't play cards with Satan 1100 01:03:49,201 --> 01:03:51,203 He'll deal you 1101 01:03:52,496 --> 01:03:54,456 An awful hand 1102 01:03:54,707 --> 01:03:56,834 FAIR: When we dropped him off at the bus station, 1103 01:03:56,917 --> 01:03:58,627 I don't think anything really seemed strange. 1104 01:03:58,711 --> 01:04:03,132 I don't think he seemed different from how he had been all week long. 1105 01:04:03,549 --> 01:04:06,885 JAD: He had a ticket to go to his parents' home, 1106 01:04:06,969 --> 01:04:09,471 in Chester, West Virginia, 1107 01:04:10,055 --> 01:04:14,601 which is only about a five-hour bus ride. 1108 01:04:15,060 --> 01:04:17,229 And we thought he'd be fine. 1109 01:04:17,855 --> 01:04:21,275 (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING) 1110 01:04:30,951 --> 01:04:33,495 JEFF: Just some great, great music and art came out of this week. 1111 01:04:33,579 --> 01:04:37,833 But unfortunately, he went off his meds again and had problems when he left. 1112 01:04:38,125 --> 01:04:39,877 He took a bus back to West Virginia, 1113 01:04:39,960 --> 01:04:44,173 got off a little too soon and was completely delusional, 1114 01:04:44,256 --> 01:04:46,925 thought that everybody was possessed by Satan. 1115 01:04:47,009 --> 01:04:50,637 It was very early in the morning, maybe 6:00, 7:00 in the morning. 1116 01:05:08,155 --> 01:05:10,032 He was making noise in the street. 1117 01:05:10,115 --> 01:05:13,410 An elderly woman came to her window, asked him to be quiet, 1118 01:05:13,494 --> 01:05:16,497 and that set off another major incident. 1119 01:05:16,830 --> 01:05:18,165 DICK: And the next thing she knew, 1120 01:05:18,248 --> 01:05:20,250 he was coming up the stairs in the apartment building 1121 01:05:20,334 --> 01:05:22,336 and pounding on the door. 1122 01:05:22,586 --> 01:05:26,090 And whatever he was saying and whatever his demeanor was, 1123 01:05:26,215 --> 01:05:27,841 was enough to terrify her such that 1124 01:05:27,925 --> 01:05:31,345 she felt like the only thing she could do was jump out of the second story window. 1125 01:05:31,428 --> 01:05:33,597 And, of course, she broke both her ankles. 1126 01:05:33,680 --> 01:05:35,349 (DOG BARKING) 1127 01:05:37,643 --> 01:05:40,437 And she was an elderly woman, from church. 1128 01:05:41,105 --> 01:05:43,941 (FOOTSTEPS PATTERING) 1129 01:05:56,412 --> 01:05:59,206 The law pretty well takes over when he gets into trouble. 1130 01:06:00,082 --> 01:06:03,377 The law stepped in and took Dan away from us. 1131 01:06:15,139 --> 01:06:17,391 (DANIEL SPEAKING ON PHONE) 1132 01:06:21,228 --> 01:06:22,646 (LOUIS SPEAKING ON PHONE) 1133 01:07:05,856 --> 01:07:08,859 JEFF: He was quite busy during this time writing me audio letters 1134 01:07:08,942 --> 01:07:10,944 with all sorts of instructions. 1135 01:07:11,195 --> 01:07:14,865 DANIEL: Earth to Jeff Tartakov, ten four come three. 1136 01:07:14,948 --> 01:07:17,493 This is a message from Daniel Dale Johnston. 1137 01:07:17,743 --> 01:07:20,037 Here with a few ideas I'd like to do. 1138 01:07:20,245 --> 01:07:23,123 First of all I wish that The Beatles would reunite 1139 01:07:23,248 --> 01:07:25,042 and back me up as a band. 1140 01:07:25,792 --> 01:07:29,379 JEFF: He continued to want me to get in touch with people like Yoko Ono. 1141 01:07:29,463 --> 01:07:31,340 But he also had some additional ideas. 1142 01:07:31,423 --> 01:07:34,259 He wanted to be a spokesperson for Mountain Dew. 1143 01:07:34,343 --> 01:07:38,013 DANIEL: This is Daniel Johnston speaking from a mental hospital. 1144 01:07:38,096 --> 01:07:39,890 They tell me I'm crazy here, 1145 01:07:39,973 --> 01:07:43,894 because I love the Mountain Dew so much. I can't get enough of the Mountain Dew. 1146 01:07:43,977 --> 01:07:47,272 (SINGING) I was sinking deep in sin 1147 01:07:47,356 --> 01:07:49,858 Far from Mountain Dew 1148 01:07:50,192 --> 01:07:54,655 I had problems out within Nothing that I could do 1149 01:07:55,280 --> 01:07:59,826 But the Mountain Dew came to me and I drank it all up 1150 01:08:00,160 --> 01:08:04,414 Now I'm happy as can be, oh Mountain Dew 1151 01:08:04,790 --> 01:08:09,002 We drink Mountain Dew We drink Mountain Dew 1152 01:08:09,253 --> 01:08:13,382 We have nothing better to do but drink Mountain Dew 1153 01:08:13,840 --> 01:08:18,178 We drink Mountain Dew We drink Mountain Dew 1154 01:08:18,512 --> 01:08:24,184 No thing better to do than to drink Mountain Dew 1155 01:08:24,476 --> 01:08:26,520 Yahoo! Mountain Dew. 1156 01:08:26,645 --> 01:08:28,897 It's the new sensation. 1157 01:08:28,981 --> 01:08:31,733 The best, the greatest, the most fantastic. 1158 01:08:31,817 --> 01:08:36,446 The most sensational soda pop in the cosmic universe. 1159 01:08:36,822 --> 01:08:39,366 Mountain Dew! 1160 01:08:40,867 --> 01:08:42,995 (WIND WHOOSHING) 1161 01:08:45,038 --> 01:08:46,623 (WHOOPING) 1162 01:08:47,291 --> 01:08:49,042 Out come the demons. 1163 01:08:49,126 --> 01:08:50,460 (VOCALIZING) 1164 01:08:50,544 --> 01:08:54,131 Demons, demons, demons, drink the Mountain Dew. 1165 01:08:54,673 --> 01:08:59,011 I sent that off to the Pepsi Corporation, but unfortunately never got a response. 1166 01:08:59,219 --> 01:09:01,930 So it's 1990, we hear Daniel's better. 1167 01:09:02,014 --> 01:09:03,765 We hear he's gotten... Put on a lot of weight. 1168 01:09:03,849 --> 01:09:06,435 But we hear, you know, he's doing his meds, he's under control. 1169 01:09:06,518 --> 01:09:09,062 So we invite him to play the Austin Music Awards show. 1170 01:09:09,187 --> 01:09:11,064 And to come and play South by Southwest. 1171 01:09:11,148 --> 01:09:13,025 And everybody's very excited about this. 1172 01:09:13,108 --> 01:09:15,319 Now his rep has really, really grown. 1173 01:09:15,402 --> 01:09:19,156 Tartakov has really been getting those tapes out there. Tartakov's really working it. 1174 01:09:19,239 --> 01:09:21,074 Daniel sends me a comic, 1175 01:09:21,408 --> 01:09:24,494 about how Daniel's coming back to Austin to play the Music Awards. 1176 01:09:24,578 --> 01:09:27,331 How he's gonna get laid. How all the girls should be ready for him. 1177 01:09:27,414 --> 01:09:30,792 And the last page is this whole thing about the Devil 1178 01:09:31,043 --> 01:09:34,004 being really excited that Daniel's coming back to Austin, 1179 01:09:34,087 --> 01:09:36,089 'cause of all the mayhem he can cause. 1180 01:09:37,382 --> 01:09:41,345 Whenever Daniel was gonna perform, starting around now, he went off his meds, 1181 01:09:41,428 --> 01:09:43,180 for a couple of weeks before the performance. 1182 01:09:43,263 --> 01:09:46,099 Because he knew the performance would be better the crazier he was. 1183 01:09:46,183 --> 01:09:48,560 The more real he was, the better the performance would be. 1184 01:09:48,644 --> 01:09:50,020 But nobody really knew this at the time. 1185 01:09:53,607 --> 01:09:56,818 (SINGING SHAKILY) I took my lucky break and broke it 1186 01:09:57,069 --> 01:09:58,278 Try it again. 