Reviews
"The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle Is Good At Writing! People love The Mountain Goats because all their songscontain SAT vocab words and are like little stories. So it's unsurprising that JohnDarnielle can also work up some music-free compositions, like his contributionto Continuum's 33 1/3 series of books inspired by classic albums, a novel aboutBlack Sabbath's 'Master of Reality.' He also recently wrapped up a stint of guest blogging atPowell's excellent blog, which is worth revisiting if you're curious about hisfeelings about heavy metal (he likes it! and is very knowledgable about it!).And if you live in New York,you can come to a reading of the Black Sabbath book next Saturday at HousingWorks and witness his non-singing talents in person." --MediaBistro's Galleycat, "This is not the first time Darnielle explores these dark waters. In fact the text is a retelling, if not an extension of " The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton," the first track on the Mountain Goats' 2002 album, All Hail West Texas. As both the text and the song are meditations on the redemptive aspects of heavy metal, the depravity of institutional authority and the refusal to forgive, the reader who is familiar with either Darnielle's musical work or Black Sabbath will find the text particularly rewarding." - Christian, http://enoughcowbell.com, Just like Black Sabbath throws big rocks at subtlety and Roger's manifesto-journal channels anger towards the mental health establishment, Darnielle's book obliterates the sterility of music criticism. I imagine him reading reviews of his work and building up all of this disdain, deciding finally that he's going to do it better. Ultimately, Master of Reality critiques criticism itself, an institution that encourages us to thrash apart the art of others - without offering any blood of our own., The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle Is Good At Writing! People love The Mountain Goats because all their songs contain SAT vocab words and are like little stories. So it's unsurprising that John Darnielle can also work up some music-free compositions, like his contribution to Continuum's 33 1/3 series of books inspired by classic albums, a novel about Black Sabbath's 'Master of Reality.' He also recently wrapped up a stint of guest blogging at Powell's excellent blog, which is worth revisiting if you're curious about his feelings about heavy metal (he likes it! and is very knowledgeable about it!). And if you live in New York, you can come to a reading of the Black Sabbath book next Saturday at Housing Works and witness his non-singing talents in person., "With his short stories masquerading as songs, JohnDarnielle "founding member of the Mountain Goats "has crafted a wide range ofoff-kilter characters. He continues thistradition with Roger, a fifteen-year-old patient in a psychiatric hospital andthe protagonist of Darnielle's first book, a loving diary-style exploration ofBlack Sabbath's Master of Reality, part of Continuum's 33 1/3 series...Inspiredby his real-life experiences as a psychiatric nurse (and love of all thingsmetal), Darnielle's literary debut is a fast, addictive read that also tugs onthe heartstrings of sensitive Ozzy fans." --Exclaim magazine, "Total affection for, and strong identification with, musicis a cross-generational experience, and though the motivation behind the 33 1/3series meshes nicely with a post-Generation X obsession with the minutiae ofpersonal experience, it's also immediately accessible to anyone who's everwritten favorite lyrics on her algebra notebook. While nostalgia runs thick inDarnielle's book (the nature of the series essentially demands this), there's agreater point about music and memory to be found in Roger's story. Indulgencein the memory of intense feelings can be strangely comforting, and perhaps evennecessary. Or, as Roger puts it: 'It doesn't have to mean that to everybody, andit means more no matter what...'"-- Thea Brown, The L Magazine, With his short stories masquerading as songs, John Darnielle-founding member of the Mountain Goats-has crafted a wide range of off-kilter characters. He continues this tradition with Roger, a fifteen-year-old patient in a psychiatric hospital and the protagonist of Darnielle's first book, a loving diary-style exploration of Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, part of Continuum's 33 1/3 series...Inspired by his real-life experiences as a psychiatric nurse (and love of all things metal), Darnielle's literary debut is a fast, addictive read that also tugs on the heartstrings of sensitive Ozzy fans. - Exclaim magazine, Mountain Goat John Darnielle's off-stage literary proclivities are no secret, which makes us all the more excited for his first novel, a paean to Black Sabbath's Master of Reality. The book is the latest in Continuum's 33 1/3 series ultrasmart series of elegant, pocket-size appreciations of rock albums as diverse as the Beatles' Let it Be and My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. Darnielle unpacks the classic, riff-erific album as a scrabrous series of diary entries written by a teenager in a Southern California mental institution. Those curious to see the budding rock critic off-stage or who are simply bonkers for Sabbath are advised to check out this reading. - Tayt Harlin, New York Magazine, With his