The Smashing Pumpkins' Zeitgeist Cover
Those silly thieves didn't get the job done. Sure they got pics of Paris Hilton and Sieg Hailing school kids, but what rehearsal space doesn't contain those items, ya know? The actual cover was composed by Obey Giant graphic designer Shepard Fairey, the man behind the Andre The Giant street art and Walk The Line's poster imagery. Said Shepard:
I think global warming is an issue that is currently relevant, time sensitive, and a symptom of the shortsightedness of the U.S. As a broader metaphor, the drowning Statue of Liberty, a revered icon of the U.S., symbolizes the eminent demise of many of the ideals upon which the nation was founded. Civil liberties, freedom of speech, privacy, etc. have been decreasing since 9/11. The sun in the image could either be setting or rising and this ambiguity shows that there is still hope to turn things around.Guess the Grim Reaper at the President's podium offered a little less ambiguity. Billy Corgan notes that Fairey "used the type font from our very first single, and I asked him about it and he had no idea. He was just on point." So there you have it: a drowning Lady Liberty and a Sky Red Sky. Fill in the blank: As a graphic designer...
Posted at 9:36 AM in Album Art
Tags: The Smashing Pumpkins
as a graphic designer, i like the way the sidebar looks
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whoa so fairey also took the time off from making hideous t-shirts that starched-shirt guidos wear when they're not in the club?
good for him.
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As a graphic designer, I just threw up a little in my mouth.
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I was just going to say how much I liked the new sidebar, but jj beat me to it. Great job, guys! And I think I'll just keep my mouth shut about the Smashing Pumpkins cover.
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as a graphic designer, i think that looks like a bad mash-up between the KMFDM album covers and the cover for AFI's "black sails in the sunset."
as a graphic designer, i feel horrible that i name-dropped both KMFDM and AFI in the same sentence.
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Love the redesign, Stereogum!
Hate the attempt to be relevant, Smashing Pumpkins! Quit shitting all over my memories of high school.
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Can't decide what's worse: the concept, the design or the band.
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"The sun in the image could either be setting or rising and this ambiguity shows that there is still hope to turn things around."
I'm pretty sure the statue faces east so the sun would have to be setting over a waterlogged NYC, right?
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"Eminent demise"? He means "imminent". What a clueless, pretentious jackass.
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that'd be a waterlogged New Jersey behind the statue, not NYC.
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This is embarrassing. Billy Corgan is agressively trying to ruin my retrospective like of 'Tonight, Tonight'.
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shepard fairey's been played out since he did the mt. dew redesign.
guess the pumpkins picked the right guy, seeing how they're played out too.
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such a delicate and exquisite handling of clouds at the top there, very inspired… I wonder which intern did it
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Thanks jim... I get confused - people talk funny in both places.
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Shepard Fairey did that? Are you sure it wasn't one of his junior assistants who had to turn around the whole thing in 20 minutes? So mediocre.
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tough crowd. i like it. it's simple and straight-forward. the accompanying blurb might be a bit much to stomach, but i think the design itself is pretty good.
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No abiguity about this. Since lady liberty faces east, the sun is setting.
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The fact is, that it doesn't matter what Billy Corgan came up with for album artwork, what his lyrics are, or if anything he does could be regarded as remotely genius, the lot of you will hate him because of who he is (and that makes you just a pretentious as you claim he is).
As for the artwork, I said it once and I'll say it again - Interpol decides to do a shoot at the natural history museum and the Arcade Fire hobnobs with the McGill synchronized swim team, and both of them are considered brilliance with respect to album artwork???
Give me a break!!! These are the same idiots who would have you believe that true genius hides behind the squirly face of Dan Dacon!
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asdf4t2:
I think it's YOU who are being pretentious with your trivial grammatical error-mongering. Who cares how someone spells when you know what someone means. This album cover seems to be consistent with most of the smashing pumpkins catalogue. People seem to get so angry with bands trying to be relevant, what would you want? A band to be IRrelevant? It's all they have, you know, you do your thing, they'll do theirs, and i praise them for attempting to be relevant in their particular field of interest, even if it is a failed attempt.
