At 23, you can completely, literally reinvent yourself if you want to. — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
The moment where you know the thing you want is ridiculous and pompous and a terrible thing to want anyway. The direction… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
It's an important moment as a reader, I think, when you can forget the question of whether you need to know what… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
As an artist, you always have to be growing. You don't just want to do what you already know people like. — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
I always want to try and see what the appeal is in anything. It's the healthiest and most honest approach. — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
People will complain that they don't want to wait around for lightning to strike, but why not? If you invest yourself in… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
Not everybody relates to pain, but if you can watch other people playacting it, you can absorb some of that vibe. It's… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
There are stylists I really love. I'm a huge Joan Didion fan - if I wrote something that she might like, then… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
If my songs are being listened to between any other songs, that is awesome, and I'm glad people are getting something out… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
I did a lot of music criticism. I don't think much of it was any good. I think I wanted to show… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
I consider myself a lyricist first and foremost, but if you get something else out of what I do, that's fine too.… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
What's funny is that people think, "Well there has to be something more than wrestling, because wrestling has such an absurd quality… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
Labor for a lot of people has a negative connotation. But not for me. I always want to be working. — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
Adulthood is interesting to adults. But I would never want to write about stuff I dont feel everybody can connect to. — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
People want you to play the songs they know. I try not to reflect too much, and I don't really like to… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
In the present political situation, it's an interesting phenomenon to look at: what is the appeal of an autocratic leader? Why do… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
I don't write my own publicity materials, I just read 'em and give 'em the OK. — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
“But secret agents, like God, only give signs to their confidants. They are also very cruel and even unhappy at times. At any rate,… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
“I am heavy in his arms, and I feel safe there, but I am lost, and I need constantly to be shoring up the… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
The more I learn about stuff the more conscious I become of grave gaps in my knowledge. — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
If you get into a fight and somebody punches you, you get two feelings. One: That really hurts. Two: That relief in the realness… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
When I was a kid, I was a big science fiction fan, but current horror books were harder to get your hands on. — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
It's impossible to be content all the time - you have to learn to be content in places where you're unhappy and owning your… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
“It's in the nature of the landscape to change, and it's in the nature of people to help the process along...” — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
Everybody is in various states of needing to transcend something. I believe in mental health care, but when we call people "crazy," we exclude… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
“But resiliency only means that a thing retains its shape. That it doesn’t break, or lose its ability to function. It doesn’t mean a… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
“One thing I’ve learned is it’s better sometimes, in the weeds, to resist the temptation to stand up and follow the compass. *” — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
People always talk about good time rock and roll, Chuck Berry or whatever, like this liberating force for feeling good. But what I need… — John Darnielle Copy Share Image
