Billy Corgan On The Future Of Smashing Pumpkins

Smashing Pumpkins mainman Billy Corgan has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"Hello from sunny California, where I'm currently working with some of my friends on new Smashing Pumpkins songs. The mood here is relaxed, serene, and studious as my pals are helping me with some TLC to zero in on the new direction that I'm trying to take the music.

"I've made many, many mistakes through the years, and one of them is that I often rush headlong into my next album without really taking the time to reflect on what I've just done, and test my resolve a little on where I'm going. One small detail that I think was beneficial to the band in the early years was we practiced a lot. It wasn't uncommon to have weeks where we practiced 30+ hours, which may not sound like a lot but at high volume this was very fatiguing, and of course exciting too. Through all that playing you would easily come into contact with the emotional value of whether or not a song 'worked', so to speak. Add to that another 20-30 hours per week at home writing music and lyrics, and you can see I was very immersed in that process of checking my ideas between head, home, heart, and practice.

"Right now we are just focused on about 5 or 6 songs, using them to try out some new feels to try to find a consistent foundation upon which to build this large multimedia project I have in mind. 44 seems to be the magic #, so let's say I'm shooting for 44 songs on this one. I'll get to how I plan to release them later. Because the work will be conceptual in nature planning it all out also I think will help keep me from losing my way in the evil forest.

"I'm going to step right into the heat of the matter now and address the infamous 'why?' question. The why being 'why' I have chosen to continue on under the Smashing Pumpkins banner considering I am the only remaining original member. The simple answer is that when I decided to write and record again under the name the Smashing Pumpkins in 2005, I committed myself 100 percent. 100 percent of my mind-body-soul to come back and make the band really be great again, and I feel in tune to SP in a way I haven't felt in tune probably since 1995 or 1996. As they say in No Limit Poker, I'm 'all in.. I'm not going to back out of the challenge in front of me now. I'm absolutely exhilarated by what I see and feel the future to be for SP. There is a difference in how I think and approach a body of work for the Pumpkins than, say, I would as a solo artist or under any other name. Being the near lone songwriter for the Pumpkins has always made me want to put all the diverse harmonic fragments in my mind together, and it has been an incredible musical journey so far to keep trying to match up to the size of that idea. I truly am not focused on where I've been now as much as where I am going, and I haven't felt that way for a very long time.

"I appreciate that, for many fans, the public part of my musical journey has often been quite confusing. I've tried to explain many times in both public and private venues that it's really not so different than a character on TV who embodies the role they are in. I don't think there is anything inauthentic about my play-acting within those created personas (zero, the whyte spider, the sad guy, the vampyre, etc) and acting them out on the grand stage in front of the glare of whoever cares. That to me IS what rock and roll is about. But many lack the sophistication to appreciate that just because I play a baby-faced killa upon the darkened stage that it doesn't come close to who I really am. I would point very gently to the diversity and complexity of my artistic work to give you some sense of who Billy Corgan really is (that is a joking third person, by the way). Part alien, part human, part robot, part star-crossed lover and part mercury-filled, apparently, if one was to read the songs in that way. I am a sensitive soul and I make no apologies for that. As Popeye said, 'I yam who I yam.' Or in my case maybe it's 'I am who I ain't.'

"I am at peace now with the idea that SP is worth bringing to life again and again, because the challenge of the band's shadow has inspired some great work. It's also just a name, the Smashing Pumpkins (it just rolls off the tongue, don't it??). It's a dumb name, but I choose it cause I thought it was funny (yes, funny in 1987, ha ha). All that aside, what the band represents to me and obviously to so many fans Symbolically is what is really important in my opinion moving forward.

"I think the energy in the Pumpkins community is fantastic right now. I love the diversity of opinion and perspective. There is nothing to argue about there. But at least there is something to argue over! Meaning, SP is substantive once again; there are new songs, questionable decisions, abject failures, and unique triumphs to dissect over and over. Enjoy!

"I do plan on doing other things coming up, though. I have notions to start two other bands and also release some more solo work. I would love to get into more details on those projects but I would like to secure the domain names first because I don't want to have to fight to get them back later. It's bad enough that I have someone posing as me on Twitter LOL...the general idea is the work of the other groups and solo may intertwine with the SP album as far as a release schedule would go. But I'm all ready ahead of myself there.

