how did we miss this

ShockHound - Features - Billy Corgan/Dave Navarro: Spirits In The Sky (http://ow.ly/owkp)

I bet the "A pile" is crap.

everyone knows corgan always overlooks some of the best songs for the album choices. is this new at all?

also this

He’s coming from a world that’s willing to look beyond all the Pitchfork crap and get back to good music.

yeah mike byrne isn't like those 19 year olds reading pitchfork and putting out far more interesting cutting edge shit than what billy's putting out.

mid-September battle plan sounds nice. Look forward to hearing that. And it amazes me that these are the "so-so" songs. I'm hoping that's the truth, bcause then the other songs must kick so much ass. I've been playing Emerald Green a lot. I'm in love with that song.

the first several zwan shows were probably their "so-so" songs. the stuff that actually got released was supposedly the top-tier stuff.

just sayin

this also goes for arising tour vs. machina. home + speed kills + dross vs. sacred and profane + try try try + TCTOM?

it's just a continuation of this game BC has been playing the past 10 years. nothing new to see here, move along.

oh no you didn't

He’s a good person and great drummer; better that than a great drummer and a shit person.

i don't think he was talking about jimmy in that last quote.

however that pitchfork comment. jesus. you know he hates it when people are ignorant towards his music.. so why does he find it necessary to be ignorant towards the work of other? what a fucking child he is.

and yeah.. mike byrne.. lets hire a drummer who half ass rips off the drummer of a band way past it's relevance.. oh he's so ahead of that pitchfork crap!

i want him dead. that picture is pretty funny though

how did we miss this

Not everyone sets their alarms @ 6am every day in order to google the shit out of Billy corgan faggot.

i'd like to know what billy considers pitchfork crap

http://www.dowagro.com/uk/images/pitchfork1.jpg

hay guise

i believe the correct form is "get lost barnes" and/or "shut the fuck up, byron"

"He’s a good person and great drummer; better that than a great drummer and a shit person. He gives me hope for his generation. He’s coming from a world that’s willing to look beyond all the Pitchfork crap and get back to good music."

normally, in the back of my mind, as we say harsh things about bill, i know that on some levels bill is just a miserable guy, no matter what he says, and i'd feel badly if he ended up killing himself. but when i read things like this, i want to go and buy the guy a gun, load it, and hand it to him. what a piece of shit

i can't stand pitchfork

Every day I wake up and post on Netphoria about a musician's choices, either trying to make him feel bad or redirect him the way I want. I sure show him!

remember back in the 1990s, when sp, nirvana, soundgarden, and bands of that ilk started making it big, and all these has been 80's metal hair bands come out and start saying shit like 'what is with all this alternative crap? let's get back to real music!!"

well that's what billy sounds like now.

that's what hair metal fans said too ^

interview by tatiana? wasn't she the pumpkin queen?
Billy Corgan/Dave Navarro: Spirits In The Sky

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Interview by Tatiana Simonian
Photography by Joshua L. Giroux

Billy Corgan is no stranger to musical experimentation, and his most recent music experiment comes courtesy of recently departed friend, Sky Saxon of the Seeds. Corgan had set up camp at collaborator/former Catherine drummer Kerry Brown’s compound over a year ago when Saxon literally moved in and began jamming with the two. In July, following Saxon’s untimely passing, Corgan and Brown teamed up with Electric Prunes bassist Mark Tulin and Strawberry Alarm Clock keyboardist Mark Weitz under the moniker Spirits in the Sky to play a memorial show at LA’s Echoplex. The memorial performance also marked the debut of Mike Byrne, the Smashing Pumpkins new 19 year-old drummer.

While many of Corgan’s exploits have been the subject of intense (and occasionally combative) scrutiny from fans and press, the response to the Spirits in the Sky memorial show — and the new Corgan-and Brown-penned material they performed — was positive enough that it inspired Corgan to announce a Spirits in the Sky mini-tour. With a lineup abetted by Corgan keyboardist/background vocalist Linda Strawberry, multi-instrumentalist Kevin Dippold, violinist Mee and (best of all) Jane’s Addiction axeman Dave Navarro, Spirits in the Sky played six sold-out August dates in Southern California, to audiences ranging in size from 85 people at a Long Beach bookstore to over 500 at Pappy and Harriet’s Palace in Pioneertown, California.

ShockHound was there for four of these dates, and witnessed the band performing songs that ranged from stunning acoustic melancholia to face-melting electric psychedelia (complete with dueling guitar solos). Highlights included the band breaking into an impromptu Jethro Tull jam, spying Perry and Etty Farrell in the crowd at Long Beach as well as the costume contest Corgan held for the tour’s last night in Los Angeles. (The winner? A young man dressed in a leopard sheet, aviator sunglasses and bandana that referred to himself simply as “the rock ‘n’ roll ghost.”) On the eve of the tour, ShockHound sat down for an exclusive interview with Corgan, Navarro, Brown and Byrne to discuss the evolution of this very special project, as well as what’s next for their other bands.

SHOCKHOUND: How did this tour come about?

