May 08, 2008 - Pumpkins plans for the rest of 2008

Original article and VIDEO can be found HERE

The Smashing Pumpkins, fresh off being inducted into Hollywood's Rockwalk, show no signs of slowing down in 2008. After the much talked about reunion of Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain, who brought out new members Jeff Schroeder, Lisa Harriton and Ginger Reyes for a Smashing Pumpkins tour in 2007, the band are currently working on a documentary of their small club reunion tour. The small club reunion tour, which featured multiple night runs in Ashville, North Carolina and at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco, California, showcased The Smashing Pumpkins new lineup performing songs from their extensive catalog, songs from the band's latest album 'Zeitgeist' and a certain amount of improvisation in each set list.

We caught up with Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain to get their thoughts on staying very busy in 2008.

"Right now we got a lot up in the air. We're working on a DVD that's sort of a documentary of our residency Fillmore shows. We're going to put out hopefully some of our early demos for Christmas, probably put out a new Pumpkins single with new Pumpkins in the fall and then do a fall tour and then we start putting out a new Pumpkins album probably beginning next year."

Billy Corgan also talked about the documentary capturing the bands surprise at some of the crowd reactions to the bands small club reunion tour.

"It was interesting because we didn't do what you would've expected us to do coming back after seven years. We decided to play these small shows and also write new songs while we were doing it and play lots of different songs from our catalog and we were met head on by the new American audience that just basically wants greatest hits. So it was a very interesting dynamic. It kind of surprised us and the documentary we're making actually sort of charts the progress of our sort of optimism to the shows going in to sort of being surprised and shocked by some of the reactions we were getting and then the songs that came out of that process. It's not a bad thing because the world is changing and I think we were sort of blind sided a little bit by the world that we're living in now. Which I think now we're totally acclimated to. It doesn't shock us at all but at the time was sort of surprising."

The Smashing Pumpkins will mark their 20th anniversary this September with a special series of shows in New York, Los Angeles and their native Chicago. Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain say they want to make each show special and they plan to have special guests at each show. The Smashing Pumpkins are also currently suing Virgin Records over the labels use of the band's music in a recent Pepsi ad. The lawsuit demands that Virgin pay the band the profits that were earned in the campaign, and asks for an injunction against using the Pumpkins' name or music in the future.

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Rating: 5.0/5 (25 votes cast)

Because...
Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - 4:27 pm - Glassperlen
...as history (of times, literature and arts) teaches us, classic can not be recreated. Classic is classic and belongs to the past. The longer classic you remain, the more in the past you fall, blind, unable to explore yourself as an artist or art itself at its borders and selfish to the world around you, as it is our natural cause to change, to seak, to create.

I understand for many of us it was and maybe still remains a difficulty to follow the new musical ways this band is paving for what i foresee, some future 'classics'.
Personally i 'grew up' with music of this band since my 12 (am now 28), i experienced its ups and downs, i love the classics, however i would really be disappointed if it remained to that.
The new album is a fresh musical air; the more i listen, the more i begin to understand it and making it 'mine' in my own ways...I adore Superchrist; (i know some of you will find idiotic)it is from my point of view one of the best pumpkin-long-guitar-jam-songs (with its fantastic drum playing) i have ever experienced from this band! HOWEVER: just a personal opinion. Anything new takes time to get 'established' in the minds of ppl, it's a matter of taste and interpretion..."in" or "out", what matters is that they are "on" again!!! Thumbs up!

Greeds and Peace on board...
Perlen of Glass

Help!!!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - 8:50 am - ThisName
I hope their next album is heavier, and if it [and always does] has soft or upbeat songs on it "please make them as good as others like 'by starlight' 'luna' and '1979'. Why doesn't Billy Corgan think he can recreate classic music??? I need an answer! with love ( ;

Special series of shows ?
Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - 1:11 am - 180etops
Why not include one special show in europe.
Pleaaaaaaaaaasssssssseeeeeeee !

For all your European fans that can't afford a ticket to the US.


Guilt trip..... Is it working??? .....