"So let's get down to business and talk about what the plans are ahead. First up is/are the drum tryouts on April 14. We've received a staggering amount of submissions so far (over 1,000!), so let me say to everyone who has submitted thank you and God bless you for having the courage to throw your name out there. The auditions on the 14th are just the first round of trying people out. There is no 'hurry' at the moment, as I'm not quite ready to record yet, and it's possible I may need more than one drummer for what my plans are. So for someone who may think they would never get a chance there is still time in the months ahead to keep trying. I view it as a process to find the right person(s) and it's important that the right consideration is given. Jeff and I will be holding the first round of auditions, with me on bass (lookout!).

"As I stated earlier in this post, we've just been rocking amongst friends, so for the moment Kerry Brown, my best man and co-producer is manning the skins. The past few days we had Daxx Nielsen in to play on a few things, who is a great drummer himself. Lord forbid I would want 44 different drummers on 44 different tracks, but I suppose anything is possible.

"OK, album plans: first off, I still plan on making an album. I know this may contradict with what I've said publicly, but I think I just didn't state what I meant clearly. I meant I don't think I'm going to make albums in the old-fashioned way, meaning 12-15 songs, etc in one small package. My desire at this point would be to release one song at a time, over a period of 2-3 years, with it all adding up to a box set/album of sorts that would also include an art movie of the album. (Sounds like a lot of work, don't it??) My thinking is that if I focus on one song at a time I would approach them as beautiful, distinct paintings that would each require the attention they deserve. This would also mean I would choose what I am recording quite carefully as there would be tremendous internal pressure to get it just right, and that is the kind of pressure I like, which is to make the most beautiful thing possible. I've gotten lost many times during the long haul of making a record and have overlooked some great songs because of that. The new standard for an SP song would that it be excellent and fantastic and most importantly essential or it's not coming out. I will do my best to meet that intention fully. So soon I will announce (hopefully) that I've begun the process, May being the most likely 'start' date. I will continue on from 'there' until whatever date it all seems finished. That would probably be marked by the release of the final artwork package and the movie. So lots of details to be worked out, as you can see. I plan on the first actual song release coming in September. For the new SP, I don't think I would be interested in a subscription model unless it was something where enough people wanted a daily access to the work (in progress). I guess we as a community could throw out how many people would be interested in that as an idea. It would definitely have to be something that would be worth the effort on all sides.

"Speaking of subscription models, I think Frank Quinto is doing a great job so far as Archive Czar keeping all of us in the loop on his progress. I can say from my end right now the biggest hurdle is sorting out the business side with our former label EMI (once Virgin). As some of you know, there are currently three lawsuits; the band is suing EMI, two of my former bandmates are suing EMI, and EMI is suing me because of the ex-bandmember lawsuit. Thankfully, EMI has shown a willingness to try to sort this out and God willing it will be resolved soon. My hope is to have access to all of the unreleased materials (with the contractual rights clearly worked out) so that I can set a plan in motion to get it all out over the next decade. That would be the best way, but sometimes that is not the way it works out. I do have all the 'Gish' unreleased rights, but I don't want to kick start that and by the time we get to Siamese have a whole legal mess on our hands and then have to stop our momentum. It's all or nothing with the archives. Those with a positive attitude can see that as a blessing because it means if stuff starts to come out it's all coming out.

"It is really important for me to re-state first and foremost that the band will remain now and forever about making new music. This is where most of our energy over here belongs. That doesn't say or mean to say anything negative about the past. In fact my posture on it is consistent with the original band vision, which was to always push forward. I'm not about to change that now. That doesn't mean we can't be smart and live in the world of 2009 and approach opportunities with a fresh mindset. Together we can find the right balance.

"Many of the old indie-world values that people throw about without context were BS back in the day, and I said so back then too. I am no poster boy for alt-nation because alt-nation found its heroes elsewhere. You can have those heroes now. I am my own man from this day forward. The day SP gets proper credit for what it got right is the day that this can be a different conversation about what I may or may not be entitled to. The funny thing about being left out in the cold is you get used to the temperature.

