“This is why improvisational music and comedy is so inspiring: You are seeing something being born, and that energy, there is no substitute for. These songs, most of them, are about a minute old when you hear them.”

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.