The unique beauty of ‘Daniel Johnston Alive in New York City’
The creatively fertile streets of New York City have witnessed the rise and fall of some of our most cherished artists. The cradle of Bob Dylan’s folk odyssey and the playground of Andy Warhol’s Factory proved the perfect backdrop for a historical evening of underground music courtesy of Daniel Johnston in April 2000.
Music became a labour of love for Johnston from a young age. Years spent creating homemade tapes finally paid off in 1985 when the artist appeared on the MTV programme The Cutting Edge, which showcased several acts from Austin’s ‘New Sincerity’ music scene.
Throughout the late 1980s and ’90s, Johnston remained incredibly prolific, releasing a colourful line of innovative studio albums, often consisting of imaginative covers. Notably, his cult status was enhanced by Nirvana’s frontman Kurt Cobain, who was seen wearing a Daniel Johnston merch T-shirt in the early 1990s. The late grunge hero famously described Johnston as “the best songwriter on Earth,” but these words were crucially blessed with vocals of unprecedented honesty and emotional gravity.
Sadly, Johnston passed away in September 2019 from a suspected heart attack following a history of health concerns. He had amassed a total of 18 original albums spanning three decades, from 1981’s Songs of Pain to 2012’s Beam Me Up.
In April 2000, at the height of his underground allure, Johnston had performed a mysterious set in New York City. The performance was taped and stowed away for two decades until recently when it resurfaced in the Shimmy-Disc archives. Now, the iconic label responsible for distributing some of Johnston’s most revered work proudly announces a special posthumous release: Daniel Johnston Alive in New York City.
With the exact venue and date of the performance still undetermined, this time capsule characterises the artist himself: mysterious, individual and unrefined. Due to a longlived struggle with bipolar disorder and a mercurial nature, as reflected in ‘Frustrated Artist’ (hear below), Johnston’s prolific recording output was unfortunately not reflected on the road. Therefore, very few fans got to experience his intimate live aurora.
This 13-song collection arrives as a consummate calibration of the artist, featuring highlights from different chapters of Johnston’s career and offering an intimate snapshot of his affable stage persona. The new LP also celebrates Johnston’s lifelong affection for The Beatles, with covers of Paul McCartney’s ‘Live and Let Die’ and ‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away’.
Discussing Daniel Johnston Alive in New York City in a press statement, Shimmy-Disc producer Kramer says, “No other live performance recording we’ve ever heard captures the marriage of audience & performer in the way this one has. Hearing it is like being there. Daniel gave it all on this very special night.”
In an exclusive comment, Kramer elaborated, revealing his boundless adoration for Johnston and his unique approach to music. “Once or twice in my career as a record producer, I might hear a song that left no doubt in my mind – no doubt whatsoever that if everyone in the world could hear it, the entire planet would weep,” he said.
Kramer noted the infectious and arresting emotion behind much of Johnston’s music. “Suddenly, everyone would instantly forgive each other and themselves for all their respective past and future wrongs, and the whole world would arrive simultaneously at the epiphanous realisation that the only thing that really matters in life is Love. And then the world would change.”
“‘Love Will See You Through’ was one of those songs, and Daniel wrote plenty of them,” he concluded, picking out a personal favourite.
Daniel Johnston Alive in New York City is set to arrive on January 19th via Shimmy-Disc. Accompanying the music is a conclusive interview excerpt from around the time of the live show in New York City. See the full tracklist below and pre-order the album here.
Daniel Johnston Alive in New York City tracklist:
- ‘Frito Lay, Sweetheart’
- ‘Frustrated Artist’
- ‘The Spook’
- ‘Love Will See You Through’
- ‘Silly Love’
- ‘Live and Let Die’ (Paul McCartney & Wings cover)
- ‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away’ (The Beatles cover)
- ‘Casper the Friendly Ghost’
- ‘Memory of Love’
- ‘Bloody Rainbow’
- ‘Super Love’
- ‘Kool-Aid Medley’ / ‘Funeral Home’
- ‘Folly’
- Interview (excerpt)
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