Dspang's thoughts on The Devil and Daniel Johnston

Wow. This was a draining watch for me. I think that was the point though. I had never heard of this Daniel Johnston fellow until I saw this movie. I must say he exemplifies everything that has to do with the diy spirit of underground, music, art, etc. Let me elaborate. I'm a big fan of underground music. Normally the more extreme varieties such as powerviolence, grindcore, hardcore punk, alternative. I love a lot of this type of stuff. The reason that I love a lot of this style of music and art is the fact that it is written and portrayed with 100 percent more heart than most anything mainstream can provide. Daniel Johnston definitely is a strong embodiment of what art can be. Here we have a man. Stricken with a very terrible malady in manic depression. He draws, he makes music, he does all of these things. His art is him. He becomes very famous and rises above everything despite his illness with the help of all of his loved ones around him. Also like a lot of famous art and artists in history, his art and he are challenging. His singing maybe off key. His pictures and drawings may not be polished. That's the idea. It challenges one to sit there and look at it from the left, then maybe the right and then step in the middle and just start thinking about it. It leaves an impression. Yet everything that is put out into the world is done solely by him and him alone. No brickwalled and glamorous studio productions. No sheens of gloss or glitz. Nothing. Just a tormented artist turning to the only relief he knows.

Daniel's true medication is his art. Despite his ups and downs, his true therapy is his art. To me that's what makes his art and him awesome. Is the fact that everything he draws, writes, sings, plays just emanates the genuine and honest emotion this man feels on a daily basis. No matter what you get from him. You know that it is the real thing. This is what I admire most about this movie.

At times this movie was definitely uncomfortable for me to watch. The awkwardness of mental illness is a very difficult thing to deal with. I feel as though if Daniel did not have his art that he definitely would have imploded for sure. Then the world would not have such an inspirational figure. At the same time I feel that this movie raises awareness about mental illness too, without being overly preachey. It gives you a real portrait of someone suffering from a severe mental problem. No bullshit.

I'm with Brian on this one. This movie inspires me too. I definitely want to do something also. It makes me want to mess with Fruityloops and make my goofy techno music like I used to all the time. Makes me want to paint. Just something to that avail. Whether people like it or not its creativity. When it comes to art that seems to matter the most.