“The moment where you know the thing you want is ridiculous and pompous and a terrible thing to want anyway. The direction in which you're headed is not the direction you want to go, yet you're going to head that way a while longer cause that's just the kind of person you are.” KnowsWayWantKindPersonsMomentsCausesTerribleRidiculousTerrible ThingsPompous Author:John Darnielle
“Adulthood is interesting to adults. But I would never want to write about stuff I dont feel everybody can connect to.” WantFeelsWritingStuffInterestingAdultsAdulthood Author:John Darnielle
“At 23, you can completely, literally reinvent yourself if you want to.” IfsWantReinventing Yourself Author:John Darnielle
“As an artist, you always have to be growing. You don't just want to do what you already know people like.” PeopleKnowsWantArtistGrowing Author:John Darnielle
“I consider myself a lyricist first and foremost, but if you get something else out of what I do, that's fine too. I'm not sitting back here telling people how they have to take my stuff. We just want to play music, and hope that people like it.” PeopleIfsWantFirstsPlayStuffFineSittingLyricists Author:John Darnielle
“If my songs are being listened to between any other songs, that is awesome, and I'm glad people are getting something out of them. We go to countries like Germany, where I can't imagine that all of my fans are engaging with the lyrics first and foremost. I think they're catching a vibe, a feeling. I consider myself a lyricist first and foremost, but if you get something else out of what I do, that's fine too. I'm not sitting back and telling people how they have to take my stuff. We just want to play music, and hope that people like it.” PeopleIfsThinkingWantFirstsI CanCountryPlayFeelingsSongStuffImagineFansFineSittingGladGermanyImagine ThatEngagingCatchingLyricists Author:John Darnielle
“Not everybody relates to pain, but if you can watch other people playacting it, you can absorb some of that vibe. It's like watching horror movies - you want to have the experience, but in a safe environment.” PeopleIfsWantPainWatchesEnvironmentHorrorSafeRelateSafe Environment Author:John Darnielle
“What's funny is that people think, "Well there has to be something more than wrestling, because wrestling has such an absurd quality to it." But if you tell a love story, people don't ask what else is in there. They say, "Oh, it's just a love story." All stories have many levels, but these ones show their hand and say, "You might want to look a little deeper."” PeopleIfsThinkingWantWellsLooksLittlesStoriesShowsHandsMightAsksLevelsQualityDeeperLove StoryAbsurdWrestlingStory People Author:John Darnielle
“I always want to try and see what the appeal is in anything. It's the healthiest and most honest approach.” WantTryingHonestApproachAppeals Author:John Darnielle
“People want you to play the songs they know. I try not to reflect too much, and I don't really like to focus too much on myself.” PeopleKnowsWantTryingPlaySongToo MuchFocus Author:John Darnielle
“People will complain that they don't want to wait around for lightning to strike, but why not? If you invest yourself in chance, the potential for disappointment is pretty low.” PeopleIfsWantWaitingChanceLowsDisappointmentStrikesComplainingWhy NotLightning Author:John Darnielle
“Labor for a lot of people has a negative connotation. But not for me. I always want to be working.” PeopleWantNegativeLaborConnotation Author:John Darnielle
“There are stylists I really love. I'm a huge Joan Didion fan - if I wrote something that she might like, then I'd feel very proud. I want the action to move as quickly as it does in A Book of Common Prayer, where one thing bonks right into another very quickly.” IfsWantFeelsDoeBookMightActionMovingPrayerCommonOne ThingFansHugeProudStylist Author:John Darnielle
“I did a lot of music criticism. I don't think much of it was any good. I think I wanted to show off a lot when I was younger. Now I just want people to enjoy the story. If it were possible to publish anonymously, that would be awesome.” PeopleIfsThinkingWantStoriesShowsWould BeWantedEnjoyCriticismPublishShowing Off Author:John Darnielle
“In the present political situation, it's an interesting phenomenon to look at: what is the appeal of an autocratic leader? Why do people want somebody who yells at them? For most of us, that's so hard to understand. Who wants that? I think there are a lot of people for whom that fulfills some kind of need.” PeopleThinkingWantNeedsLooksKindHardPoliticalInterestingSituationLeaderAppealsPhenomenon Author:John Darnielle
“It's an important moment as a reader, I think, when you can forget the question of whether you need to know what happened. Some people really want hard explanations. I'm the other way. I like mysteries. I don't want to frustrate people. I don't want people to feel like they got no answers, but I want to approach the mystery and sit with it.” PeopleThinkingKnowsWayWantNeedsFeelsImportantHardMomentsAnswersForgetHappenedMysteryReaderApproachExplanationImportant Moments Author:John Darnielle
