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Sunday, November 22, 2009
Review: Daniel Johnston at St. David’s
“Well, that’s all I’ve got for now,” Daniel Johnston mumbled about 20 minutes into his show Friday night at St. David’s Episcopal Church. He had just rambled through three songs on his acoustic guitar, pounding Diet Cokes and obsessively flipping through his lyrics book in between. The 125 or so people in attendance, who were no doubt there just as much to see the idiosyncratic pop-song machine as they were to hear him, had their first awkwardness-as-comedy moment of an intimate set filled with many of them. I know I wasn’t the only one thinking, is it really all over?
Nope. It was just the end of the solo stuff. Roots cover band Strings Attached, who had backed Johnston on opener “Living Life” — wherein Johnston, fists balled, down at his sides, twitched as intensely as Joe Cocker at Woodstock as he sang, “Living, living, living, living, living, living, living, living life” — rejoined him for an hour’s worth of rhyming couplets mostly about girls, ghosts, dreams and death.
They kicked off things with “Mind Movies” and “High Horse,” from Johnston’s glossy new album “Is and Always Was,” which was produced by Beck collaborator Jason Falkner. It was a smart idea to have a backing band for Johnston so he could concentrate solely on singing, but I’m not sure Strings Attached was the best fit — unless, of course, Johnston wanted to convey the subtle country vibe created by Strings’ mandolin and violin flourishes.
In between golden oldies “Speeding Motorcycle” and “Life in Vain,” Johnston, having finally warmed to the crowd, told a joke. “I had a dream,” he said, “that this guy was sentenced to death for suicide — and it was me, in the back of the courtroom, going, ‘No, no.’” Johnston rode the momentum of the laughs it generated and played two more songs from the new album, “Tears” and “Freedom” (originally titled “Freedoom,” he said), before calling for an impromptu intermission.
Upon return, Johnston and Strings played “Eleanor Rigby” by the Beatles, after which Johnston said, “I have a special Christmas gift for you all.” And with that, he sang a warm and fuzzy version of “True Love Will Find You in the End.” A standing ovation ensued. As Will Taylor of Strings introduced his players over the thunderous clapping, Johnston grabbed his guitar and remaining Diet Cokes, and split for his dressing room.
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Jody Denberg’s final Sunday set list
Jody Denberg has been on the air Sundays in Austin for 29 years, first as a 21-year-old hosting ‘Critic’s Choice’ on KLBJ-FM. The last few years he’s hosted a three-hour program on Sunday mornings on KGSR, playing whatever he felt like. This Sunday morning show was his last, for at least a year. In this case, a playlist is worth a thousand words:
Lisa Germano - ‘On The Way Down From The Moon Palace’
Sparklehorse - ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’
Jackson Browne - ‘My Opening Farewell’
The Rolling Stones - ‘Slipping Away’
Nick Drake - ‘Clothes Of Sand’
The Band - ‘Unfaithful Servant’
Fleet Foxes - ‘Sun It Rises’
Abigail Washburn - ‘What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?’
Odetta - ‘Listening To Old Voices’
Bob Marley - ‘Give Thanks & Praises’
Lyle Lovett - ‘Flyin’ Shoes’
Robin Holcomb - ‘Nine Lives’
Paul McCartney - ‘Junk’
George Harrison - ‘Be Here Now’
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - ‘Look At Me’
The Waterboys - ‘Strange Boat’
Ronnie Lane/Pete Townshend - ‘Nowhere To Run’
Neko Case - ‘Don’t Forget Me’
Harry Nilsson - ‘Turn On Your Radio’
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - ‘Dreamville’
Mavis Staples - ‘On My Way’
Miles Davis - ‘It’s About That Time’
Loudon Wainwright - ‘Thanksgiving’
Poi Dog Pondering - ‘Thanksgiving’
Rosanne Cash - ‘Dance With The Tiger’
David Byrne - ‘The Revolution’
Wilco - ‘The Late Greats’
Bruce Springsteen - ‘Bobby Jean’
Willie Nelson - ‘It’s A Dream Come True’
Steve Forbert - ‘What It Is Is A Dream’
Neil Young - ‘Here We Are In The Years’
Patty Griffin - ‘Change’
Pete Townshend - ‘Content’
Bob Dylan - ‘Ring Them Bells’
Stevie Wonder - ‘Higher Ground’
Greg Brown - ‘Driftless’
Iris Dement - ‘Sweet Is The Melody’
Brian Wilson - ‘Love And Mercy’
Sinead O’Connor - ‘Thank You For Hearing Me’
Tom Waits- ‘Shiny Things’ (dedicated to his wife Barbara)
Randy Newman- ‘Harps and Angels’
Linda and Richard Thompson- ‘The Great Valerio’
“It’s all a balancing act,” Denberg said after playing that last song. “Sometimes you have to go out there on the highwire and see what happens.” Denberg announced his resignation from KGSR ten days ago. He’s vowed to take at least a year off. His final on-air appearance will be on Dec. 5.
