The ConorTV Playlist Vol. 4
Since 1994, John Darnielle has recorded a total of 14 full-length albums under the moniker The Mountain Goats. An indie-rock legend, Darnielle has won the hearts of hipsters and critics and performed on a main stage at Lollapalooza.
Today, to celebrate the release of his 14th album Transcendental Youth, I bring you this Spotify playlist that I crafted – a greatest hits of the man who reinvented indie folk.
In 2000, I was a lowly college radio DJ at Iowa State University. I was absolutely obsessed with The Mountain Goats and then suddenly my fellow DJs and I discovered that Darnielle was living in our college town. His wife was in grad school and playing for the Iowa State women’s hockey team.
When I realized Darnielle’s home base was Ames, IA, I immediately sought an interview with the Mountain man himself. He obliged, inviting me over to his West Ames house.
Darnielle used to record his music on a boombox and was still doing that at the time. He showed me a big box of cassette tapes, all filled with original songs he wrote and recorded solo acoustic. We drank red wine, ate chocolate and chatted about Norwegian death metal and quilt making. Yes, quilt making. Here is the article I wrote 12 years ago for the Iowa State Daily.
Where’s “The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton?”
John Darnielle gave me a copy of “Last Plane to Jakarta” once. A year and a half later, Entertainment Weekly reviewed the latest issue of his zine (or was it the website? 2001 is foggy for me) and gave it an A. Oh, how youth is wasted on the young.