"I want to be quite candid here and say some things I don't think I've ever shared. For many years I've been really unhappy with the stupidity of the music business (that's no secret!). But now I am free from corporate meddling. No contracts, no deadlines to meet, nothing but rainbows ha ha... My wish is that from this day forward this group will represent nothing but love and light. If you see BC out there griping, it is only because I have failed to set the proper conditions to be in the love and light with you. The fan is Not responsible in any way, shape, or form for my happiness or the my ability to do my job. (Nor have they ever been) If I have given that impression to any of you through the years I am sorry about that. That was an error on my part. When a fan comes to an SP show we owe it to you to put on the best show possible, rain or shine. I believe the days of standing on a stage somewhere in the world feeling torn about why I am up there are over. SP will be about peace from this day forward as well. The music WILL also reflect this shift in devotion and humble gratitude. You shall see!

"I would like to end by saying thank you to those who pray for me, and send me well wishes and support. It means a lot to me that there are fans out there who see me as the humble human I truly am. Public life is a brutal, weird game that I have chosen to play for my own convoluted reasons my OWN way. I wish it was as simple as being about the trappings normally associated with fame! If only life were so simple. But it ain't...but that too shall change. SP can and will represent a new kind of way of connecting my music with you in a way that leaves both parties feeling better for it. You have my personal promise on that."

Thanks for the report to Blabbermouth.net.

Comments

[SuicidalFreak]

OK, album plans: first off, I still plan on making an album

Hmmm...I thought they were never going to release an album again.

[end_citizen]

If he is so concerned about the amount of time he needs to put into this album, perhaps he shouldn't write sixteen paragraph blogs about it.

[soapalot]

That has me excited for the Smashing Pumpkins' future, as long as he drops the heavy electronica and super low tunings

[flyingjo21]

I appreciate him being candid about what's going on. I loved the first 6 albums, but haven't really enjoyed the new stuff as much. I always look forward to their new releases and am often disappointed but will still eagerly await new material. One thing's for sure, Billy is a very good guitar player

[Led Zeppelin 67]

god i dont care billy corgan...really i dont feel like reading this entire article and i think he kinda needs to get over himself...

[SGJCM95]

smashing pumpkins WERE good but this guys just annoying

[Jet_Black88]

Muse had this same idea, about releasing one track at a time and then having a CD that collects them all as like a "greatest hits" thing.

Still, it is a good idea.

[Cskills2112]

That has me excited for the Smashing Pumpkins' future, as long as he drops the heavy electronica and super low tunings

+1

[BassFishin]

i personally love what he's doing here. when jimmy left it sorta sealed the deal on what official 'pumpkins' was, but now that i've read this i've broken that seal, and i step behind Billy 100% of the way.

[organeyes11]

he should be focusing on writing good songs once again rather then taking the time to write all that. the pumpkins are pretty much over anyways...

[Tommy_sG]

i think there turning into GNR

[WheredMyRockGo?]

Well their last album was nothing compared to previous works. Really I think I only like Gish, Siamese Dream, and Melancholy. Those were awesome. He needs to work on more songs like that. Fast paced and rockin. To me, the new album felt like Pumpkins meets Emo. I guess that's what sells now though.

[BassFishin]

He basically said that he is going to write an album very slowly. He's going to release it one song at a time so that he can he can really take his time on each song and make sure it's the best it can be.

His goal is 44 songs, apparently.

over 1000 people are signed up to audition for drums.

he's still keeping Smashing Pumpkins as the name because he feels it fits his mindset at the moment.

he's going to have many side projects.

he doesn't care if you have anything negative to say about what he's doing, he's a lone man.

Hopefully that summarized it up for anyone.

[David_Bowie=GOD]

end_citizen wrote:

If he is so concerned about the amount of time he needs to put into this album, perhaps he shouldn't write sixteen paragraph blogs about it.

this

I think Billy is losing his mind

[user_nameless]

44 songs?

Are we overambitous? Not to smash (no pun intended) your hopes, but when are you going to eat, sleep, and drink?

[JFenderBender]

alright this is good info, i would really like a big album with an artwork dvd i am so into that idea for some reason
i think it would be best if he took his time and not rushed anything
Zeitgeist was decent but it was classic pumpkins except a few tracks.

[MetalGear1786]

Just let it doe already >___>

[GangsterLi]

WALL OF TEXT! whose gonna read all of that... i read first three paragraphs

[Grungy2425]

aww man i thought this was a suicide note...