1187 01:09:59,529 --> 01:10:01,948 As a professional, you know, performer, 1188 01:10:02,032 --> 01:10:05,786 I haven't performed, you know, for two years. So... 1189 01:10:05,994 --> 01:10:07,579 (PEOPLE APPLAUDING) 1190 01:10:09,456 --> 01:10:11,416 I'm barely doing it now. 1191 01:10:11,792 --> 01:10:13,669 JEFF: He flew to town with his dad. 1192 01:10:13,752 --> 01:10:16,546 Did two in-store appearances at record stores. 1193 01:10:16,797 --> 01:10:19,591 Hundreds and hundreds of people turned out. 1194 01:10:19,758 --> 01:10:21,301 People were coming up for autographs 1195 01:10:21,385 --> 01:10:23,553 and he would give them so much more than just an autograph. 1196 01:10:23,637 --> 01:10:26,973 He would take a full sheet of paper and draw a frog, an entire scene. 1197 01:10:29,434 --> 01:10:33,355 This was really the highlight of my career, up until that point. 1198 01:10:33,438 --> 01:10:37,567 Because I was able to see an audience, a large audience, respond to Daniel. 1199 01:10:37,651 --> 01:10:40,987 Palmer Auditorium had 3,000 people there that night. 1200 01:10:41,822 --> 01:10:44,282 (SINGING) Never knowing where you go 1201 01:10:44,366 --> 01:10:45,575 Always running 1202 01:10:45,659 --> 01:10:48,203 Never stopping to see where you're at 1203 01:10:48,286 --> 01:10:50,163 Never looking back 1204 01:10:50,372 --> 01:10:54,167 Nothing seems to slow you down 1205 01:10:54,376 --> 01:10:55,961 (AUDIENCE CHEERING) 1206 01:10:56,294 --> 01:10:58,380 Running water 1207 01:10:58,880 --> 01:11:00,924 Running water 1208 01:11:01,174 --> 01:11:04,261 What are you running from? 1209 01:11:06,054 --> 01:11:11,476 You always seem to be on the run 1210 01:11:13,353 --> 01:11:19,317 You always seem to be on the run 1211 01:11:22,946 --> 01:11:25,031 (AUDIENCE CHEERING) 1212 01:11:25,532 --> 01:11:28,785 JEFF: Daniel was scheduled to play about a 15-minute set, 1213 01:11:28,869 --> 01:11:30,787 but he's not a very good judge of time. 1214 01:11:30,871 --> 01:11:33,081 So he walked off the stage after three songs. 1215 01:11:33,165 --> 01:11:34,624 GIRL: Oh, my God... 1216 01:11:34,791 --> 01:11:36,001 WOMAN: Daniel. 1217 01:11:38,462 --> 01:11:40,464 - Dad? - BILL: Yeah? 1218 01:11:41,089 --> 01:11:43,759 - MAN: You wanna do another, Dan? - They want me to do another song? 1219 01:11:43,842 --> 01:11:45,635 - BILL: You wanna go back? - Okay. 1220 01:11:45,719 --> 01:11:47,763 JEFF: When he finally came out, it was as if 1221 01:11:47,846 --> 01:11:50,056 The Rolling Stones had come back on stage. 1222 01:11:50,891 --> 01:11:52,017 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 1223 01:11:55,020 --> 01:11:59,065 (SINGING) But if this really is love 1224 01:11:59,858 --> 01:12:03,487 then let's get it on, on 1225 01:12:03,695 --> 01:12:04,946 Ooh 1226 01:12:05,030 --> 01:12:06,531 JEFF: During the song Do You Love Me? 1227 01:12:06,615 --> 01:12:08,450 the chorus goes, Do you love me now? 1228 01:12:08,533 --> 01:12:11,661 And you could hear girls in the audience screaming, "Yes!" 1229 01:12:11,745 --> 01:12:12,996 It was Daniel mania. 1230 01:12:13,079 --> 01:12:14,372 (SINGING) Tell me now 1231 01:12:14,456 --> 01:12:15,874 Oh 1232 01:12:15,957 --> 01:12:18,293 Do you really love me? 1233 01:12:20,003 --> 01:12:22,047 Do you really love me? 1234 01:12:23,965 --> 01:12:26,593 Do you really love me? 1235 01:12:26,927 --> 01:12:28,595 (AUDIENCE CHEERING) 1236 01:12:30,222 --> 01:12:32,933 JEFF: The audience was stomping and screaming. 1237 01:12:33,016 --> 01:12:35,811 You could feel the entire floor shaking. 1238 01:12:36,978 --> 01:12:39,481 (SINGING) When they said that love was dead 1239 01:12:39,648 --> 01:12:42,359 They were just playing with your head 1240 01:12:44,361 --> 01:12:45,612 Love is real 1241 01:12:45,695 --> 01:12:47,447 That's the way that I feel 1242 01:12:50,700 --> 01:12:52,118 I love you 1243 01:12:53,995 --> 01:12:56,832 Do you really love me? 1244 01:12:58,667 --> 01:13:01,211 Do you really love me? 1245 01:13:03,380 --> 01:13:05,882 Do you really love me? 1246 01:13:08,927 --> 01:13:10,554 Tell me now 1247 01:13:14,307 --> 01:13:16,309 (AUDIENCE CHEERING) 1248 01:13:16,852 --> 01:13:18,311 Thanks a lot. 1249 01:13:19,437 --> 01:13:21,565 BILL: He was the hit of that show. 1250 01:13:23,316 --> 01:13:26,736 (CHUCKLING) He got standing ovations. Nobody else did. 1251 01:13:27,362 --> 01:13:29,656 But then, he was feeling funny. 1252 01:13:29,823 --> 01:13:32,325 (INDISTINCT TALKING) 1253 01:13:32,450 --> 01:13:35,370 BILL: And right after his last performance we left. 1254 01:13:36,121 --> 01:13:39,457 We passed up interviews and we left. 1255 01:13:42,210 --> 01:13:44,504 (PLANE WHIRRING) 1256 01:13:48,008 --> 01:13:49,676 (SOBBING) 1257 01:13:59,060 --> 01:14:00,896 (FEUERZEIG SPEAKING) 1258 01:14:04,024 --> 01:14:05,233 Well... 1259 01:14:06,568 --> 01:14:10,572 It shouldn't have happened, but Dan was secretly ducking his medicine. 1260 01:14:11,364 --> 01:14:14,367 I was giving it to him, but he was chucking it. 1261 01:14:20,916 --> 01:14:22,375 (FEUERZEIG SPEAKING) 1262 01:14:34,554 --> 01:14:36,139 Captain America? 1263 01:14:36,431 --> 01:14:37,474 (FEUERZEIG SPEAKING) 1264 01:14:38,099 --> 01:14:39,142 (CLEARS THROAT) 1265 01:14:39,225 --> 01:14:43,271 No, he thought he was Casper. He was reading a Casper comic book. 1266 01:14:44,064 --> 01:14:46,483 There's a picture on the front of the book, 1267 01:14:46,566 --> 01:14:48,818 of Casper and a parachute. 1268 01:14:49,611 --> 01:14:53,531 And Dan decided, "Let's bail out. 1269 01:14:53,782 --> 01:14:56,284 "Let's jump out." I said, "No. We can't do that. 1270 01:14:56,368 --> 01:14:59,746 "We don't have any parachutes." So his mind was gone. 1271 01:14:59,955 --> 01:15:03,249 Eventually, he took the key out, 1272 01:15:03,333 --> 01:15:06,461 turned the engine off, and threw the key out the window. 1273 01:15:06,753 --> 01:15:08,338 FEUERZEIG: How did you recover the flight? 1274 01:15:08,421 --> 01:15:11,925 Well, he grabbed the controls, took the plane away from me. 1275 01:15:12,008 --> 01:15:14,177 He's stronger than me. 1276 01:15:14,928 --> 01:15:18,473 We were kind of going straight up and then straight down. 1277 01:15:19,599 --> 01:15:23,520 But he kind of let go in time for me to get it out of the spin. 1278 01:15:26,439 --> 01:15:28,608 Nothing down there but trees. 1279 01:15:31,903 --> 01:15:34,781 (CLEARS THROAT) But I'd had training on ditching in trees, 1280 01:15:36,324 --> 01:15:40,912 so I didn't stall it in, I flew it into the trees, between two big ones. 1281 01:15:42,956 --> 01:15:44,708 And we got out safe. 1282 01:15:45,583 --> 01:15:47,877 But the plane was a total loss. 1283 01:15:48,586 --> 01:15:51,715 The family came and got us, got me. 1284 01:15:51,798 --> 01:15:54,968 We put him in a hospital and left him there for five months. 