You read people who are listening to people who are better than you are and understand that that’s who they are to you… That’s what you do when you study anything. It’s based on skills that you acquire, that you study and you practice and you learn. It’s just that that’s who I am-I’m gonna be working… I think that it’s labor. How do you continue to mine creative energy and inspiration for your music this far in, without it shifting dramatically in quality as well? This is the 21st album, right? I think the 21st Mountain Goats album, at least.

Soccer Mommy and the Unexpected Healing of ‘Sad Girl Music’ He’s even tried his hand at writing a book or four Darnielle’s most recent novel, Devil House, a true crime novel about a true crime novelist, hit shelves this past January to widespread acclaim.īelow is a condensed version of our conversation, in which we discuss how Darnielle sustains himself creatively, manages fan expectations, and what it’s like to suddenly become a TikTok sensation. The singer-songwriter is impressively adept at keeping things fresh, whether it’s plucking out songs from the back catalog for the band’s live shows or writing a concept album about Dungeons and Dragons. Yet Darnielle has never run out of steam. His unique talent for writing songs that conjure visceral imagery and spin intimate yarns has earned the band its reputation: highly literate, empathetic, and engrossing. Darnielle has been performing under the moniker for longer than I’ve been alive. That won’t surprise anyone that’s listened to a Mountain Goats album-of which there are literally dozens, including live recordings, EPs, and demos. He’s also someone you can quickly connect with. He’s also deeply thoughtful and thought-provoking. He’s as generous a listener as he is an engaging speaker. John Darnielle is easy to talk to, for one. (He’s got a Baby Bowser tat on his shoulder, FYI.) But my sprawling conversation with the Mountain Goats frontman, which ran the gamut from creative practices and vintage novels to the Adult Swim cartoon Morel Orel, retiring songs from the setlist and Nintendo tattoos, was all the better for it. One does not simply “chat” with John Darnielle.

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