[DarthKarth]

all i'm gonna say is...

damn... does he think people care about smashing pumpkins that much?

[Rock'n Rob]

Hope he didn't write that thing on an iPhone and burn out his thumbs. This was a test of loyalty to his true fans. If you read it all the way through and find the secret code in the last paragraph you can become the new drummer.

[Rock'n Rob]

Hint: divide by '44'

[guitartiger]

u know, ive always had a negative view on billy corgan (although i ADORE sp!!) but that letter was deep, +1 to u corgan on my part

[morgy159]

maybe billy should switch to writing novels and save himself... and the reader... alot of fuss.

[Jamie_W]

Having seen a lot of the stupid arguing on Smashing Pumpkins boards about everything BC ever does or says, it's very nice to see such a seemingly honest, transparent update for the fans. He answers a lot of questions and addresses a lot of issues. I hope he can deliver some corkers - ie RECORD GOSSAMER ALREADY!

[TaV0]

well, I must confess I used to be the sort of guy who decided SP was over and that Billy should just let it die, but after reading this he seems like a honest guy who simply loves to make music and play by his own rules, I guess some of my old respect for Billy Corgan came back. Hope this new project turns out to be awesome.

[redvetteZ06]

I'm cool with him trying to do his thing. The old SP were great...the newer stuff not so much but he sounds more focused and ready to be honest in his music. Let's face it, great music comes from pain and he seems to have a lot of it.

[azisnomarsa]

Ok, that is official:
Smashing Pumpkins are new Guns n'Roses.

[Lil Macker]

They call that a message? It's a bloody essay which basically says:

'Were making a new album'

[user_nameless]

Hope he didn't write that thing on an iPhone and burn out his thumbs. This was a test of loyalty to his true fans. If you read it all the way through and find the secret code in the last paragraph you can become the new drummer.

You sir, are a genius.

[rocklee1431]

Grungy2425[/b] wrote:

aww man i thought this was a suicide note...[/quote]

lol we could only hope

[TheStruction]

...EMI (once Virgin).

EMI got ****ed!

[recliner33]

PopPunkPotHead wrote:

That is a major load of shit.
Pumpkins are DEAD!!!
He needs to chill.
I love OLD SP.
Nothing billy does without jimmy can be sp.

That's not true. Chamberlin isn't even an original member. Guess who the original drummer of sp was? A drum machine

[Swank]

GO A HEAD Billy!!! WE ARE WITH U!!!

[Lunartick]

Ugh, just release a deluxe edition of Siamese Dream or something.

[verona_bassist]

SuicidalFreak wrote:

OK, album plans: first off, I still plan on making an album

Hmmm...I thought they were never going to release an album again.

yeah, wasnt he gonna do like...on-line singles or somethin like that?

recliner33 wrote:

PopPunkPotHead wrote:

That is a major load of shit.
Pumpkins are DEAD!!!
He needs to chill.
I love OLD SP.
Nothing billy does without jimmy can be sp.

That's not true. Chamberlin isn't even an original member. Guess who the original drummer of sp was? A drum machine

and i thought they only used a machine on Machina...chamberlin actually helped corgan write a bunch of songs, didnt he?

[Nano556]

Wow a whole 30 hours practise.....

That's where i stopped reading.

Old SP was decent.

[Henkdemachtige]

yeah. i hate Pete Wenz to..

wait, billy? ooh ok

[Altered_Carbon]

Now he has nobody to stand in his way...It makes sense that he's excited about this.

[Beelzboss]

wtf lol is he poem writer or something ? o.O

[FireBirdKing]

Psh, what future....

[dullsilver_mike]

I don't like the idea of gradually releasing songs. What made the old pumpkins stuff so great was listening to the album as a whole. Their songs were beautiful, yes, but never the type of song that you love as your favorite single. Listening to a whole pumpkins' album is much better. Screw beautiful paintings, I want whole landscapes of sound--I want to cozy up with a 13-18 song album.

[guitarguru1212]

i dunno but am i the only one who noticed he put way too many "i"'s into the intervew, i dont know much about the pumpkins but billy seems a bit over obsessed, he sounds like he has a bit of an ego. i hope he aint a Axl. cos what little i've heard by pumpkins is actually alright.

