alt.music.smash-pumpkins - Smashing Pumpkins FAQ v1.09
Eric Agnew
Posting-Frequency: monthly (17th)
Last-modified: 2/17/96 03:30 CST
Version: 1.09
URL: http://www.engr.wisc.edu/~agnew/sp-faq.html
<pre>
Welcome to the Smashing Pumpkins FAQ! Changes/updates from previous main
versions are marked by a '*'. Please read this (the whole thing, even!)
before posting. It contains a TON of information compiled over a long period
of time, and will save you a lot of time asking, and save everyone else a lot
of time answering... :)
If you are new to Usenet, or if you haven't already read them, *PLEASE* read
the articles in the newsgroup "news.announce.newusers" - it has a LOT of
info about how newsgroups work, how to write meaningful posts, where to find
information, etc. EVERYONE should read these.
-=TABLE of CONTENTS=-
1. -General-
1.1 What is this newsgroup?
* 1.2 Is there a mailing list, too? How do I get on/off?
1.3 General netiquette, etc.
1.4 What do those strange things in the subject lines mean?
* 1.5 What are all those acronyms/abbreviations, etc?
1.6 What's an "ObSP"?
* 1.7 What's the EZine?
1.8 Questions NOT to ask under ANY circumstance.
* 1.9 Threads you shouldn't bring up again.
2. -Songs-
2.1 Where can I find lyrics to ...?
* 2.1a Why are these lyrics all wrong?
2.1b Well, is there a correct version out there?
2.2 Where can I find tablature to... ?
* 2.2b What about piano music?
2.3 Is it true that SP covered this song?
2.3a Even that Depeche Mode one?
2.4 I just heard song [x]- where can I find it?
2.4a Is there really a song Siamese Dream that wasn't on the album?
* 2.5 Who sings [x]? It doesn't sound like Billy...
* 2.6 Are there secret messages/sounds in the songs? DOOM?
2.6a What's that thing after Spaceboy/before Silverfuck?
2.7 What does song [x] mean??
2.8 Where are all the unreleased songs on Vieuphoria?
2.9 What's the deal with the remastered Gish?
* 2.10 What's with this techno/remix of 1979?
* 2.11 Why are there different covers for Siamese Dream?
3. -Band Info-
3.1 Where did they get their name?
3.2 When did they first appear?
3.3 When are their birthdays, etc?
3.4 Short biographical sketches...
3.5 How do you pronounce James' last name?
3.6 Is it true that Billy did all the work recording on SD?
3.7 Why do they suck live?
3.8 What kind of equipment do they use?
3.8a How does Billy do that cool voice effect in the middle of Silverfuck?
* 3.8b What's an e-bow?
* 3.9 I'm crazy about D'arcy!! Is she with anyone? What about the rest of 'em?
3.10 What's up with them & the Sun Times?
3.11 Is there a "the" in the band name, or not?
* 3.12 Was Billy on the show "Small Wonder"??
4. -Availability of Merchandise-
4.1 How much is [rarity x] worth?
4.2 Where can I get [rarity x]?
4.3 Where can I get bootlegs?
4.4 Are there any SP books out?
4.5 What is there? I want it all!
* 4.6 What about videos?
* 4.7 What kind of T-shirts do they have?
4.8 Can somebody get [x] for me?
4.9 Who are the Frogs from Vieuphoria?
5. -News-
5.1 What's all this talk about the Double Door concerts?
5.2 Cool! Does anyone have a recording they can copy for me?
5.3 What are the new songs going to be called?
5.4 Didn't their new stuff get stolen?
5.5 What's with this keyboard thing?
* 5.6 What else is news?
* 5.7 What's with all this Cabal (...) / Junta (...) stuff?
5.8 I WANT TOUR INFO!!!
6. -Misc/Net stuff-
6.1 Where can I get the font they used on Siamese Dream?
6.1a What about the font on MC&IS?
6.1b I can't get the font to work on my computer!
6.2 Where can I get the GeekUSA Screen Raver?
6.3 Where can I get the latest bootlist/discography?
* 6.4 What are some cool web pages/ftp sites?
7. -Conclusion-
7.1 Acknowledgments
7.2 Disclaimer
1. -= GENERAL INFORMATION =-
1.1 What is this newsgroup for?
Well, the general concensus seems to be that it's for discussion about
the Smashing Pumpkins. Other than that, it seems to be free, although the
topics should, more or less, stick to SP.
1.2 Is there a mailing list, too? How do I get on/off?
* Yes. But because so many people get on the list with no clue what
they're doing, I'm going to make it just a little difficult. Not really,
but it forces you to read the list FAQ before subscribing. Send an email
message to list...@cc.umanitoba.ca with the message body:
info smashing-pumpkins
You will soon receive the Listessa FAQ. Read it.
Now, since so many people seem to lose their brain when it comes to
getting OFF the list, here's how to unsubscribe, straight from Karl:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
How to unsubscribe from the Smashing Pumpkins Mailing List - V 1.0b
By Karl R. Daher, Maintainer of the "Smashing Pumpkins" Mailing List
To unsubscribe from the SP mailing list, send a letter to
LIST...@cc.umanitoba.ca ( ***NOT*** smashing...@cc.umanitoba.ca )
with the following, and ***ONLY*** the following, in the body of the letter:
unsub smashing-pumpkins
Do ***NOT*** include your e-mail address, a signature file, the name of
your pet hamster, or any other information in the letter.
Please note: after you unsubscribe, you will receive a letter saying
'Thanks for being with us.' You may still receive a few letters from the
list after this. Do not be alarmed, this is normal. If, a day later, you
are still getting letters, and you are sure you have following the
instructions correctly, feel free to write Karl_...@mbnet.mb.ca for
help. I log in one or two times a day to maintain the list.
PLEASE SAVE THIS LETTER!!!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Also, do not post a message to the list asking how to get off. It's very
annoying, and usually doesn't result in much, except flames & wasted space.
Another thing to do is CHANGE THE SUBJECT LINE. It's very annoying to see
messages with "Re: SMASHING-PUMPKINS Digest #2015", etc.
For more help/info on the listproc server & software, send a message to
the same address with simply the body "help" as your message.
1.3 General netiquette, etc.
As with other newsgroups, there are certain things you just shouldn't do.
First off, do not post make.money.fast or any of its variants. Yes, they
really are illegal, besides being incredibly annoying, especially when
long meta-threads develop over them.
Another seemingly fun thing to do is to come here and bash the pumpkins.
Yes, every once in a while someone feels they know much more than the rest
of us, and will tell us "Billy is a fag!" or "Smashing Pumpkins suck!".
Wow. Aren't we all impressed. <sigh> If you feel you must flame the
subject of a fan newsgroup, you should probably be spending your time
somewhere else than online. If you happen to see one of these incredibly
stupid postings, -PLEASE- do *NOT* followup to it. Some people get their
kicks from drawing flames (often called trolling), and all it does is piss
people off and waste time. If you feel you must reply and tell someone how
stupid they are for posting such garbage, do so via email. The rest of us
probably are already aware of their immaturity, and we don't need it
further propagated.
This includes discussing other groups. Sometimes people mention other
groups in their article. If you don't like that other group, then that's
your opinion. But the rest of us don't need to hear it, as it will most
likely erupt into Yet Another Stupid Flame War...
Check the "newsgroups:" line before posting. If it has the entire
alt.music.* hierarchy, don't post. Trim it down. Crossposting is a very bad
thing, especially in music newsgroups. It generates a lot of flames and
wasted space/time. Don't crosspost. If you can't see a line that says
"Newsgroups:" in the header, then don't assume it's only going to the SP
newsgroup.
Of course, the other side of this is the "more-of-a-SP-fan-than-thou"
mentality of some posters, who feel that someone who doesn't worship SP as
much as them shouldn't be entitled to read/post to the newsgroup. This is
absolutely ridiculous. As long as you aren't flaming them, it shouldn't be
a problem. We all started off not knowing much. Some people just start to
get "into" them at a later time. And, of course, some people never do get
"into" them. It's called -personal opinion-, which everyone is entitled to.
Don't flame people for their own personal tastes- it's just stupid...
1.4 What do those strange things in the subject lines mean?
You may occassionaly see some 3/4-letter signs at the beginning of a
subject line. This was suggested to me by Josh Sherman
(jshe...@u.washington.edu), and it seemed like a really good idea, so
here it is...
The basic concept is that it's easier to follow threads when you know
what they're going to be about. Rec.arts.ascii does this very well, but
then again, it's moderated. Some of this has leaked over to the un-
moderated alt.ascii-art, though, and the results are worth it, so, I
thought we could try it here. Of course, there's noone forcing you to
conform to this "standard" (Well, I guess it's not really a standard yet),
but if this catches on, it will probably be a good effect.
