Blight
08-14-2005, 11:07 AM
I’ve read some stuff on this particular part of E6 townhall, and I get an overwhelming sense of NMHWS (or, Neutral Milk Hotel Withdrawal Syndrome, as we in the quack medical profession like to call it). Well, worry not kiddies, I was one of those who just couldn’t get over the idea that NMH is over and that Jeff Mangum is probably not going to do anything NMH related anytime soon, if ever; so I understand completely.
Do you experience:
1. The rapid deterioration of your NHM/Jeff Mangum records due to obsessive listening? (e.g.: your copy of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea turned to dust and fell through your finger when you tried to remove it from the CD player)
2. The desperate grasping at anything even remotely NMH/Jeff Mangum related? (e.g.: any covers you can get your hands on, recordings of any band he may have been in, every last bootleg available, downloaded any file with the words ‘Neutral’ or ‘Mangum’ possibly in them, picture of a guy who kinda looks like Mangum from a distance…)
3. The need to obsessively dig into and dissect the lyrics as though the origin of the universe lay hidden between the words?
4. The development of a cultist-like personality that borders on revering Jeff Mangum as a demigod from another planet?
5. The imaginary counting down in your head to that ‘someday soon’ Jeff Mangum/NMH release?
Well, as somebody who was pretty nutso when it came to NMH, I’m here to break it to you: it’s time to let go and let the healing begin. This probably doesn’t apply to most people here, and we all have to go through that stage, especially with music as awesome as Neutral Milk Hotel and Jeff Mangum’s is; but like any truly wonderful music, it eventually has to become: ‘some really cool music I like’ instead of: ‘MY REASON TO LIIIIVVEEE!!!’ There are some other fantastic Orange Twin and E6 bands and artists out there, and I can say from experience that giving them a chance was probably the smartest musical thing I’ve done.
…but I still like NHM and Jeff Mangum the best.
P.S.: I personally have no problem with anybody covering NMH or Jeff Mangum, cover away, it’s all music and music should be enjoyed by everybody. Also, there’s nothing wrong having NHM/Jeff Mangum being your favourite music, just don’t forget that there’s other really good stuff out there too.
Do you experience:
1. The rapid deterioration of your NHM/Jeff Mangum records due to obsessive listening? (e.g.: your copy of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea turned to dust and fell through your finger when you tried to remove it from the CD player)
2. The desperate grasping at anything even remotely NMH/Jeff Mangum related? (e.g.: any covers you can get your hands on, recordings of any band he may have been in, every last bootleg available, downloaded any file with the words ‘Neutral’ or ‘Mangum’ possibly in them, picture of a guy who kinda looks like Mangum from a distance…)
3. The need to obsessively dig into and dissect the lyrics as though the origin of the universe lay hidden between the words?
4. The development of a cultist-like personality that borders on revering Jeff Mangum as a demigod from another planet?
5. The imaginary counting down in your head to that ‘someday soon’ Jeff Mangum/NMH release?
Well, as somebody who was pretty nutso when it came to NMH, I’m here to break it to you: it’s time to let go and let the healing begin. This probably doesn’t apply to most people here, and we all have to go through that stage, especially with music as awesome as Neutral Milk Hotel and Jeff Mangum’s is; but like any truly wonderful music, it eventually has to become: ‘some really cool music I like’ instead of: ‘MY REASON TO LIIIIVVEEE!!!’ There are some other fantastic Orange Twin and E6 bands and artists out there, and I can say from experience that giving them a chance was probably the smartest musical thing I’ve done.
…but I still like NHM and Jeff Mangum the best.
P.S.: I personally have no problem with anybody covering NMH or Jeff Mangum, cover away, it’s all music and music should be enjoyed by everybody. Also, there’s nothing wrong having NHM/Jeff Mangum being your favourite music, just don’t forget that there’s other really good stuff out there too.