short stories masquerading as songs, John Darnielle-founding member of the Mountain Goats-has crafted a wide range of off-kilter characters. He continues this tradition with Roger, a fifteen-year-old patient in a psychiatric hospital and the protagonist of Darnielle's first book, a loving diary-style exploration of Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, part of Continuum's 33 1/3 series...Inspired by his real-life experiences as a psychiatric nurse (and love of all things metal), Darnielle's literary debut is a fast, addictive read that also tugs on the heartstrings of sensitive Ozzy fans., "Just like Black Sabbath throws big rocks at subtlety andRoger's manifesto-journal channels anger towards the mental healthestablishment, Darnielle's book obliterates the sterility of music criticism. Iimagine him reading reviews of his work and building up all of this disdain,deciding finally that he's going to do it better. Ultimately, Master of Realitycritiques criticism itself, an institution that encourages us to thrash apartthe art of others � without offering any blood of our own." Tiny Mix Tapes, This is not the first time Darnielle explores these dark waters. In fact the text is a retelling, if not an extension of " The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton," the first track on the Mountain Goats' 2002 album, All Hail West Texas. As both the text and the song are meditations on the redemptive aspects of heavy metal, the depravity of institutional authority and the refusal to forgive, the reader who is familiar with either Darnielle's musical work or Black Sabbath will find the text particularly rewarding. - Christian, http://enoughcowbell.com, "Just like Black Sabbath throws big rocks at subtlety andRoger's manifesto-journal channels anger towards the mental healthestablishment, Darnielle's book obliterates the sterility of music criticism. Iimagine him reading reviews of his work and building up all of this disdain,deciding finally that he's going to do it better. Ultimately, Master of Realitycritiques criticism itself, an institution that encourages us to thrash apartthe art of others " without offering any blood of our own." -- Tiny Mix Tapes, This is a masterly look at the corrosive emotion of youth, and the invaluable solace that music gives. Read it, even if you'd rather stick knitting needles in your ears than listen to the album in question. Because its about you. - James Mann, The Big Takeover magazine, John Darnielle is the single constant behind the group the Mountain Goats and arguably the most rewarding lyricist working today. Taking into account his prolific wordsmithery ("Laugh lines on our faces / scale maps of the ocean floor") and affinity for horror both cinematic and literary ("Heretic Pride," the most recent Mountain Goats album, has song titles naming Fu Manchu creator Sax Rohmer and H.P. Lovecraft), it shouldn't come as a surprise that he'd contribute to Continuum's "33 1/3" series of short books pegged to iconic albums. But "Master of Reality" departs brilliantly from the typical "33 1/3" format, not just by choosing fiction over criticism or recording history, but in its structural gambits and unwavering sense of purpose. - Ed Parks, Los Angeles Times, "[T]he focus of Darnielle's fans has always been on hislyrics and the stories contained within them. Now he's stepped off the stage and sat down at is typewriter to deliverMaster of Reality, his first novel and a stunning piece of rock criticism andappreciation. Readers are likely to come to Master of Reality from avariety of backgrounds. Some will comeas Mountain Goats fans wanting to see Darnielle tackle a novel, others as BlackSabbath fans wanting to read about a favorite album. Some will simply be fans of the cult-popular33 1/3 series, which has now grown to dozens of books, yet kept its level ofquality very high. Hopefully, there willbe others who will pick it up as novel first, because it truly is a first-ratestory, full of moments that will pluck at your heartstrings as you're broughtback to the moment you first fell in love with a piece of music, when an albumprovided not just the soundtrack to your life but also the meaning behindit. If, by some strange chance, none ofthis happens, well, you're probably going to at least dust off your old Sabbathvinyl, and there's nothing wrong with that either." --NewPages.com, The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle Is Good At Writing! People love The Mountain Goats because all their songs contain SAT vocab words and are like little stories. So it's unsurprising that John Darnielle can also work up some music-free compositions, like his contribution to Continuum's 33 1/3 series of books inspired by classic albums, a novel about Black Sabbath's 'Master of Reality.' He also recently wrapped up a stint of guest blogging at Powell's excellent blog, which is worth revisiting if you're curious about his feelings about heavy metal (he likes it! and is very knowledgable about it!). And if you live in New York, you can come to a reading of the Black Sabbath book next Saturday at Housing Works and witness his non-singing talents in person. - MediaBistro's Galleycat, Total affection for, and strong identification with, music is a cross-generational experience, and though the motivation behind the 33 1/3 series meshes nicely with a post-Generation X obsession with the