So, the trick is- edit the subject line. Yes, that's right. That trick
that nobody seems to do. When threads marked "Double Door" turn into a
discussion (or, rather, a flame war) about Courtney Love, it's probably
time to change the subject line. The other thing is with the little header:
it's easier to tell basically what kind of article it's going to be if
there's some hint. Josh's ideas basically just entailed the use of "Disc:"
and "Tan:" to distinguish whether there was actual "legitimate," directly-
related-to-SP topics, or whether it was off on a wild tangent to Flood, or
Catherine, or books about Utopian societies... :>
I have come up with a few more, and hopefully they'll be of good use.
Some of these are used for than others, and they haven't quite caught on
yet, but we might as well hope. They are -somewhat- useful, at least...
FS: For Sale- if you want to sell your -SP- material (nothing else), or
if you are willing to pick up stuff for other people (see 4.8)
ISO: If you want to see if someone can get something for you (see 4.8)
Tan: Off on a tangent to something kinda-related, but not really...
Lyr: Indicates that the article will contain lyrics, or discussion of them
Req: Request for tablature, lyrics, etc. (if they don't already exist) :)
Site: WWW/ftp site announcement/pointer-to, etc.
Tab: Does the same for guitar tablature (this is usually done already)
Q: When someone has a question they want answered
Ans: When someone answers that question (easier to find than Re: Q, since
if the Ans: is there, you'll know it's been answered, instead of just
"Ooh! I wanna know, too!" ;)
WTD: Wanted (see "ISO")
WTB: Wanted To Buy (")
1.5 What are all those acronyms/abbreviations, etc?
Usually, the name Smashing Pumpkins is abbreviated to either "'Pumpkins"
or just plain old "SP." Other acryonyms are for songs, albums, etc. Here's
a few common ones, the rest can usually be figured out (i.e. songs):
amsp (or a.m.s-p) The newsgroup, alt.music.smash-pumpkins
BC Billy Corgan, the Grand Pumpkin himself... :)
BwBW Bullet w/ Butterfly Wings (the song/single)
CR Cherub Rock (the song, CDS, or 7")
DD Double Door- the tiny venue they played at in February '95 (see 5.1)
MCIS (or MC&IS, or MCatIS, etc.) Mellon Collie and the Inifinite Sadness,
the new album (duh!) <grin>
ng newsgroup
* NP: Now Playing (used at the end of a message to indicate what you're
listening to at the moment.)
PI Pisces Iscariot, their b-sides compilation release from 10/94
PS Context-sensitive. Could be Peel Sessions (a 3-track EP), Pumpkin Seeds
(a bootleg), or Purr Snickety, the rare Cherub Rock 7" B-side song
SD Siamese Dream (usually the album, although may mean the actual song)
SP Smashing Pumpkins
(sp?) (Spelling?) -indicated someone is unsure of their spelling
1.6 What's an "ObSP"?
Some people think that their precious time has been wasted if they read
something that didn't have anything to do with the subject of the newsgroup.
The "Ob" is short for "Obligatory", and so an ObSP would just be a short
statement about SP so that the article doesn't remain void of their
discussion... It is an especially good idea to use an ObSP on the mailing
list, although the main topic of list messages should be SP anyway...
1.7 What's the EZine?
The EZine is an Electronic Magazine that was maintained by Allison Baird
(Allis...@aol.com)/(bair...@halcyon.com). There are two issues out now,
* which are both available on my web page. Rumor has it that someone else will
be taking over and making new issues... :)
1.8 Questions NOT to ask under ANY circumstance.
Under no circumstance should anyone ask any of the following questions:
-What's that Depeche Mode cover? (Where, etc.)
-How do I get on/off the mailing list?
-When are they touring in my city?
These have come up SO often that they will piss off many people when
mentioned (including me). The DM/NLMDA question has died a bit now, but
the other questions haven't. Actually, they've gotten SO frequent and
obnoxious that I've made a MiniFAQ (Frequent, Annoying Questions) that
gets posted every week (except FAQ week).
Getting on (and especially off) the list is a very hot topic, and even
though the answers are THERE, people STILL have to ask. But don't. If
you managed to find out how to subscribe, you should be able to figure
out how to unsubscribe. Just look in the same place you learned to sub-
scribe from. If that doesn't work, try my page and/or this FAQ (1.2).
Finally, as far as a tour, check Josh Sherman's web page. It will list
all known tour dates. If it's not there yet, it means we don't know yet.
So it's pointless to ask. :)
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~jsherman/tour.html
Please. Don't ask these questions. You'll most likely be ignored or flamed
if you do. As a general rule, most people tend not to answer questions for
which the answers are readily available through a little effort and looking
around. Check the web pages.
1.9 Threads you shouldn't bring up again.
The following threads have run through at LEAST a dozen times before-
we REALLY don't need to hear it AGAIN:
-"Tristessa" means "sadness" in Spanish, French, Italian, Latin, etc.
(actual spellings may vary slightly)
-"Soma" was a drug in the book "Brave New World", greek for "body", a
legendary place where people sleep for a billion years, some god, and
about a million other things. We've heard it before. Lots of times. :P"
-If you hold up the back of the PI CD to the light, you can see Billy
through the white thingy on the other side, or he lights up if you look
through the other way. I should have put this in here LONG ago. According
to someone who works with the band, BC said it was a complete accident.
-The same trick works for the front liner with the fish pan & the flip
side, where the necklace seen through the other page looks like an eye.
Wow. This has been noticed many times before.
-"[song x] must be about Kurt Cobain" - please. We don't need to hear it.
Billy writes about himself. The feelings and lifestyle Kurt had were not
unique to him alone. Other people have had similar feelings, including
Billy. I think BC's a lot more likely to write about himself. Sure, it's
easy to see a possibility there, but it's also easy to do that with just
about anything else. Point is, we've heard it to the point of annoyance.
-"[song x] is about drugs, right?" - see above. It's been overdone.
-"Collective Soul ripped off the Pumpkins!" or similar threads. Music is
music. It's been discussed to death, and the whole topic just plain sucks.
* -Moshing. Some like it, some hate it. BC seems to not like it, but doesn't
ban it. In any case, discussing moshing (esp. on the list) seems only to
result in flamewars, so please keep your opinions on this matter,
enlightened as they may be <grin>, to yourself.
2. -= SONGS =-
2.1 Where can I find lyrics to ...?
There are lots of lyrics out there. Lots of sites carry them. If you
don't want to look far, my homepage attempts to consolidate all the
existing lyrics in their best (i.e. most accurate) forms.
The URL for my SP page is http://www.engr.wisc.edu/~agnew/sp.html
(plug, plug, plug!) <grin>
See 6.4 for more links.
2.1a Why is my lyrics file all wrong?
If you have an older copy of the Gish lyrics, there are quite a few
glaring errors, most notable in the first verse of Siva. This is because
there are really no "official" lyrics for anything, except Siamese Dream,
and now MC&IS, and people still refuse to believe those (SD) sometimes.
Also, BC tends to change his words sometimes, so what you read may not be
exactly what you hear. Also, most of these lyrics are the result of hard
listening, and may not always be correct. BC has a tendency to not really
pronounce his words sometimes... :)
* WEB PAGE OWNERS: Please, please, please- either update your lyrics as
often as I do, or else link them directly to those on my page if you must
have them. It's really counterproductive to have old, incorrect lyrics
floating around online when better, more correct copies are available...
2.1b Well, is there a correct version out there?
As I said, only SD & MC&IS are really official, so the best we can do is
listen really close, and compare what we find out, sometimes making 10
corrections in the same place before finally figuring it out (i.e. "Frail
and bedazzled from all the glare" remained debated until someone saw/heard
him live at the Double Door concerts.) At any rate, we try to come up with
the best lyrics, but it's not always completely possible. If you know of
any corrections to be made to the lyrics you find on my page, for example,
please email me about it. We all want the right words, but sometimes it's
just not all that easy... :)
2.2 Where can I find tablature to... ?
There's a lot of tab at the nevada site, but some lyrics are wrong :)
ftp.nevada.edu/pub/guitar/s/smashing_pumpkins/
Tab can also be found at various SP ftp/Web sites.
See 6.4 for more sites.
2.2b What about piano music?
* Yes! There's that, too. Since MCIS, there's now more keyboard-type stuff.
The full score for Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (complete with
synth, clarinet, and cello parts) is available on my web page, as well as
the opening line to "Thru the Eyes of Ruby". I'll work on "Farewell and
Goodnight" at a later date...
2.3 Is it true that SP covered this song...?
SP have covered quite a few songs now, so if you're dazed and confused,
then great, but chances are, most of us have heard about it...
