Review of The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2006) by Stuart K — 05 Feb 2009

A critically acclaimed, award-winning documentary focusing on the life and times of a near-forgotten cult musician and artist, Daniel Johnston, the documentary tells the story of his life through interviews with his friends and family as well as home movies made by Johnston himself.

It tells of how he was born into a large family, and he was heavily influenced by The Beatles, and would record music in his bedroom on his tape recorder, he would also document his life on tape cassettes as well.

Years later, living in Austin, Texas, he became something of a cult local celebrity, but he was suffering from manic depression, which has marred him from achieving the high fame he deserves, but he had celebrity fans who ranged from Kurt Cobain to Beck to Tom Waits.

It's such a touching documentary which showcases a unique talent, although the documentary does ramble on a little longer than it should, (documentary director Jeff Feuerzeig is a big fan of Johnston's work, and it shows), but it is an enjoyable, sad and loving document of a maverick artist who is one of a kind, and has had a very eventful life.