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"As a graphic designer..." shut the fuck up. Your BA in doodling and fucking around doesn't make your opinion any more significant.
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No one knows his way around the Cutout feature of Photoshop like Mr. Fairy.
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Fuck global warming, man. That shit ain't rock'n'roll. Of course, at this point, it's arguable whether the Pumpkins are even rock'n'roll anymore.
Damn hippies.
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He's just going to turn around an sell the album art to the Express for their Rodeo Jeans line like he did with the Dream Is Dead album art.
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i never got into the pumpkins, but i think this cover's pretty radical. if it'd been a thermals record, i'd think it was even more radical.
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... is that the new twenty dollar bill?
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Just as boring as I expect the album to be!
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... is that the new twenty dollar bill? And with the "light" behind the Statue - why are the waves lighter and not darker as shadows?
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as others have said, it feels like a better designed KMFDM cover, which in turn is like a "better designed" piece of shit. stale concept, stale execution. I like some of Fairy's work, but this is pretty bunk.
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People need to lighten up--the cover's direct and iconic, just like Fairey's work. I'll admit he's pretentious, but maybe the new SP will actually sound good again (since they pretty much lost it after 1996).
Most of you are such Debbie Downers--get some sunlight!
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As a graphic designer I feel dirty after seeing that cover. Must take cold shower.
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the cover should just be a pile of money.
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Ju Bean--Since when has hating someone because of who they are been pretentious? I hate Hitler because of who he was, so that makes me pretentious? Hating someone because of what they wear/how they talk/their socioeconomic status would be considered shallow or pretentious. Seems to me that hating someone because of their awful personality is one of the few good reasons to hate someone. That is the dumbest argument I've ever heard.
Secondly, in what fantasy world that you live in did everyone fawn over the Interpol and Arcade Fire album artwork? I seem to recall here in the real world that many people (including myself) were underwhelmed, or even hated, the artwork (at least for the interpol record, the actual "neon bible" album cover i actually enjoyed, though the swimmers thing was kind of weird). Erroneously dissing bands that hipsters like is the lowest (and most transparent) form of social dissention these days. You are even more of a fake and a snob (the only thing worse than a snob is a fake snob) than the people who fawn all over the Arcade Fire and Interpol at every available turn.
Thirdly, "Dan Dacon", as you so eloquently called him, has nothing to do with this post. You just happened to see how other fake anti-hipsters attacked him, and went along. Do you have any original thoughts whatsoever running through that grammatically devoid head of yours?
If you were here right now, I'd give you two swirlies. Twat.
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Shea--You are even more of a porridge-brained troglodyte than Ju Bean. Do you have even an inkling of an idea how hard of a major graphic design is? I go to an art school where at least half of the students major in graphic design (I myself do not, but my roommate does). It is insanely tough. You basically spend three or four years of your life having your spirit broken by SS guards disguised as professors, agonizing over every miniscule detail of a piece until you can't look at it anymore for fear of going blind. You have to be more than a perfectionist to make it in graphic design. It is as far removed from "doodling and fucking around" (as you so astutely observed) as possible, and I'd like to see you try and even attempt to make it in such a field with that kind of attitude. My money is on you not lasting a day, fuckstick.
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Hey Liam, do you go to school for writing? I haven't seen adjective-laden paragraphs like that in forever. Or is it the "SS guards" that bring out the best in you? Hilarious anyway.
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Hey, billy looks good on the cover. he looks like a lady though.
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As a graphic designer, I would have made sure they didn't misspell the band name - they keep spelling it "Smashing Pumpkins" instead of "Zwan 2".
DwD
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Wow, Liam has a lot of time on his hands. Ten minutes to write that second post? Thank gravy your major's not English, fella. I'll bet your single....
