Ironically, the post that I had begun today was all about how difficult it is to talk about things that you love, and how we really don't like to talk shit at Duck & Cover, and how easy it would be to say negative things just to put a post up. (I mean, really. Just try to explain why you DO like something, and then compare and contrast with all of the things that you may have to say about something you DON'T like. )
Needless to say, not only is being a bitch much easier, it's also way more fun.
Which, I suppose, brings us to Billy Corgan. Now really, who spends ANY TIME AT ALL thinking about BC? While there's no real way to accurately measure such a thing, I will hazard a guess that the answer is somewhere in the area of Not Very Many. Now, that said, I used to be a big Smashing Pumpkins fan in (and really, this is not meant to be catty) the early nineties. Yes, yes, I am old enough to have purchased Gish, Lull (ep), and Siamese Dream when they were new, and not at all like a certain friend who likes to say that she fell in love with Pearl Jam's Ten when she was in the fifth grade. (Fifth grade? My god. )
I also purchased Mellon Collie and etc the day that it came out. Earlier I had read an interview where Corgan had made mention of the fact that he was "writing for his audience" who were much younger than his perceived initial fanbase, and he put the age of said audience at, I believe, 17, if not younger. Whah? I had the idea that SP may be in for a bit of trouble after that comment, and, what do you know, MCATIS was an infinite piece of crap. (Oh, and really, if you want to tell me how this was heaps better than Siamese Dream, please keep it to yourself. I don't agree, and I don't care to discuss it, but I will let you get away with saying that "1979" was pretty catchy.)
While this was pretty much the end of my relationship with SP, I will admit that I purchased Pisces Iscariot and enjoyed it. Whatever. Smashing Pumpkins as a band that released new material, died for me essentially the day that I heard MCATIS. In my opinion, the whole lumbering piece of shit could have been pared down to a single record (and not a great record, either).
Anywho. In the intervening years they put out some records, fought, broke up, got back together, and Billy Corgan proved himself to be an absolute douche bag. Today, Pitchfork is carrying a story that proves the absolute douchey arrogance of Mr. Corgan; the new SP record will be available in 4 formats, 3 of which contain material not available on the standard release, AND these editions are available ONLY at Best Buy, Target, and iTunes. Way to go, assholes. Cut out the small retailers just when they need the support of the artists whose careers they helped to grow; and I guaran-fucking-tee that it was not Target and Best Buy who were lining up to carry Gish back in the day.
Any further evidence of BC's transcendent doucheyness can be found on YouTube, where he is immortalized for posterity expounding on his own importance. A free iTunes album of your choice to the best "candid" photo of senor douchebag. We're not encouraging you to smack him with a pie or anything, but FYI I have it on good authority that he enjoys dining at the BeniHana(??!!) off Michigan in Chicago "when he's in town". We're just saying.
Seriously though. iTunes. Full album. Your choice.
Frigging blogger is being a whore, so......
www.pitchforkmedia.com -- also follow the link at the bottom of the article for all sorts of youtube bc fun.
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