thanks.

Quote :

"The SMASHING PUMPKINS' guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member Billy Corgan has announced that drummer Jimmy Chamberlin has left the group. Chamberlin joined the band Corgan founded in Chicago in 1988 and played on all their albums except Adore (1998). Corgan will continue to write and record as SMASHING PUMPKINS with plans to head into the studio this spring."

Jimmy's words:

Quote :

"I will say, without going into any unnecessary details that this represents a positive move forward for me. I can no longer commit all of my energy into something that I don't fully possess. I won't pretend I'm into something I'm not. I won't do it to myself, you the fan, or my former partner. I can't just, "Cash the check" so to speak. Music is my life. It is sacred. It deserves the highest commitment at every level and the Pumpkins are certainly no different. I'm sorry but it really IS that simple. There is no drama, bad blood, or anything else but a full commitment to music. My best goes out to Billy and I'm glad he has chosen to continue under the name. It is his right. I will continue to make music with the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex as well as pursuing other musical interests. I feel that I have a long way to go and a lot to give "

3/24/2009 6:37:57 PM

Not even Jimmy can tolerate Billy anymore.

3/24/2009 6:39:43 PM

Billy shouldnt continue on as SP, in my opinion they are done again.

3/25/2009 12:58:13 PM

agreed. at least with jimmy I could justify them still being under the name smashing pumpkins. Now I dont think I can do that.

3/25/2009 1:22:56 PM

I actually liked the new material and members. It's going to seem weird without Jimmy though.

Maybe Billy played the bongos for 30 mins at every show on this last tour like he did in Raleigh, and Jimmy just decided to not be part of that garbage anymore. Jimmy seems like he wants to make quality music for the fans, and overall I get the sense that he's much nicer than Billy. Billy thinks Smashing Pumpkins is more popular than the NBA, tax returns, sex, and (insert globally popular thing here).

I'll still listen to their new releases, and probably give their live show one more chance (i've said this before lol) but damn Billy, fix this shit and stop being a dick.

3/25/2009 1:54:45 PM

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Jimmy got a second chance after the Melvoin incident, and considering he's a much better drummer than Billy is a guitarist, he's going to use every bit of the talent that he has. Seems like the new sludge-metal SP songs don't have room for Jimmy to really stretch out.

3/25/2009 1:58:48 PM

awww Corgan is by himself again ....booo! I like SP with Iha anyway. I personally adore Iha, but his new project with hanson sucks!! I can't believe that he did it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6psmPQaueE0

3/25/2009 3:10:46 PM

I really enjoyed a lot of the songs on their new album. And a handful of the ones that have some out in the meantime are pretty damn good, too. Billy always was and still is SP. His ego and his talent ran the band, and all the other guys were pretty much just there for live performances.

3/25/2009 3:19:01 PM

^you could make that case for Iha and Darcy, but Jimmy, no way. Jimmy also was SP. Sure, Adore didnt have him, and it was a good record, but it didnt try to stick to the same style they had been pursuing at the time, plus it had 2 other original members. Im pretty sure BC cant play drums too.

3/26/2009 2:59:03 PM

Well that sucks. I kind of agree that, even though Corgan was the man behind so much of what SP was, if he's the only remaining member it just doesn't seem right to keep on under the name.

Glad I got to see them at the Virgin festival in 2007 while I had the chance...

3/26/2009 3:07:23 PM

^^thats pretty much how I feel too. Out of anyone that has been involved with SP over their career, Jimmy was easily the 2nd most important. Obviously I liked Iha and wish he came back too but Jimmy's style is obvious to me, even as a non-drummer. He was an important piece and from what I could tell, Billy and Jimmy's creativity fed well off each other.

[Edited on March 26, 2009 at 3:07 PM. Reason : ]

3/26/2009 3:07:41 PM

Billy Corgan is the smashing pumpkins period, everyone else was just along for the ride

3/26/2009 4:18:13 PM

Quote :

"Billy Corgan is the smashing pumpkins period, everyone else was just along for the ride"

If this were true, one would think that Billy could have managed to make a good album in the last ten years.

3/27/2009 1:39:52 AM

^what does that even mean?

there's only been 2 albums in the last 10 years, and the only band member not present on either was d'arcy. so you're saying d'arcy was the genius behind the success of previous albums?

everyone knows billy = SP. just because you don't like the recent album and maybe machina, that doesn't mean they weren't good/successful.

while i agree that jimmy is an amazing drummer, i'm fairly confident that someone else can take up the reins.

3/27/2009 3:46:39 AM

I'm counting albums that Billy was primarily responsible for. So that includes Machina, Mary Star of the Sea, The Future Embrace, and Zeitgeist.

Even if Billy=SP, he's totally lost his touch.

3/27/2009 11:16:21 AM

The useless drag of another day
The endless drags of a death rock boy
Mascara sure and lipstick lost
Glitter burned by restless thoughts
Of being forgotten

And in your sad machines
Youll forever stay
Desperate and displeased - with whoever you are
And youre a star

Somewhere - he pulls his hair down - over a frowning smile
A hidden diamond you cannot find
A secret star that cannot shine over to you




[Edited on March 27, 2009 at 11:30 AM. Reason : bye jimmy ]

3/27/2009 11:24:41 AM

i'm glad the recession as brought back every band that split up during the 90s. nothing like global economic downturn to help us relive shit we should have put down years ago.

