| A Pumpkin Appearance at Record Store |
| February 20, 2000, 11:00 pm |
Source: Richmond Times PUMPKINS' APPEARANCE A SMASHING SUCCESS; [City Edition] Tom Netherland. Richmond Times - Dispatch. Richmond, Va.: Feb 21, 2000. pg. E.3 Abstract (Document Summary) A blond-haired teen-ager hurled himself at the window of Plan 9's Carytown store yesterday just before noon. He meant no harm and caused none, but as a fan of rock superstars the Smashing Pumpkins, he just had to express his rage. Sort of. You see, the Pumpkins' bald bandleader, Billy Corgan, and guitarist James Iha were inside, pens in hand and ready to sign hundreds of autographs for fans numbered at about 750. The appearance, one of 37 stops in its promotional tour of mostly independent music stores, was to support the Feb. 29 release of the band's fifth studio release, "MACHINA/The Machines of God." Take Bob Mueller and his teen-age daughter, Beth. They landed at Richmond International Airport Sunday morning from their home in Philadelphia, parked his plane next to the one in which the Pumpkins had flown, Mueller said, and proceeded pronto to Plan 9. Full Text (579 words) Copyright Richmond Newspapers, Incorporated Feb 21, 2000 A blond-haired teen-ager hurled himself at the window of Plan 9's Carytown store yesterday just before noon. He meant no harm and caused none, but as a fan of rock superstars the Smashing Pumpkins, he just had to express his rage. Sort of. Like a "rat in a cage," goes the band's monster-mashing hit "Bullet with Butterfly Wings." You see, the Pumpkins' bald bandleader, Billy Corgan, and guitarist James Iha were inside, pens in hand and ready to sign hundreds of autographs for fans numbered at about 750. The appearance, one of 37 stops in its promotional tour of mostly independent music stores, was to support the Feb. 29 release of the band's fifth studio release, "MACHINA/The Machines of God." Among those in the blocks-long line were a pair of buddies who arrived at 11:30 Saturday night. They drove better than four hours to meet and greet the band they'd never seen in concert. "We were here all night," said Jeremiah Henning, 20, of Kitty Hawk, N.C. "I slept all night in the cold. No blankets, no chairs - all night. I took off work. I said, `I'm going, no matter what.'" Others went to more costly, elaborate lengths. Take Bob Mueller and his teen-age daughter, Beth. They landed at Richmond International Airport Sunday morning from their home in Philadelphia, parked his plane next to the one in which the Pumpkins had flown, Mueller said, and proceeded pronto to Plan 9. Odd, one may think for a man whose taste in music runs more in the direction of popsters Phil Collins and Genesis. Still, thanks to his daughter, Mueller said he's developed a liking to the Pumpkins' pile- drive-to-purr sound. "I like their music," he said. "They grow on you." Apparently. Meanwhile, Corgan and Iha browsed the store. Google-eyed fans watched as the pair perused the store's CDs and wondered aloud which albums they were selecting. For the record, the two-time Grammy Award winners chose better than $500 worth of discs by acts such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Bach and Whiskeytown. "They were very cordial as they walked around before the doors opened," said Dave Driver, Plan 9's Carytown store manager. "They said 'hi' to us and smiled. They were in very good spirits." As were the fans. The line moved briskly through the store as fans bit their lips and held back tears that came when confronted with Corgan and Iha. They cooed, oohed and aahed, smiled nervously and shook in their Doc Martens as THE moment beckoned. Corgan and Iha, dressed mostly in black, greeted all of the fans as if they meant something to them, as if they were more than mere fans. "Thank you for coming out," Corgan said numerous times during the 90-minute signing to timid fans whose words wouldn't come. Yet for those who wanted photos taken with the pair, Corgan merely shrugged and said to several hopeful fans, "I can't take it with you." Not that their memory of the moment was left with a scar. "Billy gave me a hug," said Nina Baker, 18, of Baltimore. "I gave him a (stuffed) monkey. It was freaking crazy." But not so crazy to have gotten out of hand, said Driver. "It went very well. Security did an excellent job in keeping everything organized. Our promotions department did an awesome job keeping everything in perspective," he said. "The kids'll remember this for many years," Driver said. "It makes me feel good." Credit: Special Correspondent Credit: Tom Netherland |