“Metal has its own code of cool, but it's not really trying to be cool. And that was very refreshing to me, that metal is very much about expressing something that seems awesome to you even if, at the time, much of the world was going to mock and reject it.”

American musician and novelist, born 1967

John Darnielle is an American musician and novelist, best known as the founder and driving force behind the indie folk band the Mountain Goats. He started the band in 1991 and has served as its writer, composer, guitarist, pianist, and vocalist. He is known for a prolific body of work and for lyrics that have a distinctly literary feel. Alongside his music, he has written three novels, Wolf in White Van, Universal Harvester, and Devil House.