...the vast majority of the time, he simply sounds like he's going through the motions in order to rake in some bucks...
Well, I haven't been to all of Daniel's concerts, but the same could be said for a number of "greats," from Dylan to Alice Cooper. The key phrase may be "sounds like," because I believe no one chooses to simply
go through the motions, it just sometimes happens after a decade or so of performing in a different city nearly every night and trying to be professional about it. No one wishes it for themselves intentionally, but it may be a survival mechanism.
That "compulsively creative genius" we all know and love is only human, and simply cannot sustain that momentum and energy (not to mention mania) which initially sparked those magnificent tape recordings. It's like if Iggy and the Stooges circa Raw Power had stayed that way, for 40 years! Had they tried, it would have looked like self-immolation, and they'd all probably be dead. It
had to change. It's simply the course of things. We'll never know what goes on in Daniel's head, or how hard it must be to be dependent on a cocktail of chemicals to manage his serious health issues and still be able to maintain a business. The business of Daniel Johnston.
Daniel draws everyday, performs with the Nightmares, tours, and who knows what else. He doesn't owe anything to anyone, and, most importantly, he's not alone in making decisions for his recorded output. That is now a matter of family discussion, which is what seems to work best for him. For everything the man has been through, I am personally grateful just to still have him around, you know? If he simply wanted to just kick back and watch old horror movies on DVD for the rest of his life, I'd be down with it, as long as he was happy. We as fans have a lot to choose from to satiate our desire for more.
I understand your points Doug, and they are all valid. I'm just trying to humanize this artist and musician a little. And as for the peripheral stuff relating to Daniel, like the tote bags, etc., I mentioned that just to illustrate a point that there is a lot of Daniel product on the market at this time, and not to suggest it as a substitute for his music or other personally creative endeavors. I'm not 100% sure what you mean by there being only one "real" album in eight years, but I will venture to say that had it been up to Daniel himself, there'd be ten, and they'd all be real.
