Corgan talks about Netphoria (And Netphorians)
 

Place: Radio interview with Matt Pinfield on November 6th, 2008.

Billy Corgan:

"When the Internet came in people started to sort of obsess over details of what we've done and said, so I think we were one of the first bands to sort of intersect with that other level of obsessive community through the Internet. "

"At first we thought it was curious and then we go into it and thought, well this says something and so we should be able to expand this to a greater audience. And then we realized that this created another problem which is, by creating a very interpersonal relationship with our fans, and that they suddenly turned into the friends that tell you what they think when you don't want advice. You can't get them to stop. And here we are, we are literally in a fight right now with some of our most ardent allegedly fans who continue to assassinate everything new that the band does because they are disappointing that it's not X, Y or Z."

"We have literally just gone on our website and said, Go Away. We don't want you anymore. Literally we said you fans, go find another band, we don't want you around anymore. Because they are unwilling to accept the joy and the passion that's going on right now. They are bitter about something about us, about something in the past, or maybe it's just a reflection of their own being, but we want to have a happy and positive relationship with our fans now, we don't want this kind of weird, creepy, obsessive, dark, sorting through the garbage stuff. That's gotta go, it's really not healthy for anybody."

"There is a point where it gets kinda strange. I go on one of the fan websites, and you would think this is a website dedicated to people who hate you. And this is suppose to be a fan site. They just don't want to accept we've moved on. We're not those people anymore. Whatever they liked about us, we just aren't those people anymore."

"We understand why people don't like everything we do, but we at least ask for the respect that we've always remained independent. Which is really, as you know in the business, it is really difficult to do. I think it's a testament after 20 years that we are happy and independent. I think that those two things together is the real message of what the band really represents, not misery and drama."


To see a poll regarding Billy’s comments go here:
http://forums.netphoria.org/smashing...-pumpkins.html


To criticize Billy and what he has said about you, go here:
http://forums.netphoria.org/3381537-post8.html

just incase anyone from the pumpkins camp happens across this thread, i'd like to say something

im a massive pumpkins fan, if someone asks me what music i listen to my first answer is still the pumpkins, always. but still a lot of people on this board probably stick me in with the "oh i fucking hate the pumpkins camp" because if i dislike something, i'm not afraid to voice that.

regardless of whether or not i don't like some of the new stuff, billy is seriously missing a point - this is not a black and white issue

people wouldnt come here, at least to the sp board, if they straight out hated the pumpkins. yes there are trolls, yes there are people who say they find nothing positive to say about the new output

but the problem is that billy won't face up and answer the tough questions - that's why people keep coming back and saying nasty things and being really arsey about the whole situation

if billy wants those people to fuck off and stop coming back, he needs to finally address a bunch of questions that he doesn't want to hear - about the "last show" dvd, about the chicago songs, about james and d'arcy, there's a ton of tough but honest questions still floating around unanswered, just take a look at that "im interviewing billy" thread

but the thing is that billy seems to throw a strop and end interviews when the tough questions come up, or if they're directed to him (ask a pumpkin on youtube) then he just ignores them

man up, ask people straight out to give you the difficult questions on a blog or something, and then answer them all - straight out answer them. one by one.

you'd then find that a lot of the slurs and bullshit from these people will stop, but if you leave all of these questions unanswered then the disgruntled section of fans will keep coming to places like this to complain.

most of the complaints aren't REALLY about the music, they're half arsed complaints about the music from pissed off people who feel like they've been ignored by someone they always felt a connection to, who maybe really changed their lives or the way they thought about music. someone who keeps making promises or hinting at things that never happen, and someone who keeps avoiding tough questions that other less personal bands would be happy to answer, even if some of them were just answered with "fuck off, thats personal" - at least people then know you've seen the questions instead of pretending they don't exist.

Just in case anyone from the pumpkins camp happens across this thread, I'd like to say something too.

Bill, suck my dick.

in all seriousness though, you're probably the most infamous offender around, but when it comes down to the ask billy thread you're the one who comes out with a lot of the hard to answer questions, although in a less than super-nice manner. thats exactly the sort of thing i mean. i know you were/are a massive fan of a large section of the bands work.

esty has fantasies about billy corgan sucking his dick. i find that a bit over the top.

don't we all?

i picture him wearing a pretty dress. i'll be wearing a top hat and tails

speaking of which, did anyone catch this?