1285 01:15:55,051 --> 01:15:57,470 There's Dan. He's had a good time, 1286 01:15:57,554 --> 01:16:01,266 because he thought that was great, coming down in a spin. 1287 01:16:01,725 --> 01:16:03,518 He was all mixed-up. 1288 01:16:03,601 --> 01:16:07,939 He felt like he did something good and he wanted us to be proud of him. 1289 01:16:08,148 --> 01:16:12,736 There's Dan being rolled into the emergency room. 1290 01:16:13,028 --> 01:16:15,363 They passed a Church of Christ, 1291 01:16:15,655 --> 01:16:18,742 and to Bill and Dick's amazement, 1292 01:16:18,950 --> 01:16:23,455 this sign was on the Church of Christ bulletin board out front. 1293 01:16:23,705 --> 01:16:29,669 "God promises a safe landing but not a calm voyage." 1294 01:16:36,426 --> 01:16:40,346 (DANIEL SINGING) In the sky 1295 01:16:42,807 --> 01:16:46,394 The number seven 1296 01:16:48,354 --> 01:16:53,401 The Devil defeated 1297 01:16:57,572 --> 01:17:02,368 The new Jerusalem 1298 01:17:06,623 --> 01:17:08,374 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 1299 01:17:22,097 --> 01:17:23,139 (PEOPLE SINGING HYMN) 1300 01:17:23,223 --> 01:17:25,809 JEFF: The Johnstons moved to Waller, Texas in late 1991 1301 01:17:25,892 --> 01:17:29,479 and I believe Daniel began having some problems fairly immediately 1302 01:17:29,562 --> 01:17:32,857 and ended up back in the Austin State Hospital. 1303 01:17:33,066 --> 01:17:37,529 During this time his career continued to reach for the stars. 1304 01:17:38,530 --> 01:17:40,532 Bands were covering his songs left and right. 1305 01:17:40,615 --> 01:17:43,868 Kurt Cobain of the band Nirvana wore his T-shirt on MTV 1306 01:17:43,952 --> 01:17:45,662 at the MTV Music Awards Show 1307 01:17:45,745 --> 01:17:47,747 which was seen by millions of people. 1308 01:17:47,831 --> 01:17:49,290 He had had the shirt for a few months. 1309 01:17:49,374 --> 01:17:51,543 Apparently, a writer that I had given the shirt to, 1310 01:17:51,626 --> 01:17:53,878 a guy named Everett True, had given it to Kurt. 1311 01:17:53,962 --> 01:17:56,673 And the next thing you know, he's wearing it not only on national TV 1312 01:17:56,756 --> 01:17:57,757 but everywhere he goes. 1313 01:17:57,841 --> 01:18:01,052 And over the next several months, every single photo shot he did, 1314 01:18:01,136 --> 01:18:02,345 he was wearing this shirt. 1315 01:18:02,428 --> 01:18:05,765 And just a tremendous amount of publicity came Daniel's way due to this. 1316 01:18:05,849 --> 01:18:08,226 Suddenly everybody knew who Daniel was. 1317 01:18:08,434 --> 01:18:12,897 It was just incredible that a T-shirt could fuel this kind of a frenzy. Um... 1318 01:18:13,189 --> 01:18:15,775 The T-shirt had many, many thousands of fans 1319 01:18:15,859 --> 01:18:17,861 that wanted to know more about the T-shirt. 1320 01:18:17,944 --> 01:18:20,196 And wanted to hear the T-shirt, and see the T-shirt 1321 01:18:20,280 --> 01:18:21,656 and get to know the T-shirt. 1322 01:18:21,781 --> 01:18:25,618 Meanwhile, Daniel's in a hospital and has no idea who Nirvana even is. 1323 01:18:25,702 --> 01:18:29,998 And within a matter of days, I get a call from a guy named Terry Tolkin, 1324 01:18:30,081 --> 01:18:32,625 who's an A&R executive for Elektra Records. 1325 01:18:32,792 --> 01:18:36,129 And we got into a long conversation that ended with him saying, 1326 01:18:36,212 --> 01:18:37,797 "Well, I'd really like to sign Daniel." 1327 01:18:37,881 --> 01:18:40,800 Terry and I met for a couple of days, hung out and discussed everything 1328 01:18:40,884 --> 01:18:42,135 that needed to be discussed. 1329 01:18:42,218 --> 01:18:45,221 And then it was time to take him over to the hospital and meet with Daniel. 1330 01:18:45,305 --> 01:18:46,514 And we sat in the waiting room, 1331 01:18:46,598 --> 01:18:50,101 Daniel came out, and we had a business meeting for about 30, 45 minutes, 1332 01:18:50,185 --> 01:18:53,688 and it went as well as a meeting can possibly go in a mental institution 1333 01:18:53,771 --> 01:18:57,317 between a vice president of a record label and a patient. 1334 01:18:57,567 --> 01:18:59,277 We were trying to structure a contract 1335 01:18:59,360 --> 01:19:02,655 that took his delicate situation into consideration. 1336 01:19:02,739 --> 01:19:07,202 It's not every day that a major label signs somebody who's in a mental institution. 1337 01:19:07,493 --> 01:19:09,704 They were looking out for Daniel's best interests. 1338 01:19:09,787 --> 01:19:13,541 There was a clause in there about his mental health, about providing a doctor, 1339 01:19:13,625 --> 01:19:15,710 about how he would never have to tour, 1340 01:19:15,793 --> 01:19:19,422 about how he could never be dropped for failure to promote a record. 1341 01:19:19,505 --> 01:19:21,591 And they looked at it as a long-term project. 1342 01:19:21,674 --> 01:19:24,677 It wouldn't be just one record, it would be a career. 1343 01:19:25,178 --> 01:19:29,224 It was probably the most one-sided contract in the favor of artists' rights 1344 01:19:29,307 --> 01:19:31,559 that had ever been drawn up, up until that time. 1345 01:19:32,685 --> 01:19:35,772 We obviously had to get Daniel well, get him out of the hospital. 1346 01:19:35,855 --> 01:19:38,816 And over the next few months, Daniel continued to improve, 1347 01:19:38,900 --> 01:19:40,652 but it was very slow. 1348 01:19:40,735 --> 01:19:43,446 We bided our time, did what we could for him 1349 01:19:43,529 --> 01:19:47,242 and just kept waiting for the day when he would be released. 1350 01:19:47,325 --> 01:19:51,287 Yves Beauvais of Atlantic Records contacted me around that time, 1351 01:19:51,371 --> 01:19:53,539 wanting to know what was Daniel's situation. 1352 01:19:53,623 --> 01:19:56,918 And I told him, "Well, we're fairly close to signing with Elektra." 1353 01:19:57,001 --> 01:20:00,713 His boss, Danny Goldberg, who was the head of Atlantic Records, 1354 01:20:00,797 --> 01:20:03,132 formerly worked with Kurt Cobain as their manager. 1355 01:20:03,216 --> 01:20:05,969 And he wasn't familiar with Daniel's music, 1356 01:20:06,052 --> 01:20:09,180 but he certainly knew who the guy in the T-shirt was. 1357 01:20:09,264 --> 01:20:12,642 And the next thing you know, I've got a bidding war on my hands. 1358 01:20:12,725 --> 01:20:14,185 Daniel's in a mental hospital 1359 01:20:14,269 --> 01:20:17,480 and I've got two major labels trying to outbid each other. 1360 01:20:17,563 --> 01:20:21,234 Suddenly, we're looking at a $100,000 possibility. 1361 01:20:21,818 --> 01:20:25,571 Once Daniel was released from the hospital, I was trying to get help for him. 1362 01:20:25,655 --> 01:20:29,117 I was working with his parents, trying to make doctor's appointments for him. 1363 01:20:29,200 --> 01:20:32,328 And Daniel thought he was fine. He did not want to see the doctor. 1364 01:20:32,412 --> 01:20:34,497 And Elektra wanted him to sign this contract 1365 01:20:34,580 --> 01:20:37,083 and Daniel was paranoid about that. 1366 01:20:37,250 --> 01:20:39,877 He was afraid that Elektra was Satanic. 1367 01:20:40,003 --> 01:20:42,672 Um, they had a band on their roster called Metallica. 