18 January 2008

The Musician As Artist: Daniel Johnston

Very often, the need to create does not manifest via singular passion but instead in a variety of artistic endeavors. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Goethe, the list of polymaths throughout history is extensive. In fact, during the Renaissance period, a gentleman was expected to speak several languages, play a musical instrument, write poetry, and generally dabble in arts and sciences of all variety. To translate that for you, it's like every dude was a walking internet machine and shit - damn!

While science and art don't dance together in one person's mind as often as they perhaps used to, it's not at all uncommon for artists to create not only in a wide variety of mediums, but also across a vast array of fields. You know, the actors who have bands on the side, the chefs who write books, and the musicians who also create various forms of visual art.
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Today we'll be taking a look at a small selection of work by Daniel Johnston. His art is nearly as well known as his music, having been exhibited in a variety of galleries and museums around the world and having gained much popularity thanks, in large part, to Kurt Cobain, a variety of musicians covering Daniel Johnston songs, and the recent film The Devil and Daniel Johnston.

View a selection of Daniel Johnston's art, and listen to two of EAR FARM's favorite Daniel Johnston songs, after the jump.










Listen:
"Casper The Friendly Ghost"
"To Go Home"

Daniel Johnston 2008 Tour Dates:
Feb 5 - The Magestic Detriot, MI
Feb 6 - Metro Chicago, IL
Feb 7 - Turner Hall Milwaukee, WI
Feb 8 - First Ave Minneapolis, MN
Feb 9 - Slowdown Omaha, NE
Feb 20 - Roxy Theater Boston, MA
Feb 21 - Highline Ballroom New York City, NY
Feb 22 - Trocadero Theater Philadelphia, PA
Feb 23 - Black Cat Washington, DC
Feb 24 - Ottobar Baltimore, MD

Visit Daniel Johnston's online store where you can purchase both original works as well as prints. Or check out Worried Shoes which offers rare and early drawings/paintings by Daniel Johnston.

Visit Daniel Johnston on MySpace.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good write up on the guy.

I like his music when its covered by other people.. he is just too loose around the edges for me.

Anonymous said...

http://www.danieljohnstonlive.com

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