"we own it. i'm kinda over all that stuff right now, i'm just not into it. i got a lot going on. it's owned by the band, we can put it out at any time. right now we're just really focused on what we're doing right now."

to be honest that was a bad example because it's not really a tough to answer question

but the fact you had to ask if anyone caught it is a good example - he need to answer these sorts of questions in an easily available area on their site

also if the "THAT WUZ TOTAL ROCK AND ROLL BRO, TOTALLY SICK." guy posts here, fuck you xxx

See, lets say that I "was" a fan of the current band. I say current, because Jeff/Ginger/etc aren't band members, so that can change.

Anyway, let's say that I was, and then one day I dislike an era, or bill comes out with two albums that I really, really want to like, and I just can't. So, I voice my displeasure with it. Bill at that point basically will tell me,"Thanks for the years of support, but I don't want your kind now, so fuck off". So here I am, trying to still love the music created, and because I can't force myself to, and because I can't sit back and shut the hell up about it, he basically will throw me away like garbage.

If James/Darcy did come back, and/or he started writing decent music again, I will always have that thought in my head now. That all those times he says "he loves us too" during his shows, he really just loved us as long as we followed him no matter what.

Fuck that.

The negativity on netphoria doesn't have that much to do with Corgan's avoidance of certain issues. And for the most part, the only majorly important issue that he's really been vague about is James and D'arcy. But even if he responds in full to that, and some other questions, there's no way the general attitude of netphoria will change.

People who enjoy sarcasm and snarkiness have been drawn to netphoria for a long time, and general SP criticism is rarely separated from tongue in cheek or less damning comments. That's part of the perceived negativity, and it's also a matter of who's being looked at. Aside from Esty, Mariner, and some other typical alienated fans, reactions to Corgan's output are generally positive, we just happen to have a community with a broad demographic and a lot of diverse tastes that results in at least a few people finding fault with Billy at any given time.

If you look at netphoria collectively, it seems like we're bitching about everything Billy does, but in reality, there aren't that many posters who are overly bitter about SP in general.

yeah, fair enough

you get over it like a big boy and enjoy the older music you liked, you don't listen to the new music and you don't come back on this area of the boards. is it that hard? are you really THAT bitter? dude you must have wasted so much time in your life trolling on this board.

i really believe that billy has a lot of love for the fanbase, but if you want the right to come and whinge about things that have happened over the years, choices that were made that had nothing to do with you... if you want the right to tell billy to suck your dick, to fuck off, blah blah - expect him to do the same to people who are sticking around to be negative. You want to stick around and be an asshole about it, but you don't want him to react to the negativity? That's double standards. If it really pisses you off that much, stop wasting your time on this board dude. People have been saying this to you for years. Fair enough, you were funny, for a while. But the shtick is so old and tired now. I don't get what keeps you coming back.

Mariner is barely here and I barely post about Bill nowadays. Not anywhere near my level 1-2 years back. Christhimself knows that. Besides, while I was very vocal, I did have supporters who still liked Bill and were happy "SP" was back. A good question is a good question. Doesn't matter if its being said while monte masterbates in front of Bill, or i'm throwing my cds away.

People complaining about bill is still at an even level, but there isn't a lot going on until recently.

The entire world needs to be in a positive phase because Billy is?

This is the kind of sanctimonious crap he spews when people aren't unanimously kissing his ass.
He wants his fans to go away? He's gone off the rails...again.

I hardly post over here because I haven't really cared about the band anymore. I listen to bands that actually appreciate their fans and accept them as they are.

:P

There's a lot more than james and d'arcy, go check that other thread.

I'm not saying that everyone's attitude will suddenly change. But choices that billy has made without explanation, broken promises and unanswered questions have made a lot of people here lose respect for him. I know this for a fact because I get on with a ton of folk here who have posted here much longer than you have, who were massive fans of the band at one point, but have lost respect for him because of these things. These people still lurk on this board, but often only post when they're feeling pissy.

I'm addressing the negative people with what i've been saying. Yes netphoria has always been a hub of people who are sarcastic cunts and who will say nasty things, whether tongue in cheek or not. Point is if billy really wants rid of the disgruntled people he has to address the issues. Of course this will not affect people who are positive about the band.

