John Darnielle, lead singer of the Mountain Goats and writer of Universal Harvester and Wolf in White Van, sits down in the Damn Library for a far-ranging conversation covering everything from addiction to translated fiction. They talk about being frightened and why John writes, along with a myriad of other things. John also brings Mathias Énard’s one-sentence novel Zone (translated by Charlotte Mandell) to the guys, and they discuss hypnosis and dispel some 90s nostalgia. 

music: Disaster Magic – Volkswagen Folklore (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)

contribute to our patreon! patreon.com/smdb

for book lists, drink recipes, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices