Johnston spent extended periods in psychiatric institutions and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He gathered a local following in the 1980s by passing out tapes of his music while working at a McDonald's in Austin, Texas. His cult status was propelled when Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was seen wearing a T-shirt that featured artwork from Johnston's 1983 album Hi, How Are You. In 2005, Johnston was the subject of the documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston.
His songs were typically painfully direct, and often display a disturbing blend of childlike naïvete with darker, "spooky" themes. Johnston's singing voice is rather high-pitched, and his performances often seem faltering or uncertain; pitchfork writes that Johnston's recordings range from "spotty to brilliant". He also draws and paints; he is a cult comic book artist and his illustrations have been featured with most of his albums.
Johnston was born in Sacramento, California and grew up in West Virginia, United States, but then moved to Waller, Texas. Johnston suffers from manic depression, and has had varying luck with different treatments. He has been institutionalized for periods.
In the late 1970s, Johnston began recording his songs on a $59 Sony Boombox, singing and playing either guitar, piano or harmonica. He gave tapes of his music to anyone who would take them. Johnston created the comic book inspired art that usually accompanied his own recordings. His debut recording Songs of Pain was released in 1981.
His early songs established a number of themes that would persist through Johnston's career: Unrequited love, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and comic book superheroes, especially Captain America and Jack Kirby's other works. "Joe"—a partly autobiographical character—has been featured in a number of songs. Johnston has cited The Beatles as a prime influence.
A sizable proportion of Johnston's songs throughout the years have dealt with his unrequited love for "Laurie," a girl he became friends with in college, who was the first to encourage him to record his music. The Laurie character quickly assumed the role of the idealized female muse. The real life Laurie Allen married an undertaker, prompting Johnston to write lyrics in which the Laurie figure becomes strongly associated with the imagery of death in addition to her original role as a muse. For example, the song Funeral Home in which Johnston sings that he's "going to a funeral home" represents both the foreknowledge of death and Johnston's desire to be reunited with Laurie, who at the time worked at a funeral home. Laurie Allen has since divorced and filmmaker Jeff Feuerzeig arranged a meeting between Allen and Johnston.
Johnston gained a cult following in Austin, Texas. Some regarded Johnston as little more than a quaint curiosity, but others recognized a genuine talent: Johnston has a knack for creating great, catchy melodies, while his lyrics are evocative and often use clever wordplay. His songs have been covered by a number of admirers.
A 1985 MTV special on Austin brought Johnston wider attention, and a number of record stores outside Texas began selling his cassettes.
His music has been acclaimed by David Bowie, Sonic Youth, and Simpsons creator Matt Groening. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana fame praised Johnston's work, and often wore a t-shirt with a Johnston illustration and a caption reading, "Hi How Are You?"
1994 saw the release of Fun on Atlantic Records. The record was produced by Paul Leary of Butthole Surfers, a group who had long supported Johnston, even inviting him to open a number of concerts for them.
In 1993, Johnston painted a mural of the "Hi, How Are You?" frog, also known as Jeremiah after the Three Dog Night song, on the side of the Austin Sound Exchange music store. The site was converted into a Baja Fresh franchise in 2004. Although initial plans called for the mural to be torn down, public outcry caused restaurant owner John Oudt to let the mural stay, at a price of $50,000 in additional costs and lost revenue.
Fun was Johnston's only major-label release, but he has continued writing and recording songs, as well as drawing pictures.
In September 2004, a 2-disc release compilation entitled The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered. Disc one featured covers of Johnston's songs by such prominent artists as Eels, Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Tom Waits, The Flaming Lips, Bright Eyes, and TV on the Radio, among others. Disc 2 featured Johnston's original tracks.
The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005) is a documentary by Jeff Feuerzeig about Johnston's life and music, and won the Director's Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
In August 2005, it was reported that Johnston had been experiencing mood swings requiring medical attention. This led to cancellation of his touring schedule. On November 25th, 2005, Johnston was hospitalized for what appeared to be Lithium poisioning (Johnston takes lithium to control his manic depression). His father had found him in an incoherent state and unable to walk. Johnston is recovering and is thought to be out of any immediate danger.
On December 8th, 2005, it was reported that his condition remained "very serious", but on December 23rd, Johnston was released from the hospital. Johnston's family had been told that "Daniel would require long-term medical care and permanent dialysis for kidney failure," however his health dramatically and unexpectedly improved. Johnston died on September 10, 2019.
The Spook
Daniel Johnston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time you stop and stare
At things you don't really understand
And you think you own your own land
You might
But there ain't nothing else nowhere
There's never been a thing anyplace
There isn't any dream that you know
'Cause you don't know much
An you never been any place much
'Cept for your own
I'm some else from nowhere
I come to your house to scare
I'm gonna tell you now, right now
You've nothing more to fear but fear
Love is alive
Love ain't no jive
God is alive
Love ain't no jive
No jive
So you better listen up in here
You better think about your darling dear
You better think about the good
And you better do right
Or I'll fight cha all night
I'm a spook that cha don't really like
The lyrics to the song "The Spook" by Daniel Johnston reflect the artist's critical view of the world and the people living in it. In the opening lines, Johnston addresses "all you hicks out there," warning them to stop and stare at things they do not understand. He suggests that despite the belief that one owns their own land, there is nothing else in the world worth owning. Johnston speaks of never having seen a face or dream that one might think they know, suggesting that one's perspective is limited by their experience. He goes on to describe himself as someone from nowhere, coming to scare those who think they have something to fear.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the presence and importance of love and its manifestation in the world, declaring that "love is alive" and "God is alive," and "love ain't no jive." Johnston urges his listeners to reconsider their actions and think about the good they can do instead of indulging in fear and prejudice. He warns that failure to do so will result in conflict and confrontation, revealing himself to be the titular "spook" that people do not like. Overall, the lyrics reflect a message of critical self-awareness and the need to open one's mind and heart to others.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, a message to all you hicks out there
Greetings to all the rural folks out there
Every time you stop and stare
Each time you halt and gaze
At things you don't really understand
Things you are clueless about
And you think you own your own land
You feel like you possess your own property
You might
You could have
But there ain't nothing else nowhere
But there is nothing else anywhere in this world
There’s never been a thing anyplace
There has never been anything anywhere
There isn't any face you've never seen
There is no face you haven't encountered
There isn't any dream that you know
There is no dream which you are aware of
'Cause you don't know much
Because you have limited knowledge
An you never been any place much
And also, you haven't explore many places yet
'Cept for your own
Except your own place
I'm some else from nowhere
I am someone different who came from nowhere
I come to your house to scare
I have arrived at your residence to startle you
I'm gonna tell you now, right now
I will disclose it to you at this very moment
You've nothing more to fear but fear
You scared of nothing more than fear itself
Love is alive
Love is currently active
Love ain't no jive
Love is not a sham
God is alive
God also exists in this world
Love ain't no jive
Love is not a sham (repeated for emphasis)
No jive
No falsehood
So you better listen up in here
Therefore, you should give me a complete attention
You better think about your darling dear
You should contemplate about your loved one
You better think about the good
You should reflect on the positive things
And you better do right
And you should do the right things
Or I'll fight cha all night
Otherwise, I will engage in an all-night battle with you
I'm a spook that cha don't really like
I am a ghost or a frightening presence that you may not like
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN MCELROY BEATTIE, DANIEL JOHNSTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind