Smashing Pumpkins: Fresh Fruit or Rotten Veg?

ah well that wouldn't be the first time he's done that in pumpkins mk ii

I thought Quasar was pretty cool - that was like a pastiche of Cherub Rock, Frail & Bedazzled, Jellybelly, and Siva. my favorite song on Oceania is "The Celestials," would've been perfect on the new one.

but Monuments = Best Since Mellon Collie? ....ADORE???

I haven't heard this yet, but the fact that people are saying it's better than Oceania is definitely getting me excited. I still listen to Oceania on a regular basis and rate it highly. I loathe Zeitgeist.

MTAE only sold 17k in its first week....yikes

I have no idea if that's good or bad anymore.

I've just finished catching up on that RedditAMA that Corgan did, and found myself chuckling at the reactions to Corgan's... uh... Corgan-like way of answering questions.

2) man is it his best record since thefutureembrace (hi ned)

Noted. But I'm in a non-rush to hear this.

Future Embrace doesn't get enough respect at all, from anyone.

Do you think you’ve suffered from false narratives throughout your career?

I think that’s obvious. I’m laughing because I thought for sure I would get really strong reviews for our new album [Monuments to an Elegy], based on all the feedback I was getting. But I’m getting the same reviews I got back in the day, these kind of middling, muddling reviews that just won’t fucking say: “This is a fucking brilliant album from a brilliant artist.”

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/dec/18/billy-corgan-smashing-pumpkins-interview

nice.

MTAE only sold 17k in its first week....yikes

― ET sippin the wig (spazzmatazz), Thursday, December 11, 2014 3:46 AM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I have no idea if that's good or bad anymore.

― DavidLeeRoth, Thursday, December 11, 2014 8:20 AM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

that's about 1/3rd of what Oceania did the first week, and that wasn't exactly a blockbuster either, so yeah

This Guardian interview is amazing.

Dear Billy Corgan, if you make it seem like what you do is easy, then people will think it's easy. If you churn out material like it means nothing to you, then people will think you churn out music like it means nothing to you. If you keep hiring and firing musicians, then people will think they mean nothing, too. If you keep saying stupid things, then people will think you are stupid. If you think that no one understands your brilliance like you do, then you are not brilliant.

I’ve been in this business for 25 years and there is nobody in it who believes this is a three-star record. Nobody!

Agreed. I'm not going to listen to it, ever, so I guess by default that makes it a no-star album.

I’ve talked to, like, 500 people in the last fucking four months about the record!

But aren’t they likely to say that to your face?

Oh fuck off! Seriously now … that’s a stupid thing to say. Seriously. You’re basically saying that I’m willing to be coddled. Do I seem like someone who wants to be coddled?

...

An open letter to a wrestling manager, asking him to stop singing his own praises in interviews

I'd be down if he talked about himself exclusively in the third person. "Billy Corgan is tired of this shit! Billy Corgan demands you get in the ring! Billy Corgan will take you down, mister! You don't mess with Billy Corgan unless you want Billy Corgan to make a mess of you!"

http://images.bwbx.io/cms/2012-03-15/etc_opener12__01__630x420.jpg

His nom de ring could be "Billy Corgan." His KO move would be smashing a pumpkin on someone's head.

I was watching a Die Antwoord live performance the other day and at one point Ninja’s on the mic and he goes, “Fuck the system, we’re going to build our own fucking system!” And that’s how I feel, and that’s why he’s a fucking prophet.

"Or was that Alec Empire, I don't know"

there's a little third person in the interview. "If young Billy had gotten the credit he deserved, when he deserved it, then things might have been different. Bands might have lasted longer, more tickets might have been sold."

there's a little third person in the interview. "If young Billy had gotten the credit he deserved, when he deserved it, then things might have been different. Bands might have lasted longer, more tickets might have been sold."

― christmas with the canks (some dude), Thursday, December 18, 2014 3:48 PM (33 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Jesus christ, that part of the interview! You can always trust Corgan to come up with some imagined alternate universe in which Corgan is the fuckin' Jesus of music and manages to singlehandedly save rock for future generations to enjoy. I'd be more outraged of the audacity of this nonsense if I didn't realise it was merely business as usual for Corgan... and I say that as a fan.

*of=at

Also:

Why not make an EDM record?

You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart.

You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart.
You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart.
You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart.
You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart.
You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart.
You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart.
You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart.
You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart.
You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart.
You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart.

It's like...he's been...HURT...iNNNNNN...I...I can't say it.

the core, the electronic dance music

Xxp Tbf Turrican, it did say [laughs] after that.

This is a perfect Corgan-being-Corgan interview and I wouldn't want it any other way.

pure gold, this one

I still haven't heard the new Pumpkins record yet, but I do wish he'd held onto the Oceania line-up.

The new record is even better than Oceania. I give it three stars!

love the interview.
much more fun to read than the usual.
so, in honour of billy caring and sharing, i have dug out 'the future embrace' for the first time in years.
i give it three stars !

Tommy Lee >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mike Byrne

Oceania had better high points and I liked some of the guitar epics on there, but this is most definitely a consistently better record. But I wish he'd hold on to a lineup long enough to let them gel a little.

At this point, I'm just hoping that he delves into more bizarre collabs - Buck Dharma on guitars and Mike Portnoy on drums for the next record.

yeah i feel like Corgan is a spent force as an auteur but he could still do good stuff in a more collaborative environment. Zwan probably spooked him off from ever doing another supergroup or anything like that again, though.

Tommy Lee >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mike Byrne

otm, drumming on the new record is so tasteful

Zwan probably spooked him off from ever doing another supergroup or anything like that again, though.

agree.
and its a shame, cos take all the personal crap/history etc out, and its not that bad an album.

The Zwan album is a great power pop record.

Zwan's single best moment imo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMQEZx9PqSo

the unrecorded/unreleased zwan material is pretty much 100 percent better than what made the record but of course it is

there was one song on the Zwan album i really loved but skimming it now i can't even figure out what it was or if i still like it

Wasn't most of Zwans live material written by various members of the band? The album is basically (completely?) Corgan penned tunes.

jesus, i/mary star of the sea is iirc written by the whole band

I’m not on trial here, OK? I’m not on trial.

the people's corgan

brilliant.
glad to see zwan is getting some love given the shyte that the album attracted.
it's a gorgeous summer glam/power pop groove.
and yes, i suspect i am in a crowd of one, i watched the dvd film that came with it (watchable after a few glasses - could be interesting watching it when sober !), and still have the sticker set that was hidden in the cd sleeve.

and yes, i suspect i am in a crowd of one, i watched the dvd film that came with it (watchable after a few glasses - could be interesting watching it when sober !), and still have the sticker set that was hidden in the cd sleeve.

crowd of two. always found jimmy the funniest

but yeah there are a bunch of snippets of great songs on that dvd that are just never gonna see the light of day

crowd of three. I really loved the whole Zwan period.