What if Billy had not toured under the pumpkins' name from 07 to 18?

[coolstorybro]

Would the reunion have sold more?

[Mals Marola]

Of course it would have
Tho people still woulda bitched about lack of D'arcy/Auf Der Mar

[LoveIsSuicide42]

I would be so fucking hyped if this were these were the first shows in ~18 years.

Now I'm probably not even going to go.

[Forgotten Child]

Probably.

Taking in consideration that Zeitgeist was way more hyped than the "reunion", I think we can assume this tour would be easier to sell even without Darcy.

[Mals Marola]

the more interesting question to me is what Billy would have been doing all that time in lieue of Smashing Pumpkins

say what you will about Zwan & TFE, they were at least more interesting diversions than Zeitgeist

[coolstorybro]

Originally Posted by Mals Marola

the more interesting question to me is what Billy would have been doing all that time in lieue of Smashing Pumpkins

say what you will about Zwan & TFE, they were at least more interesting diversions than Zeitgeist

Still be playing pumpkins songs live but releasing music under his name.

[WeilandFan]

Originally Posted by Mals Marola

the more interesting question to me is what Billy would have been doing all that time in lieue of Smashing Pumpkins

Multi-time WWE champion.

[Mals Marola]

I constantly forget about the wrestling stuff and yeah when you remind me of that perhaps we were better off he's been pre-occupied with tarnishing legacies etc etc

[Mals Marola]

& by tarnishing legacies I of course mean burning lies off of souls

[Zer0 Hour]

The wrestling thing always seemed so fucking weird to me. I mean, people are entitled to enjoy whatever it is that they enjoy, but pro wrestling and Billy Corgan always seemed like the weirdest fit. I don't really care that much, but it was annoying how much of that recent Stern interview was devoted to it. Stern in general just acted so off during the whole thing, like he was high or something. He usually does good interviews with Corgan, but that time it was like the only things he wanted to talk about were shapeshifters, wrestling and Japanese fusion restaurants.

But all that aside, I agree that Zwan was much more interesting than Zeitgeist.

[eviltimeban]

He should've stayed solo. TFE was a good start but he expected to be number 1 in the charts straight away. He needed to build slowly.

Stuff like AG would've been a good solo EP. Teargarden would've actually made more sense as a solo project - sure, he could've used the same musicians, and he could've released the songs the same way. He would've had the freedom to do whatever he wanted.

I don't think Zeitgeist could've worked as a solo Billy album, but some of the Fillmore stuff would've. Oceania is also very much a "band" album, in that it harks back to the band sound, but certain songs like My Love Is Winter and Violet Rays could've been solo tracks easily enough.

And then Ogilala would've been an extension of that. I think he could've maintainted a nice, small, niche following, without all the grand pronouncements, and then reformed the Pumpkins with a lot of hype.

But we're forgetting about the ego. And none of Billy's managers seemed to have done a good job managing his expectations.

[FoolofaTook]

wat if the sun refused to rain

?

[themadcaplaughs]

It would have been a much bigger deal. People would have bitched about no D'arcy or Melissa, but it would still be seen as a fair continuation of the Machina era with Billy, James, and Jimmy.

Also, one of the biggest complaints/suspicions people had regarding the Pumpkins comeback in 2007 was the timing. We weren't even a decade removed from the breakup of the old band (technically not even five years at the time Billy announced the revival), and Billy conveniently timed his announcement to bring the band back with the release of a decidedly uncommercial solo record and a tour where he played (and struggled to sell) smaller venues than he had played in 10-15 years. For most people at the time (and he later confirmed) reclaiming the name seemed like a way to get his music back into mainstream consciousness rather than chasing any kind of artistic muse. If we had gone from 2000 to 2018 without the Smashing Pumpkins (and assuming Billy hadn't broken down and played Smashing Pumpkins songs on solo tours or with different bands), it would have seemed much more like a genuine desire to play the songs again and enjoy the company of his old bandmates than the blatant cash grab of 2007 and 2018.

[houseofglass11]

Throws tantrum and shitcans SP for no good reason in 2000
Starts Zwan and then throws tantrum and shitcans it when Paz starts banging Pajo
Goes solo, shitcans it the day his album is released with insane newspaper ad

[FoolofaTook]

go on