I was never a fan, but Smashing Pumkins have recently usurped The Red Hot Chilli Peppers as worst shit ever, IMO.

Those are big words, Doug. Perhaps it's time for another poll? Who's worse now? Smashing Pumpkins or Celine Dion?

Oh man. Do you see what happens when the Stranger tries to be the Onion? The Smashing Pumpkins get hurt.

Let's wait until they finish this tour, then take a vote. I think the Punkins' 3 sets replete with all-jam-rock-renditions of past hits, $80 hoodies (!) at the merch table, and Baby Fester's aparent contempt for his audience (from a review of their recent SF shows) may put them in the lead.

I mean, the Chilli Peppers are just retared...

Should read: "3 HOUR sets"...

"his chosen credible channels"
that's myspace bulletins, right?

The bruise inflicted by this act of satire is but a tiny speck upon the vast ocean of narcissism and bad poetry that is Billy Corgan's ego.

Not sure what the always arrogant Billy Corgan should've called his new band, but it's definitely not the Pumpkins. Good thing there are some other bands around making excellent new pumpkin-esque music to listen to, so I didn't feel inclined to listen to Corgan's self-parody on his new album more than once. Zeitgeist is lame lame lame.

oh, BABY FESTER!!! nice Dougsf.

Trust me, I was there (Loyola Chicago '88). Smashing Pumpkins (Iha aside - very funny dude) NEVER knew how to take a joke.

The thing du jour (band re-unions or re-builds) has good and bad results. My fave is Judas Priest. Woooo! As for the RHCP vs SP thing, I like RHCP better because they don't pretend to be anything other than a pack of sentimental hippie losers with brain damage from huffing gasoline. They're kind of sweet, in a way. SP is kinda funny. Especially that "World is a Vampire" song. It kills me. But I still give RHCP the win. They have more letters.
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It wasn't even a good joke. Any true SP fan would know that those smug words would never come out of Mr. Corgan's mouth. It's Billy Corgan, not Bono.

The mention of Courtney Love was overkill, too.

You're right Poe, it wasn't a good joke...it was a great one.

No, Jonah. I recognized it as a joke right off, and it didn't make me chuckle. And I don't give a shit about SP. I should have been roaring, if it was a great joke. It failed to meet that magic balance which makes similar joke columns from past Strangers work right ("Don't do Blow by Sandra Oh," etc). You be slippin' ...

I'll admit I didn't know if this was real or not when I read it because in parts, it actually sounds like something Corgan would write. Like this graph:

"Seven years, seven months, and ten days ago, the clock struck midnight, 2000, and the world began turning faster. Back then, I disbanded the Smashing Pumpkins because the new millennium demanded it. A new age needed a new start—cleanliness and unity, not the confused, confusing wreck I let the band become."

Even the Courtney Love reference comes in the line about how the band "drew the line between Black Sabbath, the Bee Gees, and the Cure, and that line caught a generation like a leash around a wayward puppy." You telling me Corgan wouldn't write that shit? That sounds just like him. Kudos to you for capturing the voice so well...though you may have done it too well for me to laugh about it.

I've interviewed him a few times, and been amazed at how easy it is to lead him into saying stupid, arrogant shit just because he thinks I'm on his side. The more trust you gain from him the more arrogant he becomes. He has no ceiling on his own self-importance.

Having said all that, Gish and Siamese Dream are fantastic records and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.

Egotistical? HE'S SOLD MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF RECORDS. Not to mention that lots and lots of people know his music. His art.

Shit I would be egotistical as all hell if I did something like that with myself. Jeesus, get a grip and realize that some people might think very highly of themselves and their work. SHOCK

Music Guy nails it. It was too realistic to be funny. At that point it's about as funny as the stuff Andy Kaufman did for his own entertainment at the expense of the audience. Maybe one guy finds it hilarious inside his skull, but the rest of us are blankly wondering about the waste of column space. Speaking of which, who keeps advertising this fake movie all over the Stranger, both in print and on the web? Is it some microsoft millionaire going soft in the head, hoping the joke will take on a life of its own "snakes on a plane"-style? Knock it off!

Christopher #11 has some very good points re: SP vs. RHCP.

TallSquirrel- Egotism is ugly to the point of comedy. It makes a caricature of its possessor, and we're allowed to laugh at that. Sadly, this column was a poor vehicle for that humor.
Is he a genius, at least as far as music? Maybe; I'm no expert. Doesn't make him less of an ass.

Yeah, damn that Billy Corgan for trying to defend his character.

Okay, I'm totally out of the loop. Where is this joke that the above note from the Pumpkins is referencing? Where can I read it?

Billy is a head-case and ego manaic, but also does sometimes write some killer tunes. The way he kept on insulted the Lolla ‘94 [yes, I'm quite aware that was a few years ago] crowd at the Gorge, even though they put on a killer set, still fuels my anti-Billy fire. His connection to Courntey makes me gag. Long live the dayz of Gish & Sim. Dream & Pieces A. & parts of Mellon Collie. Iha rulz! Check out the Silversun Pickups if itchin’ for some pumpkin-esq jams/vibe.

Yeah, old Pumpkins and new Pickups!

Maybe I'm the only one that doesn't see his "genius", also. I don't think he's talentless, but even the older albums being tauted I don't find any less embarrassing than Blood, Sugar, Sex, Majic. (That's with a "J", right? It's gotta be.) It'd all be easily forgivable, but the guy just seems like such an ass, takes all the fun out of what COULD be a guilty pleasure.

An Open Letter from Billy Corgan
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=262627
what a great way to promote your next album. to bad it's just a joke.

Whoever wrote the nasty review of the SF shows obviously has no sense of irony or humor.

Every single time Billy is talking, he is fucking with people.
And oh how people invite being fucked with - asking stupid, stupid questions of people who the media have elevated to 'celebrity' status and doing little to no homework on the actual music, band or history. The media people keep perpatuating all of these past rumors about his assholesness, control freak bahavior - as if he is the only person in the world who could possibly dare to be an *gasp* asshole sometimes!
No one else in the history of the world has been a dick before! Let alone a sad music critic! Let alone a blog reader!
Let alone a blog reader from Seattle who is also a smarmy armchair music critic with nothing positive or worthwhile to share with the world other than pithy rehashed rumors of a musicians supposed attitude problems 10 years ago!

And after his little snooty rant on kids not buying the record (is he wrong? no.) he reminded everyone that he was joking and that people take him too seriously.

Billy is a ridiculously talented, prolific, completely unserious rock star of the highest magnitude. He creates drama and theatrics out of boredom.
and then he sits back and laughs as the too-serious fans, critics and other freaks tear each other apart.

oh, and he shreds on guitar.

Everyone quit complaining.
They're called THE SMASHING PUMPKINS.
Quit taking them so SERIOUSLY.