The following story is very much in dispute. Tom told us this story when we were in WV, but I also saw Daniel tell a slightly different version on a Marie Javins video in 1991, in which Tom was in earshot. It’s very possible that hearing that story, reinvented itself in some quarter of Tom’s mind. Either way, it’s pretty good for dramatic effect and for meeting Tom, so it’s in here for now.
Tom Gruda, a guitar player and songwriter with whom Daniel would come to collaborate over the years, described noticing Daniel for the first time. Tom was a senior and he witnessed other seniors chasing Daniel down the hall. Daniel made a dramatic display of banging his own head against a wall. He squeezed a fake blood capsule onto his face and pretended to be very badly hurt. And the bullies backed off. This is characteristic of so much of Daniel’s behavior when picked on, threatened, or being made fun of… In each case, he would disarm his bully by assuming good will and making a joke. It’s no wonder that Daniel was considered to be weird but creative and, too, well-liked.[1] This was the beginning of a longstanding friendship, during which Daniel and Tom would write songs together. Years later, in 1991, Tom would play on Daniel’s album Artistic Vice.
[1] Tom Gruda Interview (would have to find time-stamp) from 2019, on the topic of 1977 or so; Marie Javins video interview (also need time-stamp), 1991