News: SP's Last 2 tour dates.
Date: 10.19.00

here are the tour dates of the smashing pumpkin's final shows:

November 29th, 2000 at the United Center, Chicago

December 2nd, 2000 at the Metro, Chicago

tickets go on sale saturday and noon. dear god i wish i could go.

News: New album
Date: 9.07.00

Well there's a new SP album coming out on Billy's record company [Constantinople Records], However only 25 copies will be released on 12 inch records and 3 10 inch EPs. here's the track list:

Friends and Enemies of Modern Music

Glass' Theme
Cash Car Star
Dross
Real Love
Go
Let Me Give the World to You
Innosence
Home
Blue Skies Bring Tears (heavy)
White Spider
In My Body
If There Is a God (full band)
Le Deux Machina (synth)
Here's to the Atom Bomb

EP 1
Slow Down
Vanity
Saturnine
Glass' Theme (spacey version)

EP 2
Soul Power [James Brown]
Cash Car Star
Lucky 13
Speed Kills

EP 3
If There Is a God (piano/vox)
Try, Try, Try (alt. music/lyrics)
Heavy Metal Machine (version I alt. mix)

Oh, but don't you guys worry. all of these songs are available on mp3 at http://jove.prohosting.com/new album.htm

News: StoryTellers Info
Date: 8.25.00
Source: The Siamese Dreamers [email Sad Silver Star@aol.com to join]

Well apparently this is the setlist for the Vh1 Storytellers that was taped a little while ago.. when is it airing? erm, not sure. [Email me if you know]..

Glass and the Ghost Children
Today
Snail
Stand Inside Your Love
To Sheila
Thirty-three
Blue Skies Bring Tears
Try, Try, Try
The Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete
1979
Raindrops + Sunshowers
With Every Light
Let Me Give the World to You
Don't You Want Me [Human League] (tease)
Let Me Give the World to You [played TWICE]
Glass and the Ghost Children
Zero (tease)
(lounge improv)
Stand Inside Your Love

Also, according to someone who talked with Jimmy after the taping, Jimmy will be doing an album [or something musically] with Mike Garson [touring keyboardist, and helped w/ the stigmata soundtrack] after SP breaks up.. there is no official news about that yet however.

News: Corgan Comments on the ECW Incident
Date: 7.27.00
Source: ECWwrestling

Rock star Billy Corgan has broken his silence regarding the events that took place last Saturday at the ECW television taping in Peoria, IL. The following is a transcript of his comments on the incident, which was recently covered on MTV, and will air, in its entirety, this Friday during ECW on TNN.

"Let me start by saying that this incident with "Lou E. Imitation" is a complete outrage. For weeks I had been looking forward to singing the national anthem in front of the good people of Peoria, Illinois, an honor bestowed on me by Paul Heyman himself, who had personally invited me to open the show last Saturday night. ECW is my favorite promotion in the world, and never having sung our national anthem in public before, it was an opportunity I just couldn’t say no to.

It started out to be a great night, getting the chance before the show to talk to some of my favorite wrestlers, great guys like Jerry Lynn, Rob Van Dam, The Sandman and Justin Credible. I was nervous about doing a great rendition of the anthem, but looked forward to sitting back after I sang to watch the show. So after the warm reception I received from the crowd when I was announced as a surprise guest, what followed was like a bucket of cold water. Before I could play a note I was attacked by Lou “I used to be the Sign Guy but the Dudley’s left me behind” Dangerously and his band of reckless thugs, Steve Corino, Scotty Anton, and Jack Victory.

It was, needless to say, a unwarranted intrusion upon my performance, and an insult that won’t be easily forgotten. Lou may be the greatest manager in sports entertainment, but he is a no class individual who should be ashamed to call himself an American. Hopefully the fans will get the chance to judge this entire situation for themselves Friday night on TNN"

News: Corgan Clashes with ECW
Date: 7.27.00
Source: Mtv.com

Corgan took a theatrical turn over the weekend as he made an appearance at an Extreme Championship Wrestling match in Peoria, Illinois. Corgan, a noted pro-wrestling fan, was to have played a short acoustic set, although one song in, Corgan got into an altercation with ECW wrestler Lou E. Dangerously and smashed the acoustic guitar over Dangerously's head.

The Pumpkins frontman was then surrounded in the ring by wrestlers Steve Corino, Jack Victory, and Scotty Anton and was saved from a three-man beatdown when grapplers Tommy Dreamer and Jerry Lynn arrived in the ring to fend off the other men.

The incident is not the first time that ECW wrestlers have squared off with rock musicians, as Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst was involved in a similar brawl with Corino last December.

A publicist for the Smashing Pumpkins told MTV News that they were aware of Corgan's ECW melee but were not planning to comment or issue a statement regarding what happened.

The Smashing Pumpkins will cross the Atlantic for a final European round of dates from September 16 through November 4, after which the band is expected to hit the road in the U.S. for what could be its last tour hurrah.

-- David Basham

News: Billy Sue's former band mate
Date: 6.27.00
Source: Chartattack.com

Piecing together the paper trail, no comments and ancient band lore, ChartAttack.com has learned that Billy Corgan, frontman and founder of The Smashing Pumpkins has initiated a lawsuit against Ron Roesing, former drummer of The Marked. Corgan and Roesing formed the band in 1984/1985 that would later evolve into the Pumpkins 1987. Apparently the lawsuit stems from the release of Hopefulness and Oh So Finite Happiness, a charity double-disc that Roesing supposedly put out that has raised the ire of William Corgan's lawyers.

