What’s the story?
‘Hi, How Are You’ is a collaborative short film pulled together by a group of dedicated Daniel Johnston fans/filmmakers and Daniel himself. It’s a musical tale of an aging artist encountering psychedelic dreams, nightmares and characters from his past. We began shooting with a simple outline: an intimate interview between Daniel and his younger self addressing his most prolific and maddening era. Our hope was to bring his stories, memories and art to life.
What ensued during shooting was beyond anything our crew could have hoped for. Daniel not only opened up and told stories none of us had ever heard, but embraced and relished the idea of speaking with his younger self, gifting advice and warnings from the future. That became the backbone of our script.
As shooting continued, Daniel interacted with imaginary creatures from his cast of Spirit World characters like Jeremiah and Joe the Boxer. It was a truly unreal and moving experience. The result is something that will appeal not only to Daniel fans, but to any artist trying to find their way.
Who’s making this movie?
The short film was conceived of and shot by the filmmakers behind the award-winning feature film Archie’s Final Project. Now, they have partnered with video art music duo Sneer (@5NE3R) to complete post-production, led by director Gabriel Sunday.
Who’s Daniel Johnston?
Put the name ‘Daniel Johnston’ into any internet search engine and you will find hundreds of pages about America’s most unlikely pop phenomenon and ‘outsider’ visual artist. He has, since his first crudely recorded cassette was released in 1980, spent the last three decades exposing his heartrending tales of unrequited love, cosmic mishaps and existential torment to an ever-growing international cult audience. As a result, he has been hailed as an American original akin to blues-man Robert Johnson and country legend Hank Williams.
It wasn’t long before Daniel became the singer/songwriter of choice for the burgeoning 90’s alternative/underground rock scene. At various times he has had his work championed by members of Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Butthole Surfers, Half Japanese, and perhaps most notably by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who was often photographed wearing the now infamous ‘Hi, How Are You?’ T-shirt.
The next decade saw Daniel reach new heights as an international indie icon. In 2004, a two-disc compilation titled ‘The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered’ featured artists such as Beck, The Flaming Lips, and Tom Waits covering some of Johnston’s most powerful material. In 2006, he was the subject of the award-winning film ‘The Devil and Daniel Johnston’, a documentary illuminating Johnston’s early life and ongoing struggles with mental illness.
As a young man, Daniel’s greatest dream was to be on MTV, a dream he has not only achieved, but long since surpassed. Today, he continues to record new material, his songs are featured in television advertisements by some of the world’s largest ad agencies, and he regularly tours the globe. A true original, Daniel Johnston has secured his place in the great pantheon of American popular music with a body of work that is unquestionably one for the ages.