The moment Daniel Johnston almost caused a plane crash
Among the mainstream music masses, Daniel Johnston is perhaps not a name that many will be well acquainted with, but to the outside world of the alternative music scene, he was a godly figure who redefined the genres of lo-fi and avant pop without anywhere near the level of critical acclaim he should have experienced throughout his lifetime.
Despite Johnston’s prolificity as a musician, there was no getting away from the fact that his life was plagued by various severe mental health issues, the most public of which was a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Yet against the backdrop of his struggles – and, perhaps in some ways, because of them – he became a beloved figure to the world of the underground and the outcasts, with Kurt Cobain especially being a particular proponent of his quiet rapture.
But even still, Johnston’s enshrined legacy risked being left in ruins long before this ever came about, when in 1990 he almost caused a fatal plane crash, which he and his father were miraculously lucky to survive. It may sound like a flippant tale, but the story of Johnston’s brush with death was one with a decidedly serious underside, given how his psyche almost stopped him from shining his musical gifts into the world.
Having already released no less than nine low-radar albums up to that point, but nevertheless gaining a small cult following as a result, Johnston had been performing at a music festival in Austin, Texas, before setting off to travel home in a private two-seater plane piloted by his father. However, during the journey while travelling over West Virginia, Johnston entered into a manic psychotic episode, which almost risked his life and that of his father.
Believing he had taken on the persona of Caspar the Friendly Ghost, Johnston removed the plane’s keys from its ignition and threw them out the window. Thankfully, his father, owing to his experience as a former US Air Force pilot, was able to successfully crash-land the plane into a forest of trees. Although the plane was consequently destroyed, the pair luckily managed to escape the incident bearing only minor injuries.
With Johnston involuntarily admitted into a psychiatric hospital as a result, he and his father were at least able to physically recover from the crash, while the emotional scars of the incident may have taken longer to heal. Over the preceding years and decades, Johnston’s struggles with his mental health tragically never waned, but thanks to his underground popularity slowly growing, he was acknowledged for the power of music that he harnessed despite such hardship.
The life and times of Daniel Johnston sadly met its end in 2019, after the musician passed away at the age of 58 following a heart attack. His story, however, is one of fascinating tenacity and a musical vision that never failed him even when the turbulence of his mental struggles often threatened to get in the way. He is an artist who should be remembered less for the dark spots of his life and more for the sonic gift he bestowed upon the world, because that ultimately meant far more to him than most.