1368 01:20:42,755 --> 01:20:45,341 He was concerned that they were going to beat him and kill him. 1369 01:20:45,425 --> 01:20:48,553 And he could not be convinced that he was safe. 1370 01:20:49,012 --> 01:20:51,264 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 1371 01:20:57,770 --> 01:20:59,814 His delusions would just not go away. 1372 01:20:59,897 --> 01:21:03,901 He was convinced that Elektra was evil and that I was evil. 1373 01:21:03,985 --> 01:21:07,071 Elektra had to be evil because they were tied to me. 1374 01:21:07,155 --> 01:21:09,198 And so the deal died. 1375 01:21:09,282 --> 01:21:12,201 And this was the deal I had been working for seven years for. 1376 01:21:12,285 --> 01:21:15,663 This is the deal I had been working for 30 something years for. 1377 01:21:15,747 --> 01:21:18,624 It was what I had been building towards my whole life. 1378 01:21:19,834 --> 01:21:22,545 Jeffrey Tartakov is really a lot like Broadway Danny Rose. 1379 01:21:22,628 --> 01:21:23,838 Have you ever seen that movie? 1380 01:21:23,921 --> 01:21:26,007 This guy loves his acts. 1381 01:21:26,090 --> 01:21:27,258 Never took a lesson. 1382 01:21:27,342 --> 01:21:30,011 KATHY". He lives to make them successful. 1383 01:21:30,386 --> 01:21:33,848 And that's the way Jeff always was with Daniel. 1384 01:21:33,931 --> 01:21:36,559 Jeff literally was like that old time kind of manager 1385 01:21:36,642 --> 01:21:39,645 you hear about, and you read about, and people make movies about. 1386 01:21:39,729 --> 01:21:42,398 This sort of person who lived for the good of his client. 1387 01:21:42,482 --> 01:21:44,400 The man would be perfect for your room. 1388 01:21:44,484 --> 01:21:48,988 KATHY: He literally devoted his life 100% to Daniel Johnston, 1389 01:21:49,322 --> 01:21:51,657 for all the years where nothing was happening. 1390 01:21:51,741 --> 01:21:54,827 And then right when Daniel was poised 1391 01:21:54,911 --> 01:21:58,373 to get an international bidding war on his career, 1392 01:21:58,456 --> 01:22:02,668 he just completely dropped him like a hot potato for absolutely no reason. 1393 01:22:02,752 --> 01:22:05,296 - I gotta make a few changes. - What kind of changes? 1394 01:22:05,380 --> 01:22:06,756 Like management. 1395 01:22:08,424 --> 01:22:12,595 What do you mean "management"? Like, what do you mean "management"? 1396 01:22:12,929 --> 01:22:15,848 I was fired so many times over the years, 1397 01:22:15,932 --> 01:22:17,392 and over these months specifically, 1398 01:22:17,475 --> 01:22:20,103 that it's hard to tell which one actually counted. 1399 01:22:20,186 --> 01:22:24,774 But I continued trying to work things out, until I received a call one day 1400 01:22:24,857 --> 01:22:26,359 from a guy named Tom Gimbel, 1401 01:22:26,442 --> 01:22:29,237 who informed me that he was Daniel's new manager. 1402 01:22:29,737 --> 01:22:31,406 I felt like a failure at that time. 1403 01:22:31,489 --> 01:22:35,284 I felt like I was the biggest failure and loser in the world. 1404 01:22:42,291 --> 01:22:44,836 (DANIEL SINGING) I love that girl so much 1405 01:22:45,711 --> 01:22:48,714 I can't get enough of her love 1406 01:22:48,798 --> 01:22:50,842 Crazy love 1407 01:22:51,217 --> 01:22:54,637 (TAPE CHEWING) She walks on down the street 1408 01:23:06,232 --> 01:23:07,692 (PIANO PLAYING) 1409 01:23:19,454 --> 01:23:23,958 BILL: Living with Dan in the same house is something that is not easy 1410 01:23:24,041 --> 01:23:25,835 to get along with at times. 1411 01:23:26,335 --> 01:23:29,797 We have kind of worked out a system that works a little bit for us. 1412 01:23:29,881 --> 01:23:34,051 It's past noon and Dan has been asleep since we got up this morning. 1413 01:23:34,260 --> 01:23:36,804 We get up about 7:00 and he's still sleeping. 1414 01:23:36,888 --> 01:23:40,308 That gives us that half of the day without Dan. 1415 01:23:40,850 --> 01:23:44,812 And we appreciate that as a relief because the minute he gets up, 1416 01:23:45,188 --> 01:23:48,983 he'll want us to make him some tea, he'll want something to eat, 1417 01:23:49,108 --> 01:23:52,153 he'll want to go... "Are we going shopping today?" 1418 01:23:52,236 --> 01:23:54,864 Every other day he wants to go shopping. 1419 01:23:54,947 --> 01:23:57,700 We try to take him somewhere every week. 1420 01:23:58,201 --> 01:24:01,621 And we take him to church with us at least once a week. 1421 01:24:01,746 --> 01:24:05,917 And we take him to the mall or to a local Wal-Mart once a week. 1422 01:24:06,167 --> 01:24:10,171 And then his friends come to see him, and take him to practice. 1423 01:24:10,254 --> 01:24:14,091 The band that he's working with now will practice once a week. 1424 01:24:14,300 --> 01:24:17,053 DANIEL: Yeah, I think... You wanna do it one more time? 1425 01:24:17,136 --> 01:24:19,138 Turn the, uh... Okay, that's good. 1426 01:24:20,181 --> 01:24:21,849 Testing! Okay- 1427 01:24:24,352 --> 01:24:26,145 (ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) 1428 01:24:26,896 --> 01:24:31,692 (SINGING) Imagine a world without rock 'n' roll 1429 01:24:31,776 --> 01:24:32,902 There'd be no 1430 01:24:32,985 --> 01:24:35,988 Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I can't hear my vocal. 1431 01:24:36,072 --> 01:24:38,533 JASON NIGHTMARE: We moved here from Ohio about two and a half years ago 1432 01:24:38,616 --> 01:24:41,786 and then we were driving down the road one day, 1433 01:24:41,869 --> 01:24:43,579 toward my grandma's house, who lives here, 1434 01:24:43,663 --> 01:24:46,749 and we saw this guy being attacked by dogs. 1435 01:24:46,832 --> 01:24:50,086 And I told Bridget, "Man, this looks like Daniel Johnston. 1436 01:24:50,169 --> 01:24:52,129 "I think this is Daniel Johnston." 1437 01:24:52,213 --> 01:24:55,508 And she's like, "Oh, no. That's not Daniel Johnston." 1438 01:24:55,591 --> 01:24:59,929 So we... What we did was, we stopped anyway, you know, to help the guy out. 1439 01:25:00,012 --> 01:25:03,558 And Bridget got out of the car and she kicked the dog right in the face 1440 01:25:03,641 --> 01:25:04,934 and it ran off. 1441 01:25:05,017 --> 01:25:09,355 And then Daniel was like, "Hey, do you guys play guitar?" 1442 01:25:13,401 --> 01:25:17,280 (SINGING) He's a man obsessed 1443 01:25:17,363 --> 01:25:18,781 He couldn't be a lover 1444 01:25:18,864 --> 01:25:20,283 So now he's a pest 1445 01:25:20,366 --> 01:25:21,617 He played the game 1446 01:25:21,701 --> 01:25:23,077 But he failed the test 1447 01:25:23,160 --> 01:25:25,371 And now he's a pest He's a pest 1448 01:25:27,540 --> 01:25:28,666 He's a pest 1449 01:25:28,749 --> 01:25:32,712 He said, "Well, how about, um... How about I come over some time?" 1450 01:25:32,795 --> 01:25:35,673 And I said, "Yeah, yeah. Are you Daniel Johnston?" 