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Re: DJ hospitalized
Sun, December 4, 2005 - 2:47 PMhere's the text if you can't get the link:
"Songwriter Daniel Johnston is in critical but stable condition at the Tomball Regional Medical Center, where he's being treated for acute kidney failure, his family said. He has been hospitalized since Nov. 25.
The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York last month selected Johnston, also a visual artist, to participate in the museum's coveted 2006 biennial, and the acclaimed documentary about his life, "The Devil and Daniel Johnston," is one of 15 films short-listed for Oscar consideration and has been picked up by Sony Pictures Classic for release in March.
The Waller-based Johnston, 44, who rose to moderate fame in the 1980s and '90s with his hand-made cassette albums of lo-fi songs, has struggled with manic-depression and bipolar illness for years.
Johnston's father, Bill Johnston, 83, says although there is still no official diagnosis for Daniel Johnston's condition, doctors suspect the kidney failure is from long-term lithium use. Johnston has used lithium for many years to control his bipolar disorder.
"We've ruled out every other possibility we can think of," Bill Johnston said Friday. "We're just waiting to see. He's stable, but that's about all we can say right now."
Daniel Johnston's illness is complicated by what family members describe as borderline diabetes.
In the 1990s, Johnston became an alternative rock icon as various artists covered his songs and cited his influence.
Nirvana singer-guitarist Kurt Cobain was photographed in a Johnston-designed T-shirt.
Johnston released his only major-label album, "Fun," in 1994, the same year that Austin singer Kathy McCarty released "Dead Dog's Eyeball: The Songs of Daniel Johnston."
The design on Cobain's shirt, a frog with the words "Hi, How Are You?" is an image Austinites know from the mural on the side of the corner of Guadalupe and 21st streets.
In late 2003, the image was slated for destruction when Baja Fresh Mexican Grill moved into the space formerly occupied by iconic Austin record store Sound Exchange. But the restaurant said it would keep Johnston's mural after a public outcry.
"The Devil and Daniel Johnston" was shown in March at the Paramount Theatre during South by Southwest, with Johnston in attendance. He also performed at several venues during the festival, including the Austin Music Awards.
Johnston's father said the family hopes to move his son to a hospital in downtown Houston. Johnston does not have medical insurance and is on Medicare, his father said.
Johnston's father adds that no visitation is allowed.
"It wouldn't do anybody any good," Bill Johnston said. "All you can do is look at him."
But Jeff Tartakov, Daniel Johnston's friend, former manager and founder of Stress Records, which distributes Johnston's music on cassette, said he visited Johnston on Sunday.
"I spent an hour with him," Tartakov said. "My girlfriend and I spent the time holding his hand and stroking his hair. It's frustrating that he isn't being allowed visitors."" -
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Re: DJ hospitalized
Thu, December 22, 2005 - 5:28 PMHere is an update on DJ from the Austin Rauls email group
From Brent Grulke:
"Just got this from Michael Hall:
""I just talked to his father Bill and he says Daniel is coming home Friday--he's talking, his
mind is clear, he's anxious to come home. They had moved him to another hiospital and got
another doctor, which Bill thinks had something to do with the improvement. i asked about
prognosis and he said he's hoping Daniel will need less medication--he says they're going to
start over again as per the meds. Who knows what that means. But it's great news for now."" -
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Re: DJ hospitalized
Fri, December 23, 2005 - 10:09 AMI ham veddy glad tou hear hee eez doioink betterer!
Mebbee hee on too many meds? Zay moist tou feex heeem! Ze weirld kneads ze Daniel Johnston. Yip Yip!
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Re: DJ hospitalized
Sun, December 25, 2005 - 8:41 PMExcellent news from Hi How Are You .com You can also find it here:
www.rejectedunknown.com/featur...tal.htm
DANIEL JOHNSTON HOSPITALIZED - TWO PRESS RELEASES
Saturday, December 24th, 2005 - WALLER, TX - Song writer / singer / artist Daniel Johnston was released from Methodist Hospital in Houston on Friday. The artist had been rushed to the hospital by emergency vehicle the day before Thanksgiving unable to speak or walk, and had family members and fans fearing the worse.