It's what Billy is focusing on though, and it's what seems to be affecting him. That's what I'm addressing because that's whats obviously bugging him. It's true that netphoria is often less negative than is perceived, but that's not the point here.

the guy is obviously egotistical, im sure he's admitted it himself, but it must grate on you if a large portion of your fanbase hang around to act like a bunch of cunts, regardless of who you are

he doesn't want his fans to go away, he wants the people who are spewing negativity to fuck off, is this that hard to understand?

as i said in the first post, it goes both ways though, its not black and white. he also has to understand that some of the people who spout views which could be classified as hateful are genuine fans who are upset to see problem X or unanswered question Y going on with their favourite band, and people have a right to post their opinion.

it's just a bit lame if they insist on returning time and time again to post from the same negative place on a million different issues, just because they're pissy that billy carried on without james, or that he said the band wasnt the band without james and d'arcy and then started it up again anyway, or for a ton of other different reasons. At the end of the day it is his band.

Where did they say that on their website? Literally or not, I haven't heard about it.

i think he said it at a gig, i don't think i've seen it written down officially anywhere

i've not checked the official site in months though

Wow, someone had too much coffee this morning.

I hate I have to answer your comment as to "why I'm still here" at al. I'm still a fan of the man, as much as I hate to admit. If I wasn't, I would have left (Which I have mostly done) a long time ago. I come back for updates, and I listen to the new music. Why would I not? I give him an honest chance, and when zeitgiest came out, I admitted to liking 3-4 songs off the album. Can I post more nicely, and with less attitude. Yes. Can I post like Mariner does with his critique about the band. Yes, and I have. Do I want to, not at all.

As far as bill reacting to negativity, look at the way bill is reacting to it? He's dodging questions, telling people to take a hike, and making fun of old bandmates. Blaming everyone else but himself. Seriously, he just needs to do what you mentioned. Just address the issues. Wouldn't that be better then telling people that he no longer wants them as fans?

will this guy ever see that he has been making worse and worse music for more than ten years now and that the fans will react to that

He will have to accept that there are going to be fans who love the new stuff, and old schoolers who won't. He can't accept that there are people who still love and want old sp. He's failed to bridge the gap and blaming it on his fans.

I've seen alot of concerts where there were a fair amount of assholes in the crowd. Plenty. Just fucking crank it up and rock out....just rock out over the assholes. :;shrug:: It usually will work, unless you wanna stand up on stage and bicker with the malcontents in the audience.

Thanks man. That's probably the most honest thing i've seen you say on here in years.

That's fair enough and I'm not saying you're the sole source of negativity on the board, but you were responsible for a lot of it back in the day and now have become the figurehead of it. The guy has always been paranoid when people say bad things about him and he's just reacting to people being dicks. But I'm sure he doesn't read the board enough to know who's taking the piss and who loves the band to some extent, but is on the warpath.


Exactly my point, I genuinely think this is the right way to deal with it.

don't bands need to have at least 13 members, play prog noise drone electro soul folk, and have a fanbase of less than 7 for you to admit to liking them?

yeah, he definitely has to suck it up and accept that some people will never like it. but it doesnt help if those people stick around to repeatedly post how much they don't like it, over and over and over and over and over....

ah it's true. i remember when smashing pumpkins hopped from that bandwagon ten years ago. those were the days

You don't read my post enough. I said that when Z came out. Besides my "FU's, Cunts, Suck my dicks comments, everything I say is honest. My reasons against Sp, Bill, his decisions, everything. I'm not here (when I am) to just annoy. I'm a fan, and when I stop being one, I'll stop posting here all together. I'm not going to need Bill to tell me its time to leave, or you, or anyone else.


I actually find it shocking that people still view me in this light. After all this time. Makes me feel like coming out of "retirement" and just go full on "esty" all over the boards. haha

Anyway, you can lump me in with those people you talked about who just lost respect.

i want to draw a graph of people becoming indie over time but i cant be arsed

aww. its all good homie, lets go and drink forties and shoot someone together. lets shoot kahlo.

yeah i wasn't trying to undermine your point here. i don't feel like these are urgent questions, and i've been happy with the band mostly ignoring their fans' demands. it's only recently that billy seems to have some half-hearted interest in gaining a better understanding of the fanbase. so if he honestly wants that, at least he should understand why many people do feel this urgency. i think a lot of his views of the fans have merit, but he also overgeneralizes a lot. either take whole steps towards that better understanding or just don't even bother.

Not much of a drinker, but shooting Kahlo is ok. We'd be doing the wife a favor.

You aren't a fan of something if you bad mouth it, Period.