1451 01:25:35,756 --> 01:25:37,925 He's like, "Yeah. I'm Daniel Johnston. You know who I am?" 1452 01:25:38,009 --> 01:25:41,345 And I thought, well, this is amazing, man. 1453 01:25:41,429 --> 01:25:44,390 Daniel Johnston in Waller. I had no idea that he even lived here. 1454 01:25:45,766 --> 01:25:49,729 (SINGING) The only way you could get her to look at you is to die 1455 01:25:49,812 --> 01:25:51,022 Why don't you die? 1456 01:25:51,105 --> 01:25:53,107 JASON: We got his number and we called him up the next week 1457 01:25:53,190 --> 01:25:56,819 and he came over to the house and we recorded four songs with him 1458 01:25:56,902 --> 01:25:58,487 in, like, one hour. 1459 01:25:58,571 --> 01:26:00,197 (SINGING) He's a man obsessed 1460 01:26:00,281 --> 01:26:01,657 He couldn't be a lover 1461 01:26:01,741 --> 01:26:03,534 So now he's a pest 1462 01:26:03,618 --> 01:26:07,079 We were wondering why we moved to Waller to begin with, you know, we... 1463 01:26:07,163 --> 01:26:08,831 Now we know why we moved to Waller. 1464 01:26:08,914 --> 01:26:11,125 You know... Because, you know, it was heaven sent. 1465 01:26:11,751 --> 01:26:13,085 (VOCALIZING) 1466 01:26:13,711 --> 01:26:15,129 He's a pest 1467 01:26:16,756 --> 01:26:18,090 He's a pest 1468 01:26:19,258 --> 01:26:21,010 Man obsessed 1469 01:26:21,636 --> 01:26:26,265 Daniel started listening to The Beach Boys, like, after we played Pet Sounds for him. 1470 01:26:26,349 --> 01:26:27,433 I think. 1471 01:26:27,558 --> 01:26:30,728 He said he never heard Pet Sounds before, but we played it for him one night 1472 01:26:30,811 --> 01:26:31,854 and he was floored by it. 1473 01:26:31,937 --> 01:26:35,107 And so he went out and bought like every Beach Boys record 1474 01:26:35,191 --> 01:26:36,525 you could possibly imagine. 1475 01:26:44,742 --> 01:26:48,954 I don't know if Brian Wilson and Daniel are very much alike. 1476 01:26:52,166 --> 01:26:55,252 Every time I read something about Daniel in a magazine or something, 1477 01:26:55,336 --> 01:26:57,421 it mentions Brian Wilson. 1478 01:26:57,797 --> 01:27:01,926 I honestly think Daniel is far more brilliant than Brian Wilson is. 1479 01:27:02,301 --> 01:27:04,637 Of course the Beach Boys' music is really far-out, 1480 01:27:04,720 --> 01:27:07,431 but, um, it's not quite Daniel Johnston. 1481 01:27:11,727 --> 01:27:15,981 I read the story of Brian Wilson that he wrote himself. 1482 01:27:19,860 --> 01:27:24,323 And he tells that his father was not a fair manager. 1483 01:27:25,157 --> 01:27:27,410 Bill is a fair manager 1484 01:27:27,493 --> 01:27:30,746 and is not after the money for himself. 1485 01:27:31,455 --> 01:27:33,332 He's after it for Dan. 1486 01:27:33,874 --> 01:27:37,420 BILL: Brian Wilson had a lot of the similar characteristics 1487 01:27:37,503 --> 01:27:39,463 and infirmities that Dan has. 1488 01:27:39,547 --> 01:27:43,718 And he went through the same stages of development that Dan has gone through. 1489 01:27:43,801 --> 01:27:48,597 And reading his history, it smacks a whole lot of exactly what's happening to Dan. 1490 01:27:48,681 --> 01:27:51,684 We're learning from it. We don't want to make the same mistakes. 1491 01:27:52,435 --> 01:27:54,603 He did well actually in the end. 1492 01:27:54,687 --> 01:27:57,440 And we'd like Dan to do well, too, 1493 01:27:59,275 --> 01:28:00,776 because he needs to. 1494 01:28:01,861 --> 01:28:03,195 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 1495 01:28:30,347 --> 01:28:32,183 His new songs for the movie? 1496 01:28:32,767 --> 01:28:34,518 (FEUERZEIG SPEAKING) 1497 01:28:35,519 --> 01:28:38,147 lt just depends on when he's in the mood, he will. (CHUCKLING) 1498 01:28:38,230 --> 01:28:42,026 - Yeah, I don't even know my old songs. - Now that's the thing. 1499 01:28:42,359 --> 01:28:46,739 He doesn't remember the tune and he doesn't remember the words. 1500 01:28:47,948 --> 01:28:52,787 (SINGING) I had a dream about you 1501 01:28:54,330 --> 01:28:58,167 You were the queen of quite a few 1502 01:28:59,251 --> 01:29:02,505 And I was there but you didn't care 1503 01:29:02,588 --> 01:29:05,758 I didn't matter somehow 1504 01:29:05,966 --> 01:29:10,471 By the time Glass Eye broke up in 1993, Daniel was still in the mental hospital. 1505 01:29:10,554 --> 01:29:13,974 And he'd been there for a long time and I rather thought, 1506 01:29:14,266 --> 01:29:18,479 the possibility existed, sad as it was, that he might never produce anything again. 1507 01:29:18,562 --> 01:29:21,190 And a lot of the music that he had recorded 1508 01:29:21,273 --> 01:29:24,235 was, to the general populous, unlistenable. 1509 01:29:24,443 --> 01:29:27,947 And I felt like people would maybe never get him and he would just be 1510 01:29:28,030 --> 01:29:31,534 like a flower that bloomed in the desert, you know, and was forgotten. 1511 01:29:31,617 --> 01:29:35,371 So I thought that I would do some of his songs, some of my favorites. 1512 01:29:35,454 --> 01:29:38,666 And do them in such a way that they kind of bloomed 1513 01:29:38,749 --> 01:29:43,045 and became from, like, say a ballpoint and notepaper sketch, 1514 01:29:43,420 --> 01:29:46,257 they kind of came into more of a full color painting. 1515 01:29:46,340 --> 01:29:48,217 So, I decided to make the record. 1516 01:29:48,300 --> 01:29:51,220 And it was so fun working with material that was so good. 1517 01:29:51,303 --> 01:29:54,223 And it's probably the best thing I've ever done. 1518 01:29:54,306 --> 01:29:58,519 And, if I'm remembered for anything ever, it will be for that record. 1519 01:29:58,978 --> 01:30:01,063 JEFF: After the FUN and Kathy McCarty release, 1520 01:30:01,146 --> 01:30:02,815 Daniel and I did not talk for four years. 1521 01:30:02,898 --> 01:30:04,400 I went into such a deep depression 1522 01:30:04,483 --> 01:30:06,652 that I just wanted to have nothing to do with the guy. 1523 01:30:06,735 --> 01:30:09,029 I really could not even listen to his music. 1524 01:30:09,113 --> 01:30:11,740 But I still had this fascination with his artwork. 1525 01:30:11,824 --> 01:30:15,744 I continued to compile my collection purchasing drawings from other sources. 1526 01:30:15,828 --> 01:30:17,246 - How's it going? - MAN: How you doing today? 1527 01:30:17,329 --> 01:30:18,414 Pretty good. Seen Daniel lately? 1528 01:30:18,497 --> 01:30:19,748 Actually, he came by a few months ago. 1529 01:30:19,832 --> 01:30:21,166 We're almost out of what he brought us. 1530 01:30:21,250 --> 01:30:23,586 - I'll take what I can get. - The black and white ones. 1531 01:30:23,669 --> 01:30:24,753 JEFF: Oh, yeah, not bad at all. 1532 01:30:24,837 --> 01:30:27,506 I was occasionally contacted by galleries around the world, 1533 01:30:27,590 --> 01:30:32,094 wanting to show his art, and if it sounded like a good thing, I would help them out. 1534 01:30:32,177 --> 01:30:36,682 We had shows in Berlin, Eindhoven, Paris, Barcelona, 1535 01:30:36,849 --> 01:30:39,602 London, Manchester, New York City, 1536 01:30:39,685 --> 01:30:42,104 Washington D.C., Los Angeles. 1537 01:30:42,187 --> 01:30:44,899 There were really more than I could count, during these four years 1538 01:30:44,982 --> 01:30:47,359 that Daniel and I were not even talking. 