I deleted a section where I go into SP a bit more musically. I love Siamese Dream and (most of) Mellon Collie, but it really was the start of a different band. Billy's vocals pushed up front, more overt, lyrically, etc. I like that band too, but not as much as the one on Gish.
I do have a few Billy Corgan thoughts… though they’re pretty much the same thoughts you have. I think your most on-point observation is that the band would be much much more interesting if we knew (a lot) less about what he thinks about absolutely everything. He’s a guy who can’t get out of his own way and leave some things unsaid, and banal drivel is the last thing you want from someone you look up to. If only social media had waited a little longer to be born. But… while I understand not giving two shits, I still think we owe him at least one shit, if only as a box-checking exercise. In other words, I feel it’s my duty to always give him the benefit of the doubt, musically speaking, because of the countless hours of joy he (and the other two) gave me. Regardless, it IS entertaining to watch him wordsmith the act of doing what he so rigidly said he would never do - trying to give fans what they actually want at the cost of his self-aggrandized artistic integrity.
I’m enjoying GIFT, and I’m excited to dig into Magdalena Bay, based on your recommendation and on how much Sally and I both love Death & Romance.
Box-checking is exactly it. But It's half-hearted, at best.
I think the thing that helps unlock Magdalena Bay is that the two of them used to be in a prog rock band. They were called Tabula Rasa--not great, but interesting. But they're bringing a prog mentality to pop/dance music, in terms of musicality, world-building, etc.
I’m going to kidnap Christian Finnegan and make him write musical synopses for me and only me. I will lock them in the makeshift “opry” I’ve constructed in my basement and they will transfix me with an abundance of humourous yet on-point pithiness. This is how it shall be, each and every night, from now until the end of my days.
Okay, Billy Corgan thoughts. My ex-wife lived in Chicago way back in the day, where she ended up in a therapy group that also included a couple named Billy and Courtney. (Yup.) She says they went at each other all the time and no one else could get a word in. This says it all. Also, I dug it when the Pumpkins played Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” when I saw them at the Chicago Theater in (?)2012. Both things can be true at the same time.
Wait wait wait, as in COURTNEY Courtney? I wasn't aware they dated long enough to be in any sort of couple's therapy. Then again, knowing those two personalities...
I know I presented it like it was couples therapy, but the way my ex told it, it was a cheap therapy group for artists. So I guess it was during the (first) time they were together but was supposed to be about issues others than relationships. I have to add, I’m giving you this secondhand, with the understanding that I am legally proscribed from calling my ex-wife a liar. But the place and time fit what other facts I can ascertain.
Billy has the same bottled rage and speaking voice as George Lucas. Would love to watch the two of them try to assemble IKEA furniture without the directions.
For me it’s Gish - timeless, massive, era-defining - and then everything else. Do I like Smashing Pumpkins? No. Do I like Gish? Fuck yes.
I deleted a section where I go into SP a bit more musically. I love Siamese Dream and (most of) Mellon Collie, but it really was the start of a different band. Billy's vocals pushed up front, more overt, lyrically, etc. I like that band too, but not as much as the one on Gish.
Shake Your Rump has 8,000 samples 😂
I do have a few Billy Corgan thoughts… though they’re pretty much the same thoughts you have. I think your most on-point observation is that the band would be much much more interesting if we knew (a lot) less about what he thinks about absolutely everything. He’s a guy who can’t get out of his own way and leave some things unsaid, and banal drivel is the last thing you want from someone you look up to. If only social media had waited a little longer to be born. But… while I understand not giving two shits, I still think we owe him at least one shit, if only as a box-checking exercise. In other words, I feel it’s my duty to always give him the benefit of the doubt, musically speaking, because of the countless hours of joy he (and the other two) gave me. Regardless, it IS entertaining to watch him wordsmith the act of doing what he so rigidly said he would never do - trying to give fans what they actually want at the cost of his self-aggrandized artistic integrity.
I’m enjoying GIFT, and I’m excited to dig into Magdalena Bay, based on your recommendation and on how much Sally and I both love Death & Romance.
Box-checking is exactly it. But It's half-hearted, at best.
I think the thing that helps unlock Magdalena Bay is that the two of them used to be in a prog rock band. They were called Tabula Rasa--not great, but interesting. But they're bringing a prog mentality to pop/dance music, in terms of musicality, world-building, etc.
One and only Billy Corgan thought:
His cameo in The Muppets Mayhem was top tier Muppets cameo stuff, which is a tough tier to break into.
There are worse ways to judge celebrities than Muppet Adjacency.
I’m going to kidnap Christian Finnegan and make him write musical synopses for me and only me. I will lock them in the makeshift “opry” I’ve constructed in my basement and they will transfix me with an abundance of humourous yet on-point pithiness. This is how it shall be, each and every night, from now until the end of my days.
I'm ready. Come get me.
Okay, Billy Corgan thoughts. My ex-wife lived in Chicago way back in the day, where she ended up in a therapy group that also included a couple named Billy and Courtney. (Yup.) She says they went at each other all the time and no one else could get a word in. This says it all. Also, I dug it when the Pumpkins played Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” when I saw them at the Chicago Theater in (?)2012. Both things can be true at the same time.
Wait wait wait, as in COURTNEY Courtney? I wasn't aware they dated long enough to be in any sort of couple's therapy. Then again, knowing those two personalities...
I know I presented it like it was couples therapy, but the way my ex told it, it was a cheap therapy group for artists. So I guess it was during the (first) time they were together but was supposed to be about issues others than relationships. I have to add, I’m giving you this secondhand, with the understanding that I am legally proscribed from calling my ex-wife a liar. But the place and time fit what other facts I can ascertain.
That makes more sense, but I am 100% not surprised that they would absolutely dominate the conversation.
That GIFT tune/album is right up my alley! Thanks for sharing!
Excellent! That's literally what I'm here for!
Billy has the same bottled rage and speaking voice as George Lucas. Would love to watch the two of them try to assemble IKEA furniture without the directions.
Dude, this is greatest TV pitch of all time.
Love the pumpkins, but Billy has been a total creepy guy with ladies for a long time. Including awkward interviews with female Chicago WGN news.
Hate to say it, but that tracks.
Love _julie_ and GIFT. Jury still out on Magdalena Bay, but I admire your enthusiasm at our advanced age.
Thanks. I'm seeing Magdalena Bay live in a few weeks and I fully expect to get weird looks.