minutiae of personal experience, it's also immediately accessible to anyone who's ever written favorite lyrics on her algebra notebook. While nostalgia runs thick in Darnielle's book (the nature of the series essentially demands this), there's a greater point about music and memory to be found in Roger's story. Indulgence in the memory of intense feelings can be strangely comforting, and perhaps even necessary. Or, as Roger puts it: 'It doesn't have to mean that to everybody, and it means more no matter what..., Master of Reality is no straightforward critical assessment of Black Sabbath's album, a sludgy doom-rock classic. It's fiction that peels thrillingly off into music writing. The book is written from the point of view of a teenage boy in a mental hospital who explains why Black Sabbath and its lead singer, Ozzy Osbourne, meant so much to isolated kids like himself. It's about how rock music can express not only liberating joy but, conversely and perhaps more importantly, also speak to bottomless misery and pain. The book is funny, too. Its narrator observes that you never feel that you might hang out with Robert Plant, the Led Zeppelin singer, at a video arcade. But Mr. Osbourne, "he sounds like the guy who changes your quarters., This is not the first time Darnielle explores these dark waters. In fact the text is a retelling, if not an extension of "The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton," the first track on the Mountain Goats' 2002 album, All Hail West Texas. As both the text and the song are meditations on the redemptive aspects of heavy metal, the depravity of institutional authority and the refusal to forgive, the reader who is familiar with either Darnielle's musical work or Black Sabbath will find the text particularly rewarding., Darnielle, singer and songwriter for the much-loved band The Mountain Goats, cuts right to the chase in his short novel, the blunt, direct tone of his adolescent protagonist Richard Painter perfectly encapsulating the enduring appeal of metal's great progenitors. It's all about the Mighty Riff when it comes to Sabbath; everything else is secondary, and while one could easily make a case for at least half a dozen albums that deserve the 33 1/3 treatment, the riffs that define this particular album are, to echo young Roger's sentiment, unfuckwithable., Mountain Goat John Darnielle's off-stage literary proclivities are no secret, which makes us all the more excited for his first novel, a paean to Black Sabbath's Master of Reality. The book is the latest in Continuum's 33 1/3 series ultrasmart series of elegant, pocket-size appreciations of rock albums as diverse as the Beatles' Let it Be and My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. Darnielle unpacks the classic, riff-erific album as a scrabrous series of diary entries written by a teenager in a Southern California mental institution. Those curious to see the budding rock critic off-stage or who are simply bonkers for Sabbath are advised to check out this reading., "[Darnielle] straightjackets the essence of Black Sabbathwhere 40 years of music musings and cultural damnation have failed." --Raoul Hernandez, Austin Chronicle, This is a masterly look at the corrosive emotion of youth, and the invaluable solace that music gives. Read it, even if you'd rather stick knitting needles in your ears than listen to the album in question. Because its about you., Darnielle's novella is not only a touchstone in the series, it is a powerful and potent book in its own right. Utterly compelling., Darnielle-- who worked as a nurse in a mental hospital and presumably met quite a few smart, lost kids like Roger-- speaks to the soul-damaging aspects of locking up problem teens and offers a piece of music criticism that illuminates the edifying qualities of heavy metal., "Darnielle, singer and songwriter for the much-loved bandThe Mountain Goats, cuts right to the chase in his short novel, the blunt,direct tone of his adolescent protagonist Richard Painter perfectlyencapsulating the enduring appeal of metal's great progenitors. It's all aboutthe Mighty Riff when it comes to Sabbath; everything else is secondary, andwhile one could easily make a case for at least half a dozen albums thatdeserve the 33 1/3 treatment, the riffs that define this particular album are,to echo young Roger's sentiment, unfuckwithable." Adrien Begrand, Popmatters.com, "Mountain Goat John Darnielle's off-stage literaryproclivities are no secret, which makes us all the more excited for his firstnovel, a paean to Black Sabbath's Master of Reality. The book is the latest in Continuum's 33 1/3series ultrasmart series of elegant, pocket-size appreciations of rock albumsas diverse as the Beatles' Let it Be and My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. Darnielle unpacks the classic, riff-erificalbum as a scrabrous series of diary entries written by a teenager in a Southern California mental institution. Those curious tosee the budding rock critic off-stage or who are simply bonkers for Sabbath areadvised to check out this reading." Tayt Harlin, New YorkMagazine, "Total affection for, and strong identification with, musicis a cross-generational experience, and though the motivation behind the 33 1/3series meshes nicely with a post-Generation X obsession with the minutiae ofpersonal experience, it's also immediately accessible to anyone who's