1539 01:30:48,319 --> 01:30:51,155 He was beginning to get reviewed in art magazines 1540 01:30:51,238 --> 01:30:54,325 and his art was becoming as well-known as his music. 1541 01:30:54,533 --> 01:30:56,076 (PHONE RINGING) 1542 01:30:56,785 --> 01:30:58,037 JOHN POCHNA: Zero One. 1543 01:30:58,746 --> 01:31:02,750 Uh, do we know for sure what time Daniel's actually gonna play? 1544 01:31:02,833 --> 01:31:05,628 I sort of said around 9:00. Yeah, okay. Yeah, 9:00. 1545 01:31:05,711 --> 01:31:09,715 We're at the corner of Melrose and La Brea. He's here right now. 1546 01:31:12,718 --> 01:31:16,096 You want to get some tape, Don, and we can get started? 1547 01:31:17,222 --> 01:31:19,767 JOHN: The hardest thing to find in art 1548 01:31:19,850 --> 01:31:21,977 is somebody that comes up with something new, 1549 01:31:22,061 --> 01:31:24,271 somebody completely original. 1550 01:31:24,480 --> 01:31:27,232 DON GOEDE: No, it's double stick, so you can put it on the back. 1551 01:31:27,316 --> 01:31:28,317 DANIEL; Oh. 1552 01:31:29,735 --> 01:31:33,322 I'm not looking for people that are part of movements that much. 1553 01:31:33,405 --> 01:31:35,574 I'm more interested in people who are their own movement 1554 01:31:35,658 --> 01:31:37,326 or they're moving beyond any movement. 1555 01:31:37,409 --> 01:31:40,871 Or, you know, are doing things that no movement has thought of. 1556 01:31:41,705 --> 01:31:44,917 I think Daniel Johnston is his own movement. 1557 01:31:45,167 --> 01:31:50,005 He's doing things as original in his way as Joseph Cornell did or Westerman 1558 01:31:50,089 --> 01:31:53,676 or even going back to Marcel Duchamp or Man Ray 1559 01:31:53,759 --> 01:31:57,972 or somebody that just comes up with stuff that, you know, who would've thought it? 1560 01:32:00,265 --> 01:32:03,227 Well, I think it's wrong to put him in that outsider art thing. 1561 01:32:03,310 --> 01:32:06,230 He's as much as an inside as any major artist. 1562 01:32:06,313 --> 01:32:10,109 He's just going in his own direction, doing his own thing, 1563 01:32:10,401 --> 01:32:12,277 which more artists should do. 1564 01:32:12,403 --> 01:32:16,031 An unidentified collector has just bought 1565 01:32:16,115 --> 01:32:18,534 98% of the show. 1566 01:32:19,451 --> 01:32:21,787 And the show has not even started yet. 1567 01:32:21,870 --> 01:32:26,750 We've sold practically every drawing that he brought, except for four. 1568 01:32:26,834 --> 01:32:28,168 That's what happened so far. 1569 01:32:28,252 --> 01:32:32,131 (STAMMERING) And the show has just, uh... You know, we haven't... 1570 01:32:32,840 --> 01:32:34,049 Nobody's showed up yet. 1571 01:32:34,133 --> 01:32:36,593 (CHUCKLING) You know, we're gonna have to start taking orders, I guess. 1572 01:32:36,677 --> 01:32:39,805 I mean, last year his stuff sold pretty fast but not this fast. 1573 01:32:39,888 --> 01:32:42,433 DANIEL: Yeah, there are some themes. You know, I mean, with the artwork. 1574 01:32:42,516 --> 01:32:45,686 I do some Captain Americas, you know, some ducks. 1575 01:32:45,769 --> 01:32:48,439 I do a lot of ducks and they're like my armies 1576 01:32:48,522 --> 01:32:52,401 and sometimes I use them in my battles against Satan. 1577 01:33:01,452 --> 01:33:04,329 JEFF: Daniel's an' mirrors his songwriting in many ways. 1578 01:33:04,413 --> 01:33:06,999 The same characters, the same themes. 1579 01:33:07,082 --> 01:33:10,753 There are plenty of drawings that refer to unrequited love. 1580 01:33:10,836 --> 01:33:14,423 You'll find the same characters such as Casper The Friendly Ghost, 1581 01:33:14,506 --> 01:33:17,676 Captain America. Frankenstein appears quite often. 1582 01:33:18,093 --> 01:33:22,556 You have Joe The Boxer and the Eternal Struggle, the Eternal Battle. 1583 01:33:23,098 --> 01:33:25,642 For two years, all Daniel drew were fight scenes 1584 01:33:25,726 --> 01:33:28,020 of a boxer fighting a creature in the ring. 1585 01:33:28,103 --> 01:33:31,815 The boxer clearly represented Daniel while the creature was evil. 1586 01:33:31,899 --> 01:33:34,610 This was Vile Corrupt from the Hi, How Are You album. 1587 01:33:34,693 --> 01:33:35,778 (BELL RINGING) 1588 01:33:35,861 --> 01:33:37,738 (PEOPLE SCREAMING) 1589 01:33:40,407 --> 01:33:44,495 The piece titled Daniel Johnston's Symbolical Visions is in many ways 1590 01:33:44,578 --> 01:33:46,455 the Rosetta stone of Daniel's art. 1591 01:33:46,538 --> 01:33:51,001 It has all the figures and symbols that appear in so many of his drawings. 1592 01:33:51,085 --> 01:33:54,463 From Kathy McCarty's glasses, to a baby block, 1593 01:33:54,546 --> 01:33:58,050 to the man with the sawed-off head, to torsos. 1594 01:33:58,509 --> 01:34:03,222 All of the familiar figures are there, 666, eyes, the pyramid. 1595 01:34:04,056 --> 01:34:07,184 If you listen to all of Daniel's music and know the songs 1596 01:34:07,267 --> 01:34:10,104 and then look at the drawings, they have added meaning. 1597 01:34:11,438 --> 01:34:14,691 BILL: Sometimes it's very hard to fathom what goes on his mind. 1598 01:34:14,858 --> 01:34:18,695 I can see what he's thinking just day by day in his drawings. 1599 01:34:19,446 --> 01:34:22,116 He will put captions on his drawings 1600 01:34:22,199 --> 01:34:25,452 that are coming right from deep inside. 1601 01:34:25,661 --> 01:34:28,497 And by looking over his shoulder every day, 1602 01:34:28,580 --> 01:34:31,416 I can get a little bit of what goes on in his mind. 1603 01:34:33,418 --> 01:34:37,673 A friend of mine that saw his art that's in the mental health field said, 1604 01:34:40,300 --> 01:34:43,971 "I know Daniel's going to heaven, he's already been to hell." 1605 01:34:44,763 --> 01:34:49,101 She was looking at the artwork and she said, "This is hellacious. 1606 01:34:49,184 --> 01:34:53,021 "I mean, someone tortured..." And I don't even see it that way. 1607 01:34:53,105 --> 01:34:55,858 A lot of his artwork I see as very happy 1608 01:34:55,941 --> 01:34:58,318 and he really believes in love. 1609 01:34:58,610 --> 01:35:01,071 I think he looks for that superhero idea 1610 01:35:01,155 --> 01:35:04,324 of someone's going to rescue or save and be the good guy. 1611 01:35:05,617 --> 01:35:08,120 It's not really a coincidence but, 1612 01:35:08,662 --> 01:35:12,916 I did a tribute album of Daniel's songs and later I went on to marry Daniel's best friend. 1613 01:35:13,000 --> 01:35:15,210 The very first time I went to Daniel's apartment, 1614 01:35:15,294 --> 01:35:16,837 Daniel handed me a book of poetry and said, 1615 01:35:16,920 --> 01:35:17,921 "Oh, you might like this. 1616 01:35:18,005 --> 01:35:20,215 "These are my friend Dave's poems. Why don't you read them?" 1617 01:35:20,299 --> 01:35:23,760 And I loved them. He was instantly my favorite poet. 1618 01:35:23,844 --> 01:35:26,972 Two or three years after Dead Dog's Eyeball came out, 1619 01:35:27,055 --> 01:35:29,683 Dave emailed me and said, "Hi, this is Dave Thornberry. 1620 01:35:29,766 --> 01:35:30,767 "Do you remember me?" 1621 01:35:30,851 --> 01:35:32,561 And I wrote him back like, "Do I remember you? 1622 01:35:32,644 --> 01:35:34,479 "I read your poems all the time, still." 