Frustrated Pumpkin Smashes Guitar
Billy and the kids are learning that life as a "new" group with old tricks ain't always easy. Reader Kayvon hit a couple of shows from the Pumpkins' 13-night Bay Area stint and wrote that, on Monday night, "Billy went on a whole tangent on how this was a new band and they make mistakes." Such candor! Though the cat was way out of the bag after this display from Saturday night, of guitarist Jeff Schroeder taking some of those "mistakes" out ... on his axe.
And when sound issues hand you lemons, you make ... a profit! Ever the entrepreneurs, the great Pumpkins turned it into an opportunity for some sweet-ass merch. Kayvon sent a pic from SP's Monday night gig at Fillmore, of Jeff's mangled guit -- for sale at the merch table. The cost?
$10,000 ... cash only.
Maybe if it had belonged to James Iha.
Monday's set was also being filmed -- for an upcoming DVD. Maybe footage from the Day In The Life Of the Smashing Pumpkins series will show up on it. This installment finds the band rehearsing for those Fillmore gigs. Key moments? Jimmy offering choreography tips ("Both of you guys come over here ... So we're all fucking looking at each other ... It'll look cool anyway..."), Corgan in his more flattering street gear, and, toward the end of the clip, seeing what appears to be that poor guitar prior to headstock decapitation.
Posted at 1:01 PM in Video
Tags: The Smashing Pumpkins
i went to the show on monday, it was horrible so i left before an encore, which was still 2 hours after they started. can't believe they are using it for a dvd
Score = 0
pretty shameless
Score = 0
Say Billy Corgan and flush the toilet . . .
Score = 0
I hate when performers smash guitars. At lease smash an assembly line epiphone.
Score = 0
The shame is someone will buy this guitar
Score = 0
I'm scraping every last dime up to buy a new guitar and this prick destroys his because he can.
I think John Hiatt had something to say about that!
DwD
Score = 0
I just vomitted up the last globs of respect I had for the Pumpkins...
Score = 0
whatev-ski
Score = 0
Yes, I'm sure they were really selling.
Jesus, just enjoy the music. So he broke a guitar, oh wow, the controversy. My god, I am shocked.
Stereogum never has any good opinions on SP. If they released indie shit, stereogum would still go "oh, but look at his ego"!
Stop focusing so much on the personalities and enjoy the music, all you indie dicks.
Score = 0
but the music sucks...
Score = 0
that doesn't matter, chris. ENJOY IT! ...or else.
Score = 0
As an Irish reader of this site, any time I peruse the comments I always have a Napolean Dynamite voice in my head for these bitch fights.
The new Pumpkins album sucks balls, but at least the guitar sounds are good.
If you're looking for conclusive proof that Corgan has lost it, look no further:
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=262627
Score = 0
Wow, can't believe you really for that.
Yes, thats Billy corgan 100%. Wow, you are such an idiot. See above post for proof.
Score = 0
WTF!! $25 for a poster!?!?!
Score = 0
and $45 for a t-shirt and $90 for a hoodie, i kid you not
Score = 0
The show I went to could have been better, but they did play for 3 hours and closed their 3rd encore with "Geek USA" which is always welcome.
As a band, they do seem hell-bent on pissing throuhg any goodwill they earn, though. They opened the show with a 20-30 minute (longer?) version of Gossamer that included multiple extended guitar jams and a drum solo. Definitely my first time seeing people leaving the front row for the beer line during the first song. It took them an hour to build the crowd back up to the excitement level of the first note.
Score = 0
CASH ONLY
Score = 0
It's a damn Gibson Les Paul Custom. they retail for like $3400.
their headstocks are VERY fragile. is something very well known. if you throw it like that, it WILL break. the fix will cost about 200$.
but no, better sell it to the fans for 10.000.
jesus christ. what a douchebag.
Score = 0
i think it's time to say that apparently everyone hates billy and won't let him have his fun.
i see the selling of the guitar more as a joke, just another sarcastic thing from the tired mind that is billy's.
stop pissing him off.
Score = 0
All of his heretofore mysterious actions will all make perfect sense when he publishes his diaries (unedited, we hope!)
Score = 0
That letter was perhaps ironic??
I don't think he would ever call the Smashing Pumpkins the biggest band in the world seriously.
He's just joking. Are people so stupid they can't understand irony anymore?
Score = 0
I'm pretty sure it was the venue that was selling the guitar for that amount, not the Pumpkins. I believe there's a video where Jeff talks about that incident.
Score = 0