Here's a list:
Song: Originally By:
--------------------------------------------------------
Dancing in the Moonlight Thin Lizzy
Girl Named Sandoz the Animals
Godzilla Blue Oyster Cult
Jackie Blue Ozark Mountain Daredevils
Landslide Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac)
Never Let Me Down (Again) Depeche Mode
Out of Focus Love Battery [same song as Angel]
Sunshine of Your Love Cream [note: only a tiny bit is done]
Terrapin Syd Barrett [also mis-listed as "The Fishes"
and as "Crystal Blue"]
They've also covered Depeche Mode's "I Feel You" (a bit of it, at least)
and David Bowie's "Kooks", both featuring James on vocals, as well as
little blurbs of "Stonehenge" by Spinal Tap and the Doors' "The End", but
they aren't available on any CD bootlegs. They've also been rumored to
have covered the Cure's "Boys Don't Cry" and "Just Like Heaven," but no
known recordings have been made of either of these. They've also done a
whole lot of very short blurbs from different songs, one that seems to
recur is a verse from "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" sung in the middle of
live Silverfuck performances (after the "bang bang..." part). There have
also been a large number of covers they've done live, but since they don't
show up on any CD boots, I'm not going to mention them.
There is rumored to be a new 4-track EP coming out soon, on which each
member of the band will choose a song to cover.
2.3a Even that Depeche Mode one?
Yes. Smashing Pumpkins really did cover the Depeche Mode song "Never Let
Me Down Again." The "Again" is left out on the title of the SP releases.
This is one of the questions that drove me nuts enough to write this
FAQ, so PLEASE don't ask it again... :) It's available on the Rocket 7"
and CDS, as well as the bootlegs Astoria '94, London '94, and We Are From
Another Planet. The original Depeche Mode version can be found on their
album "Music for the Masses."
2.4 I just heard song [x]- where can I find it?
There's another resource out there (also on my homepage) that lists
every song they've ever done and exactly where it's available in all cases.
It's called the "Bootlist By Song", and is basically a rearranged conglom-
eration of Karl Daher's bootlist and Roger Janssen's discography, only
arranged by song instead of by medium. It'll tell you every single instance
a song is available.
The URL is http://www.engr.wisc.edu/~agnew/BLBS.html
2.4a Is there really a song Siamese Dream that wasn't on the album?
Yep. The only way to get it, unfortunately, is as the b-side of the Disarm
7". Vinyl only. Same goes for Purr Snickety, which is on the Cherub Rock 7".
2.5 Who sings [x]? It doesn't sound like Billy...
Billy sings most, but not all songs.
The songs that feature James on lead vocals are:
* Believe (1979 single), Blew Away, The Boy (1979 import), Country Girl (DD),
I Feel You [non-CD], Kooks [ditto], Said Sadly (w/ guest Nina Gordon of
Veruca Salt), Take Me Down, and Terrapin.
D'Arcy sings on "Daydream" (Gish) and in the second verse of"Farewell and
Goodnight", as well as backup on many other songs.
Jimmy sings the second verse w/ D'Arcy on "Farewell and Goodnight."
2.6 Are there secret messages/sounds in the songs? DOOM?
Sometimes there are little blurbs that you can make out at the very end
or beginning of a song, and some songs have little sound effects you can
find in the middle, or somewhere else... Some of them aren't really much of
a secret, some are just plain wierd, and some require extremely close lis-
tening... The DOOM explosion in the liner notes is listed below, under
"Where Boys Fear to Tread". Other "hidden sounds" include, but are not
limited to:
Bodies - during the second "Love is suicide" chorus, there are some words
being mumbled in the background.
Bury Me - song opens with James saying something of continuous debate
(most popular ideas being "Boys, let's do it" and "poised like
an angel")
* Cherry - at the very beginning, Billy says "Listen- wanna just start it?"
then Jimmy says "Ready, Flood?" Flood replies "Yeah." and Billy
counts up to 4 before they start in again
Daydream - at 1:10.5 you can hear a tap/click noise, supposedly from the
cellist's bow hitting the wood
Galapogos - from 3:16-27 you can hear muttering in the background
Glynis - very beginning has some computerized voice saying "Hello," which
allegedly comes from a Red Red Meat song...
Hello Kitty Kat - ending, BC mumbles "Song's over"
Honey Spider I - on some versions, you can barely hear Billy laughing "Aha!
That's everything! Haa..." at the very end
Hummer - after the song, you can hear "classical music or something"...
Obscured - Billy mumbles "yeah" or "oh" or something like that at 0:11
Pissant - Billy yells "Woo!" at the end...
Silverfuck - at very end, BC says "Alright, this take, don't give a fuck"
and plays a few notes
Siva (PS version) - at 4:09, D'arcy says "Wait- I just stepped on my [?]"
and Billy counts up to 4 for the loud re-entry
Soma - at the end, a clip from TV [?] "...And you need to resist the devil,
so that he will flee"
Soothe - "You can hear the 7am buses slithering by." (-BC, PI liner notes)
Spaceboy/Silverfuck- There's a rather odd conversation at the end/
beginning... (See 2.6a below)
Starla - 5:27-5:30 "listen for the police car go by" (-BC, PI linder notes)
Where Boys Fear to Tread - you can hear the DOOM explosion mentioned in the
liner notes at 1:20, 1:55, 2:29, 3:01, 3:44
2.6a What's that thing at the end of Spaceboy/beginning of Silverfuck?
Someone is having a little conversation. On some CDs it's at the end
of Spaceboy, and on others it's on the beginning of Silverfuck. It has been
argued as to where it "really" belongs- due to the way tracks are set up, it
appears on some at the end of Spaceboy, so that if someone skips to SF, the
song starts right away. On other CDs, it is included in the SF track, which
does make a little more sense, as far as fitting with the song (more so than
it would with Spaceboy, at least). Anyway, here's what we hear, regardless
of where it is on the track listing:
"Now it's, uh, kind of strange, and, uh, kinda hard for me to talk about,
but I thought maybe you could help- um, when we start getting physical,
rather than having intercourse, he ends up just masturbating himself, and I
end up feeling very alienated and unsatisfied, and it's really come between
us-"
Well, that's a rather candid monologue... [!] This seems to be from some
talk show or something- in one source, Billy said it was from an anonymous
source, and that he couldn't say where it was from, for fear of being sued.
2.7 What does song [x] mean??
Well, there's been a lot of discussion about the meanings of various
songs. Unfortunately, there's so much of it that it won't fit nicely into
this FAQ. I'll probably start compiling all the little reviews into a sep-
arate file (part 2 of the FAQ?) if interest ensues. That way we can have a
collected archive of song meanings, rather than have the same arguments of
which song is about writer's block and which is about depression, etc... If
you have any submissions to add to this file, email me or something... It
may take a while to compile them all and get enough to post as a file, but
maybe there's already enough to merit a second part...
What most people do NOT want to hear, however, is that a song is about
drugs, Kurt Cobain, or Courtney Love. Such threads seem to only generate
flames, so it's best to avoid them. If you think it's about any of these,
it's probably a good idea not to say so...
Also, in case you missed the section above, we've already heard that
"Tristessa" means "sadness" in umpteen Romantic languages, that "Soma" was
a drug in "Brave New World", as well as many other things, etc. We don't
need to hear it again.
2.8 Where are all the unreleased songs on Vieuphoria?
There are 4 songs on Vieuphoria (and its CD-duplicate Earphoria) that are
unavailable elsewhere. Some people seem to be confused about which song is
which, so hopefully this will clarify things:
"Bugg Superstar" is the techno song that's playing in the background while
James is talking about his dog (there's no talking on the Earphoria version)
"Pulseczar" is the grindy-guitar song with the weird visual effects that
starts off with "I hear you calling from the sky..."
"Sinfony" is the short (:53) ebow-driven guitar-only "song" that sounds
rather symphonic, which appears at the beginning of the tape.
"Why Am I So Tired?" is the really long instrumental at the end while they
scroll the credits.
The long, awesome, killer jam at the end of Silverfuck is NOT a different
song, it's just the long, awesome, killer jam at the end of Silverfuck. :)
2.9 What's the deal with the remastered Gish?
Gish (their first album, in case you're -really- new at this <grin>) was
remastered and rereleased (yeah, yeah, just like "Bleach", but we don't
need to hear that again). To tell the difference, just look at the side
label. If it says "Caroline" then it's the old, original. If it says
"Virgin Records" it's the new, remastered version. The CDs may also be
different. If you managed to lose the cover, you can tell by looking at
the date stamped around the hole on the back of the CD (the side that's
played)- mine says 08.22.94, so it's obviously the new, remastered version.
(As well as having the Virgin logo...)
