Oct 10 2012
∞
“ [T]he use of the word “transcendental” modifying youth could mean youth who are transcendental, or youth which is transcendental. There’s a number of ways you can work with it, which is kind of what I liked about the phrase. There’s an aspect to which youth is eternal. Once you’ve gone through it, you have a choice to celebrate it and make those incredibly turbulent times of youth part of who you are. Or a lot of people describe youthful experiences as dumb stuff they passed through. I don’t have any truck with those people. My youth was super-important to me and a big part of who I am. So the title has to do with the permanence of some of the lessons that you can choose to take from youth.
— John Darnielle on the meaning of the title Transcendental Youth