BILLY CORGAN: I’ve demo’d out something like 50 songs [at Kerry Brown’s studio], so we kind of hit on the idea that going out and playing a few shows would be a natural conclusion. When you just work in the studio, you don’t get a lot of energy back. So I wanted to try some of my so-so songs live, try to see which was better. We’re actually not playing the best material.

SHOCKHOUND: Why not?

CORGAN: Because there’s no need to put it out there, I have total confidence in it. This stuff is more trying to get a feel. Pumpkins used to do the same thing; we’d go out and play the lesser songs to see which ones really had something.

KERRY BROWN: These are the songs that we want to iron out. Not that they’re “B songs,” but they’re in the “B” pile as far as recording goes. We’re doing them live to see if we can take them to that next level.

SHOCKHOUND: How did Dave Navarro get involved? I know you guys go back aways.

CORGAN: Yeah, I met Dave when we played with Jane’s Addiction in ‘88. So I’ve basically known Dave since he was 21 and I was 20? [Editor’s Note: Corgan is actually four months older than Navarro, but we’ll let it slide.] We recently saw each other and went out to lunch, me, Kerry and Dave. He asked what we were up to and we talked about getting together and playing. Then Kerry talked to him about the [Spirits in the Sky] shows and the next thing you know, “Dave wants to do the shows.” Oh? Ok, cool! It’s been really fun.

BROWN: Dave’s cousin is married to my cousin.

SHOCKHOUND: That’s bizarre.

BROWN: It’s some weird shit.

SHOCKHOUND: So what’s it like being a part of this process?

DAVE NAVARRO: You know, I’ve known Billy for many years and I’ve never had the opportunity to play music with him. So this is truly an honor. I’ve always found that as a musician, I’m more influenced by the artists I work with. Just having gone through the rehearsal process in this project has opened up a side of my creativity that I wasn’t in touch with. So, I’m honored, I’m grateful and I’m extremely proud of what we’re doing.

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SHOCKHOUND: What have rehearsals been like?

BROWN: Awesome. Stress free. Everybody does what they want. The mentality is that of jamming and making music, which none of us have experienced for a long time.

MIKE BYRNE: It’s been easy as far as the personalities meshing; everyone here is super nice. It’s been challenging in that we’re trying to do something that’s uncharted in a lot of ways. It’s been good fun. When you’re wrong, you’re really, really wrong and when you’re right, it’s super right.

SHOCKHOUND: Yeah, it’s strange to me how laid back it seems, which is interesting because I know how hard Billy works.

BROWN: And there’s so many generations in the band from Mike at 19 to...well, I don’t want to go guess how old the Marks are, but they were in ‘60s psychedelic bands.

SHOCKHOUND: How do you manage to have two guitarists on stage that are both noted shredders? Does it get competitive?

NAVARRO: No, because we’ve always had different jobs. I’m simply a guitar player; he’s a leader of a band, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He’s got his hands pretty full. All I have to do is walk out there and play guitar — and I like it that way. I did a solo record where I did everything and toured, and as great as an experience as that was, it’s not what I want to do full time. It’s a mind fuck. I don’t dig it. It’s something I do once in a while and I certainly intend to do it again, but I’m much better suited to be part of an ensemble.

CORGAN: He’s much better than me, it’s not fair. Plus he’s coming off tour so he’s all hot licked. I’m in demo mode, like squeaky-squeaky.

SHOCKHOUND: Mike, how do you feel about getting to play not only with Billy Corgan but also Dave Navarro?

MIKE BYRNE: I kind of have to double take sometimes when Billy and Dave are shredding together. It’s like, “I’m not playing drums with these guys…” It’s totally insane. It’s like rock ‘n’ roll fantasy camp!

SHOCKHOUND: Kerry, you said that playing live would help take this project to the next level. What do you think the “next level” would be for this project?

BROWN: I don’t know, but I’m definitely hearing stuff live that I didn’t hear in the studio. [Playing live] is taking the songs in a direction that maybe Billy and I wouldn’t have gone to in the studio. What makes it cool is when you say to someone, “Just do what you would do,” not “Do what I want you to.”

SHOCKHOUND: Do you see more of these types of events in your future?

CORGAN: I don’t know, we’re really having a good time. The whole thing is, you’re going into it with a short window of preparation then a short window of a show. Two years ago, Kerry and I talked about doing a Source Family tour with the Ya Ho Wha 13 and Sky Saxon and maybe even Pumpkins. I think our ultimate goal is to do a very arty, friends-based thing. You put together a bunch of like-minded people and just go out and play together. I think that would be ideal. And there’s no hits played except somebody else’s.

SHOCKHOUND: I heard the band is performing two covers every night?

BROWN: We’re doing “Femme Fatale” which is a Velvet Underground song. We’re doing a song that wasn’t written by the Grateful Dead but they did a cover of called “Morning Dew.” We’re doing a Pink Floyd cover too, “Lucifer Sam."

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SHOCKHOUND: Who chose those songs?

BROWN: Dave said, “Let’s do a Velvet Underground song.” I came up with “Femme Fatale” but suggested having Billy sing Nico’s part. Dave came up with “Lucifer Sam” and Billy came up with “Morning Dew.”

