Manchester Confidential presents Daniel Johnston: 21 May 2007

Manchester Confidential is bringing Daniel Johnston to Manchester for his only headline gig in the UK at the Comedy Store. Johnston has been described as, ‘one of the world’s greatest living songwriters by a who’s who of rock luminaries including Tom Waits, Kurt Cobain and David Bowie. Artists indebted to his sound include Beck, Jeffrey Lewis, The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev.’ Even The Simpson’s creator Matt Groening is a big fan. A documentary about Johnston, The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005) by Jeff Feuerzeig, won the Directors’ Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. He is a well-regarded artist not just for his music but also through his drawings and paintings which have been exhibited in galleries across the world.

Yet despite this low-level but widespread fame Johnston has never had the plaudits and wealth that others have achieved. This is because of the particular nature of the man. He defines an outsider: not just in the powerful emotion of his songs but also because of his mental illness which has bedeviled him, yet profoundly influenced his music.

Cobain sporting Johnston's iconic T-shirt

This Manchester Confidential gig is special, a one-off. It is a rare opportunity to see an exceptional artist.

Tickets are £15. Please contact Ticketline: www.ticketline.co.uk

Daniel Johnston: a brief history
Born in 1961 Johnston gained a cult following in Austin, Texas. A 1985 MTV special on Austin brought Johnston wider attention. 1994 saw the release of Fun on Atlantic Records, his only major-label release. The record was produced by Paul Leary of Butthole Surfers, a group that had long supported Johnston, inviting him to open a number of concerts for them. In 1995, Johnston contributed two songs to the soundtrack for Larry Clark's controversial film Kids, produced by Folk Implosion and Sebadoh's frontman, Lou Barlow. In 2005, Texas-based theatre company Infernal Bridegroom worked with Johnston to create a rock opera based on his music, titled Speeding Motorcycle.

Trailer for the award winning documentary