A Deep Dive Into Hi, How Are You? - A Strange Lo-fi Masterpiece (Daniel Johnston)

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  • Опубліковано 25 вер 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 120

  • @limalo9934
    @limalo9934 Місяць тому +19

    I got to see Daniel Johnston live a while back right before he passed. It was a really beautiful experience. I said hi to him after and he was so socially awkward, he just said “yeah thanks for being here, hi” and shook my hand and walked away.

    • @ChristopherAnderson-e5o
      @ChristopherAnderson-e5o 28 днів тому

      i've been listening to him since the late 90's but i never saw him live and now i never will. and the reason is because i'm just like him

  • @stankydanky
    @stankydanky Рік тому +126

    I'm a big nerd when it comes to audio recording, so I've done as much research as i can into the recording process of this album. There's not a whole lot of info out there, and the recording was very simple to begin with, but I still think it's worth sharing here.
    This was recorded on a cassette boombox. No effect pedals or anything were used at all on the album. Daniel had dropped and broken his cassette recorder, resulting in it recording at a slower speed. This means that when the tape is played back on a deck set at the correct speed, the pitch is raised slightly. The motor was damaged, resulting in that sort of wobbly sound. That rhythmic clicking sound that occurs throughout the album is the busted mechanism of the cassette deck.
    Also, the boombox could only record in mono with no way of overdubbing. Daniel got around this by recording something on the boombox, playing it back on another player, and singing along with it. This is what he did on I'll Never Marry, Nervous Love, and No More Pushing Joe Around.
    On Daniel's previous albums, he would always rehearse the songs before he recorded them. On this one, however, he did not rehearse them, giving it a more spontaneous feel.
    Anyways, I enjoyed your analysis. You did a great job of explaining how all of these tracks work together as a whole. Frankenstein loves you.

    • @chickenmuffin
      @chickenmuffin 7 місяців тому +5

      So wait, does this mean that to listen to it as Daniel intended it, we should really slow it down 10, 20, 30%?

  • @dinnerputter8757
    @dinnerputter8757 10 місяців тому +74

    This album made me realize that life keeps on going, no matter how hopeless and weak you feel. I was in an awful state of mind for years, and Daniel made me feel a little less alone through it all. Whenever I felt like I wanted to end it all, I though of his words:
    "And when you wake up in the morning
    You'll have a brand new feeling
    And you'll find yourself healing
    So don't let the sun go down on your grievances."
    Great video man, keep it up.

    • @StreetSweep
      @StreetSweep 7 місяців тому

      Man.. I seriously couldn't imagine the normal every day drags of life like that, but also be dealing with the mental illness that Daniel was. That seriously had to have been hell. Unless he wasn't dealing with that at this point, but it seems as he was.

  • @rushinsteele257
    @rushinsteele257 7 місяців тому +26

    My cousin Jason played music with Daniel in Waller , Tx. Before my cousin died , he brought Daniel over for thanksgiving at my grandmothers house. She lived near Daniel. He showed up with a white Tshirt with spaghetti stains on the front. He had a photo album and everything in it were drawings he made of captain America. As a musician , I didn’t get anything out of our minimal conversation. He was on his meds. One thing that Daniel represents for me is the fact that music has no rules. Follow your dream no matter what.
    People analyze him and his music but like most of us who are creative , it’s a blessing and a curse. He had no choice but to do it. He did it the best he could.

  • @minktrappingpaddy
    @minktrappingpaddy 8 місяців тому +27

    With reguards " I picture myself with a guitar". I remember his mother once saying that Daniel was so disappointed when he got his first guitar, because he thought he would be able to make it sound just like The Beatles streight away. So maybe this song refers to that very thing. How he pictured how his guitar playing would be, to how it sounds in reality.

  • @mewxtwo
    @mewxtwo 6 місяців тому +80

    I actually find music like this pretty disturbing. The lofi, minimalist nature of it along with the very undeniably real, raw emotion is just really jarring to me. It makes me uneasy. I dont know.

