John Darnielle is an American musician, best known as the primary (and often solitary) member of the American band The Mountain Goats, for which he is the writer, composer, guitarist, and vocalist.

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Biography

Places Darnielle has lived

Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Darnielle moved at a young age and grew up in and around California. He has also lived in Grinnell, Iowa; Colo, Iowa; Ames, Iowa; Chicago, Illinois; Portland, Oregon; and Denton, Texas. He currently resides in Durham, North Carolina with his Thai-American wife Lalitree Darnielle, a photographer who was featured playing the banjo in the band's 1998 EP New Asian Cinema . ^[1]

Early years

Darnielle grew up in Southern California and after high school went to work as a psychiatric nurse at the Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk, California. For a couple of years he lived on the Metropolitan State grounds, writing songs and playing his guitar when he wasn't working. During this time he began recording some of his songs onto cassette tapes using a Panasonic boombox. Shortly after working at the hospital, Darnielle attended Pitzer College from 1991 to 1995, earning a degree in English.

Throughout his college education he continued to record music and in 1992, Dennis Callaci, a friend of Darnielle's and owner of Shrimper Records, released a tape of Darnielle’s songs called "Taboo VI: The Homecoming". Around that time, The Mountain Goats were born and began touring with just Darnielle on guitar and a bassist, first Rachel Ware and then Peter Hughes.

Musical career

Darnielle is best known for his role in the band The Mountain Goats. Since starting the band in 1991, he has gained a cult following. Despite being dubbed a low fidelity artist, Darnielle has always dubbed his work "bi-fi", pointing out that recordings such as his couldn't be made without modern technology. He is known for his prolific output and literary lyrics. In fact, The New Yorker magazine referred to him as "America’s best non-hip-hop lyricist". ^[2] In its June 2006 issue, Paste magazine named Darnielle one of the "100 Best Living Songwriters". ^[3]

Darnielle has several series of songs with similar titles or storylines. A series entitled "Going To..." features small stories about various places and includes songs such as "Going to Cleveland", "Going to Maryland", "Going to Georgia", and "Going to Queens". This series explores the futility of running away from one's problems in stark and cryptic detail. His "Alpha" series is about a distressed couple's marriage and history, with such song titles as "Alpha Incipiens", "Alphabetizing", and "Alpha Rats Nest". The band's 2002 album Tallahassee was exclusively about the couple; there have subsequently been no more "Alpha" songs.

Darnielle has stated that all songs written up to and including those on Tallahassee are fictional, but that the two that followed (We Shall All Be Healed and The Sunset Tree ) are autobiographical.

Vegetarianism

Darnielle has been a vegetarian since 1996. ^[4] In 2007 he performed at a benefit for the animal rights organization Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York. He performed again at Farm Sanctuary in 2009.

Collaborations

Darnielle is featured on Aesop Rock's song "Coffee" (from the hip-hop artist's 2007 album None Shall Pass ) and appears in the corresponding music video. Additionally, Aesop Rock remixed The Mountain Goats' "Lovecraft in Brooklyn".

In 2008, Darnielle announced the release of a tour-exclusive EP entitled The Black Pear Tree , the result of a collaboration with tourmate Kaki King. In 2009, Darnielle released a collaborative recording with his tourmate John Vanderslice.

Book

Darnielle's first book, Black Sabbath: Master of Reality , was published in April 2008 as part of the 33? series.

Magazine contributions

Darnielle writes the "South Pole Dispatch" feature in Decibel Magazine every month.

Bands Darnielle has played in

Darnielle is also a member or former member of the following bands:

• The Extra Glenns (along with Franklin Bruno). Darnielle is "Glenn D", and Bruno is "Glenn B". They have released one full-length titled Martial Arts Weekend , as well as "Infidelity" a double sided 7" EP.
• The Comedians (along with John Vanderslice). The band's only studio recording was credited to "The Mountain Goats and John Vanderslice".
• The Seneca Twins (along with Lalitree Darnielle and Chris Butler), whose 9-song demo, recorded in 1995, is still unreleased.
• The Bloody Hawaiians (along with Joel Huschle (Furniture Huschle), Mark Givens (Wckr Spgt), Caroline) Releases: The Magnificent Bloody Hawaiians, Bastard Son, The Threegos, "Lemon" on Cool Beans #4)
• The Congress (along with Mark Givens and other anonymous members)(Darnielle was singer / songwriter)

-releases: Election Year, Sleeping Under Angels' Wings, We All Fall Down, She Lies in Roses, The Farm Out Back, No Milk Since 1979, Full Term.

• The Crunch Sisters (performed one show, all recordings were lost)
• Chicken Damage (Darnielle played live drums)
• The Salvation Brothers (Darnielle played live drums)

Last Plane to Jakarta

Darnielle has a blog titled Last Plane to Jakarta. ^[5] He also maintains the website .

References

1. New Asian Cinema (album), artistdirect.com
2. The Declaimers: The New Yorker
3. Paste's 100 Best Living Songwriters
4. http://veganradio.com/shows/audio/VeganRadio20070621.mp3
5. Last Plane to Jakarta