In a crazy year of shows, we have been lucky to see some amazing shows, but a few shows have stood out due to the significance and scarcity of the artist.  I’m talking about Pere Ubu, Jeff Mangum, Will Oldham and now Daniel Johnston.

Sitting quietly in the back of the room at the Good Folk Fest, Daniel Johnston was sketching in his note pad while people were perusing through his albums and admiring a wall of his art.  At a prices of $650 and up, I passed on owning an original and simply picked up a Hi, How Are You? disc.  Daniel was kind enough to take pictures with fans (including me, see below), in between drinks of his Diet Mountain Dew and thumbing the pages of his notebook.  I thanked him for coming to Louisville and he told me that he tried the KY Bison burger and recommended that I get one.  He questioned me as to what was in Louisville’s Hot Brown, but I had no clue (other than that it increases your chance of a heart attack by 50%).

Just after 2pm, a huge crowd gathered around a small stage at the Mellwood Arts Center and sat quietly as Daniel took the stage, guitar and Dew in hand with his lyric book secured below his arm.  He set up quickly, took a swig of his drink, some of which ended up on his sweatshirt, and started into “Mean Girls Give Pleasure.”  Cameras flashed, a few children ran about and Daniel stared intently at his song book.  No time was wasted in between songs, only that time necessary to turn the page in his book, and he played “There is a Sense of Humor Way Beyond Friendship” (see video below).  Daniel stopped shortly after this song to tell us about a dream that he had in which a man was sentenced to death for committing suicide.  There was no follow-up, but a few chuckles from the crowd emerged.  After playing “Mask” he told us that he told us wrong about his dream, and that the man was sentenced to death for attempting to commit suicide, and the man was him.  He was sitting in the back of the court room and he reacted by screaming, “NOOOOO!”  Corrected, more laughs were garnered.  He finished his short four song set, with “Freedom,” thanked the crowd, gathered his things and quickly exited the stage, weaving through the crowd, retreating to his chair in the back of the room.  He left his half-full Dew on the stage.

This short set was not unexpected.  He averages three song sets, sometimes repeated with the exact three songs.  Stage fright is an issue for Daniel as he has been quoted that he is constantly thinking that he has to get off stage while he is performing.  Regardless, four songs was plenty for a complete Daniel Johnston experience.

I can’t thank the people behind the Good Folk Fest enough for coordinating the whole thing.  I highly recommend heading down to the Mellwood Arts Center tonight and tomorrow and enjoy all the tunes and art you heart can desire.  Tickets are only $5 bucks and there is a full line-up of bands scheduled to play tomorrow from 10am to 6pm (including The Mack, Monkey Boy, The Smacks and more).  See you there!

Daniel Johnston – There is a Sense of Humor Way Beyond Friendship

For more photos,

Set List

Mean Girls Give Pleasure

There is a Sense of Humor Way Beyond Friendship

Mask

Freedom

Daniel Johnston

Centraalia Massacre