DeRo muses: Black Sunshine/White Crosses is “story arc”
November 19th, 2008 by jjbtags: jim derogatis, tour, billy corgan
While other Chicago music writers (including friend and rival Greg Kot at the Chicago Tribune) have weighed in this morning with first-night reviews ranging from negative to worshipful, Jim DeRogatis has clearly been the most interested of the bunch in the return of the Smashing Pumpkins — and with a followup blog post this morning, he’s the most interesting as well.
The veteran analyst dives in where others have feared or failed to tread, putting out perhaps the most plausible explanation of this tour that anyone (fan or critic) has yet offered. His entire post is a must-read, but here is the center of it:
[M]y guess is that night one links up with night two (”White Crosses”) to form a two-part story arc tracing, I dunno, his band’s journey from hard-rocking, optimistic early days (it all began with “Everybody Clap Your Hands,” remember, and “Siva” came early on, too) through painful darkness and turbulent destruction (”Superchrist”/”United States”) to his beloved band being reduced to a mere automated facsimile of a superstar rock group (”Heavy Metal Machine”). As a result, the musicians turn bitter and angry and decide to punish their fans with the most extreme noise and tweeness they can deliver (”Set the Controls,” followed by the kazoos).
Then things move toward the white light again (”White Crosses”) and the artistes find their spiritual center and Pumpkins Mach II prevail at the end of night two. Or something like that.
Why, if almost everyone has hated this tortured routine on earlier tour stops, does Corgan persist with it? The man has never been anything less than 100-percent committed (and some say that he should BE committed) to his grand conceptual conceits, even when no one understands or likes them.
November 19th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Great find, Jason. This article is pretty fascinating because I think DeRo’s finally proving that he ‘gets it’ about the band.
He ends the article with the question of why Billy would do this to his fans and to himself, but didn’t that question get answered in your post from yesterday? That Corgan thrives off being contentious?
This explanation of a story arc really narrates the tour well; but where do they go from here?
reC: “thinking 1902″
November 19th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
But that comment is from 2000, isn’t it? About thriving on being contentious? So what about the time during the poetry readings and TheFutureEmbrace when Billy was all peace and love and patience and understanding and sweetness and light, when he wasn’t going to “celebrate the shadowy things anymore”?
I’ve had my own pet theory on the whole thing, since the day he suddenly announced in the paper that he was going to revive the Pumpkins, based on something he said in the Sound Opinions interview on the TFE release date, but it’s too early for me to see if it’s got any validity or not.
November 19th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
please get off Jim DeRo’s dick. just because he has posted a couple fair reviews…not even that great, just fair……doesn’t mean you need to fall over yourselves beleiving a bullshit theory about the structure of the show.
he says he doesn’t unerstand the Great Pumpkin but then proceeds to dissect the “story” of his setlist? that makes no sense. its also really convenient that we can just skip over songs that make no sense to this supposed “story arc”. there’s more songs that don’t support the theory than songs that do. he’s reaching.
but its an interesting talking point, i’ll give you (and Jim) that. i just think its complete bullshit and another snatch & grab attempt at credibility on his part.
November 19th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
melabonbon: But that comment is from 2000, isn’t it? About thriving on being contentious? So what about the time during the poetry readings and TheFutureEmbrace when Billy was all peace and love and patience and understanding and sweetness and light, when he wasn’t going to “celebrate the shadowy things anymore”?
I think you are right that the between-SPs period wasn’t contentious, but that doesn’t mean that the quote isn’t relevant to today. Realize that in 2000 all Billy had known was performing as “the Smashing Pumpkins”, and I agree with DeRogatis when he says how that name is significant:
November 19th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Davin, you should stick a dick in your mouth and shut the fuck up for a while. You’re just a kid saying silly things…let the adults talk, you know?
November 20th, 2008 at 5:29 am
Self-Respecting Brain,
I liked that bullshit post you wrote. What was it called? ‘Stick A Dick In Your Mouth and Shut the Fuck Up For A While.’ That was a big hit on Netphoria.
November 20th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
lol. You just proved what I said, dimwit. Smart of you to take the bait.
November 22nd, 2008 at 12:51 am
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November 26th, 2008 at 6:24 am
proved what you said? take the bait? hardly.
in keeping with your accusation, what i posted was a reference to Billy’s childish comments from the NYC show. not a serious reply.