| St. Louis Post Speaks Iha About Rumors and D'arcy |
| April 8, 2000, 11:00 pm |
Source: St. Louis Post - Dispatch SMASHING PUMPKINS' BILLY CORGAN SAYS THE BAND IS NEAR THE END - AGAIN; [FIVE STAR LIFT Edition] Alan Sculley Special To The Post-Dispatch. St. Louis Post - Dispatch. St. Louis, Mo.: Apr 9, 2000. pg. F.4 Abstract (Document Summary) Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has always been prone to provocative opinions. And just as the band's new CD, "Machina: The Machines Of God," was arriving in stores, he hinted at the demise of his band in a March 16 Rolling Stone magazine interview. But if Corgan's comments alarmed the other members of the band, guitarist James Iha wasn't showing it during an interview last week. "He's said it on every record, so I take it with a grain of salt," Iha said. "If he decides after this he doesn't want to play anymore, obviously we're not going to go on anymore. But I don't know. Every record is supposed to be our last record. So I don't really think about it too much." By then, Corgan had gone through a nervous breakdown, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin had been to rehab, and Iha and bassist D'arcy Wretzky had seen their romantic relationship implode. During sessions for "Siamese Dream" it was widely acknowledged that Corgan played most of the guitar and bass parts, leaving Iha and D'arcy largely uninvolved. Full Text (1004 words) Copyright Pulitzer Publishing Company Apr 9, 2000 MUSIC POP & CLASSICAL Music Outpost forum Sound off on rap, blues, punk or whatever else moves you. www.postnet.com/musicoutpost Smashing Pumpkins Where: American Theatre When: 8 p.m., Monday How much: $30 Tickets: 314-241-1888 Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has always been prone to provocative opinions. And just as the band's new CD, "Machina: The Machines Of God," was arriving in stores, he hinted at the demise of his band in a March 16 Rolling Stone magazine interview. "I've taken pop songwriting as far as it can go," he told the magazine. "This is pretty much the end of the line." But if Corgan's comments alarmed the other members of the band, guitarist James Iha wasn't showing it during an interview last week. "He's said it on every record, so I take it with a grain of salt," Iha said. "If he decides after this he doesn't want to play anymore, obviously we're not going to go on anymore. But I don't know. Every record is supposed to be our last record. So I don't really think about it too much." Iha has a point. Search through past interviews with Corgan, and it's not hard to find similar statements. For instance, in a November 1995 "Rolling Stone" interview he noted that he thought the Chicago- based band had reached the end of the line emotionally and creatively with their 1993 sophomore release, "Siamese Dream." Instead, the Pumpkins rolled on, recording the two-disc epic "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness," a 1995 CD that Corgan in the same intervi ew described as one that would be either the band's last album or the "last album as people know the Smashing Pumpkins." Here it is five years later, and Smashing Pumpkins has endured. But it hasn't been easy. By the time "Siamese Dream" catapulted the band to stardom behind hit songs like "Today" and "Cherub Rock," the Pumpkins were already becoming known as much for their internal turmoil as for their raw yet cinematic brand of guitar rock. By then, Corgan had gone through a nervous breakdown, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin had been to rehab, and Iha and bassist D'arcy Wretzky had seen their romantic relationship implode. During sessions for "Siamese Dream" it was widely acknowledged that Corgan played most of the guitar and bass parts, leaving Iha and D'arcy largely uninvolved. Yet the Pumpkins not only persisted but soared higher. The critically acclaimed "Mellon Collie" became one of the year's most popular CDs, selling 8 million copies in the United States alone. But triumph soon turned to tragedy. During the tour for "Mellon Collie," keyboardist Johnny Melvoin died from an overdose of heroin and alcohol. Chamberlin, who allegedly was using drugs with the keyboardist, was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. The tour was put on hold, and a few days later, Chamberlin was fired. Instead of folding, Corgan, D'arcy and Iha closed ranks, hiring a temporary drummer and keyboardist to finish the tour. D'arcy said after the tour resumed that the events had actually brought the three band members closer. The follow-up CD, "Adore," marked a significant musical departure, focusing largely on introspective ballads as opposed to the edgy majestic rock of earlier records. The CD quickly sank from the charts. Now, two years after the "Adore" disappointment, Smashing Pumpkins are trying once again to bounce back. The "Machina" CD marks at least a partial return to the Pumpkins' sound of old. The searing rock dynamics that were missing on "Adore" return with a vengeance on "The Everlasting Gaze," "Heavy Metal Machine" and "The Imploding Voice." The band also fares well on poppier, less stormy songs like "Raindrops + Sunshowers," "Stand Inside Your Love" and "This Time." However, other tunes drone on behind lackluster melodies and deliberate tempos. And with 15 songs, "Machina" runs a bit long. Response to "Machina" so far has been mixed. After debuting at No. 2 on the "Billboard" album charts, the album it has quickly sunk into the 40s. Again, the band is getting as much attention for the internal drama surrounding "Machina" as for the music on the CD. Before recording the CD, the band reunited with Chamberlin. "I think enough time had passed," Iha said of the decision to bring Chamberlin back into the fold. "I'd like to think we're all older and wiser. He's the best drummer for our band, so that was it. Flood (the producer of "Machina") was definitely behind the decision, too." The return of Chamberlin is clearly a positive move. His propulsive drumming was always a key to the Pumpkins' sound, and his playing energizes many songs on "Machina." Time will tell if another change will be as good for the band. In September, D'arcy left after 10 years with the group. So far, everyone involved has been tight-lipped about the circumstances surrounding D'arcy's decision, and Iha was reluctant to address the subject. D'arcy's replacement is bassist Melissa Auf der Maur, formerly of Hole. Iha said Auf der Maur's friendship with Corgan and her experience with Hole - a band that has been no stranger to controversy itself - has made her a good choice for the Pumpkins. "She plays well and she fits in well with the band," Iha said. "She has her own personality and her own sound. It's generally been up, up, up. It's been positive. She's sort of been through the same stuff we've been through. If we would have gotten some session bass player, it would have been lame." Iha said he was pleased with "Machina," although he added that the long recording schedule was draining. "All of our records have been really long to record," Iha said. "It was easier in some ways because it had been a while since we had rocked out. It was kind of fresh to play with Jimmy, a drummer, again. So that was good. Flood is great to work with and the songs were good. Everybody had a pretty good attitude going into it. It just took so damn long." Credit: Alan Sculley |