Chapter 1: Mystery Achievement (Exploring the Strange Byways of Rock)

Of all the bands I’ve ever met, the one most fully committed to the absurdity of rock ‘n’ roll is probably the Darkness. And considering that I once interviewed Spinal Tap’s David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean, staying in character on the phone), that’s no small praise. But the Darkness bring a lot to the party: catsuits, an insane falsetto, and a video where a pterodactyl humps a spaceship.

This was the explanation of lead singer Justin Hawkins: “Less is more? That’s bollocks. More is more. That’s why it’s called ‘more.’ If it was actually less, it’d be called ‘less.'”

There’s something about rock ‘n’ roll that brings on smoke machines, secret backwards messages, and other strange experiments. Hawkins, unsurprisingly, had a philosophy about such matters. He told me, “My favorite catchphrase is ‘If something’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.’ Even subtlety. If you’re going to be subtle, you should really fucking be subtle.”