EXCLUSIVE: Listen to Daniel Johnston Perform “Frustrated Artist” in April 2000

In January, Shimmy-Disc will be unveiling Alive in New York City, a new live album recording from the late Daniel Johnston. The show was recorded and live-mixed by Kramer in April 2000. What’s unique about this album is that the location it was made in is not known, as Johnson was playing numerous gigs around New York City at the time. But Alive in New York City captures one of the most beloved folk artists of the last 40 years delivering unedited, unaltered and career-highlight renditions of his work—including “Love Will See You Through,” “Casper the Friendly Ghost” and a cover of Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die.”

Today at Paste, we are grateful to be premiering the third single (after “Silly Love” and “The Spook”) from the upcoming album. “Frustrated Artist” is beautifully Daniel, as the singer/songwriter—with nothing but his voice and a guitar—delivers a stirring rendition of a song that combines his whimsical energy with sublime and subtle devastation. “Frustrated artist, are you afraid of your own reflection,” he sings. “It’s only you.” You can hear how, in real time, Johnston is still trying to better understand his own relationship with not just the space he’s performing in, but with the space he’ll go to afterwards. The crowd cheers as the track fades into silence. “We all live on,” Johnston rings out. That much is true.

Kramer says of “Frustrated Artist”: “Daniel’s sense of humor is on full display, combined with the poetic pathos held in his quavering vocals, the essential elements that made him a beloved Indie troubadour and songwriter for the Ages. His lyrics say it all “Everyone should be an artist / Guitarist express yourself / And every poet that ever was / Down through the ages as they sang / And they told me love was the best.”

Alive in New York City will arrive on January 19, which is also Hi How Are You Day. There will be a release party held at the Sultan Room on January 21, and special guests are set to include Jeffrey Lewis, Ben Copperhead, Pinclouds, Anni Rossi, Danielson, Lumberob and more.

Listen to “Frustrated Artist” below, and pre-order the limited-edition LP here.

Watch Daniel Johnston perform “Life in Vain” at the Radio Room in Austin, Texas in 2009 below.