Billy Corgan has lost his mind
August 21st, 2008 by gabe loewenberg in Self-indulgent musingsI gave up on the Smashing Pumpkins long ago. Within a year or so of the release of Siamese Dream, I was done. They just didn’t do it for me anymore. In recent years, since Billy Corgan decided to revive the Pumpkins, it’s seemed at times that he’s lost his mind. Remember that full page ad he took out in the Chicago Tribune? Have you seen his blog?
Well, a photo (by the Trib’s Jay Nolan ) from last night’s Smashing Pumpkins show at Ruth Eckerd Hall is proof positive that Corgan has, in fact, lost his mind. I’m not sure where it, or the top of his head went and I could care less if he ever finds it.
In all fairness, Billy wasn’t the only one who was a little off their rocker in the Pumpkins.
Send to a friend:
August 21st, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Another critic ragging on Corgan. How original.
August 21st, 2008 at 5:36 pm
There were plenty of people there last night that enjoyed the show. The Pumpkins are still a solid act.
A few words of advice for you: If you don’t like them, don’t go see them! Perhaps you’ll be more entertained by New Kids on the Block when they start touring again.
August 21st, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Smashing Pumpkins didn’t become shitty and irrelevant until AFTER Melancholy..
August 21st, 2008 at 6:42 pm
JE,
i didn’t go see them, i was just passing comment on a funny looking picture. and i’ll admit it was a lame joke. but lighten up, folks. don’t start acting like the dave mathews bands fans from a few weeks back.
i was really looking forward to the NKOTB show. it’s on my birthday, so i thought it might be a good time. but then deerhoof got booked at crowbar that night… hard choice to make, but i think i’ll pass on the new kids.
August 21st, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Sweet Blahg obviously not into the Pumpkins’ electronica period. Give Adore a chance, it’s a very solid album.
August 21st, 2008 at 9:29 pm
PS, gabe I’m happy at least someone in rock is fuckin’ insane. Everyone is far too cool these days.
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:15 am
CL,
last night, i spoke to a friend who went to the show. she went in with a free ticket and zero expectations and said it was really good; and i’m sure it was. billy has just been a bit loony for a number of years. rock definitely needs is characters, otherwise it’s just boring. though i was never a fan, i almost miss the days when courtney love had a band…
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:27 am
Why Courtney Love? She didn’t do shit!
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:54 am
The show was awesome!! Off course, nothing you could expect as usual with Billy but this is why we like him and why each concert is a unique experience.
I can’t wait for a new show.
August 22nd, 2008 at 11:02 am
CL,
love has been one of the biggest train wrecks in rock music in the last 20 years. i have personally witnessed her throw a tantrum on stage at lollapalooza in 1995. they went over their time limit and the PA got cut off. love freaked out and ripped her dress off. she was just standing there in her undies (no bra) on the jumbotron. not a pretty sight.
August 22nd, 2008 at 11:08 am
Really. What was the point of this post? Hate is a waste
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:16 pm
This post is utter drool.
If this was printed, it would be at the bottom of a bird cage.
Why waste your time and energy to post a lame joke? Do you really think you’re smarter for taking jabs at things? Do you think people think you’re hip because you have such great taste? Consistently putting others down to make yourself feel better is a vicious cycle.
Why not try blogging about something you feel passionately about? Why not try turning others on to these amazing tastes that you have rather than pointing out the flaws you think you see in others?
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
.I bought Adore the day it came out and have heard all the SP releases.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:16 pm
fan of fan,
i never said corgan or SP sucked, i just said they didn’t do it for me. i am very passionate about the fact the corgan has gone off the deep end several time in recent years, and i thought the ill-placed shadow was funny. and believe me, no one thinks i’m hip, not even me. if this was printed and wound up at the bottom of a bird cage, i’d be happy that you recycled our paper. hell, we send out leftovers to the humane society each week to line puppy cages.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:52 pm
“i never said corgan or SP sucked, i just said they didn’t do it for me.”
I never said that you did.
I said that your post was not funny, and negative taboot. I still stand by that. There was nothing productive about it, nor was it even interesting. At best, this would be a blurb in “The Star”.
And for the record, I had never seen that Billy Corgan ad, but for the life of me I can’t figure out what is crazy about it? Seems like a nice marketing move to me. Not only that, but it seems sincere. A lot more personal than a full page picture of the artist or something. I would love to know what you find so crazy about that ad?
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:23 pm
“love has been one of the biggest train wrecks in rock music in the last 20 years. i have personally witnessed her throw a tantrum on stage at lollapalooza in 1995. they went over their time limit and the PA got cut off. love freaked out and ripped her dress off. she was just standing there in her undies (no bra) on the jumbotron. not a pretty sight.”
Can you please tell me what you are finding vaguely nostalgic about this that you “almost miss” that time? I respect eccentricity and being a bit crazy, but only if you’re productive. The only ways Courtney Love has been productive is finding creative means to get herself on Perez Hilton’s website. If you’re nostalgic about things like that you’re missing the entire fucking point.
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:53 am
CL,
I’m talking about a time when perez hilton didn’t exist. love was running around starting fights with sonic youth, bikini kill and the like. and, um, i ironically miss love’s antics. she should have killed herself instead of having cobain killed.
