Singer/songwriter/visual artist Daniel Johnston is one of those iconic figures who helped establish Austin in the musical imagination of a generation. First coming to prominence in the 80’s, Johnston has had both artistic success and bouts of severe mental illness that required long-term hospitalization.

Though we really dig his “Hi, How Are You?” mural on the side of the old Sound Exchange building on Guadalupe, we’ve never gotten why Johnston is so revered. That’s why we were so excited about Speeding Motorcycle, the new "rock musical" at Zach Scott Theater, conceived and directed by Jason Nodler. Perhaps this could finally make it clear why everyone else was so gung-ho over the fellow.

Alas, that approach didn’t work. Seeing Speeding Motorcycle and hoping for a conversion into one of Johnston’s many ardent fans was a bit like seeing a solid Christmas show without already holding a belief in the divinity of the baby Jesus and the Holy Trinity. While we weren’t converted, we can appreciate that Zach has delivered a solid product.

In the show, Johnston is represented by Joe the Boxer, played by the trio from the original Houston cast: Cary Winscott, Kyle Sturdivant and Joe Folladori. The basic story is simple—boy meets girl (Adriene Mishler); boy becomes obsessed with girl; boy really, really can’t let go. Even when she gets married to The Undertaker (Scott Shipman). The show also deals with Johnston’s stint inside the mental hospital system. However, we’re uncertain how clear this would have been to someone unfamiliar with Johnston’s bio.

We enjoyed some of the music, particularly the tunes that were transformed into more musical-esque song and dance routines involving the entire ensemble. The band was tight and professional, just as we'd expect at Zach. Yet it was somewhat problematic when the Joe The Boxer characters aped Johnson’s distinctively warbling singling style. Recreating Johnston’s singing seemed to make his songs more alienating than accessible.

Our biggest problem was dealing with our expectations going in. The show is advertised in the dead-tree media (XL) as a “rock musical.” Seeing those ads, then expecting a “musical,” colored our experience in the wrong way. Maybe, as our companion suggested, it would be better described as a “found rock opera” as the show features “songs and concepts” by Daniel Johnston.

We were expecting a rock musical in the vein of Spring Awakening or Hedwig and the Angry Inch. After all, the term musical tends to refer to a show where narrative is interspersed with music. Here, narrative songs were strung together to tell a story, but there was no overarching non-sung story. Pretty much all the narration takes place inside the songs.

The Speeding Motorcycle set was minimal, but we really liked the large stars (outlined in black) that sometimes lit up the background. The coordinating dark black edging on the costumes of the nurses, doctor, etc., was a nice touch. The molded and hard-plastic-looking angel wings and the iridescent Jeremiah the Frog costume were also pretty fantastic! Otherwise it didn’t appear Zach has spent boatloads of cash on this project. Visually the show looked more like something that you might see in a fringy space, not what we were expecting from Zach.

One thing we adored about Speeding Motorcycle was the inclusion of Kathy McCarty, playing herself, in the cast. We couldn’t take our eyes off of her, partly because we know about her real connection with Johnston. McCarty is best known from the 80's Austin buzz-band Glass Eye. A long-time associate of Johnston, she released the critically well-received 1993 album, Dead Dog's Eyeball, The Songs of Daniel Johnston. That album was huge in mid 90’s Austin. Copies of the disc were on sale in the lobby, as were shirts featuring Johnston’s iconic artwork.

So, we’d recommend Speeding Motorcycle for any Johnston fan. Unlike most of Zach’s offerings, bringing your granny, your momma or your baby sister might be a little problematic, unless you first make ‘em sit down and watch the 2005 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. If you don’t, they’ll likely enjoy the tunes, but might not have a great handle on what’s happening onstage.

Oh, and we’ll warn you now: the first act was such a downer that the conversation in line at the ladies’ room during intermission centered on how sad the show was. It perks up during the second act, but this really isn’t the show to go see if you are on the edge of a major depression, while waiting for those anti-depressants to kick in.

Speeding Motorcycle continues at Zach through March 23.