2.10 What's with this techno/remix of 1979?
* Moby did a remix of 1979, which has appeared on some radio stations. It's
currently only available on a radio promo, but it's supposed to be released
on February 27th. Anyway. I'm sure he had Billy's permission, so don't
bring up any copyright questions- I'm sure they were taken care of long
before the radio stations got to play it...
2.11 Why are there different covers for Siamese Dream?
* Some copies of Siamese Dream don't have any of the song names listed on
the back. This was probably due to the title "Silverfuck", and copies that
did not list this on the back were likely created so that big chain stores
like K-Mart, etc. could sell copies of SD without having to put some weird
label on it. These are by no means rare, or worth more. Newer copies of
such CDs (the ones that come with the clear & white seal sticker thingy on
the top of the CD) say "SIAMESE DREAM- CLEAN VERSION". The only difference
is the back cover of the CD- the songs aren't listed. The CD itself is the
same.
The inserts are sometimes different, too. On some (older) copies, the
liner has many pages, with a photograph on each page, with the handwritten
lyrics on them. Other copies have a 4-page foldout, with all the written-on
photos crammed onto 2 sides, making it nearly impossible to read. But have
no fear, the official lyrics were typed up and given out, so they're out
there. Check web pages if you don't already know all the words... :)
3. -= BAND INFO =-
3.1 Where did they get their name?
There are several answers they have given to this. Most of them appear
to be jokes, which is what the band name is supposed to be anyway. This is
from the newsletter, March '93:
ORIGIN OF NAME: Gene Simmons came to us in a dream and said: "Joe Strummer
is a pumpkin, drunken and smashed."
Since then, they have given other various answers, including the one on
TV-Japan, as seen on Vieuphoria, where they say "It's a joke."
D'arcy also had the following comment (from an interview on 11/19/93):
"The name of the band is a stupid name, a dumb bad joke and a bad idea,
OK?" she says. "Billy named the band before there even was a band. He was
like, 'I'm gonna have a band and it's gonna be called this.' 'Smashing' is
not a verb, it's an adjective. It's not like we like to smash pumpkins or
anything. And we are not amused by pumpkin jokes anymore."
(The WA Post, 11/19/93- article courtesy of Chris Carman)
I think this is the closest to a serious answer you'll get. The word
"smashing" is used as an adjective, i.e. how the Brits say "Simply
smashing..." or something like that... They just wanted a totally crazy
name, that's all... :)
3.2 When did they first appear?
Again, from the Pumpkin Press/Newsletter of 3/93:
FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE: Billy and James in a Polish bar called Track, 1988.
FIRST BROADCAST: WNUR Radio, Evanston, 1988.
3.3 When are their birthdays, etc?
Billy: March 17, 1967 (St. Patrick's Day)
D'arcy: May 1, 1968 (?)
James: March 26, 1968
Jimmy: June 10, 1967
3.4 Short biographical sketches...
These are, once again, taken from the Newsletter of 3/93... :)
(some of these parts may be satirical, humorous, i.e. jokes)
NAME: William Patrick Corgan
BAND POSITION: Vocalist and guitarist
BORN: Chicago, 1967
OTHER OCCUPATIONS: Poet, philosopher, box maker, brick layer
MUSICAL INFLUENCES: Salvador Dali, Walt Disney
FAVORITE SINGLES: The Sweet, "action", Gene Clark "so you say you've lost
your baby", Santo & Johnny, "sleepwalk".
FAVORITE ALBUMS: Beatles, "rubber soul", Black Sabbath, "master of reality"
FAVORITE BANDS: My Bloody Valentine, Chainsaw Kittens, Skunk, Mercury Rev,
Thin Lizzy.
FAVORITE SONGWRITERS: David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Phil Lynott.
FAVORITE FILMS/TV SHOWS: Citizen Kane, 8 1/2. I don't watch television.
BIGGEST INFLUENCES ON CAREER: Pain, violence, love.
RESIDENCE: CHicago, IL
MAKE OF INSTRUMENT: Rigole TTO
NAME: James Jonas Jaded Iha
BAND POSITION: Guitarist, chess player, trombonist
BORN: Chicago, IL 3/26/68
MUSICAL CAREER: Astro and the Go GO Girls, Snake Train
OTHER OCCUPATIONS: Student, dog owner, domestic specialist
MUSICAL INFLUENCES: Syd Barrett, Big Star, Rolling Stones, Gram Parsons,
Neil Young, Morricone.
FAVORITE SINGLES: Courtney Love, "highlights", Rolling Stones, "tumbling
dice", Byrds, "chestnut mare", sonic youth, "starpower"
FAVORITE ALBUMS: Beatles, "white album", Pussy Galore, "sugar sgit sharp",
My Bloody Valentine, "isn't anything"
FAVORITE SONGWRITERS: Kevin Shields/Bilinda Butcher, Gram Parsons, Neil
Young, Kurt Cobain, Lennon/McCartney
FAVORITE FILMS/TV SHOWS: The Thing, Manhattan, Star Trek: TNG, Fawlty
Towers.
BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON CAREER: Snake Train, Smashing Pumpkins
RESIDENCE: Chicago, IL
MAKE OF INSTRUMENTS: Gibson, Marshall
NAME: D'arcy Wretzky-Brown
BAND POSITION: Bass guitarist
BORN: Michigan 1/5/68
EDUCATED: Got no edukasion
MUSICAL CAREER: Classical violin and oboe player
FAVORITE SINGLES: Flaming Lips, "everyone wants to live forever"
FAVORITE ALBUMS: Beatles, "white album", Jesus and Mary Chain, "Psycho
Candy", nirvana "bleach"
FAVORITE BANDS: Beatles, Pussy Galore, Nirvana, Stooges, Queen, Rolling
Stones
FAVORITE SONGWRITERS: Billy Corgan, Syd Barrett, Lennon/McCartney, Kurt
Cobain
FAVORITE FILMS/TV SHOWS: Star Trek, any bad b-movies up to the 70s.
BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON CAREER: people i hate
RESIDENCE: Chicago, IL
MAKE OF INSTRUMENT: Fender P Bass
NAME: Jimmy Chamberlain
BAND POSITION: Drummer'
BORN: Chicago, 6/10/67
EDUCATED: Joliet Catholic High School
MUSICAL CAREER: JP and the Cats, Eddie Karosa's Polka Party
OTHER OCCUPATIONS: carpenter
MUSICAL INFLUENCES: any big band jazz
FAVORITE ALBUMS: Benny Goodman, "sextet", Buddy Rich, "big band machine",
jazz crusaders, "tough talk", beastie boys, "check your
head"
FAVORITE BANDS: Pantera, helmet, squeeze, crowded house, pixies, red hot
chili peppers
FAVORITE SONG WRITERS: difford & tilbrook, tim finn
FAVORITE FILMS/TV SHOWS: Sanford and Son, Good Times, The Honeymooners
RESIDENCE: Chicago, IL
MAKE OF INSTRUMENTS: Yamaha drums, zildjian, vic firth sticks
3.5 How do you pronounce James' last name?
Ee-hah, not Eye-ha. Long E sound, a as in father.
3.6 Is it true that Billy did all the work recording on SD?
Yes. He did most of the guitar tracks, even bass. The reason for this
is said to be efficiency. He could record things in a few takes, whereas
other members may have required 10 to record the same thing. Since studio
time is expensive, they opted to do it in a short time. Here's a quote
from BC about the same:
"I was obsessed to meet a standard that was beyond our capability. I was
more concerned about technical efficiency than heart."
The MC&IS sessions were reportedly "a joy, compared to the tense Siamese
Dream recording," and all four members worked collectively.
3.7 Why do people think they suck live?
This is an old debate brought up by people who have only heard BC's more
hyper/screamy concerts. The point people try (and fail) to make is that BC
sucks live, because he screams, and "it sounds like shit." Well, some peo-
ple like how Billy sounds when he screams, it gives it a twist. We can't
expect him to whisper and be heard as he does in the studio. And before
the old "If he needs a studio to sound good, he needs to re-think his
entire musical approach", he doesn't need a studio to sound good. There
have been plenty of shows, even non-acoustic ones, in which his voice is
the same "nice, clean, mellow" voice we all know from the albums. It's
performances like the Disarm at MTV Music Awards that upset some people,
because they can't handle anything that's different than what they expect.
If it sounded exactly the same as the CD, what would be the point of going
to see them, other than the fact that it's likely to be louder?
Another comment from the D'arcy interview:
"Before we record songs, we always like to play all the songs a lot live,
to see how they work," D'Arcy says. "When we recorded 'Siamese Dream,' we
used a Mellotron, string instruments, multiple, multiple guitar parts...
But we always know we can go back and play it live with whatever we have
and it's still a good, solid song." (The WA Post, 11/19/93)
3.8 What kind of equipment do they use?
Their instrument types are given in 3.4. Aside from that, they use
"Electro Harmonix Bigg Muffs, Maestro Phasers and a lot of rack gear!"
