Who is Jeff Mangum? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Age: 53 Years, 53 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Astra Taylor (m. 2008)

Born Country: United States

Vegans Singers

U.S. State: Louisiana

Recommended For You

Recommended Lists:

Lyricists & Songwriters

American Men

Louisiana Musicians

Childhood & Early Life

Jeff Mangum was born on October 24, 1970, in Ruston, Louisiana, the United States.

As a young boy, he met Robert Schneider, Bill Doss, and Will Cullen Hart, and together they eventually founded the Elephant 6 Recording Co. Imprint.

He went on to form several groups, including Maggot, Cranberry Lifecycle, and Synthetic Flying Machine.

In the early 1990s, he alongside Doss and Hart moved to Athens, Georgia, where their group Synthetic Flying Machine evolved into the rock band Olivia Tremor Control. With Olivia, Mangum contributed to several recordings, including their EP ‘California Demise.’

Continue Reading Below

Recommended Lists:

Career

Jeff Mangum left Athens and travelled throughout USA, working on solo tape recordings under the name Milk. His recording project soon became Neutral Milk Hotel whose earlier releases were ‘Everything Is’ and the Elephant 6 cassette ‘Hype City Soundtrack.’

Mangum released his debut LP titled ‘On Avery Island’ in 1996. Following the album's release, he expanded Neutral Milk Hotel by including his friends Julian Koster, Jeremy Barnes, and Scott Spillane.

After disbanding Neutral Milk Hotel in 1998, the artist continued making public appearances until 2001. That summer, he released ‘Orange Twin Field Works: Volume I’, a compilation of Bulgarian folk music field recordings.

He released a live solo album titled ‘Live at Jittery Joe's’ in 2001. In the fall of the same year, Mangum collaborated with The Instruments and Circulatory System on a tour.

In 2002, he hosted numerous shows on the New Jersey radio station WFMU. Throughout the 2000s, he also contributed to several Elephant 6-related albums, such as 'Major Organ and the Adding Machine', 'Signal Morning', and ' New Magnetic Wonder', to name a few.

Following an onstage appearance with the Olivia Tremor Control in New York City in 2005, he stopped appearing publicly until October 2008.

In late 2009, Mangum contributed a cover to Chris Knox’s tribute album ‘Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox’.

In August 2011, he launched his website called ‘Walking Wall of Words’ as a medium to release some previously unreleased material. That month, he also performed in an East Coast tour. In September, the artist featured at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that commenced in New Jersey.

He then went on to curate the ATP festival in England in March 2012, where he invited many Elephant 6 groups, including The Music Tapes, The Apples in Stereo, and Olivia Tremor Control. He also made a high-profile appearance at the Calgary Folk Music Festival.

On October 11, 2013, he alongside his band Neutral Milk Hotel performed their show at a former Methodist church in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Two years later, Mangum’s band Neutral Milk Hotel commenced on their “last tour for the foreseeable future". Their final show was held on June 11, 2015 at the Phoenix Theatre, California.

Recommended Lists:

Major Works

In 1998, Jeff Mangum’s band Neutral Milk Hotel released their second and final album, titled ‘In the Aeroplane Over the Sea’. Mangum wrote all the songs for the album and garnered appreciation for his lyrically-dense writing. The album went on to become one of the most admired indie rock albums of all time.

Recommended Lists:

American Guitarists

Male Lyricists & Songwriters

American Lyricists & Songwriters

Scorpio Men

Family & Personal Life

Jeff Mangum married documentary filmmaker Astra Taylor in January 2008.

He is an animal lover and follows a vegan lifestyle.

Jeff Mangum Biography