Daniel Johnston "Fun"

Daniel isn't only recognized by his music. He's one of those artists who are constantly categorized as genius or insane. He got to make this album, I think, on Atlantis Records because at that time (1994) Kurt Cobain was wearing all the time a t-shirt about one of his albums- see the image here. And I don't want to offend anyone, but Daniel Johnston isn't clearly very stable, psychologically - he has a bipolar disorder /manic depression.
Labeled as folk rock and simultaneously "outsider music", his sonic adventures are catchy and feature remarkable lyrics. Lyrics that not only speak of his experiences, but also show us another side of a person who's got a disease: this kind of thing just adds more emphasis to the artist's work (just see Ian Curtis' epilepsy, Roky Erickson's schyzophrenia, Cobain's drug adiction, Jim Morrisson's acid trips, etc.).
Now this album isn't an occasional one that I feature here: it was given to me by my cousin yesterday, when I went to Coimbra to see Telepathe [again]. I've been hearing it and so I thought that I hadn't made a good post lately and I see there are many visitors around here.
This isn't imparcial, but who cares after all? Pitchfork has the same attitude towards its reviews and criticism. My favourite songs are: Life in Vain (2- this song is exceptional, I love the guitars and violins that appear here, so nostalgic), Happy Time (5), Foxy Girl (8), and Rock 'n' Roll / EGA (18). Actually, I haven't heard this album so many times that I can point out the songs I like more. Oh, and it's the first Daniel Johnson's album I hear too... Sorry if I make some mistakes during this review.

You should also check the documentary that was made about this fascinating man: "The Devil and Daniel Johnston".

Try listening to the album by clicking here.

Here's Daniel holding a Beatles record.