everwritten favorite lyrics on her algebra notebook. While nostalgia runs thick inDarnielle's book (the nature of the series essentially demands this), there's agreater point about music and memory to be found in Roger's story. Indulgencein the memory of intense feelings can be strangely comforting, and perhaps evennecessary. Or, as Roger puts it: 'It doesn't have to mean that to everybody, andit means more no matter what...'" -- Thea Brown, The L Magazine, Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 "Forget the other 33 1/3s, this belongs next to The Catcherin the Rye." -DecibelMagazine, "Darnielle, singer and songwriter for the much-loved bandThe Mountain Goats, cuts right to the chase in his short novel, the blunt,direct tone of his adolescent protagonist Richard Painter perfectlyencapsulating the enduring appeal of metal's great progenitors. It's all aboutthe Mighty Riff when it comes to Sabbath; everything else is secondary, andwhile one could easily make a case for at least half a dozen albums thatdeserve the 33 1/3 treatment, the riffs that define this particular album are,to echo young Roger's sentiment, unfuckwithable." --Adrien Begrand, Popmatters.com, I'd like to give a special shout-out to John Darnielle's book about Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, published as part of Continuum's 33 1/3 series of album-themed books...If you like the band, you'll like this book. If you like intense young-adult takes like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, you'll like this book. No matter what, by the end, you'll be racing to purchase Master of Reality, which is a beautiful thing., Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 "John Darnielle is the single constant behind the group theMountain Goats and arguably the most rewarding lyricist working today. Takinginto account his prolific wordsmithery ("Laugh lines on our faces / scalemaps of the ocean floor") and affinity for horror both cinematic andliterary ("Heretic Pride," the most recent Mountain Goats album, hassong titles naming Fu Manchu creator Sax Rohmer and H.P. Lovecraft), itshouldn't come as a surprise that he'd contribute to Continuum's "331/3" series of short books pegged to iconic albums. But "Master ofReality" departs brilliantly from the typical "33 1/3" format,not just by choosing fiction over criticism or recording history, but in itsstructural gambits and unwavering sense of purpose." -Los Angeles Times, "Darnielle's novella is not only a touchstone in the series,it is a powerful and potent book in its own right. Utterly compelling."-Community Care, UK, "With his short stories masquerading as songs, JohnDarnielle �founding member of the Mountain Goats �has crafted a wide range ofoff-kilter characters. He continues thistradition with Roger, a fifteen-year-old patient in a psychiatric hospital andthe protagonist of Darnielle's first book, a loving diary-style exploration ofBlack Sabbath's Master of Reality, part of Continuum's 33 1/3 series...Inspiredby his real-life experiences as a psychiatric nurse (and love of all thingsmetal), Darnielle's literary debut is a fast, addictive read that also tugs onthe heartstrings of sensitive Ozzy fans." Exclaim magazine, "Darnielle-- who worked as a nurse in a mental hospital and presumably met quite a few smart, lost kids like Roger-- speaks to the soul-damaging aspects of locking up problem teens and offers a piece of music criticism that illuminates the edifying qualities of heavy metal." -Pitchfork feature "Our 60 Favorite Music Books", Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }& /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-phan∨ font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:¿ mso-fareast-language:¿ mso-bidi-language:¿}"John Darnielle is the single constant behind the group theMountain Goats and arguably the most rewarding lyricist working today. Takinginto account his prolific wordsmithery (&"Laugh lines on our faces / scalemaps of the ocean floor&") and affinity for horror both cinematic andliterary (&"Heretic Pride,&" the most recent Mountain Goats album, hassong titles naming Fu Manchu creator Sax Rohmer and H.P. Lovecraft), itshouldn't come as a surprise that he'd contribute to Continuum's &"331/3&" series of short books pegged to iconic albums. But &"Master ofReality&" departs brilliantly from the typical &"33 1/3&" format,not just by choosing fiction over criticism or recording history, but in itsstructural gambits and unwavering sense of purpose." Los Angeles Times, Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 "This is a masterly look at the corrosive emotion of youth, and the invaluablesolace that music gives. Read it, even if you'd rather stick knitting needlesin your ears than listen to the album in question. Because its about you." -TheBig Takeover magazine, "The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle Is Good At Writing! People love The Mountain Goats because all their songscontain SAT vocab words and are like little stories. So it's unsurprising that JohnDarnielle can also work up some music-free compositions, like his contributionto Continuum's 33 1/3 series of books inspired by classic albums, a novel aboutBlack Sabbath's 'Master of Reality.' He also recently wrapped up a stint of guest blogging atPowell's excellent blog, which is worth revisiting if you're curious about hisfeelings about