[Zebadee]

Glad a new SP record is out (altho in reality its a Corgan solo effort whatever he say's, he's just using the brand) I just hope it aint as dull and full of s*it as his blog

[gitplayer27]

SGJCM95 wrote:

smashing pumpkins WERE good but this guys just annoying

Corgan IS The Smashing Pumkins.

[Madzää]

I think I regained a little of the respect I had for Billy in the past back.

[MYNAMEISAWESOME]

Led Zeppelin 67 wrote:

god i dont care billy corgan...really i dont feel like reading this entire article and i think he kinda needs to get over himself...

Then don't read it

[DirkLance]

This records sounds like the next big thing since Chinese Democracy! I can't wait for it to take 30 years to release!

[guitaringnathan]

it sounds like this rat is out of his cage

[dannydesktop]

verona_bassist wrote:

SuicidalFreak wrote:

OK, album plans: first off, I still plan on making an album

Hmmm...I thought they were never going to release an album again.
yeah, wasnt he gonna do like...on-line singles or somethin like that?

If you read the article he says he's still going to release them as singles and then after a couple years take all those singles and package them as an album/box set. I happen to like the idea but lets see him pull it off. He acknowledges it right there, he just decided to put a compilation out after all is said and done.

[PumpkinPieces]

haha, I like how they copy and pasted the entire blog. Usually UG just quotes the main points. Wall o text. I'm not too hyped about Billy right now but after reading this I'm keeping my ears open.

[MoFly41]

After I saw them in November, I vowed to never spend a single cent on this band or man ever again, regardless of how much I love the music he's created for the last twenty years. HOWEVER, after reading what seems to be an honest letter along with an honest apology for his behavior and attitude to his $59.99 per ticket paying fans, I'm willing to give it ONE MORE CHANCE. If I go to the show and experience another kazoo jazz exploration, I'm out. So God bless Billy and I'm (never thought I'd say this) looking forward to what he does next.

[godberry]

BassFishin wrote:

He basically said that he is going to write an album very slowly. He's going to release it one song at a time so that he can he can really take his time on each song and make sure it's the best it can be.

His goal is 44 songs, apparently.

over 1000 people are signed up to audition for drums.

he's still keeping Smashing Pumpkins as the name because he feels it fits his mindset at the moment.

he's going to have many side projects.

he doesn't care if you have anything negative to say about what he's doing, he's a lone man.

Hopefully that summarized it up for anyone.

thank you

Checked.

[Bubonic Chronic]

Smashing Pumpkins sells.

Milk it for all it's worth.

It not like you get a 401k or (ha, here's a hilarious joke!) pension in Rock 'n Roll. Gotta pay for those Depends undergarments somehow!

[pwninator123]

"Because the work will be conceptual in nature planning it all out also I think will help keep me from losing my way in the evil forest."

I love Billy Corgan

Honestly, this is my favorite band, although I think Zeitgeist and Siamese Dream are their worst albums, I'm excited to see where this will go

Smashing Pumpkins eternally! \m/

[Jordy]

that's okay...

...we still have the Silversun Pickups.

[reb_49]

...wow now he's just trying too hard, as opposed to before. Just keep it simple for the love of God Billy, you can keep your equipment complex but keep your songs simple and true. Maybe he forgot that.

[BassFishin]

Jordy wrote:

that's okay...

...we still have the Silversun Pickups.

haha great point! they don't have nearly as many catchy tunes as pumpkins but they're basically the exact same style

[mdawg24]

end_citizen wrote:

If he is so concerned about the amount of time he needs to put into this album, perhaps he shouldn't write sixteen paragraph blogs about it.

Haha yeah, that.

[kurtshapedbox]

I think he's trying to hard to justify what he's doign with the Smashing Pumpkins. I think to some extent his heart is in the right place with qhat he's doing, but his intentions (to me at least) come off as being a bit tainted by want of better record sales and possibly a bit of a mid-life crisis.

Albums like Siamese Dream and MCatIS were very youthful sounding albums. And it seems like Billy is trying to hard to recreate the attitude of those albums..and it no longer sounds genuine or evokes the same kind of emotions quite as well (totally imo).

And I know that Billy wrote most of the material back in the day, but the Smashing Pumpkins still were a band and had a "band" attitude. When he brought in and jammed on songs. He was writing music that would have to meet James, D'arcy, and Jimmy's approval. Without the the three of them to complete the band, the Smahing Pumpkins quality and overall presence seems to be very lacking both on CD and live. The new music and live show really gives one the feeling of watching/listening to a very elaborate Billy Corgan show...not the Smahing Pumpkins.

