Just back from a screening of "The Devil and Daniel Johnston." So good. I'd heard and liked bits from various DJ albums. I appreciate his love of love; he's got a sweet approach. I didn't know much more about him, though, except that he seemed a little quirky. After seeing the movie... It just puts his music into perspective so much more.
The screening was part of an ongoing series of films related to mental health, put on by one of the departments at UBC that deals with health issues. DJ lives with manic depression and is now medicated after some rather elaborate situations untreated and time spent in institutions. His condition has both helped and hindered him, much of it fully documented on cassette and film; the ups include talking his way onto MTV and impressing them so much that they add his live performance to a national program, the bottom includes causing the plane his father is flying to crash. It's unbelievable how much there is, the documentation of his thoughts and performances through the years, starting from his home movies when he was a teenager. It was funny and earnest and heart-wrenching and hopeful and sad. It was so nice to see something worth seeing.
For me, though, I was just happy to hear "True Love Will Find You In The End" almost in its entirety. It made tears pool in my eyes and cascade down faster than I could wipe them away. It's my go-to song when I'm feeling miserable because it almost always makes me feel better.
And by the end you understand that, like it or not, he makes some of the most engaging music of any singer/songwriter, wonky voice included. And if you live in Vancouver it's showing at Tinseltown starting next week.
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