    • @Justboutmi
      @Justboutmi 5 місяців тому +7

      I also find low quality albums like this one kinda creepy, it's sounds, hard to tell what's going, and you can only hear it you can never see it, while being unfinished meaning it was never supposed to come out to the public but it did

    • @sarahlamoureaux5832
      @sarahlamoureaux5832 2 місяці тому +1

      He was fucked up but brilliant. He knew it, as in he was on to something but had no idea what that was. His lyrics are poems like Bukowski but sweeter.. He added music. He did what no one else did and made a name for himself. His whole life.. he did more than most just being himself.

    • @squirq
      @squirq 2 місяці тому +2

      it's absolutely disturbing. i mean, you're listening to a man who is going through and has gone through psychosis. but in the end, the ideas he felt needed to be shared were ones of love, joy, confusion, and pain. with that in mind, revisiting his music can be uplifting somehow. it's like even though his reality was different than ours, he wasn't afraid to bawl about it. so cool!

    • @geso91
      @geso91 11 днів тому

      That’s art, a form of art

    • @mewxtwo
      @mewxtwo 11 днів тому

      @@squirq right. I'm definitely able to jam some songs of this album on their own. But the entire album gives me such an uncomfortable feeling. ESPECIALLY the little motif that keeps happening throughout the album.

  • @antlergxrl
    @antlergxrl 11 місяців тому +29

    the ending of this video is actually genius, you took the meaning of the end part of no more pushing joe around and interpolated it into your video... amazing work

  • @loizpt
    @loizpt Рік тому +49

    I know who spoke the final words... "Getting appointed with yourself. You who are now starting on the greatest adventure of your life.... Why have you listened?"

    • @steel3892
      @steel3892 7 місяців тому +2

      Sounds like Alan Watts

    • @loizpt
      @loizpt 7 місяців тому +3

      @@steel3892 Yes it's Alan Watts!

    • @taladepth7860
      @taladepth7860 Місяць тому

      i hear “acquainted.” what does it mean to be appointed with oneself?

  • @mrseal662
    @mrseal662 11 місяців тому +18

    This album changed my life when I first heard it in September 2019, about 4 years ago shortly after his death. There was absolutely nothing else like it, and to this day it's my go-to album whenever I just want to turn off the light and be alone in my room.
    I always have such a hard time listening to anything after 'Hey Joe'. Actually have a theory about that though. 'Hey Joe' seems to be such a perfectly obvious closing track with its hopeful lyrics and sense of finality, except that it's followed by three other tracks. The way it appears to me, 'Hey Joe' would have been the closing track if Daniel had his happy ending, but since he didn't- we're shown the downtrodden nightmare of 'No More Pushing Joe Around' instead. There's some poetic mastery to that which frankly terrifies me. Great album, but its one of those I need to listen to only at the right moments.

  • @canewest6401
    @canewest6401 Рік тому +22

    this needs way more recognition than it has, this is beautiful, thank you

  • @gyromiller1873
    @gyromiller1873 10 місяців тому +21

    Why is the audio cutting out during Keep Punching Joe?

  • @rediknight9056
    @rediknight9056 9 місяців тому +23

    “I see your face, I picture myself with a guitar.”, I feel like that’s him saying “this individual inspires me on some level to pick up my guitar and write.”, but idk.

  • @phantomarchive
    @phantomarchive 2 роки тому +18

    After watching this again and listening to the album I totally agree on everything, especially on the “I take it all back” line.

  • @slusheewolf2143
    @slusheewolf2143 2 роки тому +11

    This video really deserves more views. This is an insane video that legit blew my mind.

  • @fredman727
    @fredman727 Рік тому +12

    I love this video dude. This is one of the most inspiring albums I've heard, you can make art however you can as long as you give it value. Dan has been a big inspiration and it's so good to see someone talking about his work. Thank you so much!!

  • @yourbestnightmare69420
    @yourbestnightmare69420 Рік тому +8

    Watched this for the first time on Hi How Are You day. I just learned that was today. Kind of poetic that I learned about it on the very day, isn't it? Great video by the way :)

  • @bencesarvari2235
    @bencesarvari2235 3 місяці тому +2

    I think "I picture myself with a guitar" captures the moment of inspiration. Lookibg at someone and connecting with them so deeply that you can imagine yourself writing a song about them. But then, you don't write the song but a different shorter song of about 40 seconds singing the same too lines about how you imagined making music. And you're sitting alone in your room in front of a tape recorder...

