Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (13 page)

156 Grady Avenue, Athens, photo: Kim Cooper

Grandma’s House, 986 North 7th Street, Queens, photo: David Barker

Jeff Mangum overlooking the ruins of the Sutro Baths, adjacent to the Musée Mechanique, San Francisco, 1996, courtesy Robert Schneider

Horn chart for “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” bridge (“Oh how I remember you…”), courtesy Robert Schneider

Robert, Scott and Jeff in Denver during the recordings of
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
, courtesy Laura Carter

“Magic Radio,” a drawing commissioned by Jeff Mangum but not used for
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
, courtesy the artist, Brian Dewan

Laura Carter and Jeff Mangum, courtesy Laura Carter

Unpublished Neutral Milk Hotel band photo, left to right on the couch: Jeremy Barnes, Julian Koster, Jeff Mangum, Scott Spillane, courtesy Laura Carter

Neutral Milk Hotel band photo, left to right: Scott Spillane, Julian Koster, Jeremy Barnes, Jeff Mangum, courtesy Laura Carter

World of Wild Beards handbill, 2001, courtesy of Laura Carter

*
This seems to be as good a time as any for a brief footnote on the matter of the zanzithophone, the Seussian-monickered electronic MIDI saxophone (model NB01, available in black or silver) that was Laura Carter’s contribution to the Neutral Milk Hotel sound. The first one she used was a silver model belonging to Julian and Robbie Cucchiaro. The instrument, made by Casio in the mid 90s, was an unusual blend of digital and analog functionality. A musician would blow into the mouthpiece as with an ordinary horn, and finger the keys, but the sound came out of a little speaker on the bell. Unfortunately, the analog element was the instrument’s ruination—with nowhere for the spit and condensation to go, eventually every zanzithophone Laura played would fritz out, its transistor failing. Fortunately, a new one could be had for about a hundred bucks, or if you were lucky, someone would give you their old one. In Neutral Milk Hotel and Elf Power, Laura went through three.