Hi, How Are You: Daniel Johnston Box Set Coming to Cassette in October
One of the most striking figures in 20th century alternative rock will be the subject of a new box set in the fall, featuring replicas of the cassettes he used to distribute featuring his one-of-a-kind tunes.
Daniel Johnston’s In the 20th Century, due from Joyful Noise Recordings October 31, offers 16 of those original tapes made between 1981 and 1998. They’ve all been newly remastered by longtime Johnston associate Mark Kramer, using sources provided by Stress Records founder and Johnston’s then-manager Jeff Tartakov. (A mix of home recordings, some studio sessions and the odd live performance, these tapes were standardized by the Austin, Texas label in the mid-’80s, who furthered their distribution beyond the Lone Star State and made Johnston a key figure in the local music scene.) The tapes are housed in a custom-built wooden box, screen-printed with samples of Johnston’s unique hand-drawn artwork. The sets, limited to only 999 copies, will also feature a booklet with new liner notes by journalist Marc Masters (author of High Bias: The Distorted History of the Cassette Tape) as well as a bespoke “mystery toy” from the New York-based gallery Clutter.
In a much less fragmented media landscape, the fact that Johnston was as much of a known quantity as he became was something of a minor miracle. His simple songs, initially recorded by himself on piano or chord organ and refracting from his jagged stream-of-consciousness thoughts, showcased the softer side of a wandering soul known to pass out tapes of his work while employed at McDonald’s or a traveling carnival that settled him in Austin, Texas (after a stint attending Kent State University in Ohio and living in his parents’ basement in West Virginia, where his earliest recordings were made). He’d put on sold-out local shows between struggles with bipolar disorder, and was even featured on MTV’s alternative program The Cutting Edge, which showcased his music and unique drawings, often included with each cassette. By the late ’80s, he’d start playing guitar as well as keyboards, enjoyed the standardized distribution of Stress Records to put out his music, and even decamped to New York to make 1990, one of his few “studio albums.”
Even as Johnston drifted in and out of mental hospitals in the ’90s, his mystique grew. Kurt Cobain was fond of wearing a white t-shirt emblazoned with Johnston’s depiction of “Jeremiah,” the stalk-eyed frog he put on the cover of 1983’s Hi, How Are You: The Unfinished Album. Johnston briefly recorded for Atlantic Records, releasing Fun (produced by Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers) in 1994. He’d continue to record and tour into the 21st century and was feted by everything from a Sundance sensation documentary (The Devil and Daniel Johnston) and art gallery exhibitions to tribute recordings from the likes of Beck, Tom Waits, Death Cab for Cutie and others. He died in 2019 of a heart attack; he was 58 years old.
In the 20th Century offers a fresh rewind on an enduring and unique artist. You can order the box from the label below and read a list of the included tapes.
In the 20th Century (Joyful Noise Recordings JNR510, 2025)
Cassette 1: Songs of Pain (rec. 1980-1981/self-released, 1981 – reissued by Stress Records (no cat. #), 1988)
Cassette 2: Don’t Be Scared (rec. July 1982/self-released, 1982 – reissued by Stress Records (no cat. #), 1986)
Cassette 3: The What of Whom (rec. August 1982/self-released, 1982 – reissued by Stress Records (no cat. #), 1987)
Cassette 4: More Songs of Pain (rec. 1982-1983/self-released, 1983 – reissued by Stress Records (no cat. #), 1988)
Cassette 5: Lost Recordings I (rec. 1983 – released by Stress Records (no cat. #), 1992)
Cassette 6: Lost Recordings II (rec. 1983 – released by Stress Records (no cat. #), 1992)
Cassette 7: Yip/Jump Music (rec. summer 1983/self-released, 1983 – reissued by Stress Records (no cat. #), 1986)
Cassette 8: Hi, How Are You: The Unfinished Album (rec. September 1983/self-released, 1983 – reissued by Stress Records (no cat. #), 1986)
Cassette 9: Retired Boxer (rec. December 1984/self-released, 1984 – reissued by Stress Records (no cat. #), 1987)
Cassette 10: Respect (rec. January 1985/self-released, 1985 – reissued by Stress Records (no cat. #), 1987)
Cassette 11: Continued Story (rec. December 1985/self-released, 1985 – reissued by Stress Records (no cat. #), 1987)
Cassette 12: Merry Christmas (Stress Records (no cat. #), 1988)
Cassette 13: 1990 (Shimmy Disc 028, 1990)
Cassette 14: Live At SXSW (Stress Records (no cat. #), 1991)
Cassette 15: Artistic Vice (Shimmy Disc 048, 1991)
Cassette 16: Frankenstein Love (Stress Records (no cat. #), 1998)
You Might Also Like
9 thoughts on “Hi, How Are You: Daniel Johnston Box Set Coming to Cassette in October”
Leave a Comment
Oh my gosh wow, who would have ever thought we’d get this. They aren’t putting it on CD? I definitely would love this set but if it’s not on CD it a pass. I mean I get that cassette was his thing but still.
I would have ordered this in a heartbeat on CD, but won’t even consider it on cassette. It’s as if it doesn’t exist. Anyone that actually lived through the cassette era in real time knows what poor audio quality they were/are. Who owns a cassette player these days? This is a hipster statement, pure and simple: “Wouldn’t it be cool if…”
I buy 50-100 box sets per year, all on CD. If they want the collector’s market to participate, then they need to make it available on CD. If it’s in a strictly limited quantity, and I don’t get it fast, that’s my fault. But this is a very poor marketing decision. It would have been nice to have Johnston’s profile and music expanded to a greater audience rather than keeping it limited to a select few. But what do us audiophiles know, anyway?
Exactly right. I mean I get he was known for handing out cassettes so I get that part but yea they should do more formats than cassette. I don’t even own a cassette player now.
I still own three cassette players. Don’t remember when was the last time i played cassette. Maybe in the early 90’s.
People seem upset this isn’t on CD. These are not hi-fidelity recordings for the most part. Cassette is fine. Besides, I don’t think this set is intended to be listened to. It’s an objet d’art in and of itself, paying tribute to the original artistic modus (his early albums were actually one off cassettes where he re-recorded the whole album live into a two-track every time he needed a new copy to hand out). It’s for his 999 super fans. Anyhow, anyone who wants the music on CD, I think it’s all been available since forever.
As I said earlier, “This is a hipster statement, pure and simple…”
Cassette is never fine, and never was. I’m a fan of Daniel, but not a super fan.
I’m now a little bit less of a fan because of a poor marketing decision. Saves me money!
Cassettes are more than fine, imo, but my appreciation has nothing to do with hipster pretentions. I’ll admit my continued enjoyment of cassettes is partly nostalgia stemming from coming of musical age in the cassette generation (side note: just before the format was ditched by the majors when CD finally took over, cassette fidelity had gotten pretty remarkable and their durability had greatly improved). CD is my preferred format, but I think there’s something to be said for a collector’s box-set being offered in the format that works best thematically. For instance, I think the Beatles singles box set works best as 7″ vinyl. The CD version is just kind of baffling to me. However, I’d expect a PSB singles box set to be on CD. Thematically speaking. Anyhow, that’s my argument on this being on cassette.
It makes you “a little bit less of a fan” of a dead guy who had nothing to do with the decision that annoys you? Doesn’t make a lot of sense, Matt.
Discussion on this does remind me: on Friday, I reached out to the label and got a confirmation that this will only be available in this format. I kind of get why, though I am intrigued by more people than I expected looking to get Johnston’s albums on CD in one package.