Procrastinatin’, OCD, and the Salinger of Indie Rock

I just realized that this domain name registration was set to expire yesterday, so I had to go and take care of that. If anyone had the domain backordered, sorry, but it’s mine for at least five more years.

My buddy Brock waxes philosophical on the issue of OCD.  A surprising number of the symptoms he lists – hearing snippets of songs over and over again, repetitive hand-washing, documenting everything – are ones that I experience, as well.  However, having seen clinically OCD people in action, I somehow doubt that he or I are truly OCD.  Once upon a time, if I turned to my right to put something on a shelf, I had to turn back in the same direction (i.e., I couldn’t complete a 360 degree circle).  Eventually, I told myself, “This is bloody ridiculous”, and broke myself of the habit.

Slate has a great article on Jeff Mangum in anticipation of the 10th anniversary of the release of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, a sublime and oft-overlooked album from E6 collective member Neutral Milk Hotel.  The story discusses Mangum’s stuggles, both during and subsequent to the recording of Aeroplane, works in a dig against Yoko Ono, and then posits a truly stunning scenario – that perhaps we should be happy with what Mangum has chosen to share with us, rather than lamenting his long absence from music.