Jeff Mangum Conversation

[frother]

I wonder if these guys are really so psycho or they're just being funny

[NathaNRiveraMelo]

my older brother says jeff is crazy

[thewhimsicalwish]

"I tried to like, be very aware of what puzzle I was buying and when I opened the box I tried to be very aware of like, the pieces and make sure all the pieces were what was on the box. But then I shoved the pieces together and it was too late! It was all these disjointed like, body figures and I tried to convince myself it was a flower but it was not a flower, man! It was not a flower!" DAMN JEFFERSON

[manchld]

Some try to be sideburn-wearing, rebel-types...and that fits into an established stereotype that people can understand. But he can't even fit in by standing out in a crowd. Maybe that's one of the things that makes for a true artist. If you become enough of an outcast you can see the world from a distance and recognize what makes it what it is, with all its quirks and stupidities and inadvertent beauties.

[manchld]

If you live your life devoted to and fervent about Jesus or Allah or even humanity or love or beauty...without any room for compromise, a sudden disillusionment makes for a heartbreaking and confusing transition. The purity, the 'flower', the 'big picture' that is your reason for living becomes fractured and disjointed and ugly. And you can't undo all of the pieces once they fit that way.

[W0lvesi]

You know, I've been trying to think that this conversation has some deep meaning behind it, but I really don't think that it does. Nevertheless, it's extremely interesting to listen to.

[ThirdEyeOpen123]

this is the only thing worth pausing "two headed boy" for.

ever.

[CosmosOfBeauty]

What the fuck are they talking about?

[rogums]

Sideburns weren't taped to the bottom, it was an ounce of weed

[JeremyxFisher]

@rogums Fucking Five Star Post.

[TheRiddlingSeahorse]

2:30 Will: DOESN'T IT ALL MAKE SENSE NOW? Jeff: NO!

[Cobertuskb]

The first time I heard this all I thought was "These guys are fucking geniuses."

[foxbangerr]

where is will cullen hart from? i can hear what seems like...i don't know maybe a southern PA accent

[lloydh65]

@foxbangerr Ruston, LA

[ThirdEyeOpen123]

I cant grow them either :\

[Fuckwalla]

"Use wafer, use pieces of wafer, use thumbtacks".

[986362834]

you're all crazy. they're on acid.

[popomczowzow]

what are they talking about?

[ratpissoi]

Mangum and the rest of the elephant six, all quite magical.

[BohemianRapture]

derp

[crocz]

I fucking love this, I don't even know why, it's probably just how words are said...

[AlainWinthrope]

Yeah, I think they're half serious, half joking. It seems like an intensely personal conversation where the speakers have entered a streaming consciousness.

[Tribune12345]

It sounds like three people are talking every once in a while. I know that's probably not the case but I'm just sayin.

[Jkru352]

me and my friends have conversations just like this, and we are usually messing around, but sometimes it randomly takes some philisophical tone. I think that is the case here. Most of it is just messing around

[ModestMusashi]

Oh man, this is great. I don't even know why yet, but I'll keep listening to it until I do. Which one is Jeff and which one is Will? I'm taking the one calling the other an artist as Will. Jeff being the "artist".

[alex93metallica]

if you're watching this, you have good taste

[7ia]

you guys are reading to much into this. this is just a rambling/joke conversation. the gargleing that will is doing is a joke, hes pretending to staple them on. idiots.

[blueprinttothebeastM]

wut where they talking about?

[Lazy0Waffle]

Was this from Beauty?

[FlaminFingaz]

It was chilling to hear them talk about pictures in magazines making it look like "you've got your flower put together" and you see this smiling, happy, seemingly normal Jeff Mangum.

[aaestheticss]

he makes me cry, this does not make me cry

[twoheadedgirl]

It's actually a conversation between Jeff Mangum and Will Cullen Hart.

[refusedchad]

Wow, I am either too high for this, or just high enough....