See articles on web pages for more complete info.
3.8a How does Billy do that cool voice effect in the middle of Silverfuck?
Referring to the slow attack on the "Bang, bang, you're dead" section,
it's a trick with echo effects. The track is recorded, then flipped back-
wards, then echo is added while it's backwards. Then it's flipped back to
forwards, and it appears to echo -into- the words... (There's also echo
added normally, i.e. forward/after)
This trick is also used in the beginning of Starla, and in a lot of songs
by the Cure...
3.8b What's an e-bow?
* An e-bow (electric/electronic/electromagnetic/... bow) is a small,
hand-held device that causes the guitar strings to vibrate continuously,
creating much longer sustains, comparable to the bow of a violin, etc.
3.9 I'm crazy about D'arcy!! Is she with anyone? What about the rest of 'em?
D'arcy is married to Kerry Brown, who is the drummer of Catherine, and
has also done production work with SP. Kerry has also been one of the
members of the hobby/ project band StarChildren for SC's first release,
but the actual band doesn't really have any set members (except BC).
Before SP formed, she was "romantically involved" with James, but this is
now pretty much ancient history...
Billy is married to Chris Fabian*, and James and Jimmy both have a girl-
friend, so we hear... Nothing else is known as of yet.
* BC & his wife have reportedly separated, but nothing is really known for
sure...
* Rumors spread very quickly online. Please don't. Their personal lives
are just that. Since one of Billy's friends, Courtney Love, gets such wild
reactions from people, it's best not to mention her at all, lest someone
start another CL flamewar...
3.10 What's up with them & the Sun Times?
A Chicago Sun Times reviewer, Jim DeRogotis (sp?), gave SP a few bad
reviews, saying of Hummer, for example, "the lyrics are sophomoric, and
the song is stupid." Billy has made a few comments in concerts (one of
which can be heard on the Drown boot), and even faxed in a poem to Ben
Kim, the writer of another bad review in another local Chicago magazine
(NewCity). (thanks to pissant (hoag...@ucsu.Colorado.EDU) for giving me
this one):
i'm glad that i'm such a good rhymer,
better than being a social climber,
just because i'm a bit brighter,
than some fucking writer.
3.11 Is there a "the" in the band name, or not?
There is a "the" written before "Smashing Pumpkins" on the new album and
single, as well as on the Rocket Single. "The" is also written on the
inside liner notes in Gish and SD.I assume that's a good indication of what
they are to be called. :) But does it really matter that much? :P"
3.12 Was Billy on the show "Small Wonder"??
* There was an odd TV show in the 80s about a robot girl, called "Small
Wonder". Some people seem to think that the boy in the show, Jamie, looked
quite a lot like young Billy. While the resemblance may be close, it wasn't
him. The ages don't match, and if BC had been a TV actor as a child, we
would have surely heard mention of this in some public media form by now
(i.e. in a magazine interview or something)...
4. -= AVAILABILITY OF MERCHANDISE =-
4.1 How much is [rarity x] worth?
The best place to look for that kind of information is on Roger Janssen's
discography release. It lists all promos, vinyls, demos, etc. and estimated
values when known. (It is also noted in the discography that the estimates
are often very rough, and could perhaps be better stated as "Don't be sur-
prised if the price tag says this:")
See 6.3 for links.
4.2 Where can I get [rarity x]?
If it's really rare, like the peach vinyl Rocket 7", or the Daughter
flexi-disc, it's going to be very hard, but it's possible. Usually if you
ask if anyone wants to sell it, or wait until someone posts an ad that
they're selling it, it's the easiest way to go, but this may not always
work, and if it's an auction, you may end up paying an outlandish amount
for it (someone paid $250 for the peach Rocket 7" a while back- no joke!).
On the other hand, some not-so-rare rarities, i.e. the red Today 7", are
often found at the same music stores that deal in bootlegs, etc. Which
bring us to the next question:
4.3 Where can I get bootlegs?
That question is a little harder to answer, since it depends where you
live. You can always order from someplace else, and there are even a few
companies online that you can telnet to and order from (cdnow.com and
cdconnection.com, to name 2...). Other than that, it depends on where you
live whether you can find a place that deals in bootlegs or not. A few
people on the newsgroup/mailing list take orders from local places and send
them to people (prepaid, usually) and are usually reputable (you still may
want to ask others first...) There once was a list of bootleg dealers, but
on my copy, the maintainer said he was quitting, and I don't know if anyone
else has taken over its maintenance...
4.4 Are there any SP books out?
Yes. Here's 2 entries, info thanks to Allison (Allis...@aol.com)
title: Smashing Pumpkins
author: Nick Wise
publisher: Omnibus Press/Book Sales Ltd.
ISBN: 0-7119-4166-1
notes: 48 pages long, full color photographs on every page
dimensions: 11.5" x 9" (28.5 cm. x 22.8 cm.)
published in the UK
price: $11.95 (US suggested)
title: Smashing Pumpkins
author: Jim Stapleton
publisher: Carlton Books/Music Book Services
ISBN: 1-85868-068-9
notes: 120 pages long, lots of color photographs, very nice artwork,
dimensions: 8.75" x 5" (14 cm x 12.5 cm) - the same size as a cd jewel box
published in Italy (but written in English, look for it in the cd single/
import bin)
price: none listed, expect to pay $7-10 US
In the 2nd EZine, she mentions another book as well, but no author is given.
It seems to be basically a poster book...
Here are two more entries, thanks to Tariq Hussain:
title: Smashing Pumpkins
author: none
publisher: music book services
ISBN: 1-88689-405-1
price: approximately $7.50 US
title: Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
author: Aaron Stang
publisher: CPP Belwin inc
ISBN: 0-89898-825-X
price: approximately $20.00 US
notes: guitar tab, lyrics, music, etc. for Siamese Dream, with comments
and explanations from BC on each song.
4.5 What is there? I want it all!
There's a lot. Check my Bootlist-By-Song. On my web site, it links to
each bootlist and discography entry - you can quickly and easily see that
there is quite a lot out there, but unless you have a few thousand extra
dollars to spend, don't count on it... :) (See 6.4 for links) (Note that
this may be quite out of date... I'll try to update it over winter break)
4.6 What about videos/videotapes?
There's "23 Minutes", which has the 1st 5 videos on it (Siva, Rhinoceros,
Cherub Rock, Today, and Disarm) and supposedly came as a package deal with
some copies of Siamese Dream, but I've never seen one and don't know of its
availability. If anyone has any info on this (or anything else I don't know
about in here), please let me know.
There's also Vieuphoria, which shows a lot of live clips, and has some
really awesome live versions of really awesome songs... it's a must-see. It
also contains 4 unreleased songs: Bugg Superstar, Pulseczar, Sinfony, and
Why Am I So Tired?. This should be available at most any music store.
Another video I've seen has the same cover as the Peel Sessions CD, and
had a little sticker on it (from the store) saying that it had no overlap
with the material on Vieuphoria. The title of this is Video Collection.
It has the videos through "Today", as well as 2 MTV interviews from 120
minutes, and lots of other stuff...
* There are now MTV videos for Siva, Rhinoceros, Cherub Rock, Today,
Disarm, Rocket, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, and 1979. The latter 2 are
obviously the most likely to be played on MTV, though. The next video &
single will be Zero.
4.7 What kind of T-shirts do they have?
Here's a few as described by Allison (Allis...@aol.com):
1. Devil shirt (discnt'd)
from Gish tour, black with devil in red and purple with gold glitter,
"Mission To Mars" on back
2. Angel shirt (discnt'd)
from Gish tour, whitish grey with angel in blue and ? with silver
glitter, "Altitude Not Attitude" on back
3. SP Heart Shirt
white with SP heart logo in red and black, lots of stuff on the back:
(Thanks to Mike (jm...@cornell.edu) for writing this out...)
this is a smashing pumpkins t-shirt. rather than ask me why i'm wearing
this ask yourself why am i reading this? the message is there is no
message. one million souls tossing down their hard earned lettuce for a
piece of the hot rock indie alternative pie. i've sold out. how about
you? everybody's doing it even if they say they're not. don't ask me
cause i don't know. rock saves. it's the next big thing. have you heard
the next big thing? i'm part of the revolution. it's all coming down
soon. hope you're there.
b.
There's also an SP Heart shirt that has a big city (Vegas?) on the back,
only all the big neon signs are the names of the songs from SD.
4. Disarm/Smile shirt
cover of the Disarm cd single (the Smile one, not the heart), with
entire '93-'94 tour dates on the back in red and black.
