Alive In New York City 8/10 + Daniel Johnston In The 20th Century (scores in panel, right)
SHIMMY-DISC
ANIEL JOHNSTON was often described as an outsider musician, but was there ever an outsider who left such an imprint on popular culture at large? A musician and illustrator who emerged from Austin, Texas in the mid-1980s, Johnston’s songs have been covered by everyone from Tom Waits to Spiritualized to Beck, while his artwork has graced galleries from New York to London. He’s been the subject of biographies, photo books and documentaries – Jeff Feuerzeig’s film won the Director’s Award at Sundance – while Kurt Cobain was photographed wearing afrog Johnston drew for the cover of his 1983 album . A straight reading of the facts reveals Johnston to be a polymath and a cultural icon. Many insiders have achieved a lot less.
