Review of "The Devil and Daniel Johnston"

Daniel Johnston's artwork

The Devil and Daniel Johnston, directed by Jeff Feuerzeig, is a 2005 documentary chronicling the life of Daniel Johnston, an American singer-songwriter and artist, and his experiences with schizophrenia and how that manifested itself as satanic obsessions. Genius and art and music are all concepts that have historically had close ties with mental illness. This film emphasizes the question whether great artists always have to "tango with the devil."

The film begins with archival video and audio tapes that Johnston has recorded himself throughout his music career starting from his very beginning all the way to his success with his album, "Hi, How Are You," a span of over 20 years. Johnston is introduced in a folk club in his hometown, Austin, Texas, as "the greatest singer-songwriter alive." His sound is a lo-fi folk that is as raw as an artist can get, voice quivering and squeaking like a pre-pubescent and lyrics appealingly simple. Johnston starred on MTV for a short time and gained a sort of cult fanbase. Kurt Cobain hailed him as "the greatest living songwriter." 

Cobain wore a T-shirt with Johnston's iconic frog drawing, featured as his "Hi, How Are You" album cover, sparking a great interest among Nirvana fans for Daniel Johnston. His popularity exploded.

Following his relative success, Johnston experienced severe personality and mood changes, becoming completely obsessed with satanism and "the devil." He refused to sign a multi-album deal with Elektra because he was convinced that Metallica, also signed with Elektra, was possessed by Satan. He also put his manager in the hospital with wounds to head caused by a lead pipe and, believing himself to be Casper the Friendly Ghost, nearly killed his father and himself in a plane crash. 

The documentary shows interviews of Johnston's mother and father, manager, and close friends. They wear very natural costumes and makeup to emphasize the music and stay true to the theme. The cinematic effects such as the overlay of kaleidescope snowflakes over the archival footage shown in the film represent the disillusions of Johnston during those times in his life. Also, at about 47 minutes, there is a scene of the mental hospital to which Johnston was admitted. The building is white and beautiful but in this particular scene the sign on the building is broken and hanging ajar, perhaps underscoring that there is always a strangeness in beauty.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston shows just how intimate the relationship between artistry and mental illness can be and I enjoyed the film immensely. Whether you are a Johnston fan or dub him overrated, the film is creative, enjoyable, and fascinating in nature.