The What of Whom
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "Unsubst-infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters". Template:Music ratings The What of Whom is the third self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in 1982.
The album was released on cassette in 1988 by Stress Records, made available in downloadable mp3 format by Emusic in 2000, and re-released on CD-R by Eternal Yip Eye Music in 2004. In between some songs, Daniel has little snippets of himself talking, or small skits of background noise concerning his everyday life.
Background
The album was recorded in August 1982 between Johnston's Junior and Senior years studying at Kent State University, East Liverpool, Ohio .The album, like Songs of Pain and Don't Be Scared before it, was recorded in his parents' basement in West Virginia, where the 21 year old Johnston was living at the time.[1] A guest writer for Atwood Magazine noted influences from Elvis Costello and The Beatles (particularly young John Lennon) on the track 'Man Obsessed.'[2] During this same time, Johnston recorded an unreleased tape known as 'Ugly Music' for his friend John Fair. The tape was largely made up of material written for Songs of Pain, but also included Don't Be Scared and What of Whom songs, as well as 3 unreleased songs.[3]
Artwork
The cover artwork is a drawing by Johnston of a woman's torso, inspired by Venus de Milo and Venus of Willendorf. The torso represents sex[4] and the objectified, mystified, and dehumanized way women are portrayed in his lyrics and artwork.[5]
Legacy
In 2010, when Douglas Wolk reviewed the album for Pitchfork as part of the 'Story of an Artist' box-set, he described both it and Don't Be Scared as 'lacking in quality control.'[6]
In the months following Johnston's death, several retrospectives on his career were published. New York Times' '12 essential Daniel Johnston tracks' article written by David Peisner features the first two tracks from The What Of Whom .[7] Atwood Magazine's retrospective called Man Obsessed 'A darkly comedic inversion of 60s beat era pop'.[2] When reviewing the album. Alison Alber (writing for Mxdwn) mentioned the song as an example of Johnston's lyrical talent.[8]
A 2023 exhibit of collage artwork by Daniel and his sister Marjory Johnston at the Street Gallery in Austin was titled after the album.[9][10][11][12]
Covers
Several notable musical acts have covered material from the album, "To Go Home" has been covered by Groovie Ghoulies,[13] M. Ward (on his Post-War album) and The Copyrights.[14] "Blue Clouds" has been covered by Mercury Rev (for The Late Great Daniel Johnston tribute album) and Adam Stafford.[15] "Man Obsessed" has been covered by "Weird Paul" Petroskey,[16] and Built to Spill covered "Heart Mind and Soul" for their Daniel Johnston tribute album.
Track listing
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Release history
| Year | Label | Format | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Self Released | Cassette | USA | |
| 1987 | Stress Records | |||
| 2004 | Eternal Yip Eye Music | CD-R | ||
| 2010 | Munster Records | CD | Spain | As part of 'The Story Of An Artist', a 6 disc box-set containing Johnston's albums recorded in West Virginia between 1980 - 1983. |
| LP | ||||
| 2012 | Eternal Yip Eye Music | Cassette | USA |
References
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- ↑ The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Dr. Jeff Feuerzeig, 2005
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- ↑ Daniel Johnston's Symbolical Visions
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- ↑ Sibling Revelry in “Daniel & Marjory Johnston: The What of Whom”
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- ↑ Groovie Ghoulies - Re-Animation Festival (Lookout! Records, LK 182, 1997)
- ↑ Kepi Ghoulie & The Copyrights - Re-Animation Festivalv (Stardumb Records, SDR.70, Eccentric Pop Records, EP 48, Kepiland, KEPILAND 5030, 2019)
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- ↑ Paul Petroskey - Your Favorite Gum (Home-Aid Recordings, HAR-005, 1999)
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Template:Daniel Johnston