At just 15 years old, Daniel Johns was the face of one of Australia's biggest bands.
After starting Silverchair with his school friends, Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou, the trio from suburban Newcastle skyrocketed to worldwide fame as their debut album, Frogstomp, dominated the charts.
Within just months of the release of Frogstomp, Silverchair were supporting the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Watch Daniel Johns on Interview with Andrew Denton below. Post continues after video.
"I remember that being unbelievable," Johns shared on the Spotify original podcast Who is Daniel Johns?
"The year before we were playing taverns in Newcastle, and now we were playing Madison Square Garden. It was like, 'How are we even here?'"
But before long, Johns discovered the price of fame.
While performing both within Australia and internationally, Silverchair were incredibly popular among teenagers.
"Especially with Daniel, that was where the hysteria was really in danger of disintegrating into a riot," Magic Dirt front woman Adalita Srsen recalled on the podcast.
"All the hysterical fans wanted to touch him, grab a piece of him."
But that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Speaking on the first episode of the new podcast, Johns' former manager, John Watson, recalled a number of troubling stories from the height of Silverchair's fame.
That same week, Watson received a phone call from an American woman claiming that she was pregnant with Johns' baby.
There were also multiple instances of older women who felt a maternal connection to Johns.
"A number of the more obsessive crazies who would come after Daniel were people his mother’s age, who sadly had terminations around the time Daniel had been born, and they became obsessed with this idea that Daniel was the son they had never had," he shared.
"There were many of these people."
One woman in particular kept getting backstage at Silverchair's live shows overseas.
It was later discovered the woman had stolen Johns' mother's wallet and had been using her driver's licence to get backstage.
Eventually, full-time security was employed to protect the band.
"I remember having to get a military security guard. Can you imagine being 17 and every time you need to do a piss, he would follow me and stand right beside me?
"It made me feel anxious, like really anxious."
Speaking on The Project, Johns shared he went through "years and years" of therapy to deal with the pressures of fame.
"It took me years and years and years of really heavy, heavy therapy," he said.
"And if I didn’t do that work, I don’t think that I would be here."
Now, more than a decade on from Silverchair's last album, Johns is certain the band will never get back together.
When asked about the possibility of the band reforming on The Project, Johns quashed the idea, adding that he has struggled with the constant questions about whether the band would get back together.
"I was firm that Silverchair were not getting back together and one of the other members kept saying, 'No, we’re just on a break and we’ll be back,'" he shared.
"And I was like, 'This is really starting to affect my mental health because I’m saying that’s it. And every time I tried to tell the truth, someone told a lie.' So I said, 'I wouldn’t get Silverchair back together with a gun to my head or a million bucks'. Maybe that was too harsh in hindsight."
When asked whether he would consider his relationship with the band "tricky," Johns responded: "It’s a very accurate appraisal. It’s not that I’m not proud of the work, I’m actually really proud of the work. It’s just that it’s emotionally triggering for me; it still kind of burns."
Daniel Johns' life after Silverchair.
Since splitting from Silverchair, it appears Johns has been on a journey of self-reflection.
In March 2022, Johns told fans he was checking into rehab.
While the details were blurry, he described his mental health as a "work in progress".
"I have good days and bad days but it's something I always have to manage," he wrote. "Over the last week, I began to experience panic attacks."
Daniel shared he'd gotten "lost" the night before while driving and was in an accident, "I am OK, everyone is OK."
"Alongside my therapy, I've been self-medicating with alcohol to deal with my PTSD, anxiety and depression. I know this is not sustainable or healthy.
"I have to step back now as I'm self admitting to a rehabilitation centre and I don't know how long I'll be there. Appreciate your love and support as always."
His ex-wife Natalie Imbruglia left a comment on the post, "Love you so much. You got this."
Johns was pulled over near Newcastle, NSW on March 23 with his blood-alcohol levels allegedly more than three times the legal limit.
Police allege he crossed into the opposite side of the road and ran into a van.
He pled guilty this month, with the magistrate warning he could face jail time. He will face court sentencing on June 22.
In another post to Instagram, Johns acknowledged his drinking "problem", explaining that he had used alcohol as a method to numb the "deeper psychological issues I've been living with since childhood".
"My drinking had become a bigger problem than I ever realised, and how I have used it to help numb a range of deeper psychological issues that I've been living with since childhood," he wrote.
"Some of these issues you know, and a lot cut much deeper. Alcohol is not medicine. I shouldn't have treated it like it was. I feel like a complete f**k up and I'm sorry."
He added: "I take full responsibility for my actions on the evening of March 23rd, I am deeply remorseful and I am working every day to make amends. I am handling these matters professionally and privately. For legal reasons, I am unable to talk specifics on social media or elsewhere until after June 22nd."
Daniel Johns' marriage to Natalie Imbruglia.
During an interview, Johns was asked about his marriage to Australian actress and singer Natalie Imbruglia, who also features on Who is Daniel Johns?
The couple first met in 1999, before getting married on New Year's Eve in 2003.
They later divorced in 2008.
Speaking on The Project, Johns admitted that while he's friends with Imbruglia now, they didn't speak for "about 10 years" after separating.
"When we were married, I was in my 20s. I was incapable of learning how to be responsible. I didn’t know how to use a phone. I was touring all the time," Johns shared.
"And then, I don’t know, I took it of my own volition and said, 'Why are we not talking?' I didn’t really understand and she was like, 'I don’t know why we’re not talking either!'"
In July, the 42-year-old shared a message on his Instagram page, explaining his absence from music.
"The world is in a very strange order at the moment. It’s very confronting and bemusing," he wrote.
"The reason I’ve not released music is not because of that. Sometimes I need to feel like a human being and feel what other human beings feel without believing that I am important or creative. I am not. I need to create. There is no need for people to see, hear or appreciate it," he continued.
"I have been learning that the longer I’m away from people’s opinions the stronger I become. Art is not a way to receive validation. I believe it’s a way to feel connected to whatever this is and not a way to make people feel something for you. I’m not sure what I’m doing? I am sure how I want to do it though."
If you think you may be experiencing depression or another mental health problem, please contact your general practitioner. If you're based in Australia, 24-hour support is available through Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 22 4636.
Feature Image: Getty.
This article was published on October 22, 2021 and was updated on April 17, 2022.
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