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Liam--
When you read my comments it is very obvious that you make it a practice to hear what you want.
So hear this:
When I say that people will hate Billy because of who he is, I’m implying that there is a name value to most people’s hatred (meaning that most hate him simply because he is Billy Corgan vs. being Win Butler, for instance). This awful personality of his is merely the shallow machination of a group of people who desire to judge him on qualities other than his output as a musician. You seem to know his awful personality exists because you’ve met him personally, right? Neither have I, so I’ll reserve any judgments about his personality for the day I randomly run into him, as opposed to the assumptions that seem to be the keystone of your beliefs. And even if you don’t like his current output, you cannot deny the greatness that his music, thus far, has achieved. But I would assume that someone as completely trendy as yourself would rather musicians just roll over and die once they’re past their prime. That is, in favor of people who masquerade as experimental or “putting the fun back into music”, when what they are really saying is that they are devoid of talent and attention starved (which I’m sure you’ll claim the same of Billy when you respond to this). But it’s easy for people like you who are always looking for the next underground “thing” to harp on stupidity like “Dan Dacon” (which I now refuse to spell correctly since you find my grammar so atrocious).
And the thought that you would even compare your distaste for a musician to a man who is responsible for the massacre of six million Jewish people…well if that doesn’t shoot holes in your argument, I don’t know what does!
Secondly, in the fantasy world you live in, you would rather manipulate my comments into suggesting that the opinions I express are those of every person who posts on Stereogum. What you fail to realize is that I actually enjoy the music of both Interpol and the Arcade Fire. So to say that because I do not like their artwork choices that I am “erroneously dissing bands that hipsters like” is a profoundly ludicrous statement on your part. What is “transparent” about this is that you made the conjecture that because I was dissing Arcade Fire and Interpol’s artwork choices that I hated hipster culture. And that, dear Liam, means that you sir, are the real snob. You tried to defend the culture you are apart of because you assumed I wasn’t. This sort of mentality is very close to political conservatives who suggest that any criticism of our government makes the critic “un-American”. And that’s what’s wrong – people think criticism is somehow discrediting everything we’ve/they’ve ever accomplished. That is why your argument holds no water.
Thirdly, I don’t like “Dan Dacon’s” music because it is devoid of melody and rhythm - fairly simple concepts to master and necessities for palatable music. I’m not, as you so eloquently stated, “a fake anti-hipster”. I’m justified in my beliefs and can state them clearly and articulately. I’m an English and philosophy major; so yes, my head is brimming with original ideas and correct grammar (when I’m not rushed). So in the future, I would suggest that you carefully consider what tripe you spew towards me. Review a book by classical studies scholar Robert Greene entitled The 48 Laws of Power, the first of which is: Never Attempt to Outshine the Master. In this field sir, I am a master. And I make a habit of ripping to shreds the arguments of people who subscribe to pseudo- intellectual perspectives, regard their own viewpoints as dogma, and use “twat” as a pejorative!
Toodles!
Ju Bean
P.S. – If you find any grammatical errors in this post you can sincerely blow me!
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winner. Ju Bean.
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MOst of you sat down and took your time to find the album cover and then badmouth everything about the band. Definetly the most hated band, and every one of you douche bags will go out of you way to hear the new music and find something bad to say.Self righteous bastards, he's obviously doing something right, whut the fuk r u doing.. and a tip of the cap to you billy.
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MOst of you sat down and took your time to find the album cover and then badmouth everything about the band. Definetly the most hated band, and every one of you douche bags will go out of you way to hear the new music and find something bad to say.Self righteous bastards, he's obviously doing something right, whut the fuk r u doing.. and a tip of the cap to you billy.
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MOst of you sat down and took your time to find the album cover and then badmouth everything about the band. Definetly the most hated band, and every one of you douche bags will go out of you way to hear the new music and find something bad to say.Self righteous bastards, he's obviously doing something right, whut the fuk r u doing.. and a tip of the cap to you billy.
