― mono.mono (mono.mono), Sunday, 24 April 2005 14:40 (nineteen years ago) link
OTM.
― latebloomer: But when the monkey die, people gonna cry. (latebloomer), Sunday, 24 April 2005 15:04 (nineteen years ago) link
― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Sunday, 24 April 2005 15:14 (nineteen years ago) link
I'm always disturbed to find that something I've been saying for ten years came from some rock star interview circa 1995. It has happened. WTF.
― daria g (daria g), Sunday, 24 April 2005 16:46 (nineteen years ago) link
Also, Chamberlin = vastly underrated drummer.
― cdwill, Sunday, 24 April 2005 19:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― I.M. (I.M.), Sunday, 24 April 2005 19:24 (nineteen years ago) link
Heheh. I've been using the line since I read it because I was, "Oh, so perfect as ridiculous OTT 'WAAAAAAH!'" 'Deeply' almost ruins the flow of it in my mind!
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 24 April 2005 19:54 (nineteen years ago) link
Anyway, why isn't there more love for Siamese Dream? "Cherub Rock" and "Today" still hold up, I think. But maybe I can like them because I paid approximately zero attention to the image side of the band and never read any of Billy Corgan's interviews. I'm interested to know what he brought to Hole's Celebrity Skin record as well - maybe that collaboration worked because, say what you will about Courtney Love, she's not precious.
― daria g (daria g), Sunday, 24 April 2005 22:17 (nineteen years ago) link
― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 15:12 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 15:20 (seventeen years ago) link
― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 16:19 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 16:23 (seventeen years ago) link
― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 16:25 (seventeen years ago) link
I'm relieved to hear you say so, Ned.
I doubt whatever Billy Corgan does with the Smashing Pumpkins name now could be much worse than the last couple albums he made under the original incarnation (or the things he's done since). 'Machina: The Hand of God' or whatever has to be one of the top two or three worst records I've ever heard, by anyone, ever.
But, I grudgingly admit to enjoying a Trent Reznor/TV On the Radio cover of "Warm Leatherette" the other day (though I suspect maybe Peter Murphy was on vocals). And the idea of enjoying something involving Trent Reznor would've seemed about as unlikely as Billy Corgan ever producing anything of any worth after 1994 (barring "Set the Ray to Jerry"). So who knows. . .
― I.M. (I.M.), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 16:31 (seventeen years ago) link
Unlike you I loved the end years of SP without reservation, but personally I was both interested and content to see what he'd do after all that, if anything -- personally I was fine with whatever solo or group things he's done since. But this just feels like the big Jane's Addiction reunion(s) mistake redux, and in combination with a (natural) moving away from hyperobsession on my part towards other things, it's all a bit desperate.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 16:36 (seventeen years ago) link
It's funny that the article is so defensive about it not being "for the money"--which of course surely means it's about little else (or else why not just call it Zwan II, or Billy & The Corigans?).
As for TVOTR--I'll admit I've never heard any of their music, but assumed they were harmless alterna-rock (though I did read that Bowie was riding their bandwagon, which it seems he was doing with Trent Reznor a decade ago or so).
― I.M. (I.M.), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 16:43 (seventeen years ago) link
I tend to do that with a LOT of artists! But these days it's more like the fact that you can pretty much have access to anything at little/no cost and therefore instead of playing something into the ground it's just part of an overall flow, which is good, I think. Everything is process -- I have a few key touchstones still, but even so.
I think meeting Billy Corgan circa 1996 finally put me off of what was, 93-95ish, my last bout of fanaticism with any act.
Upthread I talk about how I probably wouldn't be able to stand him if I ever actually met him! Not having or wanting actual heroes among those cultural figures whose work I enjoy was a good realization.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 16:47 (seventeen years ago) link
See, that's interesting. Because it seemed to me at the time (post-95, the twighlight years of Smashing Pumpkins) that a lot of the continued fandom of the band had to do with heroic, mythological rock-god-ness, the Billy Corgan "Zero/Rat In A Cage/Uncle Fester" persona. That you liked the band through that period based solely on the merit of the music--well it seems like that might make you pretty rare. I'll have to go read your review of 'Machina' at AMG if you wrote one, to see what you were able to salvage musically from the record. . .
But it's possible my aversion to "rock gods," or extra-musical projection of "persona" in any form, made me less than open-eared toward 'Adore' and 'Melancholy & The Infinite Sadness'. But I just remember a sinking feeling in my stomach with those records that. . . they just weren't as good as I wanted them to be. It took a couple years of indie rock dissappointment after that to decide that never again would I try to will myself into liking something.