5. Siamese Dream shirt (discnt'd)
Siamese Dream promo poster (the 2 girls, one with an ice cream) on the
front of a white shirt
b.
tour dates for the first few days of the Midwest tour on the back
c.
tour dates for the fall tour on the back
6. SP Star shirt
black with a red star and Smashing Pumpkins written in white.
"Just Say Maybe" written on the back in white.
7. Clown Shirt
red with Smashing Pumpkins in a blue oval with a green clown
b.
black with a different clown and Smashing Pumpkins on the front.
all released song titles written on the back in green and yellow; some
were left off though! (I don't remember which ones, I think Luna was
one of them)
8. Spaceboy shirt (discnt'd)
Purple, with an orange cartoon-like astronaut character, back has some
of the lyrics from Starla
* 9. MC&IS shirt
navy blue, words as they appear on the album cover, back has tour dates
* 10. Black heart shirt
black, with the SP heart in silver & white outline, text from red SP
shirt on the back
* 11. ZERO shirt :>
long-sleeve, black w/ silver "ZERO" on front and a little SP heart on
the left sleeve
=unofficial shirts (not made or marketed by the band)=
1. Tristessa shirt
cover of the Tristessa 7" on the front of a black shirt
2. Superman shirt
black shirt with white Superman S logo and Smashing Pumpkins (in orange)
3. band photo shirt (a.)
black shirt with a b&w picture of the band on a couch and Smashing
Pumpkins written in orange
4. band photo shirt (b.)
band picture in b&w on a black shirt; the picture is from the Nov. Spin
article
According to the recent SP fan club newsletter, the following shirts will
be discontinued: the Angel, Devil, SD girls, and Spaceboy shirts.
4.8 Can somebody get [x] for me?
Maybe. If you're looking for an impossible item (i.e. the stolen DATs
or the Daugher flexi-disc) then don't bother... At times, though, people
have offered to pick up rarities for people who couldn't get them locally.
If you engage in this type of "business" it's at your own risk. You may
want to ask others on the group if the person you're about to do business
with has a good rep. There was a thread a while ago on bad traders that I
still shudder over for the people who sent money for tapes and were then
flamed back when they asked what was up... <sigh>
Disregard anything with the name "Chris Bevard" associated with it. The
guy took money from about 50 people last spring and to this date, only Karl
Daher (maintainer of the mailing list) got his tapes. Everyone else just
lost their money.
Anyway, if you want to get something, and you absolutely cannot do so
locally, you may try to see if someone can get one, and make arrangements
that way (once you figure out who you're exchanging with, it's best to take
this to email, of course...). For this type of request, it's probably a
good idea to use the subject header "ISO" (In Search Of) or just "Wanted:"
If you can find something locally, do so. You will probably save at least a
few [insert local currency here] on shipping, and a bit of hassle.
On the other side of things, people have posted ads offering to pick up
items for people. For these offers, you could use a "FS:" header, or some-
thing similar, I guess... <shrug>
Beware of bad traders. Not too long ago, someone attempted to sell exact
copies of a compilation tape put together by someone else from the group,
for a dollar more, and most likely without the nifty little liner the
original creator provided... Don't do stuff like that. There were, almost
immediately, half a dozen people who stuck up for the original creator of
the tape set... Don't try to do the same thing...
4.9 Who are the Frogs from Vieuphoria?
The Frogs are a band whose ability to annoy people apparently impresses
Billy quite a lot... :) Seriously, though... It seems that they are a "joke
band." They have an album out titled "It's only Right and Natural..." with
songs titled: I've Got Drugs; I Don't Care if You Disrespect Me, Just so You
Love Me; Hot Cock Annie; These are the Finest (Queen) Boys I've Ever Seen;
Rosie Jack World; Someone's Pinning Me to the Ground; Baby Greaser George;
Thank God I Died in the Car Crash; Gather 'Round for Saviour #2; Richard
Dick Richard; Men- Come On, Men; Dykes We Are; Been a Month Since I Had a
Man; Homos. (Note that some of this punctuation may be off, I got this over
the phone). Part of Homos is featured on Vieuphoria. The CD is on Homestead
Records, No. 169. It may be somewhat difficult to locate, so if you want it,
you may have to order it... :>
The Frogs have also toured with SP, and played second stage at Lolla '94,
with BC even coming out to sing with them for some songs.
The Frogs have also done a serious cover of Pearl Jam's "rearviewmirror"
which appears on the b-side of PJ's "Immortality" single.
5. -= NEWS =-
5.1 What's all this talk about the Double Door concerts?
If you didn't hear, the Pumpkins put on 4 shows in late Feb. 1995,
at a small club called the Double Door. Tickets sold for an amazing $5, but
it was a 21-and-over show. They played all new songs, some of which didn't
appear on MC&IS, and a few encores. The few lucky ones that got to go (500
at each show) all loved it, I'm sure. :)
5.2 Cool! Does anyone have a recording they can copy for me?
Someone did manage to sneak in and get a recording of 2 shows. From
what I've heard, the quality is very poor. Security at the shows was very
tight, and for a good reason. They don't want their new material out before
it's released. Unfortunately, this has also gone beyond the tapes from the
Double Door concerts. (See 5.5)
5.3 What are the new songs going to be called?
I hope you have MC&IS by now... :> If not, go out and get it!! :)
Anyway. There are a few song titles that we have that have not yet
appeared, so we may expect to find these as upcoming B-sides.
Country Girl GOD
Jupiter's Lament Meladori Magpie
Speed Towers of Rabble
The new single, 1979, has 3 unreleased B-sides: Ugly, Believe, and Cherry.
The import version also has two additional tracks: The Boy, and Set the
Ray to Jerry (which was on the tentative setlist for SD!).
5.4 Didn't their new stuff get stolen?
Yes. 10 demo CDs were stolen. Originally, we were told that these were
studio-quality demos of new material, and that many surfaced at local
record stores. After that, though, an article appeared in SPIN, saying
that despite the original information, these were actually only "worthless
practice demos containing scratchy bass lines and D'Arcy telling jokes."
Some sources still say that the demos were actually new songs, and were
worth something, but we may never know what happened.
5.5 What's with this keyboard thing?
Last summer, the Chicago Reader ran an ad by the Pumpkins, saying that
they needed a keyboardist for their live tours. 5-minute tape auditions
were to be turned in by 7/14/95.
Then, an article from the 8/18 Entertainment Weekly gave a slightly
different outlook than anticipated...
"...aspiring Pumpkins needn't wait by the phone. Two months
later, a refrigerator box full of cassettes graces Chicago's Soundworks
studios, and there's not a listening station in sight. 'We've been too
busy to deal with them,' says Iha. 'I don't want to listen to a bunch of
wack keyboard players. It sounds like a nightmare to me.'"
(thanks to Scott Carpenter (scar...@gas.uug.arizone.edu) for giving me
this info, disappointing though it was...)
SP have their keyboardist now. Someone was at a music store, and the owner
mentioned that James was in a while before "with their new keyboardist,"
so... <shrug> <sigh> Oh well. His name is Jonathan Melbourne, and appeared
on the American Music Awards, and is touring with them now, although he may
be slightly hidden to the back...
5.6 What else is news?
SP members have started a new record label, called Scratchie Records.
The August Illinois Entertainer says this (thanks tur...@shout.net):
"New local label Scratchie Records, owned by Pumpkin's D'arcy
Wretsky-Brown and James Iha, Catherine's Kerry Brown and others, had
planned a boffo record release party last month with label signees
Chainsaw Kittens. Unfortunately, Kitten's lead guitarist Trent Bell
fractured his wrist during a softball game back home in Norman, OK
just a few days before the party was to happen. So Scratchie is
putting the gig on hold and hopes to send off their label in rockin'
style sometime early in September"
SP played a few shows around and in Chicago. The Chicago show, which
was on October 23rd at the Riviera, was broadcast on the radio.
An MTV Rockumentary aired several times on 10/17, and was supposed to
be replayed on November 14th, but I didn't see it <shrug>.
There were two radio interviews in October, one on Q101 (10/8/95) and one
on 103.5.
SP played Saturday Night Live on November 11th.
The FAQ has grown too big for the mailing list, so it will be posted as
one file on the newsgroup, and as a 2-part split file on the list.
SP is featured in issue 4 of Launch magazine, which comes with a CD-ROM.
SP stuff includes an interview and the BwBW performance from the 10/23
Riviera concert (both complete a/v).
Check http://www.2LAUNCH.com/update.html for more info.
* The next single, 1979 is out now, including 3 unreleased tracks entitled
"Ugly", "Believe" and "Cherry". The import version also contains two
additional b-sides, "The Boy" and "Set the Ray to Jerry" (finally!).
* SP played at the American Music Awards at the end of January.
* The next single and video will be Zero, according to BC himself.
