This past month, I have had the pleasure of seeing two of Texas' most eccentric musicians perform live, Daniel Johnston and Jandek. The Daniel Johnston show was incredible. It felt magical watching him play in his dirty sweatpants, with his eyes glued to his lyric book, and his hands trembling, as his voice echoed into the crowd of lovers who grew up on Johnston's music. It was one of the most unique performances I have ever seen in my whole life. Seeing Johnston live, there is no doubt that sometime is off about him, but he was truly a very sweet guy, like a big grown-up teddy bear, and I'll never forget the experience of seeing him play.
I was also given the opportunity to work with Jandek. This Texas recluse has been making music for over 30 years, yet has only given 2 interviews, and refuses to tell anyone his address or real name. Meeting him at first was semi-strange, but as time passed, he warmed up and was even was telling jokes with the band. Jandek is such a mystery to the whole music industry, so it was just surreal to be in the presence of this enigmatic musician; even famous music critics could not spend the time of day with him if they tried. At the end of my time with him, he called me 'lovely' for helping out with the show, which coming out of his mouth, was basically the biggest compliment I could get in the world. I even learned his real name, but sorry, that's a secret that shall stay with me.
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