John Darnielle Wants to Tell You a Story
April 28, 2022 6:42 AM Subscribe
No, he really is (most likely)
posted by firstdaffodils at 8:28 AM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by firstdaffodils at 8:28 AM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
I read this the other day and he just seems like such a truly lovely, thoughtful, kind person. He's clearly given a lot of thought to how he is in the world and how people interact with his work. If you like his stuff at all I highly recommend listening to the podcast I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats.
posted by Fish, fish, are you doing your duty? at 8:49 AM on April 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Fish, fish, are you doing your duty? at 8:49 AM on April 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
Not to take anything away from someone's worldview, but… it's a book.
posted by sydnius at 9:03 AM on April 28, 2022
posted by sydnius at 9:03 AM on April 28, 2022
I linked this in the latest labor discussion, glad to see it get an FPP.
There really aren't many artists/celebrities who would break my heart by turning out to have been predatory/abusive (as opposed to, you know, a normal human, with normal flaws!). I try hard to keep a personality filter up against living actors, creators, etc. When the story breaks, I'm sad but not shocked or crushed. But...I think Darnielle is a good dude. I don't ever want to find out otherwise.
posted by praemunire at 9:47 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
There really aren't many artists/celebrities who would break my heart by turning out to have been predatory/abusive (as opposed to, you know, a normal human, with normal flaws!). I try hard to keep a personality filter up against living actors, creators, etc. When the story breaks, I'm sad but not shocked or crushed. But...I think Darnielle is a good dude. I don't ever want to find out otherwise.
posted by praemunire at 9:47 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
"I don't ever want to find out otherwise." ..you probably won't.
posted by firstdaffodils at 9:51 AM on April 28, 2022
posted by firstdaffodils at 9:51 AM on April 28, 2022
I read this the other day and kept the tab open, because it had some topics I wanted to come back to
posted by The River Ivel at 10:25 AM on April 28, 2022
posted by The River Ivel at 10:25 AM on April 28, 2022
John is such a truly loveable human being, thanks for posting this.
posted by signsofrain at 10:45 AM on April 28, 2022
posted by signsofrain at 10:45 AM on April 28, 2022
I hardly know any of Darnielle's music, but I'm obsessed with this video of him playing Damn These Vampires with his band because it's such a beautiful, tight, loose, sparse arrangement and the song is great and his dancing is adorable ("like a happy puppy" someone in the comments says).
[There are some artists where it's almost always safe and fun to read the comments on their YouTube videos because it's entirely people being delighted and making silly jokes, and he's definitely one of them.]
And I've also listened to various live performances of You Were Cool dozens and dozens of times.
posted by straight at 11:00 AM on April 28, 2022 [7 favorites]
[There are some artists where it's almost always safe and fun to read the comments on their YouTube videos because it's entirely people being delighted and making silly jokes, and he's definitely one of them.]
And I've also listened to various live performances of You Were Cool dozens and dozens of times.
posted by straight at 11:00 AM on April 28, 2022 [7 favorites]
John Darnielle wants to tell you a story that you can read for free
posted by chavenet at 1:41 PM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 1:41 PM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
Man, I just hate these multi-talented people, don't you? Except that he's singularly talented in precisely what that interview title says: telling stories. ("What I do is I write words. I’m really into words and phrases and sentences. That’s what I’m good at.") I love how the interviewer describes the titles of his songs as keys to unlocking what the song is actually about, because "No Children" being titled "No Children" is so sublimely perfect it just makes me want to lie right down and die. (OF COURSE there are no children. OF COURSE.) And the bit about personified narrators. What this guy can't do with a personified narrator can't be done.
Side note: I'd love to see a panel discussion, or a musical collaboration (or, what the hell, a play or opera or puppet show) between John and Craig Finn of the Hold Steady, two guys both of whose songs all have stories in them.
posted by scratch at 3:39 PM on April 28, 2022
Side note: I'd love to see a panel discussion, or a musical collaboration (or, what the hell, a play or opera or puppet show) between John and Craig Finn of the Hold Steady, two guys both of whose songs all have stories in them.
posted by scratch at 3:39 PM on April 28, 2022
Side note: I'd love to see a panel discussion, or a musical collaboration (or, what the hell, a play or opera or puppet show) between John and Craig Finn of the Hold Steady, two guys both of whose songs all have stories in them.