[ThirdEyeOpen123]

this is amazing!! "Grow sideburns!"

[chinkfacee]

the puzzle is a metaphor for his life.

[CaptainVanVliet]

Jeff Mangum is fantastic. the end

[crappybassist96]

lawlz dis my fav nmh song, how many indie points do i get?

[ktbaby077]

nice symbolism!! def. makes sense if you have a beer or two.. i concur...uhh...fuck puzzles.... they always sucked the life our of me after i finished em' every time... not worth the time... word..

[PhillyFlyers8]

ok will is definitely like choking from 2:53 to 2:56

nobody on all 78 comments here seemed to notice it?

[dnon75]

I have noticed that also and I have almost asked this same question on here but I keep forgetting. It sounds to me like Will Cullen Hart is taking shots of alcohol, or is taking some sort of drink. If you listen closely you can hear a clinking noise that sounds like someone slamming a shotglass on a table every time he makes that noise. Jeff Mangums lack of any kind of reaction is a clear indication that he is not choking on anything.

[Swiftlygothedays]

It happens after the words:

W: Did you, did you find the sideburns in the puzzle?

J: No!

W: They're in the bottom, they're taped to the bottom. Can I use them? Can I please staple them on? That is the key

J: You can do whatever you want.

A part of me wants to say that is the sound of stapling sideburns. Must be painful.

Sorry if this seems silly or disrespectful to those great men. But that's what I thought of. The other person's answer is probably the real one.

[Swiftlygothedays]

I'll do myself and everyone else a favor by not typing out what I'm gettig out of this. I will say this: Lately, I've began putting Mr. Jeff Mangum near the top of a list of great minds of modern times. His music is one thing. But even how he talks, in conversations, interviews blows me away. I think I'm falling in love with him more and more each time I repeat a record or replay one of these videos.

[ThirdEyeOpen123]

@Swiftlygothedays i completely agree. i think my love for him is growing into an obsession.

[dnon75]

I think there may be some relavance to what they are saying, but mostly it just sounds like a bunch of inside jokes between them. I think they are mostly just joking around, not speaking in some forbidden language that only elite indie musicians can understand.

[Beck436]

@dnon75

The listeners came into the middle of it, too.

[Max14934eva]

I think they were really just doing a puzzle...a very difficult puzzle.

[limit6]

Yeah, seriously. It's all nonsense. It's a joke. No one should read into this.

[ktbaby077]

bahhhhhhhhhh hahhhh

[cagdon]

okay, he said it himself. he was just tired. don't put words in his mouth, he's not some angsty teenager that 'no one understands' anymore, he's like forty. he may be on acid, he may be speaking in metaphor, he may be serious, but since nobody knows for sure, we should probably stop overanalysing everything he does. it won't bring him back, and we don't know what we are talking about. only he and Will do.

[DuplexPaladins]

The puzzle/flower all has to be metaphors for something else.

I believe having "Your flower together" is having your life organized. Jeff was saying, "I didn't realize how off I was until I pulled my pieces of my puzzle out of my pocket and saw it for what it really was"

thus meaning, He didn't know how messy, and bad his life was until he sat down and looked at it.

[LeTriomphedelAmour]

This reminds me so much of conversations I've had while on acid....

[angelzyt43]

they arent joking around. att all. he stopped writing music because nobody understood him. just like youre doing now.

[torroxceles]

lmao I can't believe people are taking this so seriously.

[TheYellowsAndReds]

Jeff is saying he had a goal for his life set out when he was a kid, and doing something normal, like a college, was part of that. But his life didn't go as he planned, and when he looks back on his life, it isn't what he wanted, or what he thought he had. This is why he doesn't play music anymore. It's sad, really.

[campfc4]

Yeah... my comment got marked as spam... wow.

[twoheadedgirl]

@campfc4 Mine too!

[campfc4]

@twoheadedgirl Dunno why... so dumb.

[campfc4]

@twoheadedgirl

Jesus I just now got this reply. I've also kind of been avoiding this shitstorm.

