New Jimmy interview in 'The Drummer's Journal'

[Ram27]

http://static1.squarespace.com/stati...ssue-Eight.pdf pg 22

My profile as a drummer increased because our live shows were like drum clinics. I mean, there was no holding back. What you hear on those early Pumpkins records, that was as good as I could play. I was at the top of my game.

I’m so sick of hearing people complaining about streaming, or that no one is buying records.

I honestly think there’s more opportunity now than ever. I mean, when I was young and wanted to learn how Ian Paice did a drum fill, I’d stick my thumb on the record and slow it down. Now with YouTube, you have all this information at your fingertips. Nobody knew how Buddy Rich played his bass drum, there was no GoPro footage of it. The top drummers of today, take Steve Gadd for example, now it’s like, ‘do you want to watch a video of Steve Gadd’s left foot or right foot?’ There’s probably a video out there of Steve Gadd making an omelette.

Back when the Pumpkins were big, people used to constantly ask me, ‘what would you be doing if you weren’t playing for 10,000 people tonight?’ I’d be playing some dump for free because that’s what I do. I didn’t start doing it because I wanted to live in a big house, I did it because I wanted to play the drums. I don’t care if it’s a cliché or not. It’s true.

I think it wore me out. When Billy [Corgan] and I got back together as The Smashing Pumpkins to do Zeitgeist in 2007, it’d been seven years since our last record. During that time I’d done lots of other things, including my own record as the The Jimmy Chamberlin Complex. When I got back into trying to play Pumpkins music, I found I didn’t make the same choices, musically, that I used to. I had to go back and listen to a lot of songs and almost relearn how to play like that again, because I felt as a musician I’d moved on. My relationship with music just became really awkward. Every time I’d go into my studio to play, I’d be thinking, ‘what am I doing here? Was that just an intro to the next hit song? Am I writing here?’ There was always an agenda. So I just stopped playing. I had to stop. But there’s stuff I hear on records where I just cringe.

[Araneae]

Billy and Jimmy are in such different places, mentally, that it seems unlikely that the two will ever share a stage anytime soon. It's such a stark contrast to Billy's puerile, ungrateful, and defeatist attitude, as if music is such a drudging thing for him to do.

[toase]

And the return of Jimmy the messiah gets delayed for an indefinite amount of time

[LaBelle]

"Back when the Pumpkins were big"
No wonder he stopped hanging out with Billy

[Insight_Scoop]

Pretty interesting when he talks about coming back for zeitgeist. Seems like he had evolved and moved on subconsciously before recording even began, but it didn't really register until later.

[houseofglass11]

I agree with Jimmy that his best playing was in the earlier period of the band 1991-1993. His playing was just off the charts.

Listen to this Gish show:
https://archive.org/details/tsp1991-...NA-2.D4.flac16

Jimmy just destroys the drums throughout the whole set. Amazing.

[DemonUnicorns]

I agree. After listening to Gish today for the billionth time, I think that album actually had the most creative guitar/drums interplay of all their albums.

[themadcaplaughs]

Reading this really says all you need to know about why he left the band in 2009. He seems like such a healthier, happier person than Billy.

[Ram27]

Originally Posted by DemonUnicorns

I agree. After listening to Gish today for the billionth time, I think that album actually had the most creative guitar/drums interplay of all their albums.

Yeah, all the drum parts on Gish are insane.

I can actually play most of the songs on SD and MCIS, but on Gish, it's just crazy. He's really letting loose on there

[Funbags]

I like how he's psyched about bebop drumming.

Jimmy's the man.

[Raskolnikov]

Absolutely loved that read. I'd love an experience like that, to just sit and talk with Jimmy. Even though I'm not a drummer, his playing style is just on a whole different plane from other rock bands I listen to.

What a great dude. Love his quote about healing, and moving on:

“I feel like I’ve completed a good portion of the healing cycle around a lot of the stuff that happened. I don’t say that lightly. It’s taken a long fucking time.”

That really must be annoying - to have overcome something as brutal as heroin addiction, lost a touring companion, be blamed for his death... and still, years later, despite being fully sober for 10+ years, still being labeled as "a former drug addict".

What a helluva guy.

[amoergosum]

Awesome interview!
Jimmy is the man.

[amoergosum]

"JIMMY CHAMBERLIN
Father of a Pommel Horse Champion"

Great headline...

[amoergosum]

“I’ve got an identity behind the drum set, for better or for worse.
I certainly think that what I play all starts to sound the same.”

“This is a genuine concern of yours?