  • @phantomarchive
    @phantomarchive 2 роки тому +9

    Thank you for making these videos they’re amazing and open my ears to new sounds

  • @marrrrrbdixismfu
    @marrrrrbdixismfu Рік тому +7

    i think "i pcture myself with a guitar" is daniel expressing he wants to play the guitar for that person, the one with that face, maybe a lover, but can only picture himself doing so, as he is too shy or he just can't play the guitar for this person who is important enough to desire to do so.
    like a "silly" conflict that still bugs him
    the way i see it, i kinda "used" the album to feel sorry for myself, so that's the reason i listened. and now i'm questioning my situation, so

  • @hi_nic
    @hi_nic 3 дні тому

    You won me over by around 10 minutes in. Very good well thought out video man!

  • @Ace_TilLazy
    @Ace_TilLazy 4 місяці тому +2

    DANIEL JOHNSTON MENTIONED I FUCKING LOVE THIS CHANNEL NOW, BEEN A DAN FAN FOR 8 YEARS NOW

  • @vmrrobotic7069
    @vmrrobotic7069 2 роки тому +13

    Hey man, just wanna tell you that I really like your content, been watching since the first video. Keep it up!

  • @moose3471
    @moose3471 2 роки тому +7

    I love this album thank you for covering it!

  • @RickyDoo85
    @RickyDoo85 Місяць тому

    This is such an important album breakdown, and you did a great job. I wish more people knew Daniel, his music was so massively impactful on my life and I bet it would be with others if they let him in. Thanks for making this.

  • @deanwolfechannel
    @deanwolfechannel Рік тому +3

    funny I was just thinking this week for the first time that maybe social media is 'evil' and maybe it needs to be abolished. Super video dude!

  • @wyatt_goodwin
    @wyatt_goodwin 23 дні тому +2

    Daniel is my favorite artist of all time. I found his music when I was 17 and it changed my life forever. Hi how are you is my favorite album of his and my favorite album of all time. That being said I want to comment a couple things that clear up some of the stuff you missed. The album was recorded at his sisters house but he had been writing songs for the album for a while. He planned on having the album contain over 100 songs but while living at his sisters he became paranoid about dying or being killed so within a day practically recorded the songs he had finished. It’s believed that some of the other songs that were meant to be on the album ended up on the lost recordings 1 & 2. Also in songs like I picture myself with a guitar and despair came nocking he isn’t actually using a guitar, he’s playing a toy Smurf ukulele that he stole from his nephew when living at his brothers. For the end of the album I don’t think the I take it all back is in reference to the album but showing Daniels paranoia he just made a song bashing a bunch of people he ultimately cared about and is worried they’ll disapprove of him so as an apology to those people he tells them and the universe he takes it back. For the man speaking sample I don’t think it’s that deep either. The sample is from a Christian broadcast that Daniel would sample regularly because he liked the man’s voice. Also the name of the frog on the cover is Jeremiah the innocent, Daniel drew him for a girl he fell in love with at college named Laurie Allen. The phrase Hi how are you is also connected to her. In the song grievances Daniel tells the story of him running into Laurie at a funeral. She had just gotten married and Daniel was crushed the first thing he said to her was hi how are you before he walked away in embarrassment, and while no one was looking, climbed into a display coffin to hide away from everyone. I really recommend watching the documentary the devil and Daniel Johnston because it tells most of his story fairly well. I also want to mention that I personally love the low quality sound of his music because to me you feel like you’re in the moment with him.

    • @t1csi303
      @t1csi303 11 днів тому

      Wow thats an essay

    • @wyatt_goodwin
      @wyatt_goodwin 11 днів тому

      @@t1csi303 people see more than a paragraph and flip

    • @t1csi303
      @t1csi303 11 днів тому

      @@wyatt_goodwin sorry i did not mean to be rude im just saying that this is a big text

    • @t1csi303
      @t1csi303 11 днів тому +1

      @@wyatt_goodwin i read it, and i will watch the documentary.

  • @fliptheflunk
    @fliptheflunk 2 роки тому +14

    Wake up babe, new tennisthom video

  • @LumaSloth
    @LumaSloth 8 місяців тому +8

    What happened to the audio?