[goodbyesheesha]

This is hilarious and awesome, and it's obvious they're joking around. Come on, kids, must we downvote

campfc4'd comment because we're so convinced EVERYTHING Jefferson says is the secret to life? Give the guy a break.

[sdsu9988]

how is it obvious that they are joking around? Listen to it.. There is an underlying message.. Its just like his music.. Kinda disjointed thoughts that flow together to create a bigger picture. I'd imagine that this conversation was recorded as ART. This is a beautiful creation by these two men.

[goodbyesheesha]

Joking around does not necessarily mean that they are being sarcastic or lying. Enjoy it or base your life around it-- I don't really care. I was only commenting because I felt like people were downvoting campfc for no reason.

[GetTimmyOut84]

that's basically what he's saying... his "flower" isn't put together, like everyone elses. I'm not saying all of the conversation is something to be picked apart but people can take whatever they want out of it, like song lyrics or things.

[mitralikesmusic]

these guys should teach

[BarkMarton7]

=x what on earth are they talking about

[shibbolethed]

it's like buddy guy said about the blues.... if i gotta explain it you wouldn't understand

[littledroogie]

That's tellin' em

[theLonelyArtistClub]

I suppose a lot of people have already stated this and so has the poster of this video but it is Will.

[theLonelyArtistClub]

I don't think in this video that they're high or on acid, but Jeff said that while he was in high school he was a pot head and took acid quite a few times.

I'm not sure about Robert.

[patrickcharleton]

Everyone on this page is a moron.

[GetTimmyOut84]

indeed. but oh well.

[GetTimmyOut84]

you can make sense out of nonsense, i mean yeah the conversations comical but it also has depth to it. like the last part about the flower, and being able to take a picture and make everything look perfect. yeah it's sort of nonsense but it's also a really great metaphor for how people work. so what if they're on acid. you can still relate to what they're saying.

[lloplop]

on acid?

[GetTimmyOut84]

someone earlier said they were on acid... i just don't think that really matters.

[lolMissyyy]

Language games :)

[Manhattanroar]

Jeff and Rob are funny guys

stop trying to make sence of this.. its humor.. idk if there on drugs but regardless its funny.

[patrickcharleton]

This is just a stupid conversation, anyone who thinks this is "deep" is a fucking idiot.

[Monicky2]

I think that was their point.

[TheSixthPartofSeven]

"Doesn't it all make sense?"

"No!"

[Beck436]

@TheSixthPartofSeven

TheSixthPartofSeven:

Ain't that the truth.

[LovingMyMonster]

You can enjoy music and art without forcing things to be so fucking DEEEEP to you. Yeah, Jeff's music has a lot of undertones and he references things that most people wouldn't in their music. That's what makes him a good artist, but these hipsters need to stop shoving Jeff and other artists onto this almost super-hero/God-like stand.

[jbrookes23]

No, invasionbegins, it's the representation of their lives and the parallels between their experiences and the puzzle. It's themselves, not the actual puzzle. I think it's ironic how you say "oh yeah man deep...whatever bullshit" when you yourself are trying to prove the same concept to them.

[invasionbegins]

Damn... it's almost starting to anger me.. the whole "yeah mannnn... so deep... so indie... so alternative..." that damn... indie subculture.... They're not taking themselves seriously in this audio clip... if they were... they'd be a couple of douches... the only.. profound thing about this.. is how they didn't laugh that much while carrying on with this....

[invasionbegins]

Honestly... they're messing around... has noone had a bullshit conversation like this with one of their friends? I mean... thinking this video is poetic... deep... is so stupid... that's what keeps you all from being poets yourselves... putting normal people on pedestals.... seriously...

[gingatao]

Cool bananas.

[mattrmpt]

This is amazing

[timothyzha]

this is what i imagine the conversations between carlo marx and dean moriarty in on the road to sound like

[bfullen3]

The words they use are fascinating and subjectively profound. They have both agreed to communicate with a lucid mind absorbing not only the meaning of the words but also how they are said. Such beautiful improvisational poetic conversation. Enjoy.