This note reminded me of this brief exchange on a panel between John Darnielle and another storyful songwriter, John K. Samson (formerly of The Weakerthans). Samson first plays his song One Great City! (which, for background, was the official motto for Winnipeg, Samson's home town and a city that is oft derided in the Canadian mindset; think of Cleveland), then Darnielle talks briefly about the refrain.
posted by Superilla at 4:25 PM on April 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
This note reminded me of this brief exchange on a panel between John Darnielle and another storyful songwriter, John K. Samson (formerly of The Weakerthans). Samson first plays his song One Great City! (which, for background, was the official motto for Winnipeg, Samson's home town and a city that is oft derided in the Canadian mindset; think of Cleveland), then Darnielle talks briefly about the refrain.
posted by Superilla at 4:25 PM on April 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
I'm not particularly religious but this is so beautiful and haunting. I'm going to be thinking about it for a long time.
For me, I don’t even have to fully believe. Nobody up there? Strong possibility! But the idea is so real. We know that’s a logical possibility, but when you and I talk about God we create Him, and that’s right there, hanging in the air between us. He’s there. He’s real in that space.posted by treepour at 4:53 PM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
Darnielle has a very nice and strongly influential concept of how to be. I'm so glad he kept making work.
posted by firstdaffodils at 6:11 PM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by firstdaffodils at 6:11 PM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
On top of all the other Darnielle greatness, he's a huge Magic: the Gathering nerd! I sometimes wonder what his user name is on MTG:Arena and whether I've ever played him. He occasionally indulges in mill, I think, which is the only thing that has ever tarnished my opinion of him.
Also: Ska No Children
posted by Shepherd at 2:22 AM on April 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Also: Ska No Children
posted by Shepherd at 2:22 AM on April 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
He was a regular and enthusiastic fixture on I Love Music. He makes music, but he's a music fan front and foremost. Here he is going on about why he loves Remix To Ignition.
posted by kersplunk at 6:31 AM on April 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by kersplunk at 6:31 AM on April 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
Side note: I'd love to see a panel discussion, or a musical collaboration (or, what the hell, a play or opera or puppet show) between John and Craig Finn of the Hold Steady, two guys both of whose songs all have stories in them.
They're friends! I saw TMG once in Brooklyn and they brought Craig out to sing "This Year."
He was a regular and enthusiastic fixture on I Love Music. He makes music, but he's a music fan front and foremost.
One of my favorite concert memories is the time I saw a... I don't quite know what to call it, but like a group concert where every act did a few songs. TMG played, and were great, but then later Rosanne Cash came out to play, and JD came out and stood in the audience to watch, clearly having a great time.
posted by Ragged Richard at 7:40 AM on April 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
They're friends! I saw TMG once in Brooklyn and they brought Craig out to sing "This Year."
He was a regular and enthusiastic fixture on I Love Music. He makes music, but he's a music fan front and foremost.
One of my favorite concert memories is the time I saw a... I don't quite know what to call it, but like a group concert where every act did a few songs. TMG played, and were great, but then later Rosanne Cash came out to play, and JD came out and stood in the audience to watch, clearly having a great time.
posted by Ragged Richard at 7:40 AM on April 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
One thing I did notice quickly, in music, is it’s hard to convince people that you’re not telling your own story. You spend a lot of intellectual energy going, No, no, this is not my story. But then you grow up and you go, Look, if I tell you a story, there’s a piece of me in it. I have come all the way, full circle, from “none of my work is autobiographical” to really believing that all work is, to some extent, nonfiction.
I love this.
posted by bendy at 5:48 PM on April 29, 2022
I love this.
posted by bendy at 5:48 PM on April 29, 2022
Previously in John Darnielle musings:
He posted his thoughts on "I have three potatoes" to Twitter at the turn of the year - and it's stayed with me ever since.
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 6:00 PM on April 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
He posted his thoughts on "I have three potatoes" to Twitter at the turn of the year - and it's stayed with me ever since.
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 6:00 PM on April 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
He did a really solid long radio interview on Radio New Zealand recently, should you care to listen.
posted by slightlybewildered at 9:39 PM on April 30, 2022
posted by slightlybewildered at 9:39 PM on April 30, 2022
Nice references, straight. It's hard to even know what to say or put into words.
posted by firstdaffodils at 10:16 AM on May 14, 2022
posted by firstdaffodils at 10:16 AM on May 14, 2022
At least J.D. probably won't say trying to be a good person is overrated. Thanks for the post.
posted by firstdaffodils at 10:50 AM on May 14, 2022
posted by firstdaffodils at 10:50 AM on May 14, 2022
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posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:01 AM on April 28, 2022 [10 favorites]