Dept. of Unexpected (?) Covers

In 2006, my friends at Infernal Bridegroom Productions collaborated with Austin musician and outsider artist Daniel Johnston to create a rock opera based on his work. The result, “Speeding Motorcycle,” was a local hit. It traced the arc of Daniel’s “Laurie” material through to a burst of extravagant joy delivered in a new song Daniel wrote for the production (“Lovin’ Feelings”). This show was one of the finest things I’ve ever seen in my life. It was beautiful and wrenching and touching and true, in all the ways that good theater can be. I saw it many times (board membership has its privileges), and always left feeling emotionally spent but happy. A high point of the show was a solo piano performance of a song called “Peek a Boo,” which is a stark and occasionally brutal view into Daniel himself and his battles with depression and mental illness. It is deeply personal, but also beautiful and affecting even if you just read the lyrics. My friend Cary literally taught himself enough…