Activision put out a press release this morning that validates the first version of Ardent Studios’ post on “G.L.O.W.”:

The Smashing Pumpkins, one of rock’s defining and most acclaimed bands who’ve sold over 30 million albums, is coming to Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero(R) World Tour in a ground- breaking way as the band will debut their new single “G.L.O.W.” exclusively in the game. This marks the first time a band has recorded a new song exclusively for the franchise which will be released afterwards, giving Guitar Hero(R) fans exclusive access to Smashing Pumpkins music before anyone else. The new track, bundled with two other rocking Smashing Pumpkins hits, “1979″ and “The Everlasting Gaze,” will be available post-launch of the game as a three-song downloaded content pack.

Additionally, on-disc with the release of Guitar Hero World Tour this fall, The Smashing Pumpkins’ singer, songwriter and lead guitarist Billy Corgan will appear as an in-game character and will bring with him “Today,” the band’s smash hit from their pivotal and four-times platinum 1993 album Siamese Dream.

Activision’s site lists the game as planned for release between October and December. The Wikipedia entry for the game mentions an “expected” release date of October 26. Assuming the new rocking Smashing Pumpkins hit track does arrive “post-launch of the game”, it could be November before we hear it.

Lots of great visuals here — and do not stop watching until the very end.

There’s an interview with Billy that is hacked into tiny pieces, of which these are the most notable I think (hopefully the energy-drink-slammin’ quick-cut editing didn’t remove relevant context!):

Coming here to Neversoft, it really reminds me of the old days with the label. There’s a lot of energy in the building, people are really excited, they love the images of rock and roll, they love the music, they’re looking for songs that will challenge the people playing the game… “Guitar Hero”, right now, represents music that people actually listen to. I’m just totally overjoyed that they want our music in the game, that they asked me to be a part of the game…

“…can you hear the Guitar Hero?” she asks.

Stage banter (mp3) from the Raleigh show:

We’re happy to be here with you tonight. Of course, we’re missing the badminton final…Michael Phelps going for his 900th medal…and by the way, I fucking hate Bob Costas, okay? Fuck Bob Costas. [cheering] Why do I have to deal with Bob Costas’s Olympic vision? That’s what I want to know. I just want to watch the fuckin’ Olympics. Bob Costas…plus, he’s from St. Louis, that pretty much seals it right there…the Cardinals…anyway, I’d like to introduce the band. On the geetar…

Dan Russo of Memphis’s Ardent Studios, where the new Smashing Pumpkins single “G.L.O.W.” was recorded, has posted a picture of the band (above) and blogged:

The Smashing Pumpkins were in the studio last week with engineer/producer Bjorn Thorsrud and Ardent’s Jason Latshaw, Mike Wilson, and Carter McHann. Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain [sic] were here working on a new song, entitled “G.L.O.W.,” to be released through the Guitar Hero franchise.

Guitar Hero World Tour, which appears to be set for release in late October, is already known to be featuring a certain six-foot-three frontman; makes sense that his latest music might be part of the soundtrack, no?

According to PWInsider.com in an article posted this morning, they rumor the following about the Smashing Pumpkins and Billy Corgan:

[He] was in discussions to write and record an original song for TNA, which would have been used on Impact and PPV… Corgan was said to be more than willing to write the song for free and do a media tour as a way to help get word out on TNA and cross-promote both the company and his upcoming Smashing Pumpkins 20th Anniversary tour.

Apparently, however, negotiations stalled and the deal is off the table, which PWInsider laments could have brought great publicity to their events.

In a related rumor, PWInsider.com and Netphoria.org will face off in the BattleDome for a match to determine who has the most pervasive and offensive advertisers. Stay tuned for coverage of the event, as they battle to the death.

Check out the full article after the jump, or venture to their site at your own risk.

(more…)

My fellow compatriots had 4th-of-July plans this past weekend, but we took a week off from podcasting in mid June and didn’t want to bail out again.  So this week I flew solo and recorded my thoughts on some of last week’s Pumpkins news.  I did not split up the show into individual audio segments this time since each segment was so short.

Listen to the whole show (11:19)

(download)(iTunes)

This week’s topics:

Panelists
-Chris

Topics
-I find myself in the unexpected position of defending the fan writers on the official website.

-I take a look at the 30-40 demos rumored for the pre-Gish/Gish box set by the numbers to try and determine what could be included.

-When a news story falls through the cracks at HU, I pick it up.  Rumors abound of the Pumpkins’ music appearing on Rock Band 2 (sadly without Billy and his mo-cap suit).

This Week in Pumpkins History
-July 7th, 1998 in Chicago: the free show that never was.

Song of the Week
-Starz, June 6, 2007

This show was recorded before the big news about the August tour hit the web, but rest assured we will cover that next week when the gang returns.  We are also planning a concert review a Gish-era show, which you can listen to at the Live Music Archive: New Haven, CT July 21st, 1991.

