Illness into Art
May 23, 2007Watching is like watching a spectacular car accident; you can’t look away. Johnston is the talented but clearly mentally-ill singer songwriter whose songs have been recorded by over 150 artists; Target even licensed his “Speeding Motorcycle” for a commercial. He’s also a visual artist of the outsider school.
I was first turned onto his music on KXLU-FM in LA, perhaps 20 years ago.
At 45+, Johnston lives with his aging parents, has been committed several times, and has attacked people close to him, hitting his manager with a lead pipe and causing his father to crash his private plane.
As a parent, my heart goes out to those suffering like this, and especially to Johnston’s elderly parents, who clearly have gone through the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance).
Watch this film if you want insight into a disordered mind, and perhaps you’ll better understand Virginia Tech killer Cho (substitute Johnston’s obsession with the devil for Cho’s “rich brats“.)