Chicago-based group lazily rants at its diminishing audience
November 20th, 2008 by jjbtags: shitshow, pitchfork, amusing, criticism
Poor setlist choices, awful-sounding music, and confounding sartorial decisions mixed with heavy doses of audience mockery: These are the reports we’ve been getting about the Smashing Pumpkins‘ “20th Anniversary Tour”, and guesses at Billy Corgan’s motivations can only confuse and infuriate.
That would be Pitchfork’s Dave Maher, hyperlinking his way into an hilariously intense fury at Billy Corgan instead of walking down the street to cover the Chicago Theatre shows. After (maybe) watching a YouTube clip and (probably) reading the Rolling Stone and Fluxblog concert reviews, Maher denounced the tour as a “shitshow” (what?), claimed that Corgan had “lashed out at his band’s fans” with an “outburst”, called Zeitgeist “mediocre”, said the band was “meandering into formless noise jams”, accused Corgan of “ruining people’s nostalgic fondness” for the Pumpkins, said Corgan was “cashing in”, and called Corgan “crazy”.
Can you explain this, Dave? Why all the anger?
Personally, I don’t buy that this intentional audience befuddling is some kind of pure pursuit of an artistic muse. It seems like the flailing around of an artist who has declined and is unwilling to face that truth even when his own fans proclaim it so by their reactions to his art.
You may be on to something there…
November 20th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
I just wrote Dave Maher an email bout that post. We’ll see if he responds.
November 20th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
*applause*
Well done Jason, you found a way to use that article after all.
I’ve learned that Pitchfork is only good for one thing: learning new, pretentious words like “staid”, as well as learning how words like befuddling and meandering can be used to describe a fucking rock concert.
PitchforkMedia: Trumping your literature class since 1995
November 20th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Thanks again for the link, Jonathan. :)
November 20th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
OH NOES! A bunch of elitist indie kids don’t like SP? What else is new?
November 20th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
All i can say is that I am sorry, as a pumpkins fan, for even putting up that Video on You tube of his rant. After it hitting over 18,000 views I finally realized I can disable it from embedding and comments.
I have disabled it from being embedded, hoping that it wont go on to all these other fucking hipster blogs who dont get music as an art form and the bizarre genius and idiosyncrasies of Billy Corgan.
I would much rather have a singer songwriter is who not only hooked on his ego but also so true to himself that he defends himself as he offends critics and fans, rather than some shitty indie piece of shit “front man” who is hooked on drugs and a complete mess.
I uploaded that video for fans on the message boards and in the pumpkins community to discuss, and i guess I never realized that dicks like pitchfork and stereogum would even take notice. Sorry to the band, sorry to the fans.
November 20th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Someone said this in another blog and I agree with him. “If Corgan is pissing these guys off, he’s doing something right.”
November 20th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
You shouldn’t have done that, cara. A move like that makes us look bad.
That video spoke for itself. While Pitchfork can label it as an “outburst”, people can see for themselves that it is more the artist leveling with his audience and fans.
Plus, its still playing cept with your message flashing every here and there.
November 20th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Carapatricia, I think it sucks that you’re disabling comments and disallowing embedding of your video. You never had anything to apologize for, the internet is for people to express opinions. Now that you’ve taken your video and limited it’s accessiblity; well, that you should apologize for.
November 20th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
With all this backlash and train wreck and myself bashing corgan at times i still cant stop listening to the new songs and the live shows!! SP is a drug bad but you want it more and more!!
November 20th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
It’s still playing, cept with the message, “Screw Pitchfork/Stereogum/etc. Billy doesn’t play for you, get it?”.
Just change it a bit. How bout “Indie sites (Pitchfork/Stereogum/etc) don’t speak for Pumpkin fans”? That’s a more defiant stance than the other message, which make us sound like fanatics or apologist.
That’s the major issue here, right? They act like they’re a mouthpiece for us, when they’re not.
November 20th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
^ respect the Brain, people
rC: “ex- heavy”
November 20th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
as awkward as it was to be there on Tuesday during the rant, it was still one of the most honest moments I’ve witnessed during a concert(even if some think it was done on purpose to get a reaction out of the fans). In a very strange way, it made sense that he would act this way for their first show in Chicago in almost 8 years
November 21st, 2008 at 12:30 am
Cherub Angel: Someone said this in another blog and I agree with him. “If Corgan is pissing these guys off, he’s doing something right.”
You got it. Pitchforkmedia is not the barometer of cool or relevant.
November 21st, 2008 at 1:14 am
Ha! Gotta love the title of this post.
RC: alls straggly, neither of which are real words. what gives??
November 21st, 2008 at 1:52 am
I basically disabled comments because i got 400 EMAILS alerting me to the comments. they can comment on whatever asshole blog they saw the vid on.
I think i will change the tag to that.. indie sites dont speak for pumpkins fans.
November 21st, 2008 at 1:53 am
Listening to the official recording of Toronto Night 2… I don’t know how even a casual listener couldn’t get something out of this.