Last month during one of the early events of the World Series of Poker here in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Smashing Pumpkins fan community saw one of its long-time members, Grant Hinkle (pictured below), take down Event #2, a $1,500 Texas No-Limit Hold’em tournament. Hinkle won a coveted gold WSOP bracelet and $831,462 for his efforts - his brother, Blair, went on to win another bracelet for the family a mere ten days later. This remarkable feat marks the second time in history that a pair of brothers has won two bracelets in one year. The Hinkle brothers hail from the Kansas City metro area, where Grant has been a long-time Pumpkins fan, even meeting his wife on a messageboard devoted to the band. Grant graciously did an interview with HU; find it below. Many congratulations to Grant and Blair on the huge wins and good luck as the WSOP Main Event gets under way!

Hipsters United: Your poker screenname “drossXYU” projects an aggressive table image… or, at least, it would project one to any player who knows what it represents. Have you ever considered changing it up? How about “SweetSweetSheila”?

Grant Hinkle: I play a pretty aggressive game and the more aggressive Pumpkins songs have always topped my favorites. At the time I created the screenname, the Dross demos were just starting to circulate online and I just loved the sound of the word. XYU was my favorite Pumpkins song at the time so I just ended up combining the two. I’ve always been more partial to the epic-like songs that the Pumpkins have produced (Silverfuck, XYU, Starla, Thru the Eyes of Ruby, United States of America, etc…), so if I was to choose another screenname I would probably pull it from one of those.

HU: Which would you choose as a prize — a night of poker at the Bellagio in Vegas where you’ve been staked to play at a table with all your favorite professional players, or tickets and backstage passes to see the Pumpkins at the Metro in Chicago?

Grant Hinkle: This one’s easy. I would choose backstage passes to the Pumpkins at the Metro in a heartbeat. My wife Kim and I were lucky enough to get tickets for the final show at the Metro in 2000 and it was one of the most unbelievable and memorable experiences of our lives. Three full sets and five and a half hours of our favorite band in an intimate venue was a dream come true.

HU: You told the Lawrence Journal-World that you met your wife Kim through online discussion of the Pumpkins. Way to represent! Have you and Kim been to see the band since they reformed last year? If so, what was your experience like?

Grant Hinkle: Yes, we actually met in a Smashing Pumpkins chat room in 1996 when we were 15 and 16. We started out as just friends who had a passion for the Pumpkins and the longer we talked the more the relationship grew and we realized we had so much more in common. Eventually, we started visiting each other when we had school vacations and then she took a giant leap of faith when she decided to move to Kansas to attend the University of Kansas with me.

The Pumpkins Zeitgeist tour didn’t come through Kansas City, so we found the closest venue they were going to be appearing at that was also on or close to a weekend. We ended up flying down to Dallas to see the show and it ended up being a great venue to see them in. They sounded amazing and since the venue was an amphitheater the sound was very crisp even though our seats were about halfway back. They played everything we were hoping for in the setlist so it was definitely worth the roadtrip. We are hoping they come through Kansas City on their next set of dates.

HU: What are your thoughts on Zeitgeist?

Grant Hinkle: I loved the direction they went with Zeitgeist. Like I said, I tend to gravitate towards the faster and more aggressive rock songs so the entire album was right in the wheelhouse of what I was anticipating when they released.

HU: Finally, your brother Blair (pictured at right) just won a bracelet thanks to a double dose of triple sixes — the Number of the Beast, which has occasionally figured as a symbol in the career of Billy Corgan. Does Blair like the rock? Is he into the Pumpkins?

Grant Hinkle: I don’t know if you are into numerology at all, but the number six kept coming up for Blair and the number ten kept coming up for me.

My mom actually had a numerology reading for herself and her four sons a few months ago. My reading said that the number ten was going to be a significant number for me this year. Now, whether you believe in numerology or you think its all just a coincidence, it is pretty amazing how often the number came up for me during my run in the World Series of Poker.

Final Hand: Four of a kind - Tens
Hole cards for final hand: Ten-four (read it in reverse, 4-10s?)
Final Table Seat number: Seat 10, normally final tables only have 9 seats, but an exception was made to fit into ESPN’s production schedule.
Day that I won: June 4 - 06/04 - 6+4=10
Year that I won: 2008 - 2+0+0+8=10
It was my birthday that week in which I was turning 28: 2+8=10
Days after my bracelet that Blair won: Exactly 10 days

So I’m thinking I should choose 07/03 as my start date for the main event.

In terms of Blair’s musical preferences, I would say he gravitates more to the pop-rock type stuff. He likes the Pumpkins, but is not a big fan, I probably burned him out early on them since that’s all he ever heard coming out of my room when he was growing up.

