what is your favorite Johnston song?

[sympathy3021]

For everyone to share a little: what is your favorite Daniel Johnston song and why  

[Sean A. Garrison]

I cannot remember the specific title. It is on Songs of Pain. The refrain is "To know her is to love her, and I love her but I don't know her." That one is just terrifying.

[sympathy3021]

yeah, a lot of Mr Johnstons writing is pleasently disturbing. I am in a toss up with my favorite song. Either "Living Life" or "Dream Scream". That song just screams passion! But the lines in "Living Life" are just unforgetable. Like "emotionless mediocrece" (i can't spell) and "how can i help but be restless when all of the colours seem to have faded away"
Who can't relate to this line?

But of course i only own a few of Mr Johnstons albums, so as time goes on i'm sure my favorites will change.

[Anonymous]

I just came in from going out to pick up some tea, and I was just listening to that line in "Living Life". It is, indeed, totally awesome. It's so bizarre how the average American envisions an "intelligent" person as almost never being different or "strange" in any way. I was raised in a situation very much like Daniel's, and I never realized that through all of those years hanging out with rockers, artists and indie-coolies that people were always making snide comments about my Kentucky accent behind my back. I play Daniel's early stuff for people and the only thing that they seem to hear is his accent or his bizarre timing. They don't listen to the awesome word-play. Idiots!

[notdaniel]

"emotionless mediocrece" (i can't spell)

Since "mediocracy" isn't actually a word, I don't think it matters how you spell it...

  - Not Daniel

[favorhouseatlantic]

Maybe "Forever".

[dejected]

You can submit words for inclusion in the dictionary - the English language "provides for" building words from word parts.

Mediocrity (a word that IS in the dictionary) is the state of being mediocre, whereas I think Mediocracy plays on "bureaucracy", meaning, "the momentum of a complex entity that prevents change"

Mediocracy is the entrenched, indifferent state of society that is beyond healing and change.

Again - the English language provides for "building your own words" - those who criticize those who prevail upon this feature only appear bent on "proving their superior worth" to whomever they are criticising, and not upon understanding and truth - which is what language is all about.

[Anonymous]

I know alot of you who has replied to this topic are new here at the messageboard and you've probably missed that there has already been a topic like this.

http://www.hihowareyou.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=39

It can be found in "album chat"

[dejected]

Yeah - I wonder if there is a way to combine topics ......

[stareyedsquirrel]

I always thought 'mediocrisy' was a hybrid of 'mediocrity' and 'hypocrisy' - therefore, mediocrisy=substandard insincerity.

[stareyedsquirrel]

Oh, and, a vast amount of the etymology of the English words we speak today comes from artists/writers (or one writer in particular - Shakespeare).  So, in order to prevent the language from stagnating, this should really happen more often!

[notdaniel]

I always thought 'mediocrisy' was a hybrid of 'mediocrity' and 'hypocrisy' - therefore, mediocrisy=substandard insincerity.

Subconsciously , that's a possibility, but keep in mind that Daniel's word-play is not so much literary based as it is sonically aesthetic - sort of like the Pixies' lyrics are meant to SOUND right more than to MEAN something important as a rule, for instance.

Example: once, long ago, me and Dan were working on a 4-track stereo duet version of "Harley Man" and at the end, to tie it up, he added the line "God take his soul" (I don't THINK this is in the original version, but whatever). I asked him if he didn't think "God REST his soul" was a better line, to which he replied that, no, the one he chose was simply "right". (I believe he may have added that it was less obvious as well).

  - Not Daniel

[Ryan]

I would have to say my favorites are Come See Me Tonight, Lazy & Mind Contorted.  I connect so much with those!

[favorhouseatlantic]

You can submit words for inclusion in the dictionary - the English language "provides for" building words from word parts.

Mediocrity (a word that IS in the dictionary) is the state of being mediocre, whereas I think Mediocracy plays on "bureaucracy", meaning, "the momentum of a complex entity that prevents change"

Mediocracy is the entrenched, indifferent state of society that is beyond healing and change.

Again - the English language provides for "building your own words" - those who criticize those who prevail upon this feature only appear bent on "proving their superior worth" to whomever they are criticising, and not upon understanding and truth - which is what language is all about.

what's that about?

[Henry Long]

Its all good.
As William Burroughs has written, "Language IS a virus."

Hang out with someone new for awhile and you'll find yourself assimilating their words! Like if they always say "bangin" for something good, like fried fish or something: "Man, that was some bangin fish!" The next day you find yourself saying the same thing in a totally different context, like "that band was bangin!" and pretty soon it's on the goddamn Today Show..."coming up after the break, that bangin new actress everyone is talking about..." (groan)

Witness the death of a word once filtered and homogenized through the mass media (see "Bling" and "Metal" and "Rock 'n Roll")

Myself, I frequently make up a word to suit a poem, a feel, a vibe. For a rare example here, I will include my latest. It was written following a week where 3 different close friends from very different backgrounds all died. Fire, motorcycle accident, and hanging/drugs. Anyway, it's named after a park where I go walk when I need a breath of fresh air.

The made up word is "tensity." It has something to do with time (as in present tense) and tension and intensity, so it presented itself and there it is and here we are and here it goes:

Bellevue

In this time of winter’s chill beginning,
present tensity of a cold descent,

bridge, buildings, train platform, highway bypass,
hard iron, silhouette a sunset such as

one I’ve never seen before, exploding
odd continent on fire faraway.

And this morning across the sidewalk bricks,
flattened like wet brown leaves or dead newsprint,

a lifeless black bird. Feathers, wing remnant,
maybe what was once claw or beak or bone,

in asymmetrical decoration,
electric against the red walk way stone.

This evening feeding squirrels in the park,
November’s grasp fast at our necks and back,

we spoke of things that pass, which turn, and last,
while nuthatch shrilled between barren branches.

Lakeside, willow sheltered, time of dying.
We smiled, paused silent, then kept moving.

11/10/04
(c) 2004 by Henry Long



Anyway, I think that is what Dejected was getting at, somewhat, and I really like that Daniel makes his own rules, all the way.