  • @rueme4228
    @rueme4228 6 місяців тому +7

    Why does this video’s audio cut out? And it ended abruptly too

    • @lewisbaitup6352
      @lewisbaitup6352 5 місяців тому +1

      First is most probably because it got claimed, second is because the whole point is that his depression keeps cycling back, the video if put on loop comes back to the start covering the start of the album and so he yet again comes back to his worse mental state again despite the previous hope.

  • @bcgjimmy2
    @bcgjimmy2 2 місяці тому

    A lot of artist friends used to tell me in my early 20s that my music reminded them so much of Daniel. It took until I was 33 to realize how huge a complement that truly is.

  • @StefanvanderKlooster
    @StefanvanderKlooster 2 роки тому +6

    The cycle sound you discussed has a melody similar to the 2001: a space odyssey soundtrack (also sprach zarathustra). Btw: dig your content man. I loved both BoC deep dives and was pleasantly surprised to find out you took the time to look into this obscure gem of an album. If you haven't yet, check out the documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. It's my most favorite musical documentary.
    By the way, there seems to be an error in the Keep Punching Joe part. There was no sound for a bit.

  • @wagmadeit
    @wagmadeit 3 місяці тому

    the greatest singer/songwriter to ever live. my greatest inspiration. Daniel Johnston forever 💜

  • @grobble7321
    @grobble7321 2 роки тому +7

    Some of the audio is silenced out for the Keep Punching Joe part and at the very end of Pest Control

    • @bramkools6393
      @bramkools6393 2 роки тому

      I had that same thing too, I thought it was intentional when it was just text and then I saw that he started talking again.

  • @aquamidideluxe5079
    @aquamidideluxe5079 9 місяців тому +4

    To me, "I Picture Myself With A Guitar" sounds like Daniel seeing the girl he loves (his muse Laurie perhaps) and picturing himself as the sensitive yet suave folk singer or rock star he'd need to be to win her heart. Daniel was a gifted piano player, but preferred to play guitar on stage despite being much worse at it, probably because playing guitar and singing is...well, just what a big-time live musician does.

    • @innerspearmusic
      @innerspearmusic 7 місяців тому

      Sort of what I thought too. He sees someone, and it makes him want to write music for whatever reason because he can't express himself to her or them. Or even himself.

    • @MariosKarakatsanis
      @MariosKarakatsanis 7 місяців тому

      I DONT understand 😕 how he didn't do his research....Daniel johnston suffered from schizophrenia and manic episodes..and was deeply in love with laurie who he knew could never truly be with her because he was ill while she was normal

  • @carlospompeu3491
    @carlospompeu3491 2 роки тому +4

    The animations you made for this video fit perfectly

  • @williamoneal1811
    @williamoneal1811 3 місяці тому

    Ive listened as much as i can to the other comments, as well as the original foundational album for years on end.
    I think this album is an emotional piece that can be broken down as much as it can be built back up. The album is showing daniel's raw weakness as well as showing how he feels in his convictions. He may view the world in a child-like lense, but he still understood the world was bigger than he knew, even with his mental difficulties.

  • @jonathanwhitfield2864
    @jonathanwhitfield2864 10 місяців тому +2

    Despair Came Knocking was the first Daniel Johnston song I ever heard. Check out more of his '80s material (Don't Be Scared, Songs of Pain, etc.) or his album 1990. He was a great artist.

  • @ember3117
    @ember3117 4 місяці тому +1

    10 mins into this video, and I think I found my people.

    • @ember3117
      @ember3117 4 місяці тому

      That was cool, and too relatable

  • @AlLeftyPenguino
    @AlLeftyPenguino 2 місяці тому

    Only two minutes in and I’m freaking out cause you played Death Grips in the intro, then “Desperate Man Blues,” THEN THE BEST VERSION OF BIG JACKET AHHHEKWNFNWORJJDDJDK
    This has been rotting in my watchlist for over a year now and I’m glad to be getting to it now :3

  • @mr.modrobulvus5267
    @mr.modrobulvus5267 Рік тому +6

    26:25 Oof there goes copyright

  • @bugcatcher00
    @bugcatcher00 9 місяців тому +2

    Just the mention of car seat headrest is worth watching the video

  • @ogih
    @ogih 2 роки тому +3

    Very underrated youtube channel m8. This was a really great analysis and you articulate your ideas so well, I definitely subscribbed for more :~)

