HU Podcast #65: New York, New York 7:25 pm // Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Posted by chris in podcast, tour.trackback
Since none of us could make it to the return of the Smashing Pumpkins to the Metro, we brought on a special guest to give us the full report. The podcast ended up being quite long, so this will be split into two parts, with part two coming next week. In this week’s podcast we talk about the New York show and Matt Pinfield’s interview of Billy Corgan.
Listen to the whole show (49:09)
(download)(iTunes)
Panelists
-Chris, Jill, and special guest Davin
Topics
-We chat with Davin about 8/14/93, seeing the original four, Axl Rose, other bands, and the direction the Pumpkins would have gone in if Jimmy never overdosed in 1996 (without resorting to fanfiction). (18:26)
-Jill reviews the New York show and finally takes me to task for my dislike of Gossamer. (15:40)
-Matt Pinfield interviews Billy, who again reminisces about how he hired Mike Byrne. Plus, we touch on Mike’s blawg post and encounter with LARPers. (7:01)
Song of the Week
-Hummer, New York, NY July 26, 2010
Next week: Davin reviews the Pittsburgh soundcheck and show as well as the Metro benefit concert.
I think Davin says it best…
“Zeitgeist was like the Phantom Menace”
i’m not missing the overall point, i’m not digging the energy he brings to the band, either. it all sounds dynamically flat to me, and it’s a huge noticeable difference to the monstrous dynamic you hear on old school boots.
Yes, he has a ‘hey he could be my bud’ personality that seems extremely relatable, but for me personally that’s not what initially turned me onto this band. but we all love the band for our own various reasons. Billy has won in that he’s found a drummer with a youthful, enthusiastic personality that a lot of the fans seem to be enjoying. for me, personally, i’m a big fan of strong musicianship, and how the band used such strong musicianship to create something incredibly artistic, and separate from it’s peers. Unfortunately, the best musician SP has had is no longer in the band.
also, about zeitgeist being the follow up had jimmy not been fired, hadn’t SP said numerous times that MCIS would be the last heavy record they would put out, long before jimmy got fired?
@Adam: I became a fan who paid close attention to the band right around when Jimmy was fired, so I’m not sure what was said beforehand, but I know afterwards there was a lot of “no more guitar solos”, “no more rock songs”-type talk. It was my first taste of a Billy Corgan sweeping proclamation that is forgotten a year later (for the better, that time).
I remember a lot of the MCIS promo interviews they had said something to that effect several times, where they had band meetings to discuss that MCIS was going to be the last ‘heavy’ sp album, and the last SP album as the public knew them.
Yes, and in that interview had said something to the effect of 1979 being the closest frame of reference.
here’s an interview with jimmy talking about how different the sound was going to be on the next album.
they even started to break from that heavier sound a bit with MCIS, songs like cupid, 1979, beautiful, wocoan, love, etc.
I always view MCIS as the centerpiece record, where a bit of their previous heavier/grandiose/epic sound had been fully developed and showcased, and also a showcase of where their musical future was headed.
nice find rasheed.
*did not mean to include love in that list.*
also i seem to remember a ton of old school line up performances where the band would stretch out into long moments of improvisation (silverfuck, especially during the mellon collie era, drown, siva,) to name a few. lots of free noise improvisation between the guitars, extended jams, and so on. this was always a staple of live SP shows, so that’s why it surprised me when fans started complaining about the performances of ‘set the controls,’ ‘gossamer,’ ‘US’ and so on, seeing as that was a big part of the old school smashing pumpkins live aesthetic. the old school members didn’t stretch out as much as the new ones? Maybe it could be debated that they didn’t stretch out in the same way (jeff tends to shred, where james tends to make sound effects), but the old school members did have their own individual moments to shine. Darcy not so much, she tended to lay down the foundation during those improvisation moments. But I don’t recall Ginger taking any incredible bass solos, minus a few melodic moments.. her bowed playing for set the controls was pretty bad ass, though.
Davin sounds like Jason Segal… just putting it out there
Just about to load up the podcast, but I remember watching the planet rock profile when it was first broadcast… ~memories~
Davin/HU! If you have any pull or any correspondence with SP Management, you’ve gotta get them to come to Madison for the September US tour!!! I don’t even know the last time they were here!!!
WEEN IS AWESOME!
I was really surprised to hear that none of the HU people had ever seen a pre-Arising tour show. I never considered myself a really old school SP fan, but I guess I am.
Indeed Buckeye, explains a lot.
^ No negativity intended.
We’ve seen pre-Arising shows, we just haven’t seen pre-Arising shows with the original 4 members. There were a good 2+ years of shows without Jimmy in there…(I saw Atlanta 11/19/96 and Atlanta 8/4/98)
And by ‘we’ Chris is just referring to me and him — Jason and Andy have both seen pre-Arising, original-lineup shows. My first show was in ’96 as well.
ah, cool. Re-evaluation of HU opinions initiated.
@Drevpile: Ha! I remember the days on amsp when saying that your first show was in 1996 would have branded you a hopeless newbie (read the FAQ!!!). Oh, memories…
Just FYI, I mentioned my full “pre-OD” concert history in Podcast #63 if you want to hear my credentials. ;)
@HU lol. You are all too tru – as if there was any doubt :)
Davin, you accomplished one thing in this ‘cast…the need for me to pull out 12 Angry Months for the first time in awhile. Great album though.
In fact, much better than Zeitgeist IMO.
i love me some summer of boats.
this podcast was at times unlistenable though :(
Here’s my simple explanation for why I like Starla better than Gossamer: Starla’s a better song. Better vocal melody. Better guitar melody… Look, I think a lot of the new material is fantastic. But lets be real, the vast majority of it is simply inferior to what Billy was cranking out in the early to mid 90s. To make comparisons between songs from the two eras just isn’t fair – there are but a hand full of records in HISTORY that match those earlier works.
And so this notion that if you like Starla (or XYU or TAFH or Silverfuck), you should also like Gossamer and Superchrist because they’re all long rock dirges is kind of bogus. I totally understand, for instance, why somebody would like Bodies and not Gossamer… Because Bodies is a freakin’ great song!
I get HU’s politically correct stance toward the reformed band, but I think it’s appropriate at times to say, “This just isn’t that great.” I feel like Billy’s getting there, though, and like he said in a recent interview, guys that keep plugging away have another “period.”
Long, incoherent rant over. Great pod, guys. As usual.
Gossamer eats Starla alive. Period. Bodies is better though. By the way, cant wait for ‘As Rome Burns’.
Live improv/strectched spacejams were definitely always a part SP from Gish (I Am One rant anyone?)to now. They mentioned many times that “1979″ was going to be a new direction. I think Adore wouldn’t (shouldn’t) have been all that changed, other than some arrangements being closer to the Arising arrangements(possibly).
@Chaja “Rome” is a monster. Feel the same about “When The Cocks Crow.”
yeah. absolutely. love that song too. especially the riff.
Starla and Gossamer are too different to compare imo…
Davin is pretty cool…an old skool hipster.
~d.