* From an ad in the Chicago Sun Times- A ROCKING 'SIMPSONS':
Look for a Homerpalooza episode of "The Simpsons" to air in May. Homer
takes Bart and Lisa to a music festival to support his statement, "Why
do you need new bands? Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974."
Chicago's own Smashing Pumpkins, Peter Frampton, Sonic Youth and Cypress
Hill all make voice and musical appearances. The Pumpkins perform the song
"Zero", Cypress Hill sings "Insane in the Brain" and "Throw Your Set in the
Air," and Frampton comes alive with his classic "Do You Feel Like I Do?"
Sonic Youth will supply a distorted rendering of the show's closing theme.
5.7 What's with all this Cabal (...) / Junta (...) stuff?
This is a bit complicated, and more time will be taken and devoted to this
subject, as it seems many are interested in it, and it appears to be a topic
of variably growing and decreasing popularity, esp. on the list lately.
The basics are these: the definition of a cabal (kuh-BALL) is a "secret
group of plotters, as against a government or authority." In the "see also"
is listed several other words, including "conspiracy" and "junta" (HOON-ta/
HUN-ta/ JUN-ta). The word "junta" is listed as being a temporary group of
secret leaders, as in after a coup-de-tats (forgive the spelling, I'm in the
lab right now). Anyway.
There are references to two groups. The Cabal (there is no Cabal), and
the Junta (There is a Junta- I know - they suck). The parenthetical phrases
are part of the references. The Cabal (there is no Cabal) is always referred
to in exactly that manner. Due to the secretive nature (by definition) of a
cabal, the Cabal (there is no Cabal) must always have the "there is no
Cabal" added in parentheses after the word, so that it is unknown whether
or not it actually exists or not. It is indeed impossible to know if the
Cabal (there is no Cabal) exists, since any possible members (there are no
members) would (could?) never publicly admit their membership.
This is not the case with the Junta (there is a Junta. I know. They're
dumb). The parenthetical remarks at the end may change in context. The whole
"they're dumb" thing apparently started in jest. Anywhey. Since it is known
that there, in fact, IS a Junta (there is a Junta...), it is not necessary
for them to keep themselves hidden. While still secretive of their
individual members, the Junta is able to post as a collective to the mailing
list, which it has done several times now. The first message to the list was
as follows (digest #888):
-=-=-
Date: Thu, 09 Nov 95 22:18:03 0000
From: "There is a Junta..." <SP-J...@conspiracy.com>
To: smashing-pumpkins
Subject: There IS a Junta [maniacal laughter]
Message-ID: <951110041...@musicwest.com>
Yes, there IS a Junta. We are very powerful.
BEWARE THE WRATH OF THE JUNTA!
-=-=-
Since then, there have been several more posts by list members claiming to
be in the Junta, and a couple more anonymous messages from various sources.
I will be putting up more info, including said messages, up on my web page
as soon as I get caught up with everything else and get around to doing so.
Otherwise, best bet is to stick to the mailing list for more info.
The Junta made a post in December '95, claiming that they had assumed
responsibility for the removal of list members who couldn't unsubscribe
* themselves. Sounds pretty cool to me... :) But now, there has been a recent
surge of fake Junta posts on the mailing list. Not very amusing. Just
leave the whole thing alone. It's lost its original humor content by having
these idiotic fake posts...
5.7 I WANT TOUR INFO!!!
Settle down, Beavis!! Sheesh. This is probably the most frequently asked
question lately, since touring has somewhat started, and dates have been
popping up everywhere. PLEASE do not ask if they're going to play in your
city. They're running down the east coast, then going to other countries,
and won't be back in the US until later (~summer) for their "enormo-dome"
tour. An up-to-date list can be found on Josh Sherman's homepage. Contact
him for additions/corrections, etc, but don't ask him to personally update
you. Just keep checking his web page. As soon as anyone finds something out,
it'll be up there on his page.
The URL is: http://weber.u.washington.edu/~jsherman/tour.html
6. -= MISC / NET STUFF =-
6.1 Where can I get the font they used on Siamese Dream?
The font (Lansbury) is available from the Sandoz ftp site, and from
Chris Carman's web page.
ftp://ftp.paranoia.com/pub/sandoz/pumpkin/Lansbury.ttf
http://www.muohio.edu/~carmance/sp/software/spfontpc.uue
That is for IBM. The Mac font is called "toulouse-lautrec" and is most
likely available through major public Mac archives on ftp (info-mac),
or on Chris Carman's web page:
http://www.muohio.edu/~carmance/sp/software/spfontmac.hqx
6.1a What about the font on MC&IS?
The IBM .ttf and Mac fonts are available from Coke 95's web page:
http://cam021313.student.utwente.nl/zut/nitemare.ttf
http://cam021313.student.utwente.nl/zut/nitemare.hqx
Both versions can also be found on Chris Carman's web page.
6.1b I can't get the font to work on my computer!
Read the font faq. :) Seriously, here's how to install it on a PC. I'm
not sure about Mac, though... (thanks again to Allison for the run-thru)
To install on a PC: download the Lansbury.ttf file to your Windows/
system directory on your hard drive and decode it if necessary (requires
a UUDecode program). next, go to the Fonts program in Control Panel. hit
the Add button on the right side of the box. then change the directory in
the bottom to Windows/system, and scroll down through the list of fonts
until you find Lansbury. Select it and hit OK. it will now be installed
on your computer. Don't worry about getting a .fot file, it will be
created when you install the font.
Note: To use this under WordPerfect, you must install it under WordPefect
using the wpfi.exe file or calling it from the main program. It should work
fine after that.
Mac instructions are as follows (thanks to Josh Sherman for run-thru)
-=-=-
Okay here's some truly anal instructions for getting the font known as
ToulouseLautrec to work on you Mac.
I got my copy off of Chris Carman's Smashing Pumpkins Homepage, and
suspect that his copy is compressed/encoded in pretty much the same way
that every copy is.
To decompress the font you need two programs. First use BinHex, then
Compact Pro. Once you've decompressed the document, you'll have a folder
titled ToulouseLautrec with four items in it.
What you do from here is dependent on what system version you are
using. If you're using System 7 (and who isn't these days) it's as
simple as putting the individual files in your Font file. The Font file
can be found in your System Folder on the Hard Disk. Once this is done,
you're set.
With System 6 or earlier it's a little bit more complicated. To
install a Font you will need to use the Font DA Mover. It should be
located in your System Folder. Open the Mover, and you'll find two
scroll boxes. It's been awhile since I've used System 6, but basically
all you need to do is find the Font, and transfer it over to the usable
fonts. There should be a "Move" or "Transfer" button that you click to
activate the font.
With either System it shouldn't be difficult. I figured out both
Systems by simply playing around for a few minutes. In both cases it
took me less than ten minutes, and I never had to pull out a manual or
ask for help. These instructions should get anybody going in at least
the right direction. Play for a few minutes, and if you're still having
problems you can e-mail me at jshe...@u.washington.edu. Good luck.
-=-=-
6.2 Where can I get the GeekUSA Screen Raver?
PC- Sandoz' ftp site: ftp.paranoia.com/pub/sandoz
Mac- Info-mac archive: ftp.amug.org/info-mac/art/grf/geek-usa.hqx
6.3 Where can I get the latest bootlist/discography?
The best bet is to get them from the mailing list or newsgroup when they
are posted. They also appear on my web page, and possibly others.
6.4 What are some cool web pages/ftp sites?
Here's a list of all the pages I know of and what they have on them.
(I spent a LOT of time looking up and checking links. If you plan on
starting a new page, shutting down or moving an existing page, or making
major changes, PLEASE let me know. It'd be nice to keep this section as
current and accurate as possible, but I don't want to spend several hours
per month checking links on the web...)
