Billy Corgan 'Embarrassed' By 90's Bands Playing Old Hits To 'Pay The Mortgage'

[StoneTempleBrett]

http://www.alternativenation.net/?p=53312

[STP92]

He's not wrong, but everybody hates him so I can't imagine his statement is going to be very popular.

[foou33]

it feels good knowning that after Gene Simmons passes away there will still be a musician in the media who just won't stop talking.

[Pingfah]

Billy is a bit of a douche, but damn, Oceania is a really fucking good album and I look forward greatly to the next Pumpkins album.

He IS raking in the cash re-releasing old albums though, so I'm not sure he can really claim angelic status when it comes to tapping past glories to "make a lot of money".

Oooh, this was my 1000th post!

[STEAK]

Good for him.

He's probably saying what most musicians feel anyway.  They continue to grow and make music, but there's always that fan demographic that only wants to hear the band's old songs (usually so they can get drunk relive their youth).  There's no real appreciation for the artist or the music.

In terms of STP (if they were still together), I'd much rather see a show made up of No.4, SLDD, and/or S/T (maybe with one or two older tracks), than see the same old "greatest hits" (aka the singles) show.   But then again, I'm a fan of the band and their music... not just a fan of the years 1992, 1993, & 1994.

[The Legacy]

this guy is a joke. he uses the smashing pumpkins brand to pay his mortgage, by all rights he should be releasing music as billy corgan not smashing pumpkins

[lovemachine97]

The model for everyone should be Pearl Jam. From "Black" to "Sirens," they are honest, they have grown, so has their music, and they still play old and new.


That doesn't mean we should begrudge people making a buck. It's not as if the DeLeos and Scott haven't continued to put out new music, even if they aren't very prolific.


Wasn't "Between the Lines" number one in 2010? When was the last time Smashing Pumpkins have had a number one rock song? Didn't Soundgarden put out a new album? Wasn't the last STP tour behind an EP? Hasn't Pearl Jam come out with new material like clockwork?


So what in the fuck is he talking about?

[Down-Plush]

Wow, for once, I just don't really care lol.

[STEAK]

The model for everyone should be Pearl Jam. From "Black" to "Sirens," they are honest, they have grown, so has their music, and they still play old and new.


That doesn't mean we should begrudge people making a buck. It's not as if the DeLeos and Scott haven't continued to put out new music, even if they aren't very prolific.


Wasn't "Between the Lines" number one in 2010? When was the last time Smashing Pumpkins have had a number one rock song? Didn't Soundgarden put out a new album? Wasn't the last STP tour behind an EP? Hasn't Pearl Jam come out with new material like clockwork?


So what in the fuck is he talking about?

Damn Pearl Jam! 

Making all the other 90's bands look bad.  Personally I never got into them, but they really seem like the gold standard.  Must be nice to be a PJ fan, varying set lists, acoustic songs, fan support, live recordings, concert DVDs, merchandise you'd actually want!

I get what Corgan was saying, and I agree with it; but unlike PJ a lot of bands just play their hits/old material.  At most STP shows over the years, the crowd would sing along with all the Core/Purple songs, then you'd lose half the crowd when they played anything past Tiny Music.  As a fan, it sucked not to hear their newer songs, and it was even worse when they stopped acoustic sets altogether. All of that was to cater to the "casuals" so they can sell more tickets.

[Pingfah]

Problem is, they put themselves in a vicious circle, it was a short-sighted strategy. Scale back the new music at gigs, and your fanbase will lose interest in you making new music. If the fanbase loses interest in new material, they'll get bored at gigs when you play it. So in the short term they may have shifted a few more tickets for a particular tour, but in the longterm, they've killed their own careers as recording, active musicians.

Pearl Jam still continue to have strong album sales because of their commitment to putting on long, varied live shows. They've kept their fanbase energised throughout their whole career and it has paid off for them big time.

[STEAK]

With Pearl Jam's success (as well as commitment to their fans), it's baffling to me why other bands from the same era don't try to follow that model. 

[Pingfah]

I think because it is too late. They needed to have been doing this all along like PJ have.

STP have lost their audience now, and they won't get them back by playing deep cuts because they already drove that audience away with greatest hits shows. Their only way back to real success is to produce a massive crossover radio hit, which at this point in the game seems... unlikely.

[The Action Girls]

Problem is, they put themselves in a vicious circle, it was a short-sighted strategy. Scale back the new music at gigs, and your fanbase will lose interest in you making new music. If the fanbase loses interest in new material, they'll get bored at gigs when you play it. So in the short term they may have shifted a few more tickets for a particular tour, but in the longterm, they've killed their own careers as recording, active musicians.

Pearl Jam still continue to have strong album sales because of their commitment to putting on long, varied live shows. They've kept their fanbase energised throughout their whole career and it has paid off for them big time.

Truth.

If they had followed the formula from the Shangri-LA DEE DA tour of 2001/2002 IN the most recent tours (2010-2012), they could have easily kept both fairweather and hardcore fans interested. For the most part, that tour had THE best setlist possible (with five LPs of music to choose from).

Instead, they chose to play one or two tracks from Stone Temple Pilots (an album chock full of songs screaming for a live performance) and the rest from Core, Purple and Tiny Music...Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop.

I'll forgive 2008/2009 as they really were just warming up for the second half of their touring career. Plus, nothing can take away the electricity felt during the very first stint of the 2008 "Reunion" tour.

[ShaneC]

New Pumpkins single:


http://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/smashing-pumpkins-being-beige-20141020

[STP92]

New Pumpkins single:


http://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/smashing-pumpkins-being-beige-20141020

Eh, pretty disappointing. I let expectations get too high after he hyped it up so much.