SHOCKHOUND: This tour marks Mike Byrne’s first outing with you. Did you have any trepidation about choosing a 19-year-old to be the new Pumpkins’ drummer?

CORGAN: Well, I did have trepidation about his age, but his talent level is so high that it made me have to go, “Well, is age really that important?” At the end of the day, a person’s character is your indicator of the fidelity of someone’s being. So I’m going to just trust the situation. He’s a good person and great drummer; better that than a great drummer and a shit person. He gives me hope for his generation. He’s coming from a world that’s willing to look beyond all the Pitchfork crap and get back to good music.

SHOCKHOUND: What was it like when you found out you were chosen as the new drummer?

BYRNE: It was ridiculous. It was a long process. I worked with them for a month or two before there was any official “sign the documents” thing. When I got the call to come out here and work with them it was one of the craziest days of my life.

SHOCKHOUND: It’s basically everyone’s dream and you’ve had an incredible stroke of luck. Is that what you think it was? Luck?

BYRNE: I’d like to think that I’m at least good enough to be here without luck but it is crazy that saw my video and thought what he thought of it. I’m not saying I’m not the luckiest kid in the universe to be here right now. I am. Yeah... it’s just crazy.

[B]SHOCKHOUND: Billy, what is the status of the Pumpkins right now?

CORGAN: We’re going in the studio in two weeks and plan on putting out songs hopefully by this Halloween. I’m going to announce my whole battle plan mid-September.

SHOCKHOUND: Dave, you’ve just come off tour with Jane’s Addiction. What’s the status with Jane’s right now?

NAVARRO: We still have a lot of touring to do. We’re going to be doing the Voodoo Fest in New Orleans, a gig in Sao Paolo, Brasil, then Australia, then who knows.

SHOCKHOUND: Any plans to record a new album?

NAVARRO: I’m really looking forward to getting into the writing process with the guys. I don’t have anything necessarily set in stone to speak of, though.

SHOCKHOUND: I’m an old school fan, but I do love the newer stuff like Strays as well.

NAVARRO: I really liked that record. I had a great time working with Bob Ezrin, who produced it. That’s what makes doing stuff like this really amazing for me. I’ve respected Billy for so many years, since I got my first copy of Gish. Frankly, I was on a Jane’s Addiction tour and I got a copy of Gish and that’s all I was listening to on my...well, at that point, it was a walkman. We stopped somewhere and I saw Smashing Pumpkins were playing so I went to the show. It was in a little club somewhere and that’s when I met those guys. They, in turn, came to a Jane’s show and we’ve known each other ever since. I’ve always been in awe of his talent. To be able to work with him in this capacity and then go back to the Jane’s environment is going to prove to be very...good.

SHOCKHOUND: What else do you have going on right now?

NAVARRO: Isn’t that enough??

SHOCKHOUND: Well, you usually have 5,000 things going on. You have a media empire.

NAVARRO: I still do a radio show on Indie 103 with Todd Newman. We’re also working on a documentary about my mother’s murder. So, between those things, working with Billy and touring with Jane’s, I’m pretty creatively and artistically happy. Probably happier than I’ve ever been in my life, to be honest.

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you know the possibility exists that there are more women named tatiana in this world.

but anything is possible, right?

no, you shut up.

you know the possibility exists that there are more women named tatiana in this world.
i think that's very unlikely.

i think it's her though.
if i remember it correctly, she got to know billy because she interviewed him for an (online?) magazine, around the time the future embrace came out. then when the pumpkins were getting back together, she was hired as "the pumpkin queen", and worked on their myspace and stuff. then she tried to make out with izzle, and then she got fired.
it's not unlikely that their old connection was the reason she got this interview.

did research, it is her.

carry on then.

It's not good enough for Billy to surround himself with yes-men and sycophants who will kiss his ass as long as they stay on the payroll, he also has no qualms about being interviewed by a former employee instead of a real journalist.

the first several zwan shows were probably their "so-so" songs. the stuff that actually got released was supposedly the top-tier stuff.

just sayin

That's exactly what I thought on reading that post. Most of the acoustic/semi acoustic Zwan songs are excellent but they were either ignored when it came to the album or butchered in production.

It's not good enough for Billy to surround himself with yes-men and sycophants who will kiss his ass as long as they stay on the payroll, he also has no qualms about being interviewed by a former employee instead of a real journalist.

oh come on

Pretty sure she met Billy via an interview during the TFE era.

GREAT POST MACHINIST

then she tried to make out with izzle

hehe srsly?

i believe so, yes. i can't remember where i got that. i thought it was common knowledge. i might be way off.

billy's probably not referring to the artists Pitchfork reviews, but rather that super awesome pitchfork attitude with which they review music as they tell you what's cool.

the first several zwan shows were probably their "so-so" songs. the stuff that actually got released was supposedly the top-tier stuff.

just sayin


Just sayin is correct. The best songs are never in his A category.....

i believe so, yes. i can't remember where i got that. i thought it was common knowledge. i might be way off.

i seem to remember this too.

then it must have been mentioned on here.