Nietzsche Meets Neutral Milk Hotel

Charles Dunn

Prof. Hoag

English 308

April 17^th, 2016

Nietzsche Meets Neutral Milk Hotel

Friedrich Nietzsche was one of the first Existentialist philosophers: a school that emphasized the importance of the self and that self’s access to self-guidance. One of the ways Nietzsche’s particular form of existentialism operates is by denying all absolute, “capital ‘T” truths. Nietzsche believed that, in order for man to move onto his next stage of evolution (a phase he called the “Übermensch” or “Superman”), he would need to abandon all forms of rumination – which, as Nietzsche defines the word, is time spent reflecting on all forms of thought which do not assist in better navigating the present world, which one perceives with the senses. In the first chapter of his novel, “On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense,” Nietzsche supports this line of thinking by arguing that we cannot truly know anything as it really is. He makes this argument by stating that all knowledge man ingests through language is based upon a double “metaphor” (Nietzsche 12). First, the world is absorbed by someone through the use of senses, so the thing is filtered through a singularly human lens (first metaphor), and then it is simplified further by associating this particular sensation with a word to finitely describe it (second metaphor). By pointing out this flaw in human understanding, Nietzsche tries to argue that an attempt to completely understand any aspect of the physical world (Which, he also argues, is all we have) is futile, so thought should only be applied in an adaptive and fluid manner, never getting bogged down in definite “Truth.” He expands further on this line of thinking in “Untimely Mediations,” where he argues that any reflection of history which does not aid us in navigating our present hardships are pointless. He further states that, in order for man to not be stuck chewing his cud, he must occasionally apply “forgetfulness” (Nietzsche 62), and Nietzsche defines this term as acting in the present rather than being stuck in the past or its implications on the future. The optimal way of thinking is to apply a certain amount of forgetfulness to one’s life to better exist in the moment and, when historical reflection does become prudent, to only remember that which aids in better solving the present. A third place he argues this philosophy is in the introduction to his philosophical fiction novel, “Thus Spake Zarathustra.” This introduction elaborates on his idea of the Übermensch, a person whose thinking is fluid, individual and locked into the real world. This would require no “Truths,” and it requires the application of a concept he called “God is dead” (Nietzsche 1). This concept, in essence, argues that religious moral systems can no longer assist us in navigating our world, not only because any rigidly unfluid moral tradition holds back an independent thinker, but he also believes that religious philosophies pull us away from the contemplation of the world we perceive, in favor of a non-physical world, one, he argues, is useless to contemplate.

Upon interpreting the first section of “Oh Comely” by Neutral Milk Hotel, Nietzsche would see it as a useful lens for discussing “On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense.” In this song, the narrator can be interpreted as Nietzsche and Comely the audience he’s trying to convince to believe in his particular brand of existentialism. He states that Comely is “Chasing the only meaningful memory” (Jeff Mangum et. al), because he believes that people are constantly strung up in a futile search for some kind of arbitrary meaning, rather than observing the universe as a chaotic and incomprehensible world – one we cannot assume ever carries some sort of definite Truth. Nietzsche also says this meaningful memory is the only one she has left, however, and ultimately this arbitrary truth is “doing her thing on your chest” (screwing her over), because there is no validity to it. He also says that Comely should not interpret his statements as “Truths,” stating that these truths do not “mean anything at all” (Jeff Mangum et. al). He begins to speak about her “friends” who “saying comforting things in your ear” – meaning institutions which proliferate Truths, such as religion. He finishes by saying she won’t find any of those “friends” here, reiterating that her free thought, unfettered by Truth, is a “miracle.”

Nietzsche would continue this dialogue by using “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” to explain “Untimely Mediations.” Still the speaker, here he’s having more of a soliloquy, expounding his philosophy. He has found a “beautiful face” that could “flash on the screen in a blink of an eye and be gone” from him. But he says he wants to “hold it close,” not forgetting it. He states that thinking about how “one day we will die” is meaningless; we should instead be young and “count every beautiful thing we can see.” This illustrates the Nietzschian idea of forgetfulness, and he spends the next stanza stating things this forgetfulness helps one experience – like “music that sounds in the street.” And, after saying that he “remembers” her, Nietzsche states that he can better wrestle with how “now we keep where we don’t know.” He is saying that, since he remembered only what helped him deal with his situation now, he can solve today’s problem (Jeff Mangum et. al).

Nietzsche would conclude with “King Of Carrot Flowers, Part 2-3” and “Thus Spake Zarathustra.” In part two, taking the view of a religious person, he says “I love you Jesus Christ,” and then he goes on to say that, on “lazy days,” meaning days which religion cannot explain, that the “dogs” (proponents of religious dogma) “dissolve and drain away,” as “the world it goes and always waits” – in this case, for the arrival of the Übermensch. In part three, he first assumes Zarathustra’s perspective, saying that he will “float until I learn to swim” – meaning he will keep spouting his philosophy until it is understood. He then assumes Zarathustra’s audience’s perspective, having them say “I will spit until I learn how to speak” – meaning they will continue to latch to antiquated religion until they all become Übermenschs. Finally, Nietzsche takes on his own perspective, saying he will “shout until they know what I mean” – when he succeeds in marrying followers of “dead dog” religion and “synthetic flying machine” concepts like heaven with the physical rather than the spiritual (Jeff Mangum et. al).