  • @chim-chimney
    @chim-chimney 6 місяців тому +3

    This video was beautifully ended

  • @Justcarlosdiaz
    @Justcarlosdiaz 2 місяці тому

    His first album, Songs of Pain, is my absolute favorite thing he's ever put out. The piano is ridiculous on it

  • @sphnixs
    @sphnixs Рік тому +7

    So I heard the song just randomly play whilst my Spotify was playing. Tell me why I just so happen to wake up the second the song starts and says "Hi, how are you?" This moment quite literally gave me a heart attack so much so I could've died.

    • @mewxtwo
      @mewxtwo 6 місяців тому

      There is a weird quality to this album to me that kinda makes what you just said make sense

  • @Cavus075
    @Cavus075 4 місяці тому

    You are an absolute fucking legend for getting me with the way you ended your video lmfao The cheesy ass grin on my face when I realized. 10/10 content man. Keep up the good work 💕

  • @ChristopherAnderson-e5o
    @ChristopherAnderson-e5o 28 днів тому

    i'm 100% convinced that daniel johnston will someday be considered the greatest artist of the 20th century, but it will take awhile for awareness of his work to grow. just my two cents

  • @RancidTacoGas
    @RancidTacoGas Місяць тому

    I always thought that I Picture Myself With a Guitar was more about Daniel seeing Lory (the girl he was obsessed with for most of his life if not all) and him imagining serenading her

  • @terrydote1335
    @terrydote1335 4 дні тому

    Its him hitting the keys of the chord organ hard that makes the rythem while he plays

  • @braedenschulz1867
    @braedenschulz1867 7 місяців тому +1

    i think i picture myself with a guitar is about him wishing he could play or express himself to others so theyd understand

  • @galedribble9535
    @galedribble9535 2 роки тому +1

    Great videos...I hope to see more

  • @fritter_blue
    @fritter_blue 7 місяців тому +1

    Video loops. Cool 😎

  • @innerspearmusic
    @innerspearmusic 7 місяців тому +3

    26:30 what's hapening with the audio.

  • @lucasortigosogarcia7911
    @lucasortigosogarcia7911 2 роки тому

    congrats for your content and the way you expose your ideas! keep going man

  • @brianhall5377
    @brianhall5377 Рік тому +1

    True love will find you in the end is such a Beautiful song Makes me Cry. And Don't play cards with Satan makes me Laugh my Ass off.

  • @seanbrennan5192
    @seanbrennan5192 Рік тому +1

    Please do deep dive on Trout Mask Replica next!

  • @Justcarlosdiaz
    @Justcarlosdiaz 2 місяці тому

    It'd be so awesome if you covered Songs of Pain!

  • @boosay1146
    @boosay1146 Місяць тому

    There's no audio in the keep punching joe part

  • @davidg6861
    @davidg6861 2 роки тому

    Another banger bud, keep up the good work.

  • @seanbrennan5192
    @seanbrennan5192 Рік тому

    Yip Jump Music is his best album. Hi, How are You is a close second

  • @keithmorrison8373
    @keithmorrison8373 Рік тому +1

    I personally really like lofi like for example some of this is like incredibly sad sounding and super mimimal and like yes it has a very low quality it reminds me of my quite frankly horrible ukulele songs which i recorded in my bedroom and were just incredibly out of tune but like i mean well someone liked it

  • @munocat
    @munocat 6 місяців тому +2

    big business monkey rocks

  • @ImSoSillyJustTheGoofiest
    @ImSoSillyJustTheGoofiest Місяць тому +1

    32:00, thats allan watts aint it?

  • @EwMusik68KydAvonWestCarti
    @EwMusik68KydAvonWestCarti 5 місяців тому

    That is- insane, for 1983! Give it that I havent heard political music outside of some concious rap/hip hop and some rock songs, but in 1983? Its interesting. And suprising to see a 22 year old, brave enough to get this discriptive and darkness.