heavy metal (he likes it! and is very knowledgable about it!).And if you live in New York,you can come to a reading of the Black Sabbath book next Saturday at HousingWorks and witness his non-singing talents in person." MediaBistro's Galleycat, "[Darnielle] straightjackets the essence of Black Sabbathwhere 40 years of music musings and cultural damnation have failed." Raoul Hernandez, Austin Chronicle, [T]he focus of Darnielle's fans has always been on his lyrics and the stories contained within them. Now he's stepped off the stage and sat down at is typewriter to deliver Master of Reality, his first novel and a stunning piece of rock criticism and appreciation. Readers are likely to come to Master of Reality from a variety of backgrounds. Some will come as Mountain Goats fans wanting to see Darnielle tackle a novel, others as Black Sabbath fans wanting to read about a favorite album. Some will simply be fans of the cult-popular 33 1/3 series, which has now grown to dozens of books, yet kept its level of quality very high. Hopefully, there will be others who will pick it up as novel first, because it truly is a first-rate story, full of moments that will pluck at your heartstrings as you're brought back to the moment you first fell in love with a piece of music, when an album provided not just the soundtrack to your life but also the meaning behind it. If, by some strange chance, none of this happens, well, you're probably going to at least dust off your old Sabbath vinyl, and there's nothing wrong with that either., John Darnielle is the single constant behind the group the Mountain Goats and arguably the most rewarding lyricist working today. Taking into account his prolific wordsmithery ("Laugh lines on our faces / scale maps of the ocean floor") and affinity for horror both cinematic and literary ("Heretic Pride," the most recent Mountain Goats album, has song titles naming Fu Manchu creator Sax Rohmer and H.P. Lovecraft), it shouldn't come as a surprise that he'd contribute to Continuum's "33 1/3" series of short books pegged to iconic albums. But "Master of Reality" departs brilliantly from the typical "33 1/3" format, not just by choosing fiction over criticism or recording history, but in its structural gambits and unwavering sense of purpose., "[T]he focus of Darnielle's fans has always been on hislyrics and the stories contained within them. Now he's stepped off the stage and sat down at is typewriter to deliverMaster of Reality, his first novel and a stunning piece of rock criticism andappreciation. Readers are likely to come to Master of Reality from avariety of backgrounds. Some will comeas Mountain Goats fans wanting to see Darnielle tackle a novel, others as BlackSabbath fans wanting to read about a favorite album. Some will simply be fans of the cult-popular33 1/3 series, which has now grown to dozens of books, yet kept its level ofquality very high. Hopefully, there willbe others who will pick it up as novel first, because it truly is a first-ratestory, full of moments that will pluck at your heartstrings as you're broughtback to the moment you first fell in love with a piece of music, when an albumprovided not just the soundtrack to your life but also the meaning behindit. If, by some strange chance, none ofthis happens, well, you're probably going to at least dust off your old Sabbathvinyl, and there's nothing wrong with that either." NewPages.com, [Darnielle] straightjackets the essence of Black Sabbath where 40 years of music musings and cultural damnation have failed., "Mountain Goat John Darnielle's off-stage literaryproclivities are no secret, which makes us all the more excited for his firstnovel, a paean to Black Sabbath's Master of Reality. The book is the latest in Continuum's 33 1/3series ultrasmart series of elegant, pocket-size appreciations of rock albumsas diverse as the Beatles' Let it Be and My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. Darnielle unpacks the classic, riff-erificalbum as a scrabrous series of diary entries written by a teenager in a Southern California mental institution. Those curious tosee the budding rock critic off-stage or who are simply bonkers for Sabbath areadvised to check out this reading." --Tayt Harlin, New YorkMagazine, &"This is not the first time Darnielle explores these dark waters. In fact the text is a retelling, if not an extension of &" The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton,&" the first track on the Mountain Goats' 2002 album, All Hail West Texas. As both the text and the song are meditations on the redemptive aspects of heavy metal, the depravity of institutional authority and the refusal to forgive, the reader who is familiar with either Darnielle's musical work or Black Sabbath will find the text particularly rewarding.&" - Christian, http://enoughcowbell.com, Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 "I'd like to give a special shout-out to John Darnielle'sbook about Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, published as part of Continuum's33 1/3 series of album-themed books...If you like the band,you'll like this book. If you like intense young-adult takes like The Perks ofBeing a Wallflower, you'll like this book. No matter what, by the end, you'llbe racing to purchase Master of Reality, which is a beautiful thing." -USA Today,PopCandy
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