The Mountain Goats: Chasinginspiration down the alley

Tue 31st Oct, 2006 in Features

John Darnielle has been recording songs as the Mountain Goats since 1991, and in that time he’s written over 400 low-fi songs about everything from Roman historians to metal bands to Jimi Hendrix. After the belated success of last year’s The Sunset Tree he’s back with Get Lonely - a harrowing album about the aftermath of a breakup. I recently spoke to him over e-mail.

The Sunset Tree was quite explicity about your relationship with an abusive stepfather. How did people react to more personal songs on The Sunset Tree? Do you expect that kind of reaction from Get Lonely?
“Well, it was rather surprising to me, ‘cause I sort of expected people to be kinda spooked or even put off by the Sunset Tree. Instead it’s the most popular album we’ve ever made – people tell me really personal stories about how they relate to it. Get Lonely to me is even more personal, but it’s also about private small pains instead of large-canvas stuff like abuse. People are reacting more slowly, which is kinda gratifying to me – they write to say “I listened to it and I didn’t know what to think, and then I listened some more and I was a little disappointed, and then the other day I listened to it through headphones and it just nailed me to the floor.” To me that’s really satisfying, to have an album that kinda sneaks up on you.”

Has your work as a psychiatric nurse influenced your songwriting?
“Probably, just because in nursing you have a lot of opportunity to get close to people in crisis, and a lot of my songs either happen for their narrators in crisis or in its aftermath. But I always think that the songs are made up of every waking moment I’ve ever had – all experiences of comparably mine-able material”.

Do you use music as therapy?
“These days I use it to escape more than I used to, but that’s still secondary – I’ve always liked music that makes me cry, or that makes me feel like I’ve gone through something. I like music to force me to feel things, even/especially uncomfortable things.”

How do you write so many songs and still maintain a high standard of quality?
“I don’t really write that many songs! If a guy writes 24 songs a year, what’s his rate: two a month, right? And if half of those are good – that is, if he only writes one good song a month – then he gets an album a year. I think a lot of songwriters wait around for inspiration too much. I chase inspiration down the alley and steal its lunch money.”

Do you have any plans for new song-cycles, like the Alpha Couple and the Going To… series [groups of songs that continue over several albums and EPs]?
“I don’t really start out with a plan on that kinda stuff usually – the story sort of suggests itself after a few songs have been written. JohnVanderslice and I are starting to talk about a huge concept album though, totally ridiculous and grandiose and fun.”

Will you ever use more elaborate instrumentation on your albums?
Well, things have gotten more and then less elaborate over the past five years or so – [2004’s album] We Shall All Be Healed is really pretty heavily arranged, I think seven of the songs have a full drum kit plus guitar, bass, keys and various smaller things. But isn’t the world noisy enough? I like to leave a little space where people can sit, some place where the listener can breathe and hear his own voice. I don’t want to overwhelm people – I want to engage them.

You’re a big metal fan, but your music is very stripped down and acoustic. Will we see John Darinelle rocking out?
Do other artists only listen to stuff that sounds like themselves? I really hope not, that idea just depresses me so much… I like to hear people doing stuff I can’t do, to admire and wonder at their talent.

And finally, you’ve been to Australia three times in the past two years. What keeps you coming back?
Jester’s pies, vegemite, Rose Hotel pizza, rainbow lorrikeets, cooper’s green, animals you can’t see anywhere else, and really too many wonderful things to list…we are just very very fond of your country, we’d tour it every month if we could!

The Mountain Goats return to Australia in early January, supported by their sometime producer John Vanderslice. If you’re lucky enough to have tix – you can see them performing at Falls Festival. For full coverage on the Falls Fest go here

December
30/31 - Marion Bay, Tasmania, Falls Festival (sold out)

January
2 - Perth, WA, Club Capitol; tickets available from 78 Records, Mills Records, Planet Video, and Heatseeker
3 - Adelaide, S.A., Fowler’s Live; tickets available from the venue or VenueTix
5 - Melbourne, VIC, the Corner Hotel
6 - Sydney, NSW, Century Theatre (formerly Metro Theatre); tickets available from Moshtix & all moshtix retail outlets
7 - Brisbane, QLD, the Zoo; tickets available from Rockinghorse, Skinnys, Butterbeats (City & Valley), Moshpit, Music Mania, Sunflower Records, or the venue