I will say that if Zeitgeist has been released as a Billy Corgan side-project instead of a SP album i probably would have loved it and considered it his best solo work to date. But when I think of it in terms of Smashing Pumpkins music I feel very unfulfilled.

.::I mean all the above as an opinion. I can only hope that I didn't come off as a pompous dickwad trying to pass off my thoughts and words as fact::.

[kurtshapedbox]

^Crap! I almost wrote as much as Billy. My bad... =]

[jean_genie]

You know why I like this, and by extension, why I like Billy Corgan? Because even though he's got a huge ego, he (usually) tries to be down-to-Earth about it. Sure he usually fails, but at least he tries to be a nice guy.

That's a lot more than you can say about Chris Martin or Axl Rose.

[Kotie]

This is a change in attitude.
I've had mixed feelings about Billy, and I wasn't a fan of his last couple albums, but I'm still looking forward to new material.

[DaGuitarMasta01]

Sorry to post this here I am just ticked.

How in world is Jason mars and Taylor swift the second and third most visited tabs on this site
Did Ultimate-Guitar go gay while I was not looking.
I know some people learn those songs for their girls because they suck and can not write a four chord song of their own for her but almost a thousand hits more then all of the great Guitar anthems other than Stairway what the hell.
This is freakin retarded why?
Any one that has visited either of those songs like ten times I just wanted to tell you that you suck learn how to play real music or atlest write your own four chord songs I promise that is way more romantic then playing a song that has been played by every sucky guitarist on the planet

[pwninator123]

DaGuitarMasta01 wrote:

Sorry to post this here I am just ticked.

How in world is Jason mars and Taylor swift the second and third most visited tabs on this site
Did Ultimate-Guitar go gay while I was not looking.
I know some people learn those songs for their girls because they suck and can not write a four chord song of their own for her but almost a thousand hits more then all of the great Guitar anthems other than Stairway what the hell.
This is freakin retarded why?
Any one that has visited either of those songs like ten times I just wanted to tell you that you suck learn how to play real music or atlest write your own four chord songs I promise that is way more romantic then playing a song that has been played by every sucky guitarist on the planet

go home

[Haveacigar]

great, less talk and more album work!

[joker_thief]

DaGuitarMasta01 wrote:

Sorry to post this here I am just ticked.

How in world is Jason mars and Taylor swift the second and third most visited tabs on this site
Did Ultimate-Guitar go gay while I was not looking.
I know some people learn those songs for their girls because they suck and can not write a four chord song of their own for her but almost a thousand hits more then all of the great Guitar anthems other than Stairway what the hell.
This is freakin retarded why?
Any one that has visited either of those songs like ten times I just wanted to tell you that you suck learn how to play real music or atlest write your own four chord songs I promise that is way more romantic then playing a song that has been played by every sucky guitarist on the planet

hm. i'll ignore that thanks. i find the idea of releasing a song at a time intriguing but 44 in 2-3 years is a bit too much. but as long as you try to perfect each song at a time it could come out good.

[Guitarmaster94]

DaGuitarMasta01 wrote:

Sorry to post this here I am just ticked.

How in world is Jason mars and Taylor swift the second and third most visited tabs on this site
Did Ultimate-Guitar go gay while I was not looking.
I know some people learn those songs for their girls because they suck and can not write a four chord song of their own for her but almost a thousand hits more then all of the great Guitar anthems other than Stairway what the hell.
This is freakin retarded why?
Any one that has visited either of those songs like ten times I just wanted to tell you that you suck learn how to play real music or atlest write your own four chord songs I promise that is way more romantic then playing a song that has been played by every sucky guitarist on the planet

True that.

[i bleed metal]

i didn't read anyone's comments, so i don't know how much of the article you guys read, but the article as a whole is really intense. he really threw himself out there, and i find that impressive.

[ihavenoname93]

corgan IS smashing pumpkins!

[BUSTEDlip8]

what's with the sh*tty country music videos always coming up on the player when i open these pages, it sucks

[Trudogger]

tl;dr

[BassFishin]

BUSTEDlip8 wrote:

what's with the sh*tty country music videos always coming up on the player when i open these pages, it sucks

its an advertisement sponsored featuring a band, and its not relevant to this article.

as someone mentioned like 3 times, Corgan IS smashing pumpkins!

