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Cult icon Daniel Johnston

Songwriter Daniel Johnston joins Mary Anne to talk about being a cult icon.

What is it like to be a cult icon? An underground legend? A niche hero? Wonderful songwriter Daniel Johnston joins us to describe it.

Johnston's career began in 1985 in Austin, where he roamed the streets passing out cassette recordings of his homemade songs. Someday, he told people, his music was going to make him famous. Really famous, like his idols The Beatles.

It hasn't worked out that way so far. Loved by Kurt Cobain, David Bowie, Matt Groening and Lana Del Rey, he has firmly established himself in the underground, as a cult concern, a hero to those in the know.

As well as his heart-breaking, beautiful songs, Johnston is an inventive cartoonist. He was also the subject of the documentary film The Devil and Daniel Johnston.

3 hours

Last on

Sun 23 Mar 2014 07:00

Music Played

  • Beastie Boys

    Body Movin'

    • Grand Royal.
  • Kelis

    Rumble

    • Food.
    • Ninja Tune.
    • 11.
  • Morrissey

    Every Day Is Like Sunday

    • Mis Master's Voice.
  • The Velvet Underground

    Sunday Morning

    • Verve.
  • Klaxons

    Children Of The Sun

    • Love Frequency.
    • Akashic Records.
    • 001.
  • Kaiser Chiefs

    Oh My God

    • B Unique.
  • Snarky Puppy

    What About Me

  • The Charlatans

    North Country Boy

    • Beggars Banquet.
  • Warpaint

    Disco//Very

    • Warpaint.
    • Rough Trade.
    • 001.
  • Kraftwerk

    Pocket Calculator

    • Computer World.
    • EMI.
    • 2.
  • Jungle

    Busy Earnin'

    • XL.
  • Marvin Gaye

    Trouble Man

    • Motown.
  • Lana Del Rey

    Video Games

  • Daniel Johnston

    True Love Will Find You in the End - 6 Music session 22/07/2008

  • Midlake

    It's Going Down

    • Antiphon.
    • Bella Union.
    • 001.
  • Orbital

    The Box

    • London.
  • Little Dragon

    Klapp Klapp (6Music Session, 19 March 2014)

  • A Tribe Called Quest

    Check The Rhime

    • Jive.
  • Neneh Cherry

    Out Of The Black (feat. Robyn)

    • Blank Project.
    • Smalltown Supersound.
    • 001.
  • Talk Talk

    Talk Talk

    • Parlophone.
  • Sabina

    Sailor's Daughter

    • Naim Edge.
  • Hot Chip

    Night And Day

    • Domino.
  • Broken Bells

    After The Disco

    • After The Disco.
    • Columbia.
    • 001.
  • Spiritualized

    The Sound Of Confusion

  • Sharon Van Etten

    Taking Chances

    • Are We There?.
    • Jagjaguwar.
    • 001.
  • Nadine Shah

    Dreary Town

  • Led Zeppelin

    Communication Breakdown

  • Big Deal

    In Your Car

    • Mute.
  • Nirvana

    In Bloom

    • DGC.
  • 3 Minute Epiphany

    Daniel Johnston: Life As A Cult Icon

  • Daniel Johnston

    The Beatles

  • The Beatles

    I'm Only Sleeping

    • Parlophone.
  • Glass Animals

    Gooey

    • Wolf Tone / Caroline Music.
  • Sunriser

    • Clint Mansell

      Mercy Is ft. Patti Smith & Kronos Quartet

  • Sly & the Family Stone

    I Want To Take You Higher

    • Epic.
  • HAIM

    If I Could Change Your Mind

    • Days Are Gone.
    • Polydor.
    • 001.
  • Iggy and The Stooges

    Search and Destroy

  • Kate Bush

    Babooshka

    • EMI.
  • Todd Terje

    Delorean Dynamite

    • It's Album Time.
    • Olsen Records.
    • 001.
  • Mercury Rev

    Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp

    • V2.
  • Song for Cerys

    • John MOuse

      Robbie Savage

      • Crocfinger Records.

Broadcast

  • Sun 23 Mar 2014 07:00