Austin is full of iconic images; the Capitol, University of Texas' Tower, the 360 Bridge and the infamous "Hi How Are You?" mural painted by singer/songwriter, Daniel Johnston on The Drag near the UT. Saturday, Johnston turned 50 and celebrated by playing a couple songs, handing out stickers and t-shirts emblazoned with the now iconic image depicted in the mural and signing autographs for adoring fans. A host of media and press were on hand including Examiner.
NBC New York music blog, Nonstop Sound ran a story on Friday on Johnston, describing plans for singer's 50th birthday which included a phone line set up to record fans' well wishes, songs and comments to their angst-ridden hero as well as his live, public appearance. Johnston suffers from clinical bipolar disorder and has a small army of support folks in place to help him perform, record and sell his art.
Examiner was fortunate enough to be invited Saturday evening to sit in on live recordings of his birthday, internet radio program where callers wished Johnston well. He spoke to several callers, thanking them for their comments. The singer answered questions from his host about his past in Austin, detailing dumpster dives behind discount bookseller, Half-Price Books. Johnston would find discarded audio cassettes and record his material over them.
Johnston's album, "Hi, How Are You?" began what was soon dubbed the "new sincerity" movement of songwriting when the album dropped in 1983. Johnston's music influenced a host of artists, most notably, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. Today, a new generation of music fan has discovered Johnston thanks, in part to the documentary, "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" which details his early musical proclivity to record onto lo-fi cassettes he gave away to fans, media and passersby.
An MTV story thrust Johnston onto the national scene where he has experienced both success and bouts of depression. Now, he is enjoying a resurgence as folks re-discovering this Austin legend. Word has it, another film is in the works. All the while, Johnston does his best to "Keep Austin Weird."
Examiner has included live, unedited video of Johnston playing on Saturday afternoon. Watch the video by clicking the link in the left sidebar.
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Special thanks to Oscar Davilla and Jason Stoddard.
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