3/27/2009 11:52:32 AM

^^ love that song. I really like the mood of the solo in that one

3/27/2009 12:17:06 PM

for some reason i find myself listening to the Smashing Pumpkins a lot when it rains

3/27/2009 2:46:24 PM

3/27/2009 2:58:21 PM

Quote :

"while i agree that jimmy is an amazing drummer, i'm fairly confident that someone else can take up the reins."

did you see SP with kenny aronoff? i did. not even close.

3/27/2009 3:08:41 PM

kenny aronoff is a phenomenal drummer, but he is not a pumpkins style drummer. i actually did a clinic with kenny back when i was 12 and he was doign stuff with Aerosmith .he's definitely a studio drummer, and i found his live performances pretty boring.

[Edited on March 27, 2009 at 3:30 PM. Reason : .]

3/27/2009 3:30:07 PM

Quote :

"I'm counting albums that Billy was primarily responsible for. So that includes Machina, Mary Star of the Sea, The Future Embrace, and Zeitgeist. Even if Billy=SP, he's totally lost his touch."

You clearly don't understand how Billy Corgan operates. Billy was pretty much the only one who played anything but drums in the Siamese Dream recording sessions; he's primarily responsible for just about everything he touches, because he's a perfectionist micromanaging control freak. I don't even really mean that in a bad way, that's just how it is. You can't really give D'arcy or James much credit for Siamese Dream, because when you put that CD on, what you're really hearing is Billy, Billy, Billy, and Jimmy.

3/27/2009 3:30:50 PM

^ that is completely true

D'Arcy is not even heard on Siamese Dream

everyone knows that the Smashing Pumpkins, at heart, is Billy Corgan. That's who most will immediately identify with. But the whole thing about members leaving (here and there) only takes away from the mystique of the band as a whole. To me, the Smashing Pumpkins have always been a band of individual fucked up puzzle pieces that came together in one way or another to make the most unique and honest sound. I don't care if Billy records every single note of a record himself, or if the rest of the band does or not. After so many years, I still see the Pumpkins as a whole, and not just Billy.

that's what is so different to me.

[Edited on March 27, 2009 at 3:48 PM. Reason : .]

3/27/2009 3:34:51 PM

Quote :

"You clearly don't understand how Billy Corgan operates."

Of course Billy is a "perfectionist micromanaging control freak." I know this.

But you can't deny that something has been wrong/missing for a decade now. I don't know what we want to attribute that to, but the fact of the matter is that Billy has been making crappy music for the last ten years - right about the time that the original lineup of the band started to fall apart.

I never thought I would see the day that I was getting lectured about my favorite band.

3/27/2009 3:49:28 PM

At some point, creative people can run out of good ideas. For a lot of groups, this happens after the first or second album, leading to the ever-popular catchphrase, "I like their old stuff better." Maybe the well is finally starting to run dry for Billy, but I'm not quite so sure. Personally, I love Mary Star of the Sea and think it's a brilliant album; it was nice to hear something a bit more sunny coming out of Billy for a change.

But then, I think what it was was that he had a fresh new concept and was able to milk a great album from it. Then he realized that he can only run so far with the Zwan concept. The Smashing Pumpkins is what's most comfortable for him to fall back on, so he did that with Zeitgeist. The problem is that the break from SP didn't mean that all of a sudden he had new inspiration to put into Zeitgeist, and it ended up turning into a mediocre album with a few high points instead of something really solid.

But to say the past decade has been crappy isn't really fair. He hasn't been putting out the same Smashing Pumpkins sound we all came to expect, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been good. It's just been different. Personally, and I'm probably quite weird in this regard, I listen to Adore more than any other Smashing Pumpkins album these days--it's grown on me to the point where I really enjoy the more experimental nature and toned-down, emotional qualities of it. I think there's some great stuff scattered around the Machina and Machina II albums, too. I can't say I was huge on The Future Embrace though, so I'll give you that.

It seems to me like Billy has been struggling with inspiration for a while now and is having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he might not be able to crack this nut through sheer force of ego this time.

3/27/2009 6:12:01 PM

Quote :

"The useless drag of another day The endless drags of a death rock boy Mascara sure and lipstick lost Glitter burned by restless thoughts Of being forgotten And in your sad machines Youll forever stay Desperate and displeased - with whoever you are And youre a star Somewhere - he pulls his hair down - over a frowning smile A hidden diamond you cannot find A secret star that cannot shine over to you "

dude, that is perhaps my most favorite pumpkin song evar.

nice.

Quote :

"Maybe Billy played the bongos for 30 mins at every show on this last tour like he did in Raleigh, and Jimmy just decided to not be part of that garbage anymore."

def agree with this

[Edited on March 27, 2009 at 6:29 PM. Reason : damnit billy]

3/27/2009 6:13:53 PM