To all the NMH fan girls

[Big-H]

Will you go out with me? Kidding.

I was just wondering what 'two-headed boy' as a sexual phrase means to you. If it means anything to you.

Of course, now I'm realizing how silly of a question it is - if you've had a boyfriend, I'm sure it's rather obvious. But just in general, does it connect with you in any way?

[idrankhemlock]

honestly i never found it to mean anything sexual...

[Big-H]

So then how do you interpret it?

[milkandholywater]

well, i understand your implication and i guess it could be interpreted that way. personally i took it literally and conjured up an image of a two-headed boy floating lonely in a jar of formaldehyde in a laboratory or circus sideshow.

[atrocities]

If it did conjure that image, what does the lyric "placing fingers in the notches of your spine" conjure for you?

Oh and do you picture the two-headed boy as a full body, or just the head. personally I always just thought it was a double head. But that was just initially before hearing the song, after I imagined him as a head and torso, no legs.

[Big-H]

Originally posted by atrocities
If it did conjure that image, what does the lyric "placing fingers in the notches of your spine" conjure for you?...

Basically awkwardness movements during sex.

But good point though, I don't sit and think about every single phrase Jeff spits out.

[atrocities]

That would be ridiculous Jeff-philosophy, or just plain idolatry.

[milkandholywater]

i think of him as a full body with one functional and one non-functional head, but for some reason i also think of him as a baby or a very young child, curled up in the fetal position.

as far as "placing fingers," that's fairly simple... next time you're with your lover, just run your fingers along his or her spine and feel all the little grooves. i also think of playing the spine the way you might play an instrument, covering notches the way you'd cover holes on a flute.

[Big-H]

Originally posted by milkandholywater...i also think of playing the spine the way you might play an instrument, covering notches the way you'd cover holes on a flute.

And having a good hold on the mouthpiece ;)

[David_R._Gross]

Originally posted by David_R._Gross
I always thought "Two-Headed Boy" was symbolic of going through puberty and a reference between which head (big and little) is the focus of thought or how they interact together. Not completely sexual, like, "Hey I need to get laid" but more of a battle between the child that once was and a new awareness inherent in growing up for a male.

As for the notches/spine line......it has been discussed and I think that people are right. Ultimately I see it relating quite nicely with what I said above.




Fare Thee Well,

DRG

[Big-H]

But see, your thoughts have to do with a male growing up.

I was just wondering how a female interprets it.

[David_R._Gross]

I do not think the content of my post is relevant to what you are implying.......a female could have made a post with a similar interpretation and you would not have responded the same way. The fact is, I am a male and "you" were looking for a female only response, hence, I should not have made a post in this thread.

Still, you yourself have extended this thread beyond its “literal” intent through exchange and discussion. With that, I thought our lady friends would like a male perspective on the matter and proceeded to post. I think it apparent that the content of my post is relevant and is free from any major reiterations. Not to mention, I have never seen anyone post in the whole forum with the same perspective. But If my assumption does not hold true, then I will look a fool in a muted point.

Ultimately I’m a bit taken back by your restriction and am having difficulty retaining my own frustration. Sorry if this response comes off as offensive; I am simply trying to be assertive.




Fare The Well,

DRG

[Big-H]

Originally posted by David_R._Gross
...With that, I thought our lady friends would like a male perspective on the matter and proceeded to post. I think it apparent that the content of my post is relevant and is free from any major reiterations...

Okay, I gotcha.

And don't worry, I wasn't offended.

[David_R._Gross]

Alright....That actually worked out pretty well. It seems that we see eye to eye now.




Take care,

DRG

[idrankhemlock]

Originally posted by Big-H
So then how do you interpret it?
literally

[ladylamentingonalawnchair]

I'm with Half-Handed. There are lots of women who love NMH, but maybe not so many who get all fanboy about it. And, hey, guess what, not all NMH fans of any gender are straight, either.

