Arts Centre Vooruit, Ghent, Belgium

Daniel Johnston, the bipolar cult figure hailing from Austin, Texas, is often put in the same category as other brilliant but troubled souls, such as Syd Barrett, Brian Wilson or Roky Erickson. Johnston’s life has been a long uphill battle with the demons in his head. Paradoxically enough, he is also considered one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the past 20 years, mainly thanks to admiring comments from rock heroes such as Butthole Surfers (with band member Paul Leary even producing Johnston’s most well-known album), Sonic Youth and Kurt Cobain (who frequently wore T-shirts with Johnston’s artwork). His expansive oeuvre, encompassing over 500 songs, has been covered by Tom Waits, The Flaming Lips, Pearl Jam, Beck, Sparklehorse, Yo La Tengo, Teenage Fanclub, and many more. Some typical traits include a childlike naivety and sombre themes. Apart from being a musician, Johnston is also an artist. 7 tributes and 1 widely spread documentary – ‘The devil and Daniel Johnston’ (2006) – have been released so far. The recently released double tribute album ‘The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered, Covered’, which features original versions as well as covers, is one of the highlights of his career. Last year he sold out the AB (Domino) concert hall in no time.