Daniel Johnston Celebrated on Film, in Exhibits, on Disc

A: I am everywhere.

Things are looking up these days for Johnston, singer-songwriter, visual artist, underground icon, and now, film star. Personal life, check: he has a new house and was released on Christmas Eve from the hospital after a month-long stay battling a kidney infection. Profile-wise, check: the lo-fi troubadour takes center stage in The Devil and Daniel Johnston, a new documentary hitting theatres later this month. Artistically speaking, doubleplus check: New York's Whitney Museum of American Art is presently featuring a selection of his cartoony drawings as part of its biennial, and NY's Clementine Gallery will soon host the "first historical retrospective" of Johnston's work.

Billed as a "portrait of madness, creativity and love", The Devil and Daniel Johnston opens March 31 in select theaters. The Jeff Feuerzeig-directed documentary nabbed a Best Director award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Scope the trailer here.

The Whitney Biennial opened last week and the recovered Johnston was on-hand to say "hi" and question guests as to their present countenances. This mega-show, essentially a who's-who of the contemporary art world, also features contributions from musician-artists Jim O'Rourke, Tony Conrad, and Momus. The Whi-Bi (snappy!) runs through May 28 and everyone there will be trendier than you.

As for Johnston's historical retrospective, that showing opens March 17 at the Clementine Gallery. "The Story of an Artist: Daniel Johnston, A Retrospective" will feature over sixty pieces by Daniel and is on view through April 15. Johnston himself is scheduled to visit the gallery a few days prior to the opening. You may also find him scrawling Jesus fish on the base of the Statue of Liberty.

To top it all off, on April 18 Daniel's own Eternal Yip Eye Music label will drop that ultimate career validator, the greatest hits record, putting Johnston in the same class as the Eagles, Morrissey, Kate Bush, Dylan, and Mandy Moore. Welcome to My World features 21 nuggets of homespun Daniel Johnston goodness, culled from eight different DJ releases. All Captain America-approved:

01 Peek a Boo
02 Casper the Friendly Ghost
03 Some Things Last a Long Time
04 Walking the Cow
05 I'm Nervous
06 Man Obsessed
07 Don't Let the Sun Go Down
08 Never Before Never Again
09 The Sun Shines Down on Me
10 Chord Organ Blues
11 Living Life
12 Speeding Motorcycle
13 True Love Will Find You in the End
14 Never Relaxed
15 Sorry Entertainer
16 Ain't No Woman Gonna Make a George Jones Outta Me
17 Lennon Song
18 Devil Town
19 Laurie
20 Story of an Artist
21 Funeral Home

However, life isn't all red carpets and posh receptions for Johnston. According to a recent New York Times article, Daniel's father and brother-who double as his managers-are up in arms at a pair of Johnson art enthusiasts whom they feel exploited Daniel. Reports the Times: "The family accuses [former manager Jeff] Tartakov and [art collector Jeff] Brivic of taking advantage of Mr. Johnston, contacting him without his family's knowledge and cajoling him into giving them his drawings for little or no money."

No official statement has been released by any of the involved parties, says Daniel's publicist, nor is litigation planned as of right now. One thing's for sho: should Daniel wander toward you on Broadway this week, bearing a hand-made cassette adorned in childish sketches, do the man a favor and accept it. He will be famous, indeed.

Daniel Johnston: http://www.hihowareyou.com
Official Daniel Johnston Fansite: http://www.rejectedunknown.com/
The Devil and Daniel Johnston: http://www.thedevilanddanieljohnston.com/