Daniel Johnston @ the Roxy, Boston

February 21st, 2008 - by Eddie

Boston, Indie, Reviews, Shows

*Reproduction of Johnston’s art.

At the center of a dance club and under the reflective light of a giant disco ball, Austin’s Daniel Johnston took the stage with a simple smile and songs that he originally wrote and recorded in his room.

Johnston is a strange sort of indie rock hero. Some have heard of him, some have heard more of his story (thanks to the 2005 documentary “The Devil and Daniel Johnston“).

The truth is, there is something special about Johnston and during the show, I wondered what he thought about his fame, how songs he recorded onto tapes have found their way into a trendy nightclub in Boston with a varied audience that included hipsters, clubbers and senior citizens.

Immediately, you’re struck with Johnston’s innocent persona and how effortlessly he goes from one song to the next with his eyes closed, his hands shaking around the mic and his voice reaching the same child-like wonder you’ve heard so often on his albums or downloaded MP3s

“Who here likes Christmas?” he asked at one point. “Well, ya know. Every day is like Christmas for me because I buy a stack of comic books. Because I’m RICH!”

Only Johnston can do that and garner laughs from the men and “aawwws” from the women simultaneously.

(This was a different show for me personally. We’re trying to start a podcast for 52 shows, so I was busy doing some interviews with the crowd and capturing as much music as possible. I’ll hopefully have this up by the weekend).

The show was split up into two parts (three if you count the encore). The first featured just Johnston and his guitar. The second brought out a backing band (the night’s dreadful opening act).

But as interesting as it was to hear “Walking the Cow” and “Grievances” live, it was just as interesting to see the crowd and watch their reaction.

There were guys in the corner muttering “What the fuck?” and “classy” women who were bored because they were brought on a date (who does that?).

And, like me, there were people who came by themselves, there to see the man they had heard about for so many years, either from friends or thanks to a t-shirt Kurt Cobain wore almost every day.

It’s a strange show to explain and maybe the podcast will bode better. For now, know that at its most simple, it was a show with an honest guy on stage. At its most artistic, it was a show that displayed what musical freedom truly looks like.