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/2045/sp.htm - Amazing Tomatoes
(sound clips, demo lyrics, etc.) - [new]
http://hubcap.clemson.edu:80/~bpmccal/sp_1.html - AnsiGod's page
(tab, samples, etc.) - [new]
http://www.tower-hill.pvt.k12.de.us/~bmartin/sp.html - Bill's SP Page
(lyrics, links, videography, sound, etc.) - [new]
http://faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU/~wrr6j/smash.html - The Bross SP Page
(fonts, A/V clips, etc.)
http://users.aol.com/superbugg8/sp.html - Bugg's SP Page
(1979 remix sample, links) - [new]
http://ourworld.compuserve.com:80/homepages/Lige - The Burlap Pumpkin Page
(links, song list, news, etc.) - [new]
http://www.muohio.edu/~carmance/sp.html - Chris Carman's site
(interviews, -TONS- of pix & other cool stuff)
http://cam021313.student.utwente.nl/pumpkins.html - Coke 95 SP page
(Has -lots- of samples & the MC&IS fonts)
http://199.77.167.35/Pumpkins/ - Cool as Ice Cream
(Steve's page: links, articles, pix, etc.) [link changed]
http://www.shore.net/~pmack/ - Dave's Tour History Page
(tour history/info, links, etc.) - [new]
http://www.xmission.com/~dbonds2/sp/siamese.html - David Bond's SD Link page
(Siamese Dream CD Link)
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~dcho/music.html - David Cho's page
(video clips, inc. entire Rockumentary! QT format)
http://www.castrop-rauxel.netsurf.de/homepages/olaf.berg/musik.html
- Die Musik Seite (A German page- video/sound clips, pix, lyrics) - [new]
http://pages.prodigy.com/S/M/P/smashingp/sp.htm - Eric's Smashing Page
(tab, sounds, links, lyrics) - [new]
http://www.columbia.edu/~vhm/sp/ - The Final Sadness
(links, lyrics, tab, mirror of Sandoz ftp site, etc.) - [new]
http://wane-arc.scri.fsu.edu:80/~jordan/sp/ - Frail & Bedazzled
(lyrics, links, pix, etc.)
http://users.aol.com/geoff8581/pumpkins.html - Geoff's SP Stuff
(lyrics, quotes, pix, clips, links, etc.)
http://pages.prodigy.com/E/R/H/erich/ - GoodBands Music Page
(links) [new link]
http://pubweb.acns.nwu.edu/~jjb365/pumpkins/ - Hambone Space Boogey
(interviews, reviews, links) - [new]
http://radon.gas.uug.arizona.edu/~jec/fame.html - J's Wall O' Fame
(links, samples, tab, etc.)
http://www.his.com/~jjj/sp/sp.html - Josh's Favorite Band page
(links) - [new]
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~jsherman/tour.html - Josh Sherman's
SP Tour date page (upcoming/past tour dates, etc.)
http://www.easyinternet.ca/~macaulay/ - Joyboy's SP abode
(news, pix, fonts, links) - [new]
http://www.ultranet.com/~dmarcio/jupiter&chloe/ - Jupiter & Chloe
(pix, links, etc.)
http://www.luhsd.k12.ca.us/~kb663397/ - Kevin Brian & Kristian's Web Page
(lyrics, sounds, pix, etc.)
http://users.aol.com/lbarr75655/pumpkins.htm - Lincoln's SP Page"
(lyrics, software, pix, news, etc.) - [new]
http://www.rnl.ist.utl.pt/~lfvjt/ - Luis' SP Page
(lyrics, pix, links) - [new]
http://www.deakin.edu.au/~benmo/smashing.html - Moogle's site
(a few pix, tab)
http://www.oswego.edu/~bapst/sp.html - Neil's SP page
(pix, lyrics, sounds, links) - [new]
http://mason.gmu.edu/~agupta2/ - Nitin's page
(pix, MTV video clip link) - [new]
http://www.geocities.com/paris/1596/pumpkins.html - Paul's SP Page
(illegal images stolen from Carman's page)
http://www.wfire.net/~nightwol/pumpkinnet.html - PumpkinNet
(Trade boots online!)
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Scott_F/sp.htm - Pumpkinsville SP
(same old pix, that's about it...) - [new]
http://users.aol.com/Ibenez1/ - Pumpkin Pages
(news, lyrics, tour info, etc.) - [new]
http://users.aol.com/itsslow/pumpkin_pie.html - Pumpkin Pie
(tabs, trading, etc.)
http://nether.net/~er/sp/index.html - Pumpkin Prime
(lyrics, A/V clips, etc.) - [new]
http://spider.netropolis.net/billy/pumpkin.htm - The Pumplinkdom
(pix, info, links, etc.)
http://www-scf.usc.edu/~mbrubake/rawk.html - Rawk
(scan of the new tickets) - [new]
http://gene.fwi.uva.nl/~rkaandrp/SPlinks.html - Rob's SP Links
(links)
http://pages.prodigy.com/MA/dfjv87d/pumpkin.html - Rob's SP Page
(info, links, lyrics, etc.)
http://www.nj.com/arts/music/sos/pumpkins.html - Scotts on Sounds: SP
(review, samples)
http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/~sean - Sean Ewen's page
(links, MCIS demo sound clip) - [new]
http://www.sar.usf.edu/~schen - Sharyn Chen's page
(discog, article, links)
http://www.aber.ac.uk/~syb3/jwz/The_Smashing_Pumpkins.html - Simon's SP page
(links galore) - [new]
http://www.esu.edu/~egersbac/smashing.html - Sir Eric's SP page
(lyrics, discog, tab, etc.)
http://www.cloud9.net/~siva/ - Siva's Page
(nothing yet)
http://www.unc.edu/~jhc - SP page
(lyrics, pix, links)
http://home.cdsnet.net/~snowman/smashing.html - Snowman's SP Page
(links)
http://www.zenda.com/sp/ - SP Central
(many links with reviews and breakdowns of what's on each page)
http://village.ios.com/~vk125/SP/MAIN_PAGE.html - SP Online Fanzine
(news, bio, short discog, reviews, lyrics/tab, etc.) - [new]
http://web.cps.msu.edu/~tiensivu - SpunkMonkey International
(review, link; "Major overhaul in progress")
http://shell.masterpiece.com:80/toreador/ - Toreador's SP Page
(lyrics, sound, tab, etc.) - [new]
http://cam021313.student.utwente.nl/users/bogus/bogus.htm - WoWiEZoWiE
(samples, links, etc.) - [new]
-Public/Company/Search Engine/etc.-
http://american.recordings.com/cgi-bin/ubl?card+1370 - Ultimate Band list
(SP card entry- links)
http://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/Artists/Smashing_Pumpkins/ - Yahoo
(links to above, and anything else you can think of)
http://www.addict.com/ATN/ - Addicted to Noise Online Magazine
-And now, the ftp sites-
ftp://ftp.paranoia.com/pub/sandoz/pumpkin/ - The Sandoz FTP site
(lyrics, tab, pic, PC Screen Raver, font, bootlist, discog, info, etc.)
ftp://ftp.uwp.edu/pub/music/guitar/s/smashing_pumpkins/ - UWP Music archive
(tab)
ftp://ftp.uwp.edu/pub/music/pictures/s/smashing.pumpkins/ - UWP Pictures
ftp://ftp.nevada.edu/pub/guitar/s/smashing_pumpkins - Nevada archive
(tab)
7. -= CONCLUSION =-
7.1 Acknowledgments
First off, I have to thank Allison (Allis...@aol.com) for a lot of
info I used here. Thanks to Josh (jshe...@u.washington.edu) for the idea
of the Tan and Disc headers, for much other info, for plugging the FAQ &
my homepage <grin>, and for taking care of the MCIS tour info page. Ack's
go to Roger Janssen (rpaj...@dds.nl) for doing the discography, and Karl
Daher (Karl_...@mbnet.mb.ca) for the bootlist and maintaining the list.
Much thanks to Chris Carman (carm...@muohio.edu) for his excellent compi-
lation tapes, for getting me most of the other songs I didn't have... And,
thanks to Christine Henry (god...@ripco.com) for a few good ideas, for
being the first person I've known to actually use the word "joshin'" in
context, and for showing me around Chicago... :> Thanks also go to Onica
(Apa...@aol.com), Mike (jm...@cornell.edu), Matt
(rsnc...@merle.acns.nwu.edu), Matt <grin> (mhen...@freenet.scri.fsu.edu),
and pissant (hoag...@ucsu.Colorado.EDU) for a lot of extra info... Thanks
to Brian (bpm...@hubcap.clemson.edu) for letting me hear the live
"Soothe"... Special thanks to Kristen (kka...@wpo.it.luc.edu) for every-
thing she's done for me... Thanks to Saira (shu...@wpo.it.luc.edu) for
Riv ticket info, support, etc. Thanks also to everyone for their plugs,
advice, compliments, adoration <grin>, etc. on the FAQ, index, homepage,
etc. I'm sure there are others I've forgotten, don't be too mad at me (just
a simple "Hey! You forgot me!" will suffice)... :) And finally, thanks to
alt.music.smash-pumpkins and the mailing list in general, for all the
information it makes available... :)
7.2 Disclaimer
I'm human, too. (No, really!) :) If there are any mistakes here, I'd
greatly appreciate notification as such. If you have anything you think
should be added, if you have any suggestions for improvement, rearranging
things, etc., don't hesitate to email me (ag...@cae.wisc.edu). To quote
Inspector Gadget, "I'm always on duty!" :>
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
</pre>
--
URL- http://www.engr.wisc.edu/~agnew (/sp.html) | Smashing Pumpkins FAQ mtnr.
"Yor, Yor, he's a man, he's a man/ Yor, Yor, he's a man, he's a man..."
-Soul Coughing, Casiotone Nation