Neutral Milk Hotel - Sailing Through / Two-Headed Boy Pt 2 live SF 4-12-98

Jeff Mangum performing the rarely-played song "Sailing Through", then going directly into "Two-Headed Boy Pt 2", live April 12, 1998 at Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA. neutralmilkhotel.org for more.

[@neros12346]

Jeff is the best. Bless the person who heard this song on a bootleg and asked him to play it.

[@declanwarner4835]

I really wish it was on Spotify it’s an amazing song. Also I can’t believe I found you again.

[@Philmybelly]

I love how the crowd is (mostly) silent when he finishes "Sailing Through". I think they were aghast at the raw emotion Jeff just unleashed

[@SamFlotPoet]

I was at this show, my first time ever hearing what they do. I can affirm your idea, I think the crowd was all taking it in and it was madness. I mean, any club show can be or become that, but this was so different than anything I'd ever seen, freewheeling, powerful, carelessly perfect and sometimes an absolute shambling mess of beauty. It was jaw-dropping and sublime. One of the best rock shows I've seen in a career of chasing the moment. I've read a tour diary where they said they were keeping all the door money from the tour in a paper bag and someone lost like $6K cash money. Pretty sure the whole show is still on youtube, soundcheck and all.

[@_nenju]

I think they were just amazed at his monkey noises

[@metabois4202]

Can we take a moment to appreciate Jeff's sweater? Thank you.

[@_nenju]

I have been on the search for one like it forever

[@CannedGaming1]

@@_nenju same bro

[@drewb3108]

@@_nenju yep me too lol

[@craigharrison1274]

Might be Norwegian.

[@drewb3108]

I love how this 8 year old comment thread is just now actually being responded to lol

[@mikogale]

He actually had the balls to do that live

[@Komnen0s]

Jeff Mangum is nothing if not sincere. I admire the passion on display in his music. As I've gotten older, I've become more attuned to how emotionally resonant NMH's lyrics are even though they're abstract and seemingly nonsensical. "Sailing Through" especially makes a lot more sense to me now after all the relationship troubles I've had over the years. I can _feel_ what he's getting at in a way that goes beyond mere words.

[@matshortus7805]

@@Komnen0s thanks friend very gay!

[@declanwarner4835]

You again!!!!

[@tboss8157]

@@Komnen0s yup

[@cherrymash9433]

And I get self conscious when I walk in front of people. Life is fair and unfair but it it doesn't really care.

[@wearefinallysuper]

jesus, christ i have been looking for a sweater like that for like 5 goddamned years.

[@rzeka]

you find it yet?

[@mikogale]

jfc me too

[@andrew4ths]

Update us when you find that sweater

[@Repetitivecycles]

yea me too

[@jamajahanderson7653]

thrift store or depop

[@leilanisparkle]

sometimes i love neutral milk hotel so much it hurts my soul

[@TrevorTSmith]

What I would do for a neutral milk hotel comeback

[@SidewalkTrip]

Funny you say that

[@PedroSilva-hs7jn]

@@jerrywhoomst1116 in some sort of time machine?

[@awesome-xg4hl]

@@PedroSilva-hs7jn a synthetic flying machine

[@LongformJaunt]

I used to live in the first song’s lyrics; he was and is a beautiful monster.

[@LongformJaunt]

Five years is a long time to hear this in your head

[@CalvinGriffin91]

Oof.

[@jackmichalski3489]

The spirit-whatever that might mean-seems to move through Jeff in this video, especially at the end of Sailing Through. His jaw unhinges like a snake’s, his eyes are possessed. I think about this video almost every time I sing; it changed everything I thought I knew about music and performance

[@ileiad]

he really likes that sweater, huh?

[@_nenju]

I really like that sweater too

[@mikogale]

3:43 when you think you can sing a part an octave higher because of the feels but then realise that you can't and try to change back to the normal mid-sentence

[@dblck9]

Jeff sings beautifully, flying through the notes like a butterfly, hard to imagine there to be such emotion and sensibility in one guy.

[@Zargon314]

wow, i've been listening to the audio of this since high school, had no idea there was a video!

[@chemotion]

SAME!

[@fionahairdresser]

I would love to have a sweater such as his....ROCK ON JEFF

[@aukemanj]

I am SO happy that this exists. 1:52 almost made my heart explode.

[@jeffmanlygums1]

He wore that Sweater in pittsburgh the other day I love this guy.

[@vertsk8er419]

1:44 did he just match the resonance of the amp causing a natural feedback? lol

[@bloodsuckern]

+versk8er419 fucking dope

[@blikbonen]

The absolute madman.

[@Jordcurious]

i listen to this whole thing every single time. amazing to finally see the video after listening to just the audio for all these years

[@sammytheb3721]

God dammit. I love this so much, this music is so influential to me, but god DAMMIT if I don't just see Trevor Moore throughout this whole video. The end of "Sailing Through" is just the "Louder and with your Mouth Open" skit...

[@jackmichalski3489]

Hahahaha i was thinking exactly the same thing

[@Jquocthomas]

It is about a ghost in a closet. Jeff once lived in a haunted closet.

