ダニエル・ジョンストンのドキュメンタリー映画『The Devil And Daniel Johnston』を観た直後のメアリー・ルー・ロードが、自身とダニエル・ジョンストンとの出会い、そしてダニエルが取り持ったカート・コバーンとの関係について記しています。あんまりにも素晴らしいから以下に全文転載しておく。こういうのを読むと、やっぱり『Last Days tribute to Kurt』みたいなしょーもないコンピレーション企画を考えてるハイエナどもは反省してしかるべきだと思うけどね。
「ダニエル・ジョンストンを聴いて、たとえラッシュのような演奏技術がなくても、ジョニ・ミッチェルやボブ・ディランのような作詞の才能がなくても、サンディ・デニーのような声じゃなくても、ただ良いメロディとテープ・レコーダーと誠実ささえあれば、彼等と同じ様に人の心を動かす音楽は作れると分かったのだ。だから私はギターの練習を始め、曲を書き始め、バスキングを始めた。そう、ダニエル・ジョンストンが私の人生を変えたのだ」
「今じゃもう大昔の事だから、こんな話は、私が（そして他の人々が）考えているほど、重要ではないのかもしれない。時には私だって、あんな事は実際には起こらなかったんじゃないかって気分にもなるわ。でも、カートが笑いながらマーティンのd-18を弾いている写真を見る度に、あれは夢なんかじゃなかったって思い出すの」
THE NEW DANIEL JOHNSTON MOVIE
Hi all...Just saw the new Daniel Johnston documentary with my friend Dave...It was awesome...The movie covered Daniel's life from his childhood to present day...I laughed and cried, but mostly just felt utterly captive in beautiful state full of gratitude and appreciation that such a person as Daniel has even exhisted in this life as we know it. The movie reminded me a little of Jonathan Caouette's (sp) "Tarnation" at times...Full of the same kind of honest portrayal of sickness and tragedy...but not without some kind of enlightenment, amazement, and finally hope, that at times, is the only thing left.
So anyway, yea...It was great...Although I have been a fan for a very long time now, there was still quite a lot to be known about Daniel...Probably still is and always will be...I first heard Daniel on some radio station (car radio) in 1988 or 89...I heard Speedy motorcycle and almost crashed the car...I immediately found a phone booth (no cell's back then), called the station and asked "who was that crazy lady on the chord organ singing about the motorcycle"....The dj laghed and said "that's Daniel Johnston"...a guy...I asked where to get his record..They sent me to a store here called "In your Ear"...I went, and asked the guy at the store about the record...He had "casettes"...Yip Jump and Hi How Are YOu...I bought them both...I also asked what else they had that I might like, I remember I left the store that day with a "Sentridoh" tape and "Half Japenese", The Pastels, Cows from Atlantis, Holy Modal Rounders, The Verlaines, The Bats, The Clean, The Vaselines, ((I was an EASY and EXCITED sell that day!)..I asked the guy what this kind of music was..It wasn't folk (which is ALL I WAS LISTENING TO THEN), and not anything like what I had really heard before...Alas, my new path began that day...I decided that you didnt have to have the sci fi skills of "Rush" or the lyrical mastery of Joni Mitchell or Dylan , the voice of Sandy Denny , or anything but A GREAT MELODY< A TAPE RECORDER< AND HONESTY to make music that made you "FEEL" the "SAME" way, or got to that "SAME" place anymore...SOMETHING was happening...I began LISTENING again and trying to learn to play, and writing, and busking, and all of it...it was THE DAY DANIEL JOHNSTON CHANGED, (and probably saved) MY LIFE.A true turning point.
Anyway, I am sure you guys have heard the whole story about "The Kurt thing" by now...Really, THAT too was a crazy and happy accident...It was BEFORE Courtney by the way...Basically I met Kurt at a club in Boston called the Rat...The door man wouldnt let him in (not famous yet) and I helped him get in (the Melvins)....He thanked me, and we chatted and for some reason someone right then told me they saw me in the Subway that day and I sounded good...Kurt said "you play in a subway"...I said..."yea I am a busker" he said what do you like...I said, you wouldn't know it..he said no, I like lots of stuff...I said, well, I have been listening to my favorite new guy named Daniel Johnston....(among all the others)...IMMEDIATELY he was like"oh god he's my favorite" I was like "no he isnt" we went back and forth not believing our ears (this WAS 1991 after all) and we finally convinced each other that we werent both full of shit by rattling our favorite songs off...it was really cool...So, I guess I again have Daniel to thank for all of that too...It was through my love of Daniel (I believe) that really was the thing that made Kurt take interest in me in the first place...AND it was like that with me with him (he was FAR from a rock star), and in actuality, I didnt really even know which guy in the band he was (I had never seen thier picture) I had friends make me tapes of Nirvana...For all I know, that night I helped them get in, he could have been the roadie!..
Anyway, someday I will tell the story...it is old now, and it is probably way less of a deal than I sometimes (and other people) make of it...Sometimes it seems like it never happened...But I have some pictures of Mr. Kurt playing a beautiful 1953 d-18 named Grandpa with a lovely smile on his face...and then I remember that it wasnt a dream...
Ok I got carried away...it is ALL CONNECTED for me...Hi How Are YOu...I saw the shirt...I remembered, and TAHT was good enough for me..Just like in the credits in the new Daniel Johnston movie listed all the artists that have coverd his songs, and at the very end it says, One of Daniel Johnston Song's was also featured in a Target Add...........................My name was never mentioned. It was a nice deal for Daniel...I told them they should use any other version...they ONLY wanted mine..so, I did it...otherwise it WOULD NOT have happened..SO, I think of the shirt...................Hi, How Are You.......................................I.'m just fine....................................and I KNOW what that means..
xoxo
