Daniel Johnston [Hardcover]

Philippe Vergne (Author), Jad Fair (Author), Harvey Pekar (Author), Daniel Johnston (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 2009

Daniel Johnston only ever dreamt of two things: he wanted to be a rock star and he wanted to be a famous artist. Amazingly enough, he succeeded at both. Today he is an acclaimed indie music star whose charmingly twisted songs have been covered by the likes of Beck, Yo La Tengo, and TV on The Radio. His artwork appears in galleries throughout the world and was featured in the 2006 Whitney Biennial. Johnston’s pen and colored marker drawings contain a range of characters, some benign or heroic, and others quite disturbing. In his complex world, good battles evil attended to by an assortment of playful characters. Johnston’s world is also informed by his conservative Christian upbringing, and filled with depictions of biblical vengeance and salvation. Looking at his work, we are reminded of Heironymous Bosch as much as DC Comics. Daniel Johnston contains over 150 full color illustrations, many taken from the artist’s private archives and never seen before. There is also commentary and analysis by the Walker Art Center’s Philippe Vergne, alt-rock luminary Jad Fair, and underground comic legend, Harvey Pekar. "I see him as an artist on the periphery of the art world, but not an outsider artist . . . It’s impressive when you see the consistency of the work."—Philippe Vergne

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...at once gag cartoon and surrealist exercise, the picture leaves an unpronounced residue of sorrow, poignant and deeply, wonderfully weird." ~Bookforum

"Rizzoli releases Daniel Johnston, the first collection of visual works from one of the most misunderstood and enigmatic musicians of out time." ~Black Book

"The mini-essays from Jad Fair and Harvey Pekar are a nice touch." ~Vice Magazine

"The long overdue Daniel Johnston (Rizzoli) will be an eye-opener to anyone who only knows the Texan’s off-kilter pop music." ~The San Antonio Current

"But his art is finally getting its due–and the coffee table book treatment–with the aptly titled Daniel Johnston." ~Nylon

"...The new monograph Daniel Johnston sets out to rectify that....The handsome book features essays from Dia Art Foundation director Philippe Vergne and Half Japanese singer/guitarist Jad Fair, as well as a slack-jawed appreciation by Harvey Pekar." ~Mens.style.com

About the Author

Philippe Vergne, newly appointed director of the DIA Art Foundation, was formerly chief curator and associate director of the Walker Art Center and co-curated the 2006 Whitney Biennial, in which Johnston's work was included. Jad Fair is an alt-rock elder statesman who led the influential band, Half-Japanese. He is also a respected visual artist in his own right. Harvey Pekar is author of the influential underground comic book series, American Splendor.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (February 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847832309
• ISBN-13: 978-0847832309
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 1.1 x 10.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic printing, December 27, 2010

By 

C. Magee "MFM" (MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daniel Johnston (Hardcover)

If you're fascinated by Daniel Johnston's art - buy this book. The quality of the printing here is phenomenal. A lot of Johnston's drawings here were produced with markers and they're reprinted here so well that it looks as if he actually drew them on the very pages you're looking at. This book is extremely colorful, and those colors are incredibly vibrant - again, thanks to the very high quality of the printing and the paper. I am in love with this book and I haven't even read any of the essays yet!

Daniel Johnston's work can be labeled as surreal, frightening, funny, morbid, etc. A quick internet search will show you exactly the kind of visuals you'll find in this book. There is a lot to look at here and Rizzoli couldn't have possibly produced a more attractive coffee table book from such great source material. Buy this book while you still can.