Neutral Milk Hotel and Jeff Mangum Enter Pop Culture Via 'Parks and Recreation'

You could almost hear hipsters' faces melt as they watched Jeff Mangum's name uttered across the airwaves Thursday night during NBC's 'Parks and Recreation.'

Characters April (Aubrey Plaza) and Andy (Chris Pratt) had been convinced to play Tom Haverford's (Aziz Ansari) game 'Know Your Boo,' which ends disastrously when April answers "Jeff Mangum" to the question "Which rock star would your lady get with?" instead of naming Andy, who fronts a band called Mouse Rat. Later, Andy answers that April's "favorite place to smush" (think about it) would be in "the Neutral Milk Hotel."

This coincides with the reclusive Mangum's return to the Brooklyn music scene while also marking the beginning of Neutral Milk Hotel's transcendence into the mainstream. "Who is Jeff Mangum?" Andy Dwyer asks after April's definitive answer.

It is quite possible that many people were scratching their heads as well. The Neutral Milk Hotel singer is definitely back from the woods with a recent string of solo shows this coming fall, including the ATP festival. Mangum has also performed with Atlanta experimental supergroup the Soap Scums, which features Elf Power's Laura Carter. With thousands of eyes now on the 'King of Carrot Flowers,' will the band return with a new album, or will the singer recede into the dark recesses of Merge records' back catalog?

Watch 'Parks and Recreation' Reference Jeff Mangum