Neutral Milk Hotel bassist Julian Koster accused of sexual assault and grooming

Musician has denied the accusations but accepts age gap was ‘wrong’

Julian Koster, the bassist for indie rock band Neutral Milk Hotel, has been accused of sexual assault and grooming. The musician has denied the claims.

Anna “Nesey” Gallons, a musician who has been associated with the Elephant 6 collective of which Koster is also a part, shared the allegations in an Instagram post on 9 July.

She alleged that Koster had been “grooming” her since the age of 15, and went on to sexually assault her twice. The bassist has called the accusations a “campaign against me” and countered that he has been the “victim of intimidation, manipulation and abuse” by Gallons.

“I began to communicate by telephone and correspond via email with Julian Koster routinely in early Y2K at age 15, each exchange gradually becoming more intimate, though seemingly innocent,” Gallons wrote in the post.

“He imparted the notion that our connection was like none he had ever known... He invited me to visit him in New York, had no qualms letting me have cannabis and stare dreamily into his eyes.

“Less than a year later, in April 2001, about six weeks before I turned 17, that relationship became sexual. This, by all common definitions, constitutes ‘grooming.’”

She also accused Koster of assaulting her twice in the summer of 2005.

Koster denied the accusations and made a statement in response to the claims on 11 July.

Koster performing on Tiny Desk Concerts with NPR in 2011 (NPR Music/Tiny Desk Concerts)

“This is painful and scary to share,” he wrote. “I have been the victim of intimidation, manipulation, and abuse by Nesey Gallons for many years. Nesey’s recent statements are part of a campaign against me, which is documented in thousands of disturbing, abusive, and obsessive messages.”

He continued: “Nesey and I entered a consensual relationship in 2001, which continued until 2008. When the relationship began I was 28 and Nesey was 16, just before her 17th birthday.

“Though this put her over Georgia’s legal age of consent when our relationship began, it was wrong to allow the relationship to happen at all and I’ve apologised to Nesey many times for that. I should have been more responsible about the age gap, but I deny all the other accusations she’s made.”

He further alleged that his efforts “to listen to [Gallons] and acknowledge the pain that she feels” have led to “increasingly disturbing behaviour on the part of both Nesey and [her spouse], including thousands of threatening and manipulative messages, which are meant to punish me for not agreeing to what they want.

“In these messages, they’ve demanded that I be in a romantic relationship with them, marry Nesey, move in with them away from my friends and family, finance their living expenses, and let them control me, emotionally, physically, and sexually. They have repeatedly threatened to harm me or themselves if I do not ‘obey’ them…. I have lived in fear for years and I am no longer able to tolerate being abused and controlled.”

Koster has said that he is seeking an order of protection against both of the Gallons.

Gallons has said she felt “compelled to protect my friends in the [Elephant 6] community and our fans”. She said she was “quickly silenced” and “erased by his [Koster’s] eager PR team”.

Neutral Milk Hotel enjoyed a cult following in the 1990s, after being created by musician Jeff Mangum in 1989. They were active until 1998, before internet exposure led to its founding member and lead singer Mangum to withdraw after a deterioration in his mental health. The band returned between 2013 and 2015. They are best known for their album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.

Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)