1623 01:35:34,563 --> 01:35:38,233 And I went to visit him, and as soon as we were together, 1624 01:35:38,317 --> 01:35:40,986 it was like, we have to get married. And we did. 1625 01:35:41,069 --> 01:35:44,239 And it was very romantic. We got married two days after we saw each other 1626 01:35:44,323 --> 01:35:46,617 for the first time in 13 years. 1627 01:35:49,161 --> 01:35:50,162 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 1628 01:36:16,521 --> 01:36:20,275 KATHY: Daniel never really talked to me directly about Laurie. 1629 01:36:20,359 --> 01:36:22,903 But, of course, I knew that all the songs were about someone. 1630 01:36:22,986 --> 01:36:26,240 I mean, I knew that he had loved and lost, you know, in his life. 1631 01:36:26,323 --> 01:36:28,992 And I don't think I even ever really thought that all those songs 1632 01:36:29,076 --> 01:36:30,285 were about the same person. 1633 01:36:30,369 --> 01:36:33,330 But after we had broke up, so to speak, 1634 01:36:33,497 --> 01:36:36,667 I began to know more about Laurie. He talked more about Laurie. 1635 01:36:36,750 --> 01:36:41,296 And I began to know like, how huge an obsession, his obsession with Laurie was. 1636 01:36:41,421 --> 01:36:44,591 (SINGING) Love could save me somehow 1637 01:36:44,800 --> 01:36:47,010 But I just can't make it 1638 01:36:48,136 --> 01:36:50,138 DANIEL: Most of my songs are about her. 1639 01:36:50,347 --> 01:36:53,350 You know, because she does, did, and hopefully will love me, 1640 01:36:53,433 --> 01:36:55,102 you know, it keeps me going. 1641 01:36:55,185 --> 01:36:59,147 I'm always thinking about another angle about it when I'm writing a song. 1642 01:37:00,065 --> 01:37:03,277 I think art has always been inspired by beauty. 1643 01:37:05,696 --> 01:37:09,324 I think there have been many artists, uh, throughout history 1644 01:37:09,408 --> 01:37:11,660 who had a major inspiration, 1645 01:37:11,743 --> 01:37:14,913 whether it was a girl, or even just a philosophy. 1646 01:37:17,916 --> 01:37:20,919 That's what I like about life and about art. 1647 01:37:21,295 --> 01:37:24,673 Is that when you write a song, it's just the way that you saw it 1648 01:37:24,756 --> 01:37:26,591 or just the way that it was. 1649 01:37:26,758 --> 01:37:30,762 I think art is the greatest frame of mind 1650 01:37:31,430 --> 01:37:34,725 to express a certain feeling and you'll always have that feeling. 1651 01:37:34,808 --> 01:37:35,851 It's always there. 1652 01:37:35,934 --> 01:37:38,020 (SINGING) So magical 1653 01:37:38,645 --> 01:37:42,816 DAVID: Laurie is his muse but in a completely passive way. 1654 01:37:43,942 --> 01:37:46,903 Laurie is the 17 syllables of haiku 1655 01:37:46,987 --> 01:37:48,947 for him to hang his creativity on. 1656 01:37:49,031 --> 01:37:52,659 That's what she is. She's a structure for him to build on. 1657 01:37:53,535 --> 01:37:56,788 She's not the love of his life. I mean, but she is. 1658 01:37:56,955 --> 01:37:59,416 LOUIS: When I first met Daniel in '85, he was burning with her. 1659 01:37:59,499 --> 01:38:01,543 I mean, she was in his eyes all the time. 1660 01:38:01,626 --> 01:38:03,837 I mean, when he talked about her it was just intense. 1661 01:38:03,920 --> 01:38:06,256 And what's so weird about Daniel is that went away 1662 01:38:06,340 --> 01:38:08,383 and it came back more intense later on 1663 01:38:08,467 --> 01:38:10,719 because he realized it was a really good story. 1664 01:38:10,802 --> 01:38:15,098 (DANIEL SINGING) True love will find you in the end 1665 01:38:19,686 --> 01:38:24,316 You'll find out just who was your friend 1666 01:38:28,070 --> 01:38:31,823 Don't be sad, I know you will 1667 01:38:35,911 --> 01:38:38,663 But don't give up until 1668 01:38:39,831 --> 01:38:44,002 True love will find you in the end 1669 01:38:48,173 --> 01:38:52,844 This is a promise with a catch 1670 01:38:56,765 --> 01:39:01,019 Only if you're looking can it find you 1671 01:39:04,856 --> 01:39:09,069 'Cause true love is searching too 1672 01:39:13,365 --> 01:39:15,992 But how can it recognize you 1673 01:39:16,076 --> 01:39:19,037 Unless you step out into the light? 1674 01:39:19,121 --> 01:39:20,956 The light 1675 01:39:22,040 --> 01:39:25,669 Don't be sad, I know you will 1676 01:39:29,756 --> 01:39:32,884 But don't give up until 1677 01:39:33,885 --> 01:39:38,056 True love will find you in the end 1678 01:39:42,394 --> 01:39:45,147 KATHY: For as much as Daniel has expanded the myth of Laurie, 1679 01:39:45,230 --> 01:39:47,065 it really wasn't that big of a deal, 1680 01:39:47,149 --> 01:39:48,900 except in Daniel's mind. 1681 01:39:49,067 --> 01:39:50,986 But what happened with Jeff really was a big deal. 1682 01:39:51,069 --> 01:39:53,488 And as far as, like a story that breaks your heart, 1683 01:39:53,572 --> 01:39:56,700 that's the story that breaks my heart about Daniel's life. 1684 01:39:56,783 --> 01:39:59,661 Daniel told me that he was sorry about the way he had treated me 1685 01:39:59,744 --> 01:40:02,164 and he admitted that I had been unjustly fired, 1686 01:40:02,247 --> 01:40:04,958 and he told me that he was not right mentally at that time. 1687 01:40:05,041 --> 01:40:08,837 And he really said all the things you would hope to hear from somebody 1688 01:40:08,920 --> 01:40:10,881 who had behaved the way he had behaved. 1689 01:40:10,964 --> 01:40:12,674 He was very sincere 1690 01:40:12,757 --> 01:40:14,759 and I believe he truly felt bad 1691 01:40:14,843 --> 01:40:17,137 about the way things went down between the two of us. 1692 01:40:17,220 --> 01:40:20,098 Even though I wasn't his manager, I still had the back catalog 1693 01:40:20,182 --> 01:40:24,060 and I couldn't just stop. It just made no sense. 1694 01:40:24,186 --> 01:40:25,937 I didn't know what would happen with this music. 1695 01:40:26,021 --> 01:40:29,941 It would have disappeared forever. It wouldn't exist today if I stopped. 1696 01:40:30,275 --> 01:40:31,526 Stress Records is my baby. 1697 01:40:31,610 --> 01:40:35,530 It's a company I started about 23 years ago, and today it exists for the sole purpose 1698 01:40:35,614 --> 01:40:38,533 of spreading the word of Daniel Johnston to the masses. 1699 01:40:38,617 --> 01:40:42,370 I do that by dubbing his cassettes and distributing them myself. 1700 01:40:42,454 --> 01:40:44,039 I advertise them over the internet. 1701 01:40:44,122 --> 01:40:46,666 I take mail orders daily. I work the telephones. 1702 01:40:46,750 --> 01:40:49,878 I send them out to people I know. I do everything I can. 1703 01:40:50,462 --> 01:40:52,172 (MUSIC PLAYING) 1704 01:40:52,964 --> 01:40:55,300 I do it because people need to hear this music. 