With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
'Devil and Daniel Johnston' Indulges Singer's Fans
Listen
0:00
Listen
A new documentary follows Indie singer-song writer Daniel Johnston's decline into mental illness. It combines standard documentary fare with Johnston's own recordings, taped over the course of 20 years. Los Angeles Times and Morning Edition critic Kenneth Turan reviews The Devil and Daniel Johnston.
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
Documentaries on independent rock artists like Wilco, Townes Van Zandt and They Might Be Giants have been all the rage in recent years.
Los Angeles Times and MORNING EDITION film critic Kenneth Turan looks at the latest, The Devil and Daniel Johnston.
KENNETH TURAN reporting:
Sponsored message
If you're already a fan of cult favorite musician Daniel Johnston, you've been counting the days until the arrival of the new documentary, The Devil and Daniel Johnston. If you're not a fan, you're going to wonder what the fuss is about.
Johnston, a singer/songwriter with an unmistakably reedy voice, certainly has his gifts. His tunes have been covered by the likes of Beck, Wilco, Sonic Youth and Pearl Jam, artists who've fallen in love with his eccentric lyrics.
Mr. DANIEL JOHNSTON (Musician): (Singing) Come this far and I know I can make it. Got a broken heart, and you can't break a broken heart. I've come knocking at your door. But you don't love me any more. And I just can't give up, because I don't know what to do.
TURAN: And Johnston's life has been filled with drama. Age 42 and living with his parents, he has been manic-depressive since college. He was in and out of mental hospitals for decades, subject to all manner of delusions, visions, and violent fantasies. Many of them involved the presence of the devil; hence the film's title.
Johnston once attacked his closest friend with an iron bar and put him in the hospital. A few years later, he nearly crashed the small plane his father was piloting by throwing the keys out the window and putting the aircraft into a dive.
Johnston was a bit of an Indy-rock Brian Wilson; definitely not the easiest guy to have around.
Mr. JOHNSTON: I was alone in my life with little to live for. Trying my hand at art, thinking that maybe I could save myself. But in my desperation, all my hope would fly away until there was nothing left but me. Nothing left to say.
Sponsored message
TURAN: Unfortunately, Devil turns out to be much too indulgent and worshipful a film to justify its nearly two-hour length, much less hold our attention for that time span.
Devil is dominated Johnston's closest friends and biggest fans. As such, it is both too quick and too insistent to call this quirky performer an incredible genius and the best singer/songwriter alive today.
It's true that fan Kurt Cobain took to wearing a Johnston-designed t-shirt, but hasn't anyone every heard of Bob Dylan?
Also, Devil is so eager to be in awe of Johnston for his suffering, it doesn't understand that his painful experiences haven't sanctified him. And those exploits are more tedious and involving when related in detail on the screen.
Johnston is a performer of formidable self-absorption, who's inspired a film with the same trait.
MONTAGNE: The film is The Devil and Daniel Johnston. Kenneth Turan is the film critic for MORNING EDITION and the Los Angeles Times.
Mr. JOHNSTON: (Singing) ...couldn't find a single friend. Had my heart set on disappointment.
Sponsored message
MONTAGNE: This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