  • @keithmorrison8373
    @keithmorrison8373 Рік тому

    Fun fact the first true lofi alblum i heard was the solo project of death cab for cutie singer all time quaterback it had a few simple indie rock songs and then a few really lofi solo ukulele songs which are like so sad sounding and like deal with the sadness of life and like god its so sad its so sad you can hear a tape hiss in the background wind comes through the hissing his voice is so freaking sad sounded he mentions i hear its cold in Cleveland and then says but it cant be as cold as it is here which is obviously refering to depression

  • @saturn_qwertydawn5429
    @saturn_qwertydawn5429 2 роки тому

    Underrated channel keep it up bro!!!!!

  • @X360SWAG
    @X360SWAG 3 місяці тому

    this is a great video

  • @MattRanks
    @MattRanks 2 роки тому

    Keep up the great videos!!

  • @t1csi303
    @t1csi303 11 днів тому +2

    The video is a litle gliched it ended ramdomly and in some parts there was bo audio

    • @eddieberry1121
      @eddieberry1121 3 дні тому +1

      Something to do with copyright problems. Had to remove some of the audio.

  • @jneqjfkr
    @jneqjfkr 8 місяців тому

    BRILLIANT ! ~~~ I'm not sure why but my version of this video is only 37:20 ! It justs ends abruptly and I didn't get "The Cycle" or "The Outro". ???

    • @redquare30
      @redquare30 23 дні тому

      put the video on loop and watch the end again

  • @therealseam
    @therealseam 3 місяці тому

    great

  • @PublicStrain96
    @PublicStrain96 2 роки тому

    I love you. you will be famous someday

  • @kurdt1012
    @kurdt1012 7 місяців тому

    What do you mean you got a headache listening to this record?
    I've listened to this record multiple times and always found it beautiful. Fell in love with it the very first time I listened to it.

  • @nexusnefarious8887
    @nexusnefarious8887 2 роки тому

    love this vid

  • @gdavis9296
    @gdavis9296 Рік тому

    Nice ending

  • @MariosKarakatsanis
    @MariosKarakatsanis 7 місяців тому

    You missed KEY information for his character

  • @Perkademiks
    @Perkademiks 4 місяці тому +1

    Mac Miller gave me the same energy as Daniel, just saying

  • @Tymeggs
    @Tymeggs 5 місяців тому

    37:19 "so basically" *video ends*

  • @Botmoot
    @Botmoot 7 місяців тому

    Small detail but It was McDonalds not pizza delivery

  • @lemonface4533
    @lemonface4533 7 місяців тому

    do you have 3 boxes of cheese itz in the back
    dope

  • @keithmorrison8373
    @keithmorrison8373 11 місяців тому

    Im pretty sure that ill never marry is also about his depression he is saying he believes he so depressed that he will comitt suicide before he ever gets any chance
    to get married due to his depression

  • @arasaras7738
    @arasaras7738 2 місяці тому

    so basicaly [go to start] hi how are you

  • @grobble7321
    @grobble7321 2 роки тому +1

    Death Grips?

  • @DatBoii1995
    @DatBoii1995 8 місяців тому +1

    Jeremiah the innocent > little froggy guy

  • @epicgerbofanxd489
    @epicgerbofanxd489 2 місяці тому +1

    im the 100th comment

  • @squirq
    @squirq 2 місяці тому

    to me, it was obvious that picture myself with a guitar was an admission of how he felt like being a musician would make someone fall in love with him. i think of you, i picture myself with a guitar. it's a purely juvenile attitude, but don't we all want to be sexy crooners every now and then? the shortness reminds me of how fleeting, yet intense that kind of mood is.
    also wanted to say that your description of bipolar disorder is really wrong, that shit makes someone disconnect from reality. he believed he was fighting the devil and almost killed himself and his father during a flight. i think it's harmful that you chalked it up to being either really sad or really happy.

  • @keithmorrison8373
    @keithmorrison8373 Рік тому

    I also just cant get over this is like someone who had no music experience just a guy using random instruments to make minimal muffled lofi rock and blues which is just so sad and like bad sounding but like its not cause like its still good to listen to so there is no like awnser

    • @kurdt1012
      @kurdt1012 7 місяців тому

      I don't think it's bad sounding, it's a really good record to listen to.

  • @spacePlaneBandit76
    @spacePlaneBandit76 10 місяців тому

    alenu 😂

  • @tails_show_tv
    @tails_show_tv 4 місяці тому

    Whys the example gay marrige 😂