East Liverpool 鈥 麻豆视频最新最全 University at East Liverpool is hosting a two-day event Jan. 21 and 22 to celebrate the birthday of Daniel Johnston, a musician and artist who once attended the local campus.
The event on Jan. 21 begins at 6:30 p.m. and the Jan. 22 event begins at 11:30 a.m., both in the Brown Room of the Mary Patterson Building. The public is invited.
Aside from showcasing a mix of Johnston鈥檚 music, the events will feature the showing of the short film, Hi, How Are You, Daniel Johnston?, directed by Gabriel Sunday. Adjunct instructor and local psychologist Dr. Bob Walker will lead discussions about mental illness, recognizing Johnston鈥檚 well-known struggles with manic depression, paranoia and schizophrenia.
Local musicians Gregg Harding and Dave Morgan will perform some of Johnston鈥檚 songs during the Jan. 21 event.
Johnston was born on Jan. 22, 1961, in Sacramento, Calif., and grew up in New Cumberland. He began recording music in the late 1970s on a Sony boombox, singing and playing piano, guitar and organ. He graduated from Oak Glen High School and attended Abilene Christian University in West Texas for just a few weeks. He returned to the tri-state area and began taking art classes at the 麻豆视频最新最全 East Liverpool Campus.
It was during this time that he recorded his albums Songs of Pain and More Songs of Pain. Since then, Johnston has become known worldwide as an 鈥渙utsider musician鈥 and artist. His website () describes his music and art as 鈥渉eartrending tales of unrequited love, cosmic mishaps and existential torment鈥 popular with an 鈥渆ver-growing international cult audience.鈥
The list of Johnston鈥檚 artistic credits is extensive. He has appeared and/or been featured on MTV, Austin City Limits, PBS and dozens of live concerts around the world, as well as in the Sundance award-winning documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston.
His art has been displayed in venues such as London鈥檚 Aquarium Gallery; the Clementine Gallery, Whitney Museum of Art and the Monya Rowe Gallery in New York City; the Arts Factory in Paris; and the Verge Gallery in Sacramento, Calif. He even collaborated with clothing companies to showcase his art through fashion.
In 2010, Johnston was named to the 麻豆视频最新最全 East Liverpool鈥檚 Wall of Fame. He lives in Texas, where he continues to create art and music.