Daniel Johnston: Crazy or Genius?

Hey there! Boy things have been busy. Thank god Greybush has been holding down the fort! Hopefully you downloaded his Soul Mix 6. On the mix is Mayer Hawthorne covering Daniel Johnston's Held the Hand. I had never heard of Daniel Johnston but after doing a little bit of research I have come to realize that he is one of the greatest American singer/songwriters in the last 30 years. Seriously.

Aside from being completely crazy (ok, bi-polar) Daniel's voice sucks. His instruments are junk. His recordings were made in his bedroom. Yet, you can still tell that you're listening to something magical. This is why so many artists have covered his work. Here are some covers and some originals. Leave a comment and tell me whether you like his songs or the covers more.

First up is Walking the Cow. I've got a version by Teenage Fan Club, Kathy McCarty and Daniel. I purposely left off versions by Pearl Jam, A Side and fIREHOSE because they just aren't as good.

Teenage Fan Club - Walking the Cow (2004)


Kathy McCarty - Walking the Cow (1994)


Daniel Johnston - Walking the Cow (1983)


Next up is the song Go covered by Sparklehorse and the Flaming Lips. Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse was actually a big fan of Daniel Johnston's. He worked on a few projects with Johnston; trying to make old Johnston recordings sound more mainstream.

Sparklehorse and the Flaming Lips - Go (2004)


Daniel Johnston - Go (1985)


And finally, the song that introduced me to Daniel Johnston's work; Mayer Hawthorne's Cover of Held the Hand.

Mayer Hawthorne - Held the Hand (2010)


Daniel Johnston - Held the Hand (1990)


So what do you think, genius, or crazy?

Jeffro