Daniel Johnston
Published on 29. April 2025
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-8478-2800-5 (ISBN)
Description
A significant figure in outsider, lo-fi, and alternative scenes, Daniel Johnston inspired musicians and comforted listeners for decades. From his origins in the Austin scene in the mid-1980s, where he performed at local venues while working at McDonalds, appearance on MTV and championing by Kurt Cobain, to world fame, Johnston s singular compositions and raw lyrics earned him lifelong fans. Predating his interest in music and continuing alongside it, art was Johnston s longest-running passion. This publication is the presents work spanning many decades of Johnston s drawing practice, including rare and previously unseen pieces. The artist s brightly-colored illustrations, incorporating figures from pop culture, devils, and heroes, blended with his own original characters, range from his iconic Jeremiah the Innocent Frog to surrealist landscapes. With the support of Daniel s family and estate, the first major book since his passing includes remembrances from his brother, musicians, and artists, and benefits the Hi! How Are You Project.
Reviews / Votes
"His career hamstrung by bipolar disorder and stints in psychiatric hospitals, Daniel Johnston first found acclaim as an unguarded and guileless songwriter in the late '80s with tunes that cut instantly to the emotional quick. But he drew obsessively for more than half a century, too, creating a cosmos of characters - affable ghosts, flying eyeballs, his famously friendly frog, Jeremiah - that revealed his insecurities and hopes, sexual frustrations and religious aspirations ... Daniel Johnston: I'm Afraid of What I Might Draw is the first authoritative collection of Johnston's art and a revelation about how he experienced the world." - The New York Times"This nearly 400-page volume showcases the legendary artist and musician's drawings, spanning four decades, making it the most comprehensive collection of Johnston's work to date." - Curated Texan
"The talents of the late American musician Daniel Johnston first came to light when he worked at McDonald's in Austin, Texas, in the mid-1980s, where he would give customers homemade tapes of his alternative and lo-fi music. This book focuses on the drawings he made alongside his musical career. The colorful illustrations give new insight into the childlike quality of his songwriting." - Financial Times, HTSI
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
275 COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS
Dimensions
Height: 244 mm
Width: 203 mm
Thickness: 45 mm
Weight
1143 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8478-2800-5 (9780847828005)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Lee Foster is general manager and co-owner of Electric Lady Studios. Robin Williams is curator at Contemporary Austin. Dick Johnston is Daniel Johnston's older brother, former manager, and a director of the Hi How Are You? Nick Cave is an Australian singer-songwriter, novelist, and actor known for fronting Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Raymond Pettibon is an American Artist who came to prominence in the 1980s California punk rock scene. Tom Waits is an American musician, composer, and actor. Henry Rollins is a musician known for fronting hardcore band Black Flag and leading the Rollins Band since 1987.