Every time I remember to respond to these recent comments, it's my lunch break at work. And the internet filter here blocks quicktopic as "Chat/Instant Messaging." So I'm doing this through the e-mail reply. Here's hoping! (it means I better get it right the first time... no editing will be available.)

First of all: Jeff! Congratulations on your recent wedding! How was the honeymoon? Where are you living? What is the average air/speed velocity of an unladen European swallow?

Re: Neutral Milk Hotel

I'm not sure I would have pegged myself as a fan either. It's safe to say that my music tastes have shifted in the past few years. Maybe not wildly, and I certainly haven't written off the music I liked before (with the possible exception of, like, Ms. Saigon)... I suppose "widened" is better than "shifted."

I first listened to "Aeroplane" in the summer of 2003. I was sort of digging it, sort of digging it, and then "Oh Comely" happened and life hasn't been the same since. That stretch of "Oh, Comely/Ghost/Untitled (Funeral March)/Two-Headed Boy Part 2" is just beyond belief good.
Like you said, Jenn, every single time I listen to the album I find more and more to love about it. It's sort of like "The Big Lebowski" or "The Blues Brothers" in that respect-- it just keeps getting better and better. And it's perfectly constructed.

Their other album doesn't approach the perfection, but it's still pretty effing good (and has my single favorite NMH song on it). I also have their EP and three live concert recordings... it's safe to say that Jeff Mangum is on my list of people that I'd love to meet, only I don't know what the hell I'd say to him. You know? If I ran into Matt Damon, or something, I could say "I liked the script for Good Will Hunting. Oh, and you were the bomb in Bourne Supremacy!" But what would I say to Mangum?

It's unfortunate that he hasn't performed in a while. I wonder what he's doing with himself. He said that "Aeroplane" was based on a
series of "urgent dreams" that he had. I love the idea of dreams being urgent. I hope I have urgent dreams someday.