Daniel's Well-Being

[Henry Long]

"Daniel has been experiencing mood swings in the last few weeks unlike any he can recall for years. The medical attention this requires only would be delayed if Daniel left for Europe...This has far reaching and regrettable consequences for Daniel and his fans, and the decision was only made with great consternation."

Please know that Daniel is in our thoughts and prayers, as is his family.
The important thing always is that Daniel receives the care, love and support he needs during and following these episodes. No one, especially his fans, would want Daniel to risk his well being for a tour or performance.

To Daniel's Family- Please keep us informed, if possible, of his progress, and may our best wishes for his return to optimal health be gently conveyed.

[FatPatty]

hang in there daniel and family! if there is anything i can do to help... any of else can do, let us or me know!  love, jon

[Tombstoneshoes]

 I'm so sorry to hear this, I'm new here but I think I can say with confidence that we all wish the best for Daniel.

[gina164]

Hi All,

I returned late last night from my birthday trip to Europe, which
began on August 4th with a four day stay in Austin to meet some friends, during which I learned the sad news that Dan was not stable enough to proceed with his planned tour.

I was very happy, though, to be able to arrange to visit him while in town, a visit which took place on Saturday, the 6th.

First, I would like to let everyone here know that Daniel seemed to be in pretty good spirits, considering he was obviously going through mood flips severe enough to  have made his tour impossible. He expressed great belief that his current instability would be corrected over time with a return to the proper brand of his normal meds, as he shared that he had not been receiving the brand that he had become stabilized on.

Next, I would like to recount my visit with Dan for you...

It  began with a lovely chat with Dan and his deeply caring mom at their kitchen table. After the three of us chatted, Dan 'got rid of Mom' and he and I talked alone for a short while, before going out to dinner.  After dinner, Dan wanted to do some DVD shopping, so we did.  While we shopped together, I day-dreamed that one day Dan would be able to see 'his film' for sale, too!

After returning home, we spent a few hours chatting on his back porch, and then some time discussing music in his 'studio,' where he played a tune on his piano for me and spoke about his new CD.

I wanted to share with you some important parts of our chat:

Dan expressed to me his deep regrets about not being able to get through a long tour, and his awareness that he would be disappointing some fans.  I reassured him that his true fans cared ONLY for his welfare, and that if he could not do the tour, then that's that...and that we would not want him to feel badly about it, at all.

Dan also shared with me, unprompted in any way, that he did not want to ever tour outside of Texas again, as he felt it had been too trying on him in the past.  I know there has been some discussions on here as to what is best for Daniel...So, I just wanted to let everyone know that I heard this from him personally...at least this is what he expressed to me on August 6th.

Another thing Dan expressed was his hope that he was doing 'good work,' by making a good contribution to the world. I was VERY touched by this deeply sincere concern from him, and I reassured him, again, that he was beloved by many, and that his music has helped others, and would continue to help many people.

As a woman, I found Dan to be an inter-personally loving (and funny!) guy, even while he was obviously enduring/worrying about a haunting  mood-instability crisis.

Not only was he polite towards me at all times, but I was truly surprised by how concerned for my welfare he was after I told him at dinner about my having Celiac Disease, and needing to eat 'gluten-free.' He tried to help me find foods on the menu that I could safely order.

He was also VERY happy and excited about the film...because of that, I believe  that when the film is released, it will add greatly to Dan's happiness, and also raise awareness about mental illness.

Kudos to his family for their contribution to the film...for helping to share the story of Daniel Johnston...their angel...and our beloved artist.

Sincerely,
Gina

[Henry Long]

Wow Gina, thanks for the update! I am sure having a gentle friend to hang out with and chat on the porch for a few hours did him more good than you even realize. It warms my heart how complete strangers will come into our lives and show empathy and compassion without judgment. May it return to you 10 fold.

[Poonhead]

Wow.  That was touching.  I wish Daniel all the happiness in the world.  It's nice to hear an update that has such a personal touch.
The touring subject isn't too sad to me, whether he tours and where that is; as long as he's still making music and/or drawings.
Does anyone have any recent pictures of Daniel?

[dbeefy]

I agree. Thanks Gina for sharing all that, can I just echo that it was very touching.  Like everyone here I only wish him the best. 

I feel immensely proud to be a fan, also that  the film is coming out, and that it will spread awareness of his creative work, amazing life story , and help to make mental illness even a little less taboo.

Sincerely, thank you. I'm off now to put on Yip/Jump Music , one of the most affecting and inspiring of Dan's albums to me
Db

[Gomez]

Bummed out I didn't catch him over here in Europe. Hope he's doing ok. I'll certainly catch him next time.

[favorhouseatlantic]

damn, i hope he'll be alright.

[zabraski]

any update on how Daniel is doing?

[Stress Records]

any update on how Daniel is doing?

I saw him this weekend and he's doing fine. He was in a very good mood with no complaints whatsoever.  He's been staying busy working on his art and next weekend he'll make a brief trip to LA to play a free show at Copro/Nason Gallery in Santa Monica.  It was great to see him doing so well.

[gina164]

I'm glad that you got to visit with him, Jeff!
I know how much you love the guy!

AND, I hope he makes it out to Cali

Gina

[zabraski]

great news hes doing welll again.

[Stress Records]

The LA trip this weekend has been canceled but Daniel is still doing fine.

[cheddarcat]

have been out of loop for while, is daniel still doing ok w/ his mood swings?
tell him judy/cheddarcat in boston says hello