Published Jan. 9, 2008 at 7:35 p.m.

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Posted by CoolerKing on Jan. 10, 2008 at 12:27 p.m. (report)

There's something about "Outsider Music" that attracts people. The ones that persist and get some form of fame usually don't last too long (Larry "Wildman" Fischer, Wesley Willis, Hasil Adkins, even Roky Erickson to some degree). Daniel Johnston has persisted and not only achieved some fame but also adoration from well known musicians. There was a tribute comp released with the Flaming Lips, Beck, Death Cab for Cutie and Tom Waits covering his songs. If you haven't heard him, you should check out his music and/or this documentary. Whether you like the music or hate it, he's someone who's had a unique impact on modern music. Probably not many people with extreme bipolar disorders get courted by major record labels like he did.

Posted by Z_boy on Jan. 10, 2008 at 7:46 a.m. (report)

The film ("The Devil and Daniel Johnston") is 100% fascinating, and Daniel is an interesting person, I can't argue with that. His pursuit of art is to be commended. But is he all that talented? That's for others to judge. His voice, to me, is one of the most irritating things in the world -- it's this high-pitched nasally thing. His songs are very simple, and his lyrics are at a high school level. I'm sorry, but I don't see the attraction. Can anyone tell me why he's held in such high regard?

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