GROSS: …What each track means and what Ozzy Osbourne symbolizes and so on. And so, like, the Satanic imagery really means something to him. And I know since you worked at a mental health facility and worked with teenagers there, did you find that in some of the teenagers that Satanic imagery really connected to them for whatever reason? DARNIELLE: No, most of the teenagers who wanted to do Satan stuff that I knew were doing it specifically to make the adults jump, right? That was - the main thing is like if you find an adult who really believes that a Satan exists who wants to steal your soul – right? - and you say Satan to that adult with a look - a particular look on your face, you can get a giant rise out of that adult, right? If you - I mean, Satan is an awesome weapon in that case because, you know, these people who really strongly believe that, if they see you talking about how you want to worship Satan or whatever, it's sort of like if you're working with 2-year-olds, right? And a 2-year-old finds out what really bothers you, well, he's extraordinarily excited to have this power now. You know, and he'll just keep doing the thing that bothers you because it's nice to be able to have that kind of control, right? And for most of the teenagers who were into that stuff that I knew it was about 100 percent watch how people react when I do this. DAVIES: John Darnielle, founder of the band The Mountain Goats, speaking last year with Terry Gross. His novel “Wolf In White Van” is now out in paperback. He’ll be back after a break. Here’s a track from “Beat The Champ,” the latest Mountain Goat CD. Many of the songs are about professional wrestling. This one is called “The Legend Of Chavo Guerrero.” I’m Dave Davies. This is FRESH AIR. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR. I’m Dave Davies in for Terry Gross. And we’re listening to Terry’s interview with John Darnielle, the founder, singer and songwriter of the band The Mountain Goats. He’s also a novelist. His first was about a teenager in a psychiatric institution who’s obsessed with the Black Sabbath album, “Master Of Reality.” His latest, “Wolf In White Van,” is now out in paperback. It’s about a man who as a teenager lived in fantasies inspired by metal, comic books and games, and shot himself in the face. He survived but has to live with chronic pain and a disfigured face. Darnielle used to work with young people in psychiatric institutions and had struggles of his own as a teenager. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST) GROSS: I'd like to play another song. DARNIELLE: Cool. GROSS: And this is from an album that’s pretty autobiographical, and a lot of the songs on this album relate to the abuse that your father meted out. DARNIELLE: My stepfather. GROSS: Stepfather, thank you for correcting me. And so the song I want to play is called "Dance Music." Would you introduce it for us? DARNIELLE: This is a song called "Dance Music" that takes place during two desperate points of my life. And the first one I'm 5. And we've - the divorce is fresh and we've just moved across town. And it was when I first started to notice sort of cracks in the edifice of the new home. And the next one - the second half of the song, I'm a teenager, and I'm sort of exploring my own ways of wrecking myself (laughter). GROSS: And your anger at your stepfather for doing things like throwing glasses at your mother's head. DARNIELLE: Yeah and there's - but there's, like I said, I don't want to sort of localize it entirely there. It's like there's also - I'm becoming a person who, owing to the last 10 years or so of experience, has really learned to internalize stuff and is taking stuff out on himself. GROSS: OK. So let's hear "Dance Music." This is The Mountain Goats, which is the band led by my guest, John Darnielle. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DANCE MUSIC") DARNIELLE: (Singing) All right. I'm on Johnson Avenue in San Luis, Obispo, and I'm 5 years old or 6, maybe. And indications that there's something wrong with our new house - trip down the wire twice daily. I'm in the living room watching the Watergate hearings while my stepfather yells at my mother, launches a glass across the room straight at her head. And I dash LED High Bay Light upstairs to take cover,