The Texas musician has received increasing attention in the last few years as a artist / songwriter struggling with mental illness between bouts with fame from his songs of love and pain, and his compelling art.
While in the hospital (and unknown to Daniel) the Whitney Museum of American Art announced that his art would be featured in the prestigious 2006 Biennial, giving him a permanent place in the American Art world. Daniel shares this honor along with six other Texans: photographer Amy Blakemore of Houston; the four-member Otabenga Jones group (Dawolu Jabari Anderson, Jamal Cyrus, Robert Pruitt and Kenya Evans), also of Houston; and photographer and draftsman Troy Brauntuch from Austin.
Starting with humble beginnings on the streets of Austin, Texas handing out cassette tapes to passers-by, Daniel Johnston gained increasing attention as an ingenious songwriter. His bouts with notoriety included several MTV appearances.
Over the years, Daniel had acquired an impressive list of supporters, including Kurt Cobain (who frequently wore Daniel's now-famous "Hi How Are You" t-shirt), Matt Groening of "The Simpsons" fame, and countless musicians. Last year, eighteen musicians honored the songwriter with a 2-CD album covering his songs, "Discovered Covered" by Gammon Records.
In January of this year, "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" by film director Jeff Feuerzeig premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The feature length documentary used interviews and astounding archive video and audio in a portrayal of the artist's genius and struggle with manic depression. The film has been licensed by Sony Pictures Classic and slated for release in North America March 31, 2006.
Daniel's sudden illness was something of a mystery and produced broad speculation. The artist is a borderline diabetic, but he also takes a regiment of medications to stabilize the manic-depression. It was feared that the medications that allowed him to live productively could prove fatal. First reports indicated the problem was lithium poisoning..
Lithium is the prescription medication used to stabilize patients like Daniel who struggle with bi-polar disorder. Daniel's behavioral episodes with the illness have resulted in a total of five years in mental institutions. He has been living at home with his parents in Waller, Texas for fifteen years because new medications had stabilized his condition.
As recently as last week, family members were advised that Daniel would require long-term medical care and permanent dialysis for kidney failure. But early this week that prognosis changed drastically and the artist is now at home with functioning kidneys and a renewed zeal for pursuing his songwriting and art.
Family members describe the episode as a serious infection that caused kidney failure and resulted in dangerous distortion of prescription medications in his system. The infection proved to be highly resistant to antibiotics and prolonged the uncertainty of the cause and his recovery.
In the hospital, Daniel had a wall covered with cards, pictures, letters, and emails from supportive fans, which he reportedly packed up to take home with him on Friday. "I didn't know where I was or how I got there," Daniel is reported to say after weeks of semi-conscious state. "But this has happened to me plenty of times before".
This is a both a reference to memories of waking up in a mental institutions and that he sometimes wakes up in some part of the world performing on tour and is uncertain where he is, his brother explained.
On the ride home, Daniel was exuberant. "Hallelujah! Freedom! I feel like an escaped mental patient."
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Unsu...
Re: DJ hospitalized
Sun, January 8, 2006 - 10:00 PM>>In late 2003, the image was slated for destruction when Baja Fresh Mexican Grill moved into the space formerly occupied by iconic Austin record store Sound Exchange. But the restaurant said it would keep Johnston's mural after a public outcry.<<
This part made me cry. I hate think of Baha Fresh on that corner. -
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Re: DJ hospitalized
Mon, January 9, 2006 - 3:58 AMWell, they kept their word. The famous "Hi How Are You" is still there.
The owner, who was from out of town, claimed he thought it was just grafitti when he slated it for destruction. It took the public outcry to inform him otherwise. He did the right thing by saving it. Most of his customers (young UT college kids) were probably equally misinformed and would have cared less. Further, their never seems to be any adverse consequence for a businessman who destroys yet another piece of Austin's history. But he went onto considerable expense to preserve the art. I found that encouraging.
I had a lot of connection to the old record store that was there before but it fell victim to a changing music industry. -
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Re: DJ hospitalized
Mon, January 9, 2006 - 7:40 PMI FLUFF DANIEL JOHNSTON UND HEEZ MUZAK FUREVER!
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