DANIEL JOHNSTON- MORE DISCOVERIES AND COVERIES--76 DJ COVERS
Daniel Johnston and Sparklehorse (Mark Linkhous)--two kindred souls. Mark was very influenced by Daniel,covered his songs on his albums, kept his memory alive among musicians and did all he could to spread the legend of Daniel Johnston. Then he spearheaded a great project.
Everyone knows that artists never succeed financially or become famous until after they're dead. So the idea was to pretend Daniel was dead, make a tribute album in remembrance, and for the capper, on the album cover Daniel Johnston stands at his own grave holding a bouquet of flowers, and the tombstone says,"Sorry Entertainer" (double pun as that's a fantastic DJ song). So Mark produces the album "The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered/Covered," and it's a success: worried music biz types call up to find out how Daniel died,and suddenly Daniel is the cause de celebre amongst the cool ones in the music industry, and has been shown genuine caring and kindness by such luminaries as Jad Fair, The Butthole Surfers, Yo La Tengo, David Bowie, Beck and many others. He's back, and finally being given the recognition and respect hisfantastic and enormous outpouring of work so deserve.
I have put this compilation together, working a long, hard time to collect all of these rarities because Daniel Johnston covers aren't easy to come by since both his catalog and live performance history are so erratic and outside of the system (and I must say I don't even have the tiniest fraction here of what's out there: the terrific fans at Daniel's Web site have identified more than 300 DJ covers!http://www.rejectedunknown.com/covers/covers.htm. My goal in compiling these was very simple: to get people turned onto Daniel Johnston's music: both his own recordings, as well a variety of covers by other artists, and go out and buy it! And secondly, to hear Sparklehorse's music, support him financially, and know what a generous soul he hasnbeen when he has so little himself. This is my own VERY modest follow up to Sparklehorse's tribute album. I've tried to use as few commercial recordings as possible. Where I have used them, it is only as a sampling to whet your appetite to go out and buy the whole recording.There are plenty of artists who if we don't pay for their latest release (I'm thinking someone like Mick Jagger here) will not go hungry or without all the bling he could dream of. Daniel and Mark both risk financial disaster--Daniel because of his mental illness, and Mark because he simply hasn't figured out how to translate his prodigious talent into any kind of financial gain. And not only does he not try to gather in the riches for himself, when he gets the chance, he donates his time and energies for producing a tribute album to raise money for Daniel. Clearly, a loving and generous soul. In turn, other artists recently made a tribute album to try to raise money and attention for Sparklehorse http://slightrecord.org/, but he wanted all the earnings contributed to the Sweet Relief Fund for well known musicians like Victoria Williams and Vic Chestnutt who eed the financial help for medical or other ailments).
For both Daniel and Mark, their prospects aren't good without our financial support. Daniel is very poor, and the same with Sparklehorse (Mark Linkhous). This is from an interview I read with Mark: 'The singer now admits that his mental state began to fray over the next four years and that he was convinced that “the world was coming to an end.' Eventually, concerned friends moved Linkous from his home state of Virginia to a piece of property they owned in rural North Carolina."
"The house that Linkous currently calls home is so high up in the mountains that if he wants to drive anywhere, including the studio where he ended up recording much of Dreamt For Light Years, it takes about an hour. It’s remote proximity, however, didn’t seem like a hindrance when Linkous arrived in North Carolina a few years back—at the time, he’d become so crippled by depression and addiction that he genuinely believed he’d never release a single note of music again. But things changed significantly last year when he began working on Sparklehorse’s new album with Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton, of Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz and The Grey Album fame." In other words, Mark doesn't even have money for his own
home, and it's a crime, IMHO, that one of the most talented and unique singer/songwriters of his generation would find themselves broke and without a home, and doubting they'd ever make music again.