1705 01:40:55,383 --> 01:40:58,094 The music of Daniel Johnston is something that I think 1706 01:40:58,178 --> 01:41:00,514 everybody needs to at least be exposed to. 1707 01:41:00,597 --> 01:41:02,807 There's really nothing to even compare it to. 1708 01:41:02,891 --> 01:41:06,770 It goes way beyond Dylan's basement recordings or early Robert Johnson 1709 01:41:06,853 --> 01:41:09,523 or any other body of work that I can think of. 1710 01:41:11,066 --> 01:41:15,612 Daniel's been so much better these last few years, it's a miracle. 1711 01:41:15,695 --> 01:41:17,447 It's even difficult for me to grasp the fact 1712 01:41:17,531 --> 01:41:20,408 that he's playing internationally and touring. 1713 01:41:20,617 --> 01:41:22,118 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 1714 01:41:25,664 --> 01:41:26,831 (PEOPLE WHOOPING) 1715 01:41:27,457 --> 01:41:29,501 (ALL SINGING) 1716 01:41:46,268 --> 01:41:48,562 (AUDIENCE CHEERING) 1717 01:41:49,354 --> 01:41:52,023 (ALL CONTINUE SINGING) 1718 01:42:08,915 --> 01:42:10,166 (DANIEL SPEAKING) 1719 01:42:11,042 --> 01:42:13,003 (AUDIENCE CHEERING) 1720 01:42:19,426 --> 01:42:21,678 KATHY: In Daniel's life, everywhere he's gone, 1721 01:42:21,761 --> 01:42:26,224 he leaves this incredible wake behind of creation and destruction. 1722 01:42:26,600 --> 01:42:30,395 He's done all kinds of things, both bad and good, 1723 01:42:30,812 --> 01:42:32,897 but they're all mythic. 1724 01:42:33,315 --> 01:42:37,527 And they're all barely believable, yet they're all true. 1725 01:42:38,153 --> 01:42:40,238 And the kinds of things that he's done in his career, 1726 01:42:40,322 --> 01:42:41,865 are the kinds of things someone would only do 1727 01:42:41,948 --> 01:42:46,620 if they were so self-sabotaging that it was completely mystifying. 1728 01:42:47,037 --> 01:42:49,164 But in terms of creating a legend, 1729 01:42:49,706 --> 01:42:52,334 he's done absolutely everything right. 1730 01:42:56,087 --> 01:43:00,216 (SINGING) He was smiling through his own personal hell 1731 01:43:00,592 --> 01:43:04,304 Dropped his last dime down a wishing well 1732 01:43:04,387 --> 01:43:06,514 But he was hoping too close 1733 01:43:06,598 --> 01:43:08,391 And then he fell 1734 01:43:08,475 --> 01:43:13,271 Now he's Casper the Friendly Ghost 1735 01:43:16,524 --> 01:43:20,570 He was always polite to the people who'd tell him 1736 01:43:20,654 --> 01:43:24,199 That he was nothing but a lazy bum 1737 01:43:24,282 --> 01:43:28,286 But goodbye to them he had to go 1738 01:43:28,453 --> 01:43:31,498 Now he's Casper 1739 01:43:31,665 --> 01:43:34,709 ls Matt Greening here tonight, in the audience somewhere? 1740 01:43:34,793 --> 01:43:36,586 And somebody said, "You gotta listen to this guy." 1741 01:43:36,670 --> 01:43:37,962 And I said, "Which tape should I get?" 1742 01:43:38,296 --> 01:43:40,340 And I was told, "All of them. 1743 01:43:40,423 --> 01:43:42,676 "And it's right. They are all fantastic." 1744 01:43:42,759 --> 01:43:44,886 There's more comics now than there have ever been before 1745 01:43:44,969 --> 01:43:47,180 -and The Simpsons comic looks great. - Thank you. 1746 01:43:47,263 --> 01:43:49,974 I love that. And the superhero, the guy turns into a superhero. 1747 01:43:50,058 --> 01:43:51,726 There should be a Daniel Johnston comic book. 1748 01:43:51,810 --> 01:43:55,021 - MAN: Yeah, there should. - I want to do comics. 1749 01:43:55,105 --> 01:43:56,064 That's what I'm shooting for. 1750 01:43:56,147 --> 01:43:59,150 Good to see you. I'll see you around. I've got to go see your film. 1751 01:43:59,234 --> 01:44:01,945 Fantastic. Keep up the fantastic work. 1752 01:44:02,028 --> 01:44:05,490 - Call me. - I want to do some music for you. Okay? 1753 01:44:05,573 --> 01:44:06,866 -Okay. -Okay. 1754 01:44:06,950 --> 01:44:08,493 - Okay. It's a deal. - All right, then. 1755 01:44:08,576 --> 01:44:09,953 - See you. - Bye-bye. 1756 01:44:10,161 --> 01:44:11,871 - Good luck. - MATT: You, too. 1757 01:44:11,955 --> 01:44:13,039 Okay. 1758 01:44:13,998 --> 01:44:16,167 - Yeah! -(LAUGHTER) 1759 01:44:16,626 --> 01:44:19,587 (SINGING) And so the legend grew 1760 01:44:20,255 --> 01:44:23,675 And all the people that he knew 1761 01:44:25,009 --> 01:44:29,180 Go and spread the news of Casper 1762 01:44:30,432 --> 01:44:33,226 The Friendly Ghost 1763 01:44:38,898 --> 01:44:40,233 - Thank you. -(AUDIENCE CHEERING) 1764 01:44:40,316 --> 01:44:44,904 - Good night. Thanks a lot. Thank you. - MAN: More! More! 1765 01:44:45,363 --> 01:44:46,364 More! 1766 01:44:46,990 --> 01:44:48,908 (AUDIENCE CHEERING) 1767 01:44:49,534 --> 01:44:52,203 More! More! 1768 01:44:53,079 --> 01:44:57,375 BILL: I don't think Dan would have gotten as far as he did without our help. 1769 01:44:57,542 --> 01:45:01,880 And he, uh, his own words was, "I don't know what will happen to me, 1770 01:45:02,797 --> 01:45:04,716 "if you don't help me." 1771 01:45:04,883 --> 01:45:07,469 So we have, for years. 1772 01:45:08,470 --> 01:45:10,805 MABEL: He does love us, I can see that. 1773 01:45:11,556 --> 01:45:14,893 I guess I want the impossible, I want Dan to be whole. 1774 01:45:15,018 --> 01:45:17,896 And be able to take care of himself. 1775 01:45:19,647 --> 01:45:22,817 BILL: And we're worried now, we 're running out of time. 1776 01:45:23,693 --> 01:45:26,821 Oh my lord 1777 01:45:30,241 --> 01:45:33,369 I am so bored 1778 01:45:36,706 --> 01:45:41,294 Held the hand of Satan 1779 01:45:51,262 --> 01:45:53,807 Oh, Laura 1780 01:45:57,852 --> 01:46:01,105 What has happened to you? 1781 01:46:04,317 --> 01:46:09,239 Held the hand of the Devil 1782 01:46:19,415 --> 01:46:22,460 I was on MTV 1783 01:46:26,297 --> 01:46:29,342 Everybody was looking at me 1784 01:46:33,304 --> 01:46:37,976 Held the hand of the Devil 1785 01:47:30,194 --> 01:47:32,155 Your picture 1786 01:47:34,574 --> 01:47:36,242 ls still 1787 01:47:38,703 --> 01:47:40,705 On my wall 1788 01:47:43,166 --> 01:47:44,918 On my wall 1789 01:47:47,712 --> 01:47:49,714 The colors 1790 01:47:52,216 --> 01:47:54,844 Are bright 1791 01:47:57,055 --> 01:47:59,223 Bright 1792 01:48:00,975 --> 01:48:02,894 As ever 1793 01:48:05,563 --> 01:48:08,650 The red is strong 1794 01:48:09,692 --> 01:48:12,820 The blue is pure 1795 01:48:14,238 --> 01:48:15,657 Some things 1796 01:48:16,574 --> 01:48:19,452 Last a long time 1797 01:48:23,456 --> 01:48:25,458 Some things 1798 01:48:25,750 --> 01:48:28,670 Last a long time 1799 01:48:40,723 --> 01:48:42,767 Your picture 1800 01:48:45,311 --> 01:48:46,980 ls still 1801 01:48:49,524 --> 01:48:51,442 On my wall 1802 01:48:54,028 --> 01:48:55,947 On my wall 1803 01:48:58,741 --> 01:49:00,618 I think 1804 01:49:03,121 --> 01:49:05,248 About you 1805 01:49:08,334 --> 01:49:09,794 Often 1806 01:49:12,755 --> 01:49:14,215 Often 1807 01:49:16,968 --> 01:49:20,638 I won't forget 1808 01:49:21,431 --> 01:49:24,392 All the things We did 1809 01:49:25,893 --> 01:49:27,979 Some things 1810 01:49:28,312 --> 01:49:30,898 last a long time 1811 01:49:34,986 --> 01:49:36,904 Some things 1812 01:49:37,155 --> 01:49:39,824 last a long time 1813 01:49:57,175 --> 01:49:59,135 DANIEL: (WHISPERING) Bye-bye, Dave. 1814 01:49:59,218 --> 01:50:01,387 (GUITAR STRUMMING) 1815 01:50:01,471 --> 01:50:02,472 Bye.