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"You maniacs! You blew it up! Or, alternately... drowned it!"
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uh, it's an alright cover. not that noteworthy but not that stupid either. i doubt people would be discussing it this much without stereogum telling them to.
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uh, it's an alright cover. not that noteworthy but not that stupid either. i doubt people would be discussing it this much without stereogum telling them to.
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Why the hell does every band feel the need to spout their politcal views through their music these days? I know it's nothing new, but geez, no one cares!
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I find the cover unattractive, which could be the whole point. I'll probably buy it.
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why do 9/10 of all comments in all posts have to be so damn mean & cynical? seems more commenters than not dont even like stereogum... just go the AOL music blog then, children.
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I find it really ironic that a fan of the Pumpkins would have the unmitigated gall to call non-fans "Debbie Downer".
Uh, ever heard a Pumpkins song? Not exactly the most uplifting stuff ever recorded.
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Ahem...I'm a graphic designer here! Graphic design is a turd job, and the only thing setting them aside from the average dope with pirated versions of Adobe products is the degree. And the degree is worthless aside from it's potential to get you that turd job. So, from one designer to the others, shut up! You have no more authority on the matter than the next guy. That's right. 'As a graphic designer' prefixing your sentence ought to be an embarrassment. All it shows is that you've learned to scrutinize things to death, and thus can come up with semi-appealing junk that you have over-thought and under-felt. Go design another Triscuit box, and leave your job-justifying snobbery at the office.
The cover is fine. The music is better. And you design kitschy, fad-fellating images for products to help them win over jokes like yourself with too much money and too little skill to justify the income, as a graphic designer.
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So much hate out there...
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smashing pumpkins are still making records
weren't they that band that did today is the greatest day i've ever known and i wanna rock?
it's amazing how these 90s bands think they have to come back and prove something as if they were all powerful!
oh and smashing pumpkins' 1979 in clerks 2 was really life changing
give me a fucking break!!!!!
as for the other people on this thing, who's up for satellite party's new album? i'm getting it on vinyl!
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Man that is the meanest looking album cover I've seen in a long time. Its fantastic!
http://whudahexup.com/
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Man that is the meanest looking album cover I've seen in a long time. Its fantastic!
http://whudahexup.com/
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chill guys. the post ask you to fill in the blank "as a graphic designer..."
dont chew these guys head off...
Im no designer but I do like the cover, the music a bit more.
http://whudahexup.com/
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As a graphic designer I'd say it needs some sharks.
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Download Zeitgeist
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Wasn't Billy all about THE Smashing Pumpkins as their true name... and now this is a reversion to SD and Gish nomenclature?
What does this imply...
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This cover is a joke right?
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I was the biggest smashing pumpkins fan 1990-2000. They left as legends. Now they come back make us wait forever and then james has to tell us hes not doing it. Billy and Jimmy get some random punk ass kid schroeder to do guitar and some random girl for the bass. I have now heard the album in its entirety, and god does it ever suck. Everysong has a fake angst to it. Instead of going all out billy gives us a 1o minute song on untited states, followed by a whoo and terrible vocal fx thruout the song. Tarantula suppposably their break thru song on the record sucks ass with a bad chorus. Doomsday clock features billy corgan singer about 30 times higher than he usually does. Pomp and circumstance for god and country. What the fuck these songs suck and lack artistic talent. Im not comparing them to what they were its just that now they suck real bad. Thank you smashing pumpkins for the effort but please quit for good your hurting everyone that was a fan and potential fans. In closing hey at least the 16 year old suicidal emo kids will like it. Thanks to james iha melissa auf der maur and darcy for not rejoining i now know why you guys wanted no part of it.
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These are all very tired discussions. Get over it. It's only a fucking album cover.
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For god sake, get over yourselves!
Yes, I am a big fan of Billy Corgan's, and I don't like a lot of stuff he does, but at least he tried. I'd like to see any of you do it.
Tall poppy syndrome I am thinking!
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