John Darnielle (/dɑːrˈniːl/; born March 16, 1967) is an American musician and novelist best known as the primary, and originally sole, member of the American band the Mountain Goats, for which he is the writer, composer, guitarist, pianist, and vocalist.
Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Darnielle grew up in San Luis Obispo and then Claremont, California with an abusive stepfather (as referenced frequently in The Sunset Tree).
Darnielle often attended professional wrestling matches with his stepfather at the Grand Olympic Auditorium. There, he developed a passion for the sport and local wrestlers like Chavo Guerrero Sr. His childhood love of wrestling would go on to inspire the Mountain Goats' album Beat the Champ.

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