SXSW Final: Daniel Johnston had a Psychotic Illness, And Lived His Dreams

Reflections on human dignity and the point of helping someone

Daniel Johnston authored more songs than most people will… anything. He was a remarkable visual artist and a remarkable musician. You have probably heard his music—the theme song for Friday Night Lights (“Devil Town”) or from Built to Spill, who did a whole cover album.

He was born on January 22, 1961. He is among the most revered songwriters in indie rock.

Daniel was a relentlessly generative person and started his career in art in the city of Austin:

In 1984, Johnston took a job at McDonald's and passed out tapes in the store.^[7] When Johnston moved to Austin, Texas, he began to attract the attention of the local press and gained a following augmented in numbers by his habit of handing out tapes to people he met.^[12] Live performances were well-attended and hotly anticipated.^[13]

His music and art were compelling, but as a founder of SXSW reminded us, he both made moving music and regularly chose to stop taking his psychiatric medications. He had an illness, either schizophrenia o…