“Absolutely. I mean, of course it’s important to have your
own identity as a musician, but I think you can wear it out.”

“So did you wear it out?”

“I think it wore me out. When Billy [Corgan] and I got
back together as The Smashing Pumpkins to do Zeitgeist in
2007, it’d been seven years since our last record. During that
time I’d done lots of other things, including my own record
as the The Jimmy Chamberlin Complex. When I got back
into trying to play Pumpkins music, I found I didn’t make
the same choices, musically, that I used to. I had to go back
and listen to a lot of songs and almost relearn how to play
like that again, because I felt as a musician I’d moved on.
My relationship with music just became really awkward.
Every time I’d go into my studio to play, I’d be thinking,
‘what am I doing here? Was that just an intro to the next
hit song? Am I writing here?’ There was always an agenda.
So I just stopped playing. I had to stop. But there’s stuff I
hear on records where I just cringe.”

in a rock context, as much as I
love what rock has given me, there’s not really much I think
I could do anymore.”

I would have never guessed that this was one of the reasons why Jimmy left the band.

[DemonUnicorns]

Originally Posted by Ram27

Yeah, all the drum parts on Gish are insane.

I can actually play most of the songs on SD and MCIS, but on Gish, it's just crazy. He's really letting loose on there

Thumping bass drum, ghost snares everywhere, and drum fills unique af.

[The exploding boy]

I think it's a bit unfair to compare Billy and Jimmy though in the sense that, jimmy was always playing in someone else's band. His focus was always "just" the drums, in the end he bears no responsibility whether the albums sucks or not. He's not a composer. He comes in, adds his part and contribution to the best of his ability and at the end of the day, whatever happens happens (though i'm sure there's some SP songs that started with a drum beat but in general anyway..).

It's a much different ballgame and pressure being a band composer like Billy was. What i'm saying is...i think it's a lot easier for someone like Jimmy to be a happy fulfilled musician because his goal was never the same. In the end it was to improve, embellish someone else's songs to the best of his ability with the part he was given. I think there is no question there that Jimmy did this perfectly whether the songs sucked or not. Like pick any bad or so so SP song Chamberlin is on and i never went "this song would have been great IF jimmy had played that instead of this"

[panda show]

Originally Posted by The exploding boy

I think it's a bit unfair to compare Billy and Jimmy though in the sense that, jimmy was always playing in someone else's band. His focus was always "just" the drums, in the end he bears no responsibility whether the albums sucks or not. He's not a composer. He comes in, adds his part and contribution to the best of his ability and at the end of the day, whatever happens happens (though i'm sure there's some SP songs that started with a drum beat but in general anyway..).

It's a much different ballgame and pressure being a band composer like Billy was. What i'm saying is...i think it's a lot easier for someone like Jimmy to be a happy fulfilled musician because his goal was never the same. In the end it was to improve, embellish someone else's songs to the best of his ability with the part he was given. I think there is no question there that Jimmy did this perfectly whether the songs sucked or not. Like pick any bad or so so SP song Chamberlin is on and i never went "this song would have been great IF jimmy had played that instead of this"

sure, but don't overlook the fact that if jimmy hadn't joined SP, the band would have never become the hard-rock train it became within a year or two. if it weren't for jimmy, gish wouldn't exist, and neither would SP as we know it.

[bunny]

I always imagined jimmy rejoining more mature, doing it for the challenge. and at first dealing with billy (again) was a worthwhile challenge, but eventually it just degraded to dealing with a child all over again. where's the challenge in dealing with a control freak baby that's just delusional?

good for him for getting out.
hopefully babby grows up and can get jimmy back into the SP fold.

[Butt Pope]

Great interview. Thanks.

[dodoz]

Not to be mean (I love Jimmy) but who would have thought, back in the day, that Jimmy would be the one giving the most interesting interviews between him and Billy ?

[werideatdusk]

“I feel like I’ve completed a good portion of the healing cycle around a lot of the stuff that happened. I don’t say that lightly. It’s taken a long fucking time.”

Love jimmy.

I really, really hope that Billy reaches a point soon where he can honestly say this. For his sake.

[amoergosum]

There's no doubt about it...Billy could learn a LOT from Jimmy.

[topleybird]

Originally Posted by Belteshazzar

"Billy, in a recent interview, Jimmy said he's sick of hearing about how no one's buying records. Your thoughts?"

http://i.imgur.com/YVc1y79.gif

[Mo]

Originally Posted by amoergosum

I would have never guessed that this was one of the reasons why Jimmy left the band.

Sounds better than "My guru told me to"