"At first I was queasy; I'll never forget the sound of the scalpel cutting a body open. But it was so cool trying to work out how these people died"
About this Quote
The subtext is about permission. In a culture that polices fascination with death as either pathology or tasteless entertainment, Davis frames the autopsy as a puzzle: “trying to work out how these people died.” That phrase launders the thrill through competence and analysis. It’s not gawking; it’s investigation. Yet the word “cool” betrays the emotional charge - the adrenaline of proximity to taboo, the satisfaction of narrative closure wrestled from a corpse.
Coming from a musician, the quote reads less like a clinician’s detachment than an artist describing raw source material. It echoes the way certain strains of rock and metal metabolize horror into craft: take what’s unbearable, stare until it turns into structure, rhythm, meaning. The intent isn’t to shock for shock’s sake; it’s to admit the uncomfortable truth that dread and fascination often share a bloodstream, and that creativity sometimes starts by leaning into the very thing that makes you want to look away.
Quote Details
| Topic | Doctor |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Davis, Jonathan. (2026, January 15). At first I was queasy; I'll never forget the sound of the scalpel cutting a body open. But it was so cool trying to work out how these people died. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/at-first-i-was-queasy-ill-never-forget-the-sound-155079/
Chicago Style
Davis, Jonathan. "At first I was queasy; I'll never forget the sound of the scalpel cutting a body open. But it was so cool trying to work out how these people died." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/at-first-i-was-queasy-ill-never-forget-the-sound-155079/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"At first I was queasy; I'll never forget the sound of the scalpel cutting a body open. But it was so cool trying to work out how these people died." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/at-first-i-was-queasy-ill-never-forget-the-sound-155079/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.