[@VivaLaJamii]

theres something almost eery when you watch him play live. i like it.

[@gthayerdc]

this is amazingly great

[@stopaskingformyname9386]

+Gabriel Thayer agree

[@ainsliemorgan]

actual goosebumps.

[@augustalexander8179]

This song. This human.

[@JackFlash771]

Thanks Jeff

[@ouch11]

he doesnt sound old in a bad way! his voice just sounds more mature.

[@EuclidianProposition]

Everything about this performance is awesome, even the Cosby Sweater.

[@tomlynch8495]

EuclidianProposition this aged kinda poorly

[@-__._-..-_AQ-17]

@@tomlynch8495 big oof...

[@EnjoyerofYoutube]

god i love this song.

[@One-eo5lj]

god i love this song

[@bookoflists]

@Theseventhknight I understood him to mean that the lyric "I really want to be in your body, to be inside you" was not referring to a desire for sex (obviously too literal); whereas I think the song IS about relationships, love, and sexuality.

[@dubpluris]

awesome

[@quizlixx]

@64ah Never though about it from that perspective, thank you for that.

[@TrevorCurbo]

This my favorite Chamber Dungeon, GO song, and album for that matter.

[@s1ayd]

I want this sweater.

[@progftw]

Does he always wear that sweater?

[@thorn99thorn]

Pretty much

[@cleverchimp]

I don’t like tattoos cuz ‘fraid of needles but i would consider having my torso tatted up in a negative of Jeff Mangum’s sweater.

[@parishilton5740]

yes

[@thechronokills]

was this played at a christmas party?

[@quizlixx]

@64ah not at all, i actually hadn't thought about the song that way before. =D

[@bookoflists]

@Theseventhknight You'll have to be more specific. I don't understand what you are disagreeing with. MY point is that (imo) the phrase "I really want to be in your body" etc. does not refer to a desire to be physically having sex with them; I think it is that aspect of the relationship which IS the sickness: that it's crude and lustful but not loving. Rather, the phrase refers to a strange sort of self-loathing (empathetic) de-toxification of both. Sorry for the wordiness.

[@bklyndrek]

@quizlixx i most definately agree with you quizlixx, he does say specifcially that this song is not about sex

[@MrShahid0072]

Jessie Eisenverg could play Jeff Mangum if a movie if ever made about this genius

[@matshortus7805]

Terrible. Please never make a comment again.

[@MrShahid0072]

@@matshortus7805 fuck off bitch

[@mothboy7044]

Shit you're right

[@-__._-..-_AQ-17]

Shit, if he flattened his hair you might be on to something...

[@michaelbumbalo6116]

yea man nope

[@-__._-..-_AQ-17]

You guys have me all confused...I was under the impression the song was sexual, but some people are saying it’s about drugs others saying it not about sex just relationship...now I’m starting to think it has just as much meaning as this comment...and my life...absolutely none...

[@Jay-ot7vq]

interpret it yourself

[@DB-hl4es]

I think it’s about being an immortal rock star like Elvis or bob dylan but realizing those days are over and gone and as great as the songs are and ambition there it’s just not possible to achieve that level based on great songwriting but don’t tell that to Beyoncé but even that is besides the point

[@JewishCore]

looks like your dream just came true then.

[@MrIknowmonkeys]

@WeirdFro They are jealous and want that sweet sweater.

[@Theseventhknight]

@bookoflists well I think we disagree then--you think it's "obviously too literal", whereas I think it's perfectly acceptably literal. Or maybe it's a synecdoche. It's literal while still representing the entire relationship.

[@reallizardperson5042]

some one says danny glover in this video

[@torroxceles]

I'm pretty sure Saling Through is about a bad relationship, rather than drugs.

[@CharlieBrownZero]

you think any artist in the last 200 years didn't do drugs or drink them selves senseless? i imagine you're from a completely different world

[@Theseventhknight]

@leifrksn1 Really? Him saying that is what made me believe it WAS about the sex. He said it so defensively.

[@abr0hamlincon]

in a live performance Jeff said this song was about the shitty side of sex

[@ayusha149]

in the album, he said it might sound like its about sex, but its not

[@sydwhitaker5776]

Maybe Jeff is the liar lol

[@angrygrouse4989]

Ayush A he said ‘not really about sex’ so it could be partially about sex, partially about other stuff... either way it’s an awesome song and it’s up to you how you want to interpret it.

[@quizlixx]

@billken1333 no it isn't, he said it wasn't about sex himself

[@TrevorCurbo]

I love Chamber Dungeon, GO!

[@sbutros]

3 people are liars.

[@nicotiro]

mwhahahahahah

[@pTheMonkeyKingq]

damn jeff is one awkward dude, but his music is top tier gg i r8 8/8 -ign

[@TrevorCurbo]

@WheresPoochie Everything by Chamber Dungeon, GO is effortless. CDG all the way.

[@TrevorCurbo]

Did you know the lead singer of Chamber Dungeon, GO actually learned how to play the guitar from slash....?

[@iamnotnirma]

4:40 two headed boy pt2

[@mikehawk9784]

No

[@TrevorCurbo]

CDG is the shiot.

[@WheresPoochie]

Effortless