[milkandholywater]

Originally posted by Half-Handed
Surely all this thread really proves is that there aren't many NMH fan girls. Well, it also potentially proves that the fact that there aren't many NMH fan girls explains why the NMH fan boys think the NMH songs are about sex.


i just don't think jeff mangum is the kind of screaming sex symbol who might attract hordes of fangirls, and also neutral milk hotel songs are too deep to attract the girls who only want a hot boy with a microphone.

at the same time, a lot of NMH songs are about sex, or at least make use of blatantly sexual imagery. milk, semen, sweat, tears, blood, pus -- all deeply intimate body fluids, much talk of crawling inside people, touching skin, kissing. ultimately i think it's more about humanity and connection than the sex act itself, but there's certainly some lustful stuff in there, too.

[milkandholywater]

oh, i think you've misunderstood. i didn't mean to imply that all women are only interested in sex symbols, but that jeff mangum wouldn't attract that type of woman (or man, for that matter.) which is not to say that jeff mangum isn't a very handsome man, because of course he is. he's just doesn't exude that "sex god" aura some rockstars do.

while i agree with you that we couldn't take one song, say "oh comely," and conclude that it's about sex, we can't deny the fact that there are powerful sexual images in the song. i think that the verse:

"your father made fetuses with flesh-licking ladies
while you and your mother were asleep in the trailer park
thunderous sparks from the dark of the stadium
the music and medicine you needed for comforting
so make all your fat fleshy fingers to moving
and pluck all your silly strings and bend all your notes for me
soft silly music is meaningful magical
the movements were beautiful all in your ovaries
all of them milking with green fleshy flowers
while powerful pistons were sugary sweet machines
smelling of semen all under the garden
was all you were needing when you still believed in me"

is highly sexual, and in a sense is about sex. it is also about other things: loneliness, human connection, betrayal, the power of music, beauty, sadness. this is just one verse, though. "oh comely" encompasses a myriad of themes, emotions, and images, which is why i agree with you when you say no one song is about any one thing in particular.

[milkandholywater]

maybe i should mention that i'm a girl. i never meant to imply that most women chose bands based on the appearance of the band members, but there are certainly some that do. i'd assumed that was the general idea behind being a "fangirl."

i also never meant to imply that jeff mangum was some sort of pervert. he writes songs about life and beauty and human connection, and sex happens to be a big part of that.

[Big-H]

I remember I played NMH for my ex, and came across Communist Daughter. She was like "Is he saying what I think he's saying?!" to the mountain tops.

[Aqualad]

He likes singing about intimacy a lot... just about people being close

[goodbyewren]

I think he's pretty handsome, myself. Something about how he tucks his hair behind his ears....

[milkandholywater]

he is handsome.

[atrocities]

Don't forget Sailing Through, which is quite a negative view on sex becoming an overwhelming factor in a relationship. I just think that Jeff sings about things that other people wouldn't, there's a lot of taboo in his lyrics, not to a ridiculously excessive degree, but how many songs do you know by other bands with the word 'ovaries' in it, where you don't laugh and actually think it's a genius' song?

[milkandholywater]

although he does say about "sailing through":

"this song isn't about sex, even though it sounds like it's about sex. it's just about getting inside of people, but not through... that way, really... because that usually just fucks stuff up, when you do that. it does for me."

[atrocities]

There's a recording where he says that it's about "people fucking each other all the time, not that i'm against people fucking. but it's just like drugs, [something like this]too much of something" the ending is not exactly what he says, but that's the general gist of it. I think it's the aquarius recordings, but that could be my memory playing tricks on me. darnded tip of the tongue phenomena

[Aqualad]

two-headed used to mean someone who isn't very good at making decisions.

[shelly]

Personally? I think "Two-Headed Boy" was about exactly what the first line suggests: a "two-headed boy all floating in glass...".

[idrankhemlock]

tisk tisk