It's hard to wrap your mind around because everyone was so used to the original 4, but Billy has always been the driving force behind the band.

And I loved Zeitgeist. There, i said it. Mellon Collie is easily my favorite pumpkins album, but Zeitgeist i still listen to frequently. Doomsday Clock is amazing to me.

[jod23]

from reading past stories from ultimate guitar, billy corgan is one confusing individual. so is axl rose from guns and roses. both bands don't have their orginal lineup and billy & axl are trying to use the name for some benefit. i think their ego's are to big from their past glory.

billy is smashing pumpkins but its sad to say that there is no direction where he is heading musically. he is a gifted musician but this past decade he hasnt made an impact with his music. with chamberline gone, idk where billy is going. now corgan wants to make a record.

i like gish, siamese dream, and mellon collie and the infinite sadness. it was his best work and greatly influence and shaped the alternative music scene. i am a fan of the pumpkins from that era and one of my favorites bands.

I wasn't into the gothic approach from the last two albums leading up zetigeist. i didnt like zetigeist that much. i felt it didnt live up to his past albums and i think it was more the name that he used to regenerize the name towards mainstream.

i think the corgan reached his peak after 'mellon collie and the infinite sadness.' his ego did get the best out of him and he's trying to recapture the glory.

he needs to give up on smashing pumpkins because there's no magic in it anymore. he also can't make up on his mind to continue sp.

corgan's sol purpose should be making music not reliving the past with the smashing pumpkins.

[OrangePossum]

Beelzboss wrote:

wtf lol is he poem writer or something ? o.O

Why yes, yes he is. He released a book of poetry in 2004, if memory serves right.

MoFly41 wrote:

If I go to the show and experience another kazoo jazz exploration, I'm out.

Oh come on, that was awesome!

Alright, now...
Guys, Zeitgeist is really NOT a bad album. It's not all emotion like Mellon Collie and Siamese Dream, but that doesn't mean because Corgan decides to do something different once in awhile that it's terrible. Tarantula, Doomsday Clock, 7 Shades of Black, That's The Way (My Love Is), United States, (Come On) Let's Go!, and Bring the Light are all FANTASTIC songs. Sure, they're not Today or Mayonaise or Zero, but that doesn't mean they need to be bashed for being different from stereotypical Pumpkins. You can only go so far with a certain few lyrical emotions before the well dries out, anyways.

But with that being said, let him do as he wishes. If you think he's ruining the Pumpkins, fine. It's his band, he could turn it into a death metal band and it would be perfectly acceptable because no one else writes for the band, no one controls what the Pumpkins do except for Billy Corgan (and, to a certain extent, record labels and management and so on and so forth; I don't know how much creative control they get at this point in the Pumpkins career).

[gljbass]

Rock'n Rob wrote:

Hope he didn't write that thing on an iPhone and burn out his thumbs. This was a test of loyalty to his true fans. If you read it all the way through and find the secret code in the last paragraph you can become the new drummer.

.... that's some da vinci code shit right there. haha

[zuckuss00]

Rock On Billy! Seems like a great idea! I am really looking forward to hearing new material! And for those of use that are bashing Billy and the band, honestly... This guy is one of the best lyricist and songwriters to grace rock in the past 20 years! If cant respect that then you simply have NO comprehension of music!

[Julz127]

tldr?

haha

Good to here billys on track, I'm looking forward to some new songs.

[masteryan]

cliffs? I ain't reading all that shit

[milo_t]

TheStruction wrote:

...EMI (once Virgin).

EMI got ****ed!

I laughed hard

[ConeShred]

TL;DR

[5/4]

Reminds me:

[cooljew]

I'm the kind of guy who never says never, but i think i'm just about done with all corgans bullshit, i saw them twice on this past tour and it was lacking that special spark i used to get listening to them, he didn't even look like he was having fun on stage

[MLilienthal]

I like his electronic-heavy stuff more than any of the older SP stuff

[recliner33]

I don't know why people are saying that zeiglist is the smashing pumpkins st anger album. I liked zeiglist, the only problem with it was that it needed more variety. It brought the smashing pumpkins back to their more guitar driven sound in the early 90's.

