I pretty much just focus on making the records - unless I'm self-releasing them; then I do my own thing. But at some point, you have to stop worrying about chains of distribution, or it takes out of your time to write. John Darnielle chaindistributionfocus share on social
I try not to write songs in which men glamorize their own need for approval from women. That's kinda a bogus way to go out. But I try to do this quietly. I'm not about to go around telling people how they should or shouldn't think. My feminism is for me. John Darnielle approvalbogusfeminism share on social
I hang out and sign records for an hour or two hours every night, and I like to hear as many people's stories as I can, because if somebody wants to share their story with me, I want to honor that. John Darnielle hanghearhonor Change image and share on social
I write stuff down. I have a chalkboard in the kitchen where I will scrawl stuff down if I have a faint outline of an idea. And I'll go into my office or whatever. But that goes from format to format. John Darnielle chalkboardfaintformat Change image and share on social
I wrote 'Lakeside View Apartment Suites' with Roman in my arms. He was about a month old. I was playing left-handed and finally handed him over. On the demo of it, you can hear him crying in the next room. John Darnielle apartmentarmcry share on social
It's like fiction - the fact that somebody's telling you a story about people who didn't exist doesn't make the experience of the story any less real in your heart and mind. You go through heavy emotional responses to these stories, and wrestling is a similar thing - but it's happening in real space. John Darnielle emotionalexistexperience share on social
I think any real one-sheet for an album would say, 'Well, here's what I've been doing.' And that would be it. John Darnielle albumhavereal Change image and share on social
Sometimes I feel very young, and other times I feel like the side of a ship that's got a bunch of layers of mussels and barnacles on it. John Darnielle barnaclebunchfeel Change image and share on social
For me, moving is always a big opportunity. It's just a enough of a shift in outlook that every time I move, it seems to open something up. John Darnielle bigmoveopen Change image and share on social