According to “details from an online survey forwarded to [Gawker Media’s Kotaku blog]”, Billy Corgan is not set to be a bad guy, a “boss”, or any other sort of AI blip in “Guitar Hero World Tour”. Oh no. Rather, you can be the Billy character:

You can even play as your favorite rock star, choosing from characters like Sting, Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent, Billy Corgan, Jimi Hendrix, Travis Barker, Hayley Williams, and Zak [sic] Wylde. If none of these are your style, then you can create your own character, including character construction, instrument creation, band logos and album covers.

Unconfirmed rumor that I just made up: the Corgan character is set to feature this combo instrument/band logo/album cover.

It’s been about a month and a half since we reported a fully-HU-deduced rumor about Billy Corgan’s involvement in an upcoming Guitar Hero release.  Now there’s a picture and related article on Kotaku.com that has popped up to further fuel our suspicions.  Any guesses on the songs they recorded?!

Thanks to HU reader Davin for the tip!

Blair Hinkle has followed up the World Series of Poker event win by his brother Grant “drossXYU” Hinkle by strapping on a bracelet of his own. To do so he called twice on the Number of the Beast, first making trip sixes to eliminate the second runner-up and then again to triumph in heads-up play, as Crystal of PocketFives Live reported from the rail:

The dealer laid out the flop of the As6d2c and [Blair] Hinkle flopped a set of sixes once again, leaving [Mark] Brockington drawing only to runner runner outs. The crowd was in hysterics! The 8c on the turn sealed Brockington’s fate and gave Blair Hinkle $507,563 and his first WSOP Bracelet win a mere 10 days after his brother Grant captured WSOP gold in Event #2.

Crystal gives Blair Hinkle’s screenname as “blur5f6″, which may or may not point to a taste for Britpop. We’ll see if HU can get an interview and find the facts.

Poker journalist Gary Trask, in Las Vegas this month to cover the World Series of Poker, has the lowdown on the musical tastes of one Grant Hinkle, winner of this week’s $1,500 no-limit hold ‘em event:

Hinkle, who plays online under the screen name “drossXYU” (a combination of the names of a pair of songs by The Smashing Pumpkins, his favorite band)…

Most years, I would be worried that a Pumpkin-related nugget like that would escape the attentions of the assembled media — but with Trask on the scene, clearly, there is no need for such concerns.

Aww yeah. Give me the papers pedigree crossed-arms double evil hand: no more graduate school coursework!

…and now to start on my dissertation?!

A Smashing Pumpkins fan messageboard recently reminded me of an NBC “Poker
After Dark” episode from last year in which poker pro Howard “The Professor”
Lederer discusses the impending release of Zeitgeist. Other pros at the
table weigh in, including an off-the-cuff kareoke performance of “Bullet
with Butterfly Wings” from Gus Hansen.

I dug up the tournament in question at Pokertube.com; watch the clip below.
The Pumpkins chat starts about 2:15 in when the Professor talks about seeing
them on tour in Brussels later in the month. If you’re a poker fan, make
sure to check out the whole tournament - the Phil-on-Phil banter is
priceless. Hellmuth is as bratty as ever.

And Howard - if you’re reading this, which I hope you are - I’ll be blogging
the WSOP live from Vegas in a few weeks for PocketFives Live. If you need to
talk Pumpkins, look me up! :)

Pro Wrestling Insider is live-blogging the annual TNA Sacrifice event this evening from the Impact!Zone in Orlando, Florida. And in case you’re not a wrestling fan, TNA stands for TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION, not the *other* kind of T&A. Ahem.

Anyhow, on a related note, Billy Corgan is in the hizouse, accourding to PWInsider.com:

A brief pre-show live note: Richard Trionfo sent word that Smashing Pumpkins lead singer Billy Corgan, who is a huge wrestling fan, was introduced to the live crowd by Jeremy Borash.

Let’s hope there are no guitars smashed this time.

Last night, James Demastus of James and the Giant Blog posted this article about hanging out with Billy Corgan (or rather, watching him work from afar), presumably somewhere in California.  He blogs:

I got to hang around where Matt works (I have to keep a lot of stuff secret, and I even signed a confidentiality agreement) and watch Billy do his thing for a few hours. I didn’t really get to meet him, but hanging around in the same room for 3 hours is totally cool. I have two pictures I can share. The others can’t be published until the fall.

Hmmm.  It looks like this friend “Matt” is one Matthew Jackowski, a film/animation producer.  His networking profile on LinkedIn looks like he’s in the Los Angeles metro area, working as Associate Producer at Neversoft Entertainment.  It also looks like he’s currently working on Guitar Hero projects.  Gee, I wonder what Jamesy could’ve witnessed…

Did they strap Billy Corgan into one of those plausible motion capture machines like the boys from Jackass demonstrated in their last movie?  I don’t know which I’d rather see - more Johnny Knoxville or footage of Corgan pseudo-rocking out for the animators.  It seems like a pretty solid rumor — looks like this guitar met an ugly end when Slash finished his own Guitar Hero sesh.