[Time Seller]

GangsterLi wrote:

WALL OF TEXT! whose gonna read all of that... i read first three paragraphs

Me, for one. Some of us are literate.

[Zero-Hartman]

Time Seller wrote:

GangsterLi wrote:

WALL OF TEXT! whose gonna read all of that... i read first three paragraphs

Me, for one. Some of us are literate.

*high 5s Time Seller*

I read it all, and although I've frequently slagged Corgan off in the SP thread, I really, really hope this goes through. 44 songs? Yes please. Good on you Corgan, pull off another Gish/SD!

[Road Eyes]

BassFishin wrote:

He basically said that he is going to write an album very slowly. He's going to release it one song at a time so that he can he can really take his time on each song and make sure it's the best it can be.

His goal is 44 songs, apparently.

over 1000 people are signed up to audition for drums.

he's still keeping Smashing Pumpkins as the name because he feels it fits his mindset at the moment.

he's going to have many side projects.

he doesn't care if you have anything negative to say about what he's doing, he's a lone man.

Hopefully that summarized it up for anyone.

Cheers for that i really couldn't be arsed reading the whole thing. To me it just seems like he's made SP what it has really been all along, all about him. At the end of the day it has always been Billy who has been primarily responsible for how good the SP have been over the years.

Also i admire his ambition about wanting to put out more music, especially in an age where bands seem to come along and release debut albums they tour and dine out on for ages. It's cool wanting to put alot of stuff out, i just hope it's better than the lionshare of what he has put out since adore.

[.QOTSA.]

It means a lot to me that there are fans out there who see me as the humble human I truly am.

ppfffttt what a dick. And I like SP its just... he's a dick.

[David_Bowie=GOD]

DirkLance wrote:

This records sounds like the next big thing since Chinese Democracy! I can't wait for it to take 30 years to release!

I doubt we will wait more than 4 years for this. Unlike Axl Rose, Billy doesn't need over a decade to write an album.

[Kizil]

Man I hate this guy, he's so full of shit, it's painful to see him write new material.

[sharyn__x]

Grungy2425 wrote:

aww man i thought this was a suicide note...

Yeah i was disappointed too.

[gangreneuk]

Billy No Mates :p

[Izzy_Bryce]

WheredMyRockGo? wrote:

Well their last album was nothing compared to previous works. Really I think I only like Gish, Siamese Dream, and Melancholy. Those were awesome. He needs to work on more songs like that. Fast paced and rockin. To me, the new album felt like Pumpkins meets Emo. I guess that's what sells now though.

isnt that the f***ing truth. Emos and Gays, or a mixture seems to float the sellout boat. Yes, I consider Gay/Bi being part of the Fad sellout movement. And quite honestly, if people know ur Emo (aka emotional, manic depressive) then ur usually not actually Emo.

[CJWilrok]

The Smashing Pumpkins have always been one of my favorite bands. Yet, it is painfully obvious that Billy Corgan's glory years are behind him. I enjoyed Adore (even without Jimmy), I still enjoyed Machina (even without D'Arcy) although I will admit it took me longer to into the whole of those albums, unlike MCIS or Siamese Dream where every song hit you immediately. Zeitgeist on the other hand... well it came off as more of a collection of B-Sides, and other half-baked demos. Yes, the album had a few really good songs, but I usually found myself skipping through at least half of it.

I don't want another Zeitgeist. Yes, I will continue to enjoy any music Billy Corgan makes, but not to the extent I once did. Perhaps now my enjoyment will be more out of pity and habit, or akin to that of a former Heroin addict that occasionally needs a small fix. I don't know, all I know is it's not quite right.

Billy Corgan once wrote the lyric "Youth is wasted on the young." Perhaps it is time he reflect upon that lyric and realize that the music business is generally a young man's game, and with the exception of RHCP few great late 80s/early 90's bands can keep up.

[corponicus]

and i thought they only used a machine on Machina...chamberlin actually helped corgan write a bunch of songs, didnt he?[/quote]

Pumpkins started with a drum machine while they were playing in clubs but Jimmy came in before Gish was recorded. For Adore they used a drum machine and some session drummers, Jimmy played on Machina. A drum machine cant do justice to The Everlasting Gaze. Yeow!