[acrimoneyius]

Said it better than I could. My friend rants like this sometimes, but ends up inserting a lot more assumptions than necessary.

[brian5446]

Does anyone know of any NMH music that is available that wasn't on aeroplane over or avery island? Much thanks.

[timothyzha]

everything is, invent yourself a shortcake, beauty, hype city soundtrack, unreleased demos and a bunch of live recordings.

[theLonelyArtistClub]

Do you know where I could get any of these? I've looked for them forever and can't find them

[shibbolethed]

they're all on soul seek. plenty of source info on the NMH fan page, which is googl-able

[theLonelyArtistClub]

Don't you have to pay for soul seek?

[shibbolethed]

no it's free. some sites try to make you pay, but just go to theirs. i got every NMH boot there

[theLonelyArtistClub]

Hmmm...everytime I have tried to sign up in the past you have to pay.

[pynchonho4life]

I can definitively state this is Will, not Robert.

[grilldogg]

sweaters

[LordLazyBoot]

I think it's just really clever improvisation.

[astronominee]

I hope his wife makes a documentary about Elephant 6

[theLonelyArtistClub]

That would be wonderful!!

[GetTimmyOut84]

this is so wonderful. every time i listen to it it's like something new is revealed.

[tiffsteriffic]

this reminds me of that time i did acid.

[camrenishot1]

It's amazing that something as absurd as this could make so much sense. I can't stop listening to it!

[fluffyhorse]

this is Robert Schneider and not Will Cullen Hart

[fluffyhorse]

its on the tape Beauty

[biosinigrate]

Isn't this on one of the tapes? Invent yourself shortcake or something like that?

[astronominee]

There's no right or wrong answer but this is how I heard it:

Side burns and college are symbols of becoming an adult and conformity. The puzzle is assembled as you grow up. The puzzle is made of pieces of your life that fit together to finally form your 'person' or who you are. The final image is a beautiful flower. Some people's flowers are not perfectly assembled when they grow up. Not everyone is perfect and has their shit together. Robert is saying Jeff's flower isn't supposed to be perfect.

[JeffGaryHockey]

That was nice.

Thank you very much.

[burythehatchet72]

Yes.

Thank you.

[brian5446]

Its not that i dont respect your toughts on what the conversation was about, the only thing is that why does it matter? What needed to be said was said by the people having it.  I only say this b/c this is what people do with nmh music and it kinda sucks.

[astronominee]

I totally agree actually. I was just explaining it for someone else that didn't get anything from the conversation. I'm a visual artist and this is going to sound mean but I feel bad for people without artistic minds.

[NoDirectionHome19]

I feel bad only for you.

[4pathticmuse]

yeah, not to try to get anyone here P.O.'ed but It's not about him not having visual art skill or an artistic mind... (haven't you seen Jeff's drawings in the album booklet for ITAOTS?) In my opinion, the conversation is shockingly symbolic as a sort of explanation for Jeff's reasons for his seclusion.

[godsaway0]

your kind of sad man

[lloplop]

actually you are.

[alfredhybrid]

that's will, not rob.

[nyxetera]

It's an awesome metaphor. :D I love this track.

[glitchesandglitter]

lol wafers... cha cha.. my puzzle is full of disfigured turtles

[jupiteer88]

I'm fairly sure thats Will Cullen Hart and not Robert Schneider...

[thatgirlsuicidex]

You're right. Sorry I everywhere had it labled as Jeff Mangum and Robert Schneider. Thank you for informing me.

[SuperCoberst]

@jupiteer88 No, That is Robert Schneider of "The Apples In Sterio"

[twoheadedgirl]

@SuperCoberst That is a huge misunderstanding. This is Jeff and Will, not Jeff and Robert.

[triviumcunt]

grow sideburns haha