I just wish Pitchfork could have avoided the sensationalism that occurs on a daily basis on CNN or the other mainstream news networks. Like many others who have experienced all the emotions that Aeroplane can draw out, I'm sure Pitchfork's intentions were good. Aeroplane is an indefinable album, at once, one of the most tragic and beautiful musical documents ever recorded.
It's understandable the folks at Pitchfork, acting as fans first and journalists second, wanted the news story to be true. Still, Pitchfork should have made sure everything was legit before posting "Jeff Mangum Returns!"
Jeff Mangum may never record another musical note or stretch his voice to that point where you expect it to break, which is fine with me. We all have Aeroplane, Avery Island, and, thanks to the generosity of collectors, a handful of truly amazing live Neutral Milk Hotel gigs. Then again, he may one day record something that rivals the most beautiful and heartbreaking moments of Aeroplane, which is also fine with me.
Until that time comes, he deserves the privacy and freedom he probably desired when he left the musical life in the first place. His fans, for whom the music of Neutral Milk Hotel means so much, should now apparently approach news stories of Mangum's possible return with a healthy degree of skepticism.
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