“Labor for a lot of people has a negative connotation. But not for me. I always want to be working.” Quote by John Darnielle
“When I was a kid, I was a big science fiction fan, but current horror books were harder to get your hands on.” BookHandsBigsKidsFictionFansHorrorHarderScience FictionCurrents Author:John Darnielle
“[Robert] Aikman would write horror stories that weren't gore, they weren't slashers, and they weren't monster stories either. He called them ghost stories. The main thing about them was the vibe. It was really disquieting. He wanted to sketch the scene so that you could see it and know the characters and get a feel for the motion - and then ask yourself why and not get a final answer. Leave something that itches. I loved that!” KnowsFeelsWritingCharacterStoriesWantedAsksAnswersHorrorSceneFinalsMonstersGhostGoreGhost StoriesHorror Stories Author:John Darnielle
“[Dennis] Etchison would write stories that were just punch lines at the end. You wouldn't realize something horrific was happening until the last paragraph.” WritingEndsStoriesLastsRealizingLinesHappeningsParagraphHorrific Author:John Darnielle
“The happiest years of my mother's life were spent in Washington, D.C. It was where she met my father, where John was born and where I spent my earliest years.” YearsMotherFatherBornMets Author:Caroline Kennedy
“The possibility of disaster remains horrific to me. Like when you know everything's about to go wrong in a way that's not controllable or knowable.” KnowsWayPossibilityRemainsDisasterHorrific Author:John Darnielle
“What's scary is the unknown, the stuff you can't put your finger on.” StuffFingersScary Author:John Darnielle
“I worked the AV counter at the Roland Heights public library in the '80s. My best story from the library was the time a couple asked for a recommendation, and I recommended Raising Arizona and they absolutely hated it. They came back hungry for blood. I was on my lunch break and my boss came out and said, "Hey kid, you need to come talk to these people. They totally hate Arizona." And he said, "Arizona's a dog; nobody gets that movie."” PeopleNeedsSaidStoriesKidsHateBreakBloodDogCoupleLibraryHungryHeyHatedHeightBossLunch80sArizonaRecommendationsPublic LibraryLunch Break Author:John Darnielle
“This is the funny thing about me. People think John just comes up with all the ideas. I'm honored. People think I have a big old brain, but actually I am the sum of the people I work with.” PeopleThinkingIdeasBigsBrainCome UpHonoredFunny Things Author:John Darnielle
“People don't tend to notice, but in the past 10 years especially there's been a lot of growth in how I write songs and what goes into them. You can listen to Mountain Goats from 1991 to 2007 and never hear a seventh chord. In 2007 or 2008, I started working on the piano to grow as a songwriter. I started throwing major sevens in and sixes and more interesting stuff.” PeopleWritingYearsPastSongGrowsStuffGrowthInterestingMountainMajorsPianoThrowingSongwritersChordsGoatsInteresting Stuff Author:John Darnielle