BlackNMHproject

Introduction
In the “wired world,” the way we access, consume, and discuss texts has changed significantly and continues to change. While readers once were limited to the physical book, they now have a variety of sources and new technologies with which to experience their favorite authors and texts. As Jean Paul Sartre once stated, “What the author creates takes on objective reality only in the eyes of the spectator”. The new avenues and forums for spectators to. ..

''I’ve stopped here but I hope you get the idea. What follows is an example of the thesis paragraph.''

For my project, I’ve decided to examine the fan communities that have sprung up around the 1990s independent band Neutral Milk Hotel and their 1998 album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Though Neutral Milk Hotel has what might best be called a “cult” following, its fans have created a fascinating online presence. There are few “lukewarm” fans of Neutral Milk Hotel. As Pitchfork reviewer Mark Richardson notes, “Obsessed as it is with the textures of the flesh and the physical self as an emotional antenna, listening to Aeroplane sometimes seems to involve more than just your ears.” Since Neutral Milk Hotel broke up after their most famous album, their fans both examine their history and imagine their future. The Carrot Flower Kingdom offers a wealth of information about the band’s history, from its touring history to the current status of its members. Fans continue the debate the weird imagery and symbolism of their songs, in particular “Holland 1945.” And all over the web, it is easy to find fans telling the stories of how Neutral Milk Hotel and their charismatic genius of a lead singer Jeff Mangum has influenced and continues to affect them.

Remediation
(Another rough draftish project) In The Aeroplane Over the Sea is full of strange images and symbols, which has led to some fascinating interpretations by listeners. One of the most vivid examples comes from an artist and fan named William Schaff, who illustrated a book titled I am Listening to Here, Where You Are.

He has since posted it online through Flickr. The title of the book comes from the song "Two Headed Boy," but the book is a dark and imaginative vision of the song. In addition to channeling the Anne Frank allusion, the author is equally familiar with (lead singer) Jeff Mangum's interviews and comments about the song itself. In an interview, Mangum claims that he read the book and was deeply moved by Anne's sad story. He told the interviewer, "I would go to bed every night and have dreams about having a time machine and somehow I'd have the ability to move through time and space freely, and save Anne Frank." Schaff's story, told through stark, surreal, and often violent images of the holocaust, puts himself in Mangum's perspective and imagines himself saving her. This remediation from song to drawing allows the author to include several of the album's central images and include himself, including Anne Frank depicted as Mangum says he wanted her to be, with "white roses in [her] eyes:"


 * Anne_frank.jpg

In addition, Youtube offers a number of musically-gifted listeners who put Mangum's songs through their own stylings. "Neutral Uke Hotel," for instance, offers covers of almost every song on Aeroplane through the magic of a ukelele. . However, some of the most interesting covers come from young fans who are clearly enamored with the album. Here, a user named "thricedotted" sings "Communist Daughter." Normally, Mangum doesn't so much sing the song and say it, and instrumentation (including a theremin) drowns out the end, creating a sonic vibe. However, this user adds a beautiful melody through her acoustic version.


 * Communist Daughter (Neutral Milk Hotel cover)

However, my favorite remediation is "In the Time Machine Over The Sea," a fan-made role-playing video game based around the album. . The game revolves around the main character - Jeff Mangum - as he tries to save Anne Frank. In addition, all the other characters show up here: the Two-Headed Boy, the King of Carrot Flowers, the Communist Daughter. And yes, you fly in an aeroplane over the sea. The game is lovingly made, and shows the way that this fan created a narrative for an album that has no real story to speak of. But the lyrics are so evocative and unusual that they suggest more than Mangum probably ever meant by them. The game resembles such classic role playing games as Final Fantasy and Ultima, as funneled through the imaginative eyes of a Neutral Milk Hotel fanatic. The game is available to download here.


 * In the Time Machine Over the Sea Trailer











Interpretive Discussions
(This is more like a rough draft for an interpretive debate. This analysis could be tightened up."

One of the more ambiguous and interesting allusions in the album is the repeated reference to Anne Frank. In “Holland 1945,” he vaguely refers to her as “the only girl I ever loved.” In “Oh Comely,” he sings, “I wish I could save her in some sort of time machine.” This has led a number of listeners to figure out the significance of this symbol as well as the other weird and vague lyricsof "Holland, 1945." On the Talk page of the Wikipedia, for instance, an anonymous editor claims, "I see this entire album as being about Anne Frank. The musical unity is matched by the lyrical unity; is there any confirmation that this album is effectively a love letter to / lamentation over Anne Frank?" However, in the article itself, this discussion is reduced to a sentence that does not go into the larger significance. For the individual page for "Holland 1945," there are even more interpretations of this based on author Kim Cooper's analysis. However, "Holland 1945" clearly

On Songmeanings.net, a discussion has been going on for over ten years as to the meaning of "Holland, 1945." In 2001, a commenter named "Gleeb" writes, "this song is about anne frank, i'm pretty sure. this whole album sort of has her as a theme...i don't know, it's kind of confusing. it's probably the best album i've ever heard in my life, though. everyone needs to hear it all the way through at some point. it's indescribible." Gleeb's response is telling because it shows that the confusion over what the album is supposed to mean is one of the aspects that gives it most of its affective power. Later, another user notes that the Anne Frank reference "gives me chills. every fucking time." Extending the theme of suicide further, user "Brian Wilde" notes, "He's relating the character who commited suicide to Anne Frank. Anne Frank died but if she would have been alive for a little while longer, things would have been ok. So, perhaps he is saying if the person who commited suicide would have not commited suicide things could have gotten better for him soon. Just the first thing that comes to mind, not much research done on that conclusion." Later, a user named "cman," summarizes the information:


 * ok, so we all agree: first verse is about anne frank (who mangum was infatuated with) and Pepito Ar'riola (who was living "proof" of reincarnation). the second verse is about a friend's brother who committed suicide. the bridge part is also seemingly about anne frank and visiting the house she hid in w/ her family for years. so, this needs to all get tied together. some of the song seems to be about persevearence(sp?) in the face of death (the chorus for example). the song continues the theme of loss of innocence '(the girl in the holocaust, the aeroplane over the sea, etc.). in the final lines of the song mangum seems to be pointing out that so many people hear the fank's story and simply aren't emotionally 'affected by it. they would rather read the book and say that she didn't die in vain because her diary (a victim's first hand account) was preserved and we can learn from that. mangum, who has fallen in love w/ her, fallen in love w/ innocence and hopes for a victory over tragedy that can never be achieved in fact, wishes simply that she could be alive.


 * anne frank througout this album represents innocence in the face of tragedy. she is '200px-Anne_Frank.jpg'perfect for this role, eternally young as she died in her mid teens in a concentration camp. what the overall message of this song is i have to admit i don't entirely know. '

Interestingly, these listeners try to make sense of their personal experience by making it about bigger things. They try to make internal connections among the lyrics as well. A youtube commenter on the song makes a connection that several of the "songmeanings" commenters also note, pointing out that "Anne Frank was Jewish. look into the white rose society and you will understand the white roses in her eyes﻿ part". As they note that Jeff Mangum was deeply affected by Anne Frank's diary, they are equally affected by the song itself. These fans take a song that seems purposely weird and indecipherable and find coherence and order.

Links and Resources
Official Site for Neutral Milk Hotel

The Carrot Flower Kingdom

NPR: All Songs Considered Review of Mangum's 2012 Return to Stage

Milk Hotel Rhapsody Page http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/neutral-milk-hotel