― I.M. (I.M.), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 16:55 (seventeen years ago) link
― I.M. (I.M.), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 16:59 (seventeen years ago) link
― edde (edde), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 17:20 (seventeen years ago) link
Maybe it is? I have no idea, really.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 17:46 (seventeen years ago) link
Every quote from Corgan or Chamberlain on this seems to emphasize that the new songs will 'harken back to the glory days' (i.e., when their records sold), so at the very least I'm hoping I'll get to geek out to Corgan's guitar heroics/Chamberlain's insane drumming/Corgan's incredible use of the studio.
Then again, if they're referring to those glory days as ca. 'Stand Inside Your Love' or something, I'm bummed.
But that Machina II thing that floated around had some pretty interesting tracks on it (granted, smothered in garbage).
Speaking of Garbage, who is producing this new stuff?
― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 18:27 (seventeen years ago) link
what is this? where is this from?
― kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 18:33 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 18:39 (seventeen years ago) link
Then he stormed off the stage as the crowd chanted Bullshit over and over again. It was a total fiasco.
― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 18:50 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 18:52 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 18:55 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 18:58 (seventeen years ago) link
too bad the recording's SOOO bad.
― edde (edde), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 19:35 (seventeen years ago) link
Trust the recording, it was terrible.
― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 19:39 (seventeen years ago) link
The fact that Zwan was also supposed to "harken back to the glory days" suggests otherwise. :/
― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:16 (seventeen years ago) link
― his sister pam (hissisterpam), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:19 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:48 (seventeen years ago) link
― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 8 February 2007 03:03 (seventeen years ago) link
I think this is already happening. There's some sort of basic indie life cycle, where whatever alt-rock was doing when you were 13-18 is pretty aces, and then after that, when you discovered indie music in college and you swore off the radio, at that point the landscape changes. In the bands my age (25) or younger you're getting an increasing number of kids who will speak with sincere admiration for the kick-assness of radio fare like the Foo Fighters' first three albums, which if they came out today would be dismissed immediately. Anyway, all this pontificating aside, I hear the Pumpkins thing in an increasing number of things, and the mix of bombast and sensitivity will always sell pretty well. (I'll bet you dollars to donuts that tons of those emo-hit bands are namechecking the Pumpkins in interviews - wall of guitar, keening whine, no one understand me, what's not to love?) Bear in mind that I love Mellon Collie - see this thread, and love equally things that I hear today that feel like they're made out of the same ingredients - "The Zookeeper's Boy" by Mew pops into my mind....
― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Thursday, 8 February 2007 03:33 (seventeen years ago) link
― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 8 February 2007 03:50 (seventeen years ago) link
but the writing on adore is really sharp. it helped them to shed the loud guitars for a spell.
oh, and i probably obsessed over siamese dream briefly in the mid-nineties. same as any kid.
― Charlie Howard (the sphinx), Thursday, 8 February 2007 08:15 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tim Lucas (Piano Fire (Tim Lucas)), Thursday, 8 February 2007 08:20 (seventeen years ago) link
Not to mention the fact that the My Chemical Romance guy really does LOOK a lot like Corgan!
― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Thursday, 8 February 2007 09:49 (seventeen years ago) link
― Charlie Howard (the sphinx), Thursday, 8 February 2007 11:25 (seventeen years ago) link
― the original hauntology blogging crew (Enrique), Thursday, 8 February 2007 11:30 (seventeen years ago) link
― edde (edde), Friday, 9 February 2007 16:21 (seventeen years ago) link
― billstevejim (billstevejim), Friday, 9 February 2007 20:48 (seventeen years ago) link
― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 9 February 2007 20:49 (seventeen years ago) link
― A B C, Saturday, 21 April 2007 09:25 (seventeen years ago) link
― A B C, Saturday, 21 April 2007 09:27 (seventeen years ago) link
― kingkongvsgodzilla, Saturday, 21 April 2007 11:48 (seventeen years ago) link
Finally got around to hearing the "Quiet and Other Songs" Siamese Dream demo tape that just got leaked...
It's pretty fuzzy and wobbly... there's a great big rockin version of "set the ray to jerry" on it that makes me wish they had fully fleshed out a version like it later on (much as i love the released version)
it seems billy had only written 1/4 of the lyrics to these songs at this point... he mumbles all over the place..
I was really desperate to hear this back in high school, but hell if i know why... maybe i thought it would contain a little more of the supposed mbv influence billy was talking about back then...
how did this leak anyway? i thought the only copy was at the library of congress (where they'll whip the piss out of you if you try to copy anything)
― winston, Saturday, 17 November 2007 01:47 (sixteen years ago) link
Hmm, thank you for the tip...
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 17 November 2007 02:02 (sixteen years ago) link
Looks like it's been here since August or so: http://www.thepumpkins.net/content/view/647/47/
― stephen, Saturday, 17 November 2007 02:14 (sixteen years ago) link