August 23rd, 2008 at 9:01 am
yep, you just confirmed that you’re full of shit.
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:56 pm
CL,
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. dude or dudette, don’t get yr knickers all bunched up over nothing. and yes, i’m so full of it that my eyes are brown.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I’m not taking any of this seriously. Just saying that you sound like a nostalgic fuck.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
….and that’s not my problem.
August 26th, 2008 at 9:10 am
He has lost his mind, completely, he may as well just walk right up to people and put his hands in their pockets and empty them
some of his phony sell out hypocritical no talent douchebaggery must be from hanging out with his hard core porn star friends who know nothing about sex
he has contributed to their rise of fame
basically giving the big fuck you to any actually super talented young girl on earth who would also likely be more attractive, and probably know much more about how sexuality really plays out, if you want to be that shallow about it
here is his sidekick who taught him all these new lessons on life
her name is yochina ochre
they all have gay fantasy names and im not joking hes joined the crappy rock star b movie clan thats into porn and porn stars who use their unskilled low iqs to make proclamations that they are somehow artists
here is yochina
http://www.aphextwin.nu/visuals/wlcalendar/wlcalendar-06.jpg
anyone with a brain knows that you dont film sex acts INSIDE the industry when a human does that you basically sign all your freedom of speech away to the industry
freelance amateur porn is the new way to go
books about sex good ones are the best way to go
thus big hole in head
August 26th, 2008 at 11:40 am
At 2:05 he says the worst things about his peers, whom are not only way more successful than he is but are better at interpersonal skills, relationships and philanthropy.
Not to mention new compositions.
So he is a basher, repeat offender by in gossipy fashion first bashing Thom Yorke for giving away his brilliant album In Rainbows
via the net & now this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pc1s37GY60&feature=related
New music right now is better than it’s ever been in an entire decade, with songs even being written about real world issues. What the hell is he talking about every song sounds the same, thats not very supportive of new talent. Or what has he been listening to?
His old albums inclusive of and before Siamese with the rest of the real band Iha and D arcy are complete masterpieces though, if you can listen to them anymore.
I can’t.
August 26th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
I was at the Pumpkins show but have stayed out of this until now because Gabe’s initial post wasn’t really about the show. I can tell you the show was loud, the performance of “Uniter States” from the new album was the centerpiece of the evening and 10+ minutes of excellent, tear-your-head-off art rock, and the setlist was a terrific, well-paced mix of old classics (”Siva,” “Tonight Tonight”), rarities (”Transformer,” “The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning”) a mini-acoustic set and even some Pink Floyd. Does this mean it was a good show? I thought so, but you might disagree. Who cares?
I’m chiming in now because I think we need to clear up whether the Pumpkins are a different band now that James Iha and D’arcy are gone. I liked them both (Vieuphoria wouldn’t be the same without them!), but remember that Iha and D’arcy almost never played on Pumpkins albums. Go dig up any of your old music mags from the mid-90s and all you’ll find is stories about how Corgan is a control freak, how Corgan plays all the instruments, how Corgan demands you do exactly what he says. You’ll also find that Billy’s main musical connection in the band was with drummer Jimmy C. In this sense, the Zeitgeist album has the same band on it that Siamese Dream did: Jimmy on drums, Corgan on everything else, supporting players (a girl must play bass!) for the tour.
If you don’t like the Smashing Pumpkins, that is fine and dandy. Just don’t pretend you don’t like them because it’s not the “real band.” And for the record, I’m not really a fan anymore. I was a huge fan in the Mellon Collie days, but that was a long time ago. In truth, I’m not sure how I feel about them anymore. I still love the guitar playing but I no longer connect quite as hard with the doom and gloom pervasive in the music. I could blame my dissatisfaction on lineup changes, or I can realize that I’ve also changed and that’s fine.
Either way, it was fun to pop back in on Billy (I haven’t seen him play since 1996) and see what he was up to. Though I don’t really think of myself as a fan anymore, I still have great affection for the head Pumpkinman and I do hope his band comes this way again.
August 26th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Man, I only came here to talk about that crazy Gary character from a few comments ago and Jesus did I go off on a tangent.
So, now, Gary: WTF?
August 26th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
OK, since everyone except me has commented on this post (great work, Gabe) I might as well opine, eh? I saw Smashing Pumpkins once. If memory serves, it was 1997 at the Orange Bowl in Miami and they were one of several bands opening for the Rolling Stones. I walked in a fan of the Pumpkins and left hating ‘em. Sloppy, irritating blasts of noise were augmented by a ass-hanging-out Marylin Manson cameo. “Sorry if that guy offended anyone,” Keith Richards said when the Stones took the stage. They rocked, by the way.
August 26th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
You have to admit, There’s nothing more rock n’ roll than rubbing Marilyn Manson’s disgusting white ass in the faces of those elderly Stones fans.
Oh, and you Wade. All those elderly Stones fans and you.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
loved the kazoo-filled ending
August 26th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
um, yeah… Gary, um… whats up with all that?
August 26th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Perhaps “sugar high” knows who “Gary” is: They both posted comments from the same IP address.