:-P

Smashing Pumpkins version 2.0
Friday, May 9, 2008 - 11:33 pm - kiwikarl
My View on the SP v2.0
New line up,same name new band. Old Line up dead endangered species list. Fresh start Fresh Music. Glory days revisited not reliving them.
Residency tours... Playing together to master each others talents. Master new songs and revisit inspiration with old classics. Band to grow as a unit and see what cogs mesh, what works and does not work. Use all of these experiences to create and inspire new work, Write songs and play them the next day .Residency tour is not a greatest hit tour, old line up reunion. Fans all yelling b side MCIS SD on every interlude every break to me = frustration.
Expectations of band..... New band new songs new influence new beginning
Bands reaction New band play the old stuff?????? ok new stuff is better in arrangement and environmental stimulation i am confused. Every show this happens more frustration
Billy being Billy lets the emotions show and words flow.
For those who are frustrated by the comments put your self in BC and JC shoes for a minute and think about what they are trying to achieve and the reactions they have experienced. My opinion is that it would be frustrating trying to please every single member of a crowd with one of the biggest collections of work from any band and trying to create a new identity, after 7 years in the dark and no way of being able to release your thoughts with the labels hounding you for every inch of sweat and blood in your body. Trying so hard to be accepted in new ventures and being told all the way Its not the SP why bother dude. Try to get the band together again to start again after losing yourself your dreams and a life that was so hard to build to be not accepted when being told this is what you have to do by the public and media.
Frusssssstration !!!!!!
No need to agree with me it is only my thoughts and opinion.


Looking forward to SP V2.01
Going to buy the DVD if it comes Down Under and hope all those going to the shows think about how lucky they are when thousands of fans around the world would sell their soul to be in your shoes.

Why oh why?
Friday, May 9, 2008 - 9:36 pm - Fabiness
do i have to be so far away from all of this?

I swear if i can get a ticket for the Fall tour, i will go to Chicago.

I want to be able to listen to a lot of new material and other versions of old songs because i just get bombed by the media and the advertisements and what i can see in myspace, wich makes it so impersonal, living in Costa Rica makes it a bit difficult...just a bit... It would be great if at any point members of SP could make a series of workshops to teach fans to play the guitar, bass, drums or keyboards. Would be fun to share with them that way and get to know people..... i´m dreaming but to dream is to be fully alive.

I flew out at 5 a.m. and slept on cement for Filmore
Friday, May 9, 2008 - 4:50 pm - JustinReeves
I went to the show on July the 18th and I had a ball and loved the set list. I for one liked hearing a few hits live, but I was more interested in Gossamer and Death From Above, and Neverlost. My only dissapointment in the show was that there were too many hits and not enough Zeitgeist involved. The deep cuts are where it's at. There needs to be a test administered to people buying tickets to shows like this.
1. Where were you when Adore came out?
2. Are your top 3 favorite Pumpkin's songs all singles?
3. Were you one of those idiots who screamed out "Mayonaise" or "Disarm" from the crowd when Zwan or Solo Billy were touring?
I feel these questions would weed out the fair weather fans who just want Today, Mayonaise, and Bullet. Don't get me wrong, these songs all own, but the Pumpkins are NOW, not 15 years ago. I can't wait to see the DVD, and I can't wait to hear what else Billy and Jimmy have in store for us this year.

Agreement
Friday, May 9, 2008 - 1:20 pm - svenmoravec
I agree with gotagibson. I stayed in San Fran, traveled from Chicago, for a month for the sole purpose of seeing the Pumpkins mulitple times. I was not dissapointed by hearing all the wonderful new works of art as well as the new songs that came out of the residency. I was not there for the 'hits', I was there to see them play whatever they wanted to. The Pumpkins live is always an adventure. The fans should not dictate what is played in concert nor be upset when they dont play what they wanted to hear. Music is art.

Sven Moravec
Aurora, IL
Paramount Theatre

Greatest hits?
Friday, May 9, 2008 - 11:19 am - gotagibson
Man, is anyone else who made several trips to the Fillmore last Summer offended by this comment? I wouldn't have put 1300 miles on my car between 5 trips to San Francisco, spending money I didn't have, if I was only going to hear "the hits". It actually helps me understand why Billy seemed to be in such a foul mood during those few weeks... apparently he hadn't relearned out how to read a crowd yet. I guess now I'm not really looking forward to a documentary DVD that's going to slam all of us who were there as "Greatest Hits Fans." Yipee.

I am really looking forward to the residency DVDs
Friday, May 9, 2008 - 11:16 am - themadcaplaughs
Don't think for a second that we have forgotten about that DVD of the December 2nd, 2000 Metro Show, but this is pretty cool too! The residency shows, particularly the ones at the Organge Peel had some intense performances with some songs we have not heard since: particularly the new songs.

Wonderful
Friday, May 9, 2008 - 8:46 am - harlowivy
All of this news simply makes me smile...over and over again Please come back to Toronto, we love you!

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