Acclaimed songwriter, artist and performer Daniel Johnston, who was afflicted with bi-polar disorder and return to touring in recent years died today at age 58 from a heart attack. Johnston roamed the streets of Austin as a young man in 1985, passing out cassette recordings of his music, there was not a doubt in his mind that he would be famous. And it wasn’t long before Johnston’s Beatles inspired music and the comic book art that accompanied his recordings did attract attention. He was only months into his career when he managed to be featured on MTV’s Cutting Edge. Though he was far from a video star, earning a cult-following with his quirky songs and his unique artwork, Johnston became a familiar name to an insider circle: musicians, artists and indie-music followers and had fans that included Kurt Cobain and M. Ward. Johnston’s last album was 2012’s Space Ducks- check out Glide’s 2007 interview with Johnston following the release of his documentary film The Devil and Daniel Johnston.
