Black Sabbath's Master of Reality (33 1/3) [Paperback]

John Darnielle (Author)

Book Description

Series: 33 1/3 | Publication Date: April 15, 2008

Black Sabbath's Master of Reality has maintained remarkable historical status over several generations; it's a touchstone for the directionless, and common coin for young men and women who've felt excluded from the broader cultural economy. John Darnielle hears it through the ears of Roger Painter, a young adult locked in a southern California adolescent psychiatric center in 1985; deprived of his Walkman and hungry for comfort, he explains Black Sabbath as one might describe air to a fish, or love to an android, hoping to convince his captors to give him back his tapes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Mention in Harp Magazine (Grayson Currin )

"[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." —NewPages.com

"[Darnielle] straightjackets the essence of Black Sabbath where 40 years of music musings and cultural damnation have failed." —Raoul Hernandez, Austin Chronicle

(Raoul Hernandez )

"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...'"— Thea Brown, The L Magazine

(Thea Brown )

"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." —Adrien Begrand, Popmatters.com

(Adrien Begrand )

"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." —Exclaim magazine

Interviewed in Philadelphia Weekly

"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

Interviewed by Gothamist

Entry on Brooklyn Vegan about reading

"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." — Tiny Mix Tapes

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"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." —Los Angeles Times

(Ed Parks )

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"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." —USA Today, PopCandy

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"Forget the other 33 1/3s, this belongs next to The Catcher in the Rye." —Decibel Magazine

"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

(David Hemingway )

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"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." —The Big Takeover magazine

(James Mann )

"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
(Christian )

"written keenly and with great generosity"

Reviewed in Idolator , 24 december 2008

"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"

Mention in Harp Magazine (, )

“[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.” –NewPages.com

“[Darnielle] straightjackets the essence of Black Sabbath where 40 years of music musings and cultural damnation have failed.” –Raoul Hernandez, Austin Chronicle

(, )

“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…’”   — Thea Brown, The L Magazine

(, )

“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.” –Adrien Begrand, Popmatters.com

(, )

“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.” –Exclaim magazine

“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

“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.” – Tiny Mix Tapes

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

“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.” –Los Angeles Times

(, )

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

“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.” –USA Today, PopCandy

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

“Forget the other 33 1/3s, this belongs next to The Catcher in the Rye.” –Decibel Magazine

"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

(, )

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

"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.” –The Big Takeover magazine

(, )

"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
(, )

About the Author

John Darnielle is the singer and songwriter otherwise known as the Mountain Goats.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (April 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826428991
• ISBN-13: 978-0826428998
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 6.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A++ would read again, April 22, 2008

By 

Kirsten (Brooklyn USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Sabbath's Master of Reality (33 1/3) (Paperback)

this sweet, sad little riff of a book succeeds--like the best of the 33 1/3 series--on so many levels at once I'm itching to pick it up and read it through again. whether you are a fan of Black Sabbath (I haven't listened in years), interested in unexpected forms music criticism (the fictional narrator here makes no appologies for being a superfan), or just looking for a compelling story (a proverbial page-turner from the heartbreaking dedication to the last page), this book will not dissapoint. if you've heard Darnielle's music (like, um, Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton) you know the man can tell a story, and Roger's story--too real to be non-fiction and too passionate to be grouped with standard criticism--resonates through all the frustrations and humiliations I've ever experienced. if only I'd had Ozzy to guide me through it... I think I'll pick up Master of Realitiy and give it a listen while I re-read this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Emotional, Intuitive Exploration of Master of Reality, May 10, 2009

By 

Michael P Mccullough "moik" (Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Sabbath's Master of Reality (33 1/3) (Paperback)

Thanks to my brother Kevin for enlightening me regarding the existence of this book.

This is a unique addition to the 33 1/3 series. Instead of an in depth history and analysis of the the album here we have an epistolary novel written by John Darnielle (of The Mountain Goats). The narrator is a disaffected, institutionalized teenager, and later, the same narrator ten years later; and the format is prescribed journal entries and subsequent (unsent? unread?) letters to his counselor.

This little book holds up well on its own as a novel- I think it is brilliantly conceived and tremendously affecting. There is a lot to be read between the lines. If you want more facts about the album then read the Wikipedia entry for Master of Reality. The narrator of this book only guesses at the facts behind the making of the album - for example it is never even mentioned that the guitar and bass were de-tuned to C# creating the heavy, sludgy (groundbreaking?) sound. But the intuitive approach and emotional response to the album portrayed in this book is amazing.




Personally - bought the album when I was twelve and it was, along with Alice Cooper, one of my first journeys into non-mainstream music - and I have never looked back. I don't think I had ever, well, thought about this particular album as deeply as our narrator; however I think I might be able to write the little book about other specific albums.

If you are a fan of the album, or if you have never even heard the album, or if you have ever been a teenager, I recommend this short novel (read in one sitting).

Fun fact - before college John Darnielle used to work at the Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk, California.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short and sweet., July 29, 2008

By 

Natalie "Black Poppy" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Sabbath's Master of Reality (33 1/3) (Paperback)

I feel like I should start out by saying that I am an intensely dedicated fan of Darnielle's many outlets, whether it be his LPTJ blog, The Mountain Goats, The Extra Glenns, his contributions to Decibel, etc. etc. Let me say also that I am pretty sure most of the reviewers (though I haven't read them all) giving this a five star rating are similar in their positions.

I cannot blindly give this book a five, as much as I adore Mr. Darnielle. It was not perfect, as much as a enjoyed it. There were stumbles, in my opinion, where Roger became a little too repetitive, or where some things just seemed oversimplified. But as a whole, especially as his first book, I really enjoyed the book, and it was a quick read. I appreciated it even though I am not a well-versed fan of metal or anything. The character of Roger seemed to cover his bases enough that I could still understand what he was saying about the music--I think this is mostly in part not to his descriptions of the music itself, but to his feelings about it. Darnielle successfully creates emotional attachments which allowed me, as a reader, to sympathize, despite never having been locked up in a mental institution.

I think anyone who had even a remotely rough time in their adolescence and who turned to music to make their way through their troubles will thoroughly enjoy this book and be able to, in some extent, relate to Roger's troubles.