For those unfamiliar with Daniel Johnston's work, he is an utterly unique singer, songwriter & painter.He suffers from severe bipolar disease, which has been mostly kept medicallly under control the past few years. When he was young, and in the midst of a manic episode, he made his way to Austin, TX,and became one of the most eclectic and popular singers on the scene, even making it onto MTV twice. However the mental illness worsened, and he spent much of the ensuing years in and out of mental hospitals. He's been much better during the mid-90's to present, and his elderly parents have been caring for him his entire life.
However, perhaps because of the unique perspective his mental illness gives him, or perhaps it's just his gift, his art conveys an honesty,naive and yet very profound idealism. In a single song, he can despair at the squalor of the world, and in the very next moment celebrate its beauty and wonder. I heard someone describe it that when you first heard him you might think it sounds weird, but then it gets so under your skin that you MUST hear it over and over.That's certainly what happened to me. I first heard it, thought he had a funny voice but there was something interesting going on, then found myself wanting to hear it over and over until the genius that is Daniel started opening up to me. He makes it look so easy and childlike that you could easily miss how absolutely brilliant the lyrics, concepts, and even his gorgeous piano playing are--he seems like a total self-taught musician,and yet if you stop expecting to hear the usual type of pop music and just open your ears, you start hearing how what he came up with on his own is utter genius.
Here's Daniel's current conditions he's living in, taken from a fan web site: "Daniel's current stable circumstance is at risk as his parents are aging (aged 81 and 82), and without help, Daniel faces an unfortunate future in his aging years. These musicians and others whose affinity for Daniel's work has advanced into personal involvement, seek to help Daniel financially through their contributions to efforts like this Tribute Album. Daniel benefits directly from the sale of each CD, and from the expanded exposure and renewed interest in his twenty years of creativity. In addition, all the funds from the sale of art displayed digitally on the 2nd CD goes directly toward Daniel's long-term housing and care."
I didn't use any of the covers from Discovered/Covered because my intent is that this is a poor imitation of that, so much better that you buy the original and best, professionaly produced and sequenced, I guarantee you'll like it alot better! Also, it seemed to be out of print for awhile, but you can now buy it online on Amazon with no DRM here: http://www.amazon.com/Late-Great-Daniel-Johnston Discovered/dp/B000QZXP7O/ref=sr_1_1/102-3656495-5533752?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1192253054&sr=8-1 . Also, I used a few commercial covers from Kathy McCarthy's DJ Tribute album, "Dead Dog's Eyeball" in order to introduce people to this wonderful, heartfelt tribute. Kathy's aim very much was that people know who Daniel was--this was way before the current DJ revival. I also used commercial DJ covers since live/non-commercial DJ covers are hard to come by. However, I did throw in three live DJ covers of his own songs from a recent concert so you can hear how he is currently interpreting his own songs. I also included several of his duet work with Jad Fair (of Half-Japanese, one of Daniel's early and most ardent supporters). Also, I included a few commercial Sparklehorse covers,but again, only to expose folks to how amazing Sparklehorse is, and ask humbly that you go out and buy some of his albums
so he can come down from those inaccessible mountains and tour and join us! I started with a DJ song called "The Beatles" so you would understand why he does so many Beatles cover. I also threw in what I think is one of DJ's best songs ever, Dairy Queen. Every year in the UK they have a festival that each year a different famous rock star curates. David Bowie is a big DJ fan, has done several covers of Daniel's, and so invited him to be part of the festival, the Meltdown festival. Daniel comes through brilliantly, with a heartbreaking, so real it will make you cry performance, it's thrilling. Finally, paying back the favor of the tribute album, Daniel Johnston sings "The Most Beautiful World"on Sparklehorse's tribute album,which I've included as the final song.
It's great in life when people get a second act. Daniel is currently enjoying his as far as the attention, but he must have the money or he's in trouble when his aged parents can no longer take care of him. Mark Linkhous is celebrated as one of the greatest musicians and producers on the American indie scene, and yet he can't afford his own house. So please, listen to these covers, enjoy the gorgeousness of the music, and then please help these musicians to pay the rent and put food on the table by paying money for the work they did that brings you so much pleasure!!!
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