The Devil and Daniel JohnstonIf you haven't see the film The Devil and Daniel Johnston, you really should. It is one of the most fascinating documentaries I have ever seen. Johnston is a singer, songwriter, musician, and artist who suffers from "bipolar disorder with psychotic features and religious preoccupation to the point where he has had to be hospitalized intermittently..." (from Wikipedia entry).
His songs have been covered by Beck, Sonic Youth, Wilco, Pearl Jam, The Flaming Lips, etc., while people like David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, and Matt Groening have praised his work.
One thing that really fascinated me was that the man was an obsessive documenter of his life. And, the film makes good use of his old films and taped conversations. I remember taping conversations when I was a kid, and now I wish I had kept them.
Borrow, buy, rent or steal the film. OK, don't steal it, but definitely see it. If you don't like it, I'll give you your money back. OK, so I really wouldn't give you your money back, but I would commiserate with you about the money you might have spent and the time you wasted sitting in front of your TV or computer.
What are you waiting for? Go see it! Now. Run.
Technorati Tags: films, Daniel Johnston
5 comments:
Alright, I'll be adding this to our Cinemail subscription!
Thanks!
Suddenly, I am worried that you won't like it.
Our son-in-law and goddaughter are both bipolar, so this really interests me. We gotta get Netflix. Our local video stores would NEVER carry this movie. :(
me and tuffy p loved it too...
You're right, I found it fascinating. I am likely to find such things fascinating though.
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