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04-16-2007, 08:35 PM | #1 |
Pledge
Location: ohio
Posts: 219
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Help me edit my article on the pumpkins
It's about all of you:
It is Tuesday, June 21, 2005. A full-page advertisement appears in Billy Corgan’s hometown paper, The Chicago Tribune, commemorating his decision to “renew and revive” the five-years-dead Smashing Pumpkins. The problem, of course, is that this particular Tuesday happens to be the release date of Corgan’s first solo album—the nostalgically new wave, and poorly received, TheFutureEmbrace. As if he couldn’t wait to finish off the last of his post-Pumpkins material before restarting the band, Corgan’s announcement feels rushed. But in the middle of such an astounding throwback, I am struck by the temptation to believe that this new Smashing Pumpkins could reclaim the former glory of my Siamese Dream-era heroes. Now those are the pumpkins I know and love. So begins the endless, baffling, psychically torturous waiting process. Since 2005, the information that has leaked regarding the revival has been embarrassingly, mind-numbingly vague…and more frighteningly new age than anyone thought imaginable. According to Myspace blog posts by Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, the new album will be punctuated by “absolutely deafening guitars, thundering drums, and the melodies of snakes.” Snakes? Really? And don’t forget the “eight guitars resonating in one big harmonic handshake.” More importantly, of course, is the fact that the music “comes from a place so pure it will burn the lies off the very souls of those who try to discount it.” You can’t make this stuff up. And what’s worse is it’s all embedded in some genuinely frightening references to 9-minute songs and something called the “Great Pumpkin Space Train.” The only legitimate information to come out is the title of the album—Zeitgeist—and its release date—Saturday, July 7th, 2007. That’s 07/07/07. And it’s definitely not a Tuesday. This is especially frightening because of the dangerously uncertain lineup and recording situation of the band. In the blog he constructed for his solo album, Corgan blamed the breakup of the Pumpkins on guitarist James Iha and went on to call bassist D’arcy Wretzky a “mean-spirited drug addict.” Those aren’t exactly the kind of statements that are conducive to a revival. The new lineup is all but settled on (Corgan and Chamberlin are the only official members), but for months, the band had an FAQ on their website. Next to the unavoidable question about the new lineup were the words “Not Telling.” Even a few weeks ago, when Iha announced to Rolling Stone that he would not be rejoining the group, there was no response from Corgan. It seems he’s keeping silent on all of this—perhaps to let the music speak for itself. I should probably explain that my obsession with the Smashing Pumpkins is a little hard for the rest of the world to understand. I grew up listening to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness on constant rotation and went on to put together a collection of major albums, b-side releases, singles and boxed sets that total over twenty hours of music. I’ve spent more time scraping message boards for news than I’ve spent sleeping. And I’m not alone. There are others like me—Pumpkins fans from around the globe who gather together to argue about albums, trade bootlegs, and generally wallow around in their own cynicism. Because since the Pumpkins’ breakup in 2000, Billy Corgan’s major releases have been, well, lukewarm at best. The hyped up release of Zwan’s Mary Star of the Sea ended in some scattered gems, but overall pop-rock disappointment. And Corgan’s solo album felt like a joyless investigation into electronica. Both albums came with an unprecedented amount of religious imagery, especially for the guy who spent his stage time singing “God is empty just like me” in silver pants and a black t-shirt embossed with the word “ZERO.” It’s enough to make anyone cynical about a group—even a group they love. And that’s the unfortunate situation that most Pumpkins fans find themselves in nowadays. When the cynics gather, they end up at a place called Netphoria, a.k.a. Hatephoria. It’s a Pumpkins website infamous for its message board—one with more links to “Lemon Party” than helping hands. But the site is also the place where you’ll find the most up-to-date information on the band. It’s also the place where one of Corgan’s former touring musicians, Linda Strawberry, recently made an appearance to raise awareness about the new album. She ended up quoting a friend of hers who eloquently described Zeitgest as follows: “It sounds like galloping circus horses and a million hearts breaking at once!” Oh, well. I guess the rest of us will have to wait. |
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04-16-2007, 09:35 PM | #2 | |
Pledge
Posts: 247
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Quote:
capitalize "pumpkins" in the penultimate line of the first paragraph. replace weak verb forms. |
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04-16-2007, 10:17 PM | #3 |
Minion of Satan
Posts: 5,573
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-Don't start a paragraph with "Because."
Over all though, I enjoyed the article. What's it for? |
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04-16-2007, 10:22 PM | #4 |
Pledge
Location: ohio
Posts: 219
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Thanks for the help.
It's for my college paper. I've been asking the editors to let me write a pumpkins article for a few weeks, and they finally let me. Good times. |
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04-16-2007, 11:06 PM | #5 |
Apocalyptic Poster
Posts: 4,275
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some tips: www.lemonparty.org
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04-16-2007, 11:07 PM | #6 | |
Minion of Satan
Posts: 5,573
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Quote:
Oh, so i'm guessing you go to college in Ohio? Where at? -I go to Muskingum College, if you have any clue where that is. Well good luck with that. =) |
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04-16-2007, 11:09 PM | #7 |
someone more...punk rock?
Location: Ice cream pig out in M1-aud is why i don't play plug in baby the wrong way, like you
Posts: 22,182
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stop saying "frightening[ly]"; don't use so many adverbs/adjectives; "web site" is two words. also, consider the possibility that you have been fooled by bill "look at the shit i can get people to believe" corgan, because anyone who reads your 'article' is going to when they read "great pumpkins space train"
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04-16-2007, 11:23 PM | #8 |
Gonzo
Location: truthhole.blogspot.com
Posts: 481
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And take out all the references to Myspace. No sane person likes that shit.
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04-16-2007, 11:24 PM | #9 |
Minion of Satan
Location: gasoline alley
Posts: 9,017
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this was...Bart's People.
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04-16-2007, 11:37 PM | #10 |
Janis Jopleybird
Location: Let me see you do the booty hop. And now make the booty stop. Now drop, and do the booty wop.
Posts: 6,564
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LDS what the hell
Welcome back (?) |
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04-16-2007, 11:45 PM | #11 | |
Minion of Satan
Posts: 7,621
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Good article. For the record I though MSOTS was good and TFE excellent, but to each his own. Here's my edited version.
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04-16-2007, 11:55 PM | #12 |
Pledge
Location: ohio
Posts: 219
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Thanks for the help. You're all my favorite people.
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04-17-2007, 12:17 AM | #13 | |
Socialphobic
Location: I DO C-C-C-COCAINE
Posts: 11,137
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Quote:
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04-17-2007, 01:05 AM | #14 | |
Pledge
Location: ohio
Posts: 219
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Quote:
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04-17-2007, 01:06 AM | #15 |
Socialphobic
Location: I DO C-C-C-COCAINE
Posts: 11,137
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04-17-2007, 02:12 AM | #16 |
Demi-God
Location: Connecticut, USA
Posts: 476
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Do your own fucking work.
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04-18-2007, 05:19 AM | #17 | |
Apocalyptic Poster
Location: The Philippines
Posts: 1,487
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Quote:
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