A Man Obsessed: Who is Daniel Johnston?

Before watching Jeff Feuerzeig's award winning documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston, I had no idea who he was. Now I can't seem to get Daniel Johnston out of my mind.

Daniel Johnston was born on January 22, 1961 and was described by his parents as always being different. He was intensely creative as a child and teenager, creating songs, art and movies. His need to create seemed to be the very blood that ran through his veins although his parents, especially his mother, despised it.

Daniel created home movies depicting his mother and even recorded her screaming at him. He drew fascinating comic book style artwork and composed lyrics and music to hundreds of songs before even graduating high school.

When Daniel went to college, however, things changed. His obsessive creative behavior became erratic and angry. He quickly became self-destructive and was soon diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

The most touching and moving thing about Daniel Johnston is that being diagnosed with bipolar disorder did not stop him from wanting to become famous. After impulsively working and living with a traveling carnival for a short time, Daniel settled in Austin, Texas. In a city whose motto is "Keep Austin Weird" Daniel fit right in. He was a constant self-promoter and began to gain a following for his deeply stirring music. When MTV came to town in 1985, Daniel was featured on the show and his career skyrocketed.

Daniel gained a cult following with many cool indie bands and musicians such as Kurt Cobain from Nirvana, The Flaming Lips and Yo La Tenga. In fact, Kurt Cobain helped Daniel's career take off by wearing the t-shirt from Daniel's first album, "Hi, How are you?" everywhere he went. As an avid Nirvana fan as a teenager, I clearly remembered the t-shirt although I never knew what it was from. Many members of the industry began to take him under their wing, such as the band Sonic Youth.

As time passed, however, Daniel's friends could not control him and his family was far away in West Virginia. Daniel became hostile, angry and behaved in odd ways. One night Daniel was found wading in a river and talking to himself. He became obsessed with the devil and evil and began to preach at his concerts. He even was arrested for defiling the Statue of Liberty with 100's of Christian fish drawings.

He was suicidal, taking drugs, and a danger to himself as well as others. He never took his medicine, as he was known to say that it clouded his creative abilities. Soon Daniel would be sent away to live in a mental hospital.

Daniel seemed to live two lives, going back and forth from succumbing to his illness and traveling as a musician. He would do well enough while in the hospital, but still remained obsessed with the devil and other odd things such as Mountain Dew soda. Yet he continued to create, the same way you or I breath air. Eventually he settled down in Texas with his parents and that is still where he resides today.

Daniel's story is an amazing one that is beautifully expressed in the documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. His drive for success and his determination for living his dream should be an inspiration for all. I know it's one for me.

If the story of Daniel Johnston interests you, I strongly encourage you to watch The Devil and Daniel Johnston from Sony Pictures. I also suggest you visit Daniel's official website, www.hihowareyou.com and www.rejectedunknown, the official fan site.