When ChartAttack.com contacted lawyers Leslie Frank and Jill Berliner from the L.A. law firm King, Purtich, Holmes, Paterno & Berliner to comment on the lawsuit, they flatly refused. Tyson Parker, national media manager for the band's label Virgin Music Canada was unable to respond to questions.

However, we have obtained the paperwork related to the suit, which states: "This firm represents William Corgan. Roesing is illegally exploiting our client's name to promote goods and services, falsely implying that our client has granted him an exclusive license to sell or otherwise exploit phonorecords containing the Masters and Compositions." We spoke to Roesing, who now lives in the United Kingdom, about the lawsuit and early Pumpkin history which he says has been re-written by Corgan.

"What they are supposedly suggesting is that I have this CD, Hopefulness and Oh So Finite Happiness. I haven't sold that CD. I haven't made any profit from that CD. I took samples from Billy," Roesing says about the lawsuit. "They are just sending out a generic threat. They haven't a clue what they are doing."

Both parties won't answer questions directly relating to the suit, but Roesing was able to allude to what the lawsuit stems from: "They are talking about a sample that I put in a song called 'Smugly,' which is my nickname for Billy. They don't know when I put it out [Hopefulness and Oh So Finite Happiness]. If I put it out. They don't know anything. They make all these demands and on the last page [of the legal brief that ChartAttack.com has read] they say they don't know anything."

Granted it's done in legal speak that reads something like this: "Nothing contained herein or omitted herefrom is intended or shall be construed as an admission of any fact... claims or remedies which our client has assert or may assert in connection with this matter." Much of ChartAttack.com's interview with Roesing was conducted off the record, as his lawyers have asked him not to comment on the case.

While Corgan's lawyers continue their fact-finding mission through the courts, Roesing says, "On the album they are suggesting that I used material that belonged to Billy." Essentially this is what the dispute stems from.

Even though the Pumpkins rose to fame after Roesing left the band, he doesn't harbour much ill will towards Corgan or The Pumpkins. In fact he says, "I'm trying to make amends with William. It is my personal belief that this fax and lawsuit was not generated by him. I want the public to be aware that this is how his law firm operates. I want them to know that Billy is suing me, which is pathetic, if we were friends for a very long time [up to Gish], which we were, he wouldn't be suing me. I have been very good about not suing him. Our friend Jonathan [Morrill] sued him for half a million dollars regarding The Marked videos."

According to CDNow.com on May 22 Jonathan Morrill, owner of J.M. Productions filed a lawsuit accusing Corgan of breach of contract, stealing and allowing the commercial release of a video/documentary from 1986 entitled Video Marked. Morrill claims that Corgan stayed with him when the singer lived in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1986. A video documentary was made during this time, of which only two copies were ever made - a master and a backup. Corgan allegedly took the backup with him back to Chicago.

"Billy claims all his stuff got stolen from the early Marked material and early Pumpkin material prior to Jimmy [Chamberlin] joining. I don't know if that is true or not, I read that and people have told me that," Roesing says.

Morrill claims that Vieuphoria, released in 1994 to coincide with the B-side compilation Pisces Iscariot, contained footage that he shot for Video Marked. Interestingly enough he approached Corgan about releasing the documentary and was told that the frontman didn't want to release it, citing poor audio quality as the reason. It wasn't until 1999 that Morill became aware that Vieuphoria contained material from Video Marked. Roesing has contacted the same law firm that is representing Morill to counsel him should Corgan continue to pursue the suit further.

News: Billy co-writes Lisa Marie Presley debut album
Date: 5.25.00
Source: Sonicnet.com

Producer Says Smashing Pumpkins frontman co-writing song for her debut album. Staff Writer Teri van Horn reports: Lisa Marie Presley is co-writing a song with Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan for her debut album, according to the LP's producer, Glen Ballard. The daughter of the King is two-thirds finished with the LP, which Ballard promises will bring "modern-day Memphis" to the pop scene. "I think it's a wonderful expression from a [woman] who's carving her own identity as an artist while still embracing the format that's in her genes," said the producer, who is best known for his work with Canadian singer Alanis Morissette. The album falls in "the pop format, with elements of blues, funk, R&B and hip-hop," he said. Ballard said Elvis' legacy hasn't added a stress factor to the project. "As long as she's not as intimidated by it, I'm not. And I don't think she is." Presley also has co-written with Ballard and Cliff Magnuss (Kenny Rogers) for the LP. The collaboration with Corgan came out of the two singers' friendship, Ballard said. The album is not expected until late this year at the earliest. Tuesday (May 23), Corgan announced the Smashing Pumpkins will disband before year's end.

News: Pumpkins breaking up after world tour
Date: 5.23.00
Source: KROQ

Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan called into Los Angeles radio station KROQ on Tuesday (May 23) afternoon and announced the band's demise.

"We thought about telling people right when [MACHINA/the machines of God] was going to come out, but then we thought it would be all about that and not about the music," said Corgan. "But now that the album is out, it's fine. We wanted to make one more album to leave things on a positive note."

The band will finish its current U.S. tour, head to Europe, Japan, Canada, and maybe South America before the end of the year and then that's it. The band will tape VH1 Storytellers in August, and an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno is scheduled as well. Corgan said that fans can expect more releases from the Pumpkins as well. "We have another album's worth of songs left over from MACHINA we're gonna try to finish starting in July. We also might do some additional live recordings," he told KROQ.

"It is a weight lifted off my shoulders. I feel like I've been walking around with this weird secret. I think deep down our fans really knew that this was the end," said Corgan. "If you really listen to the album, it's in the album. We brought this thing to what we felt was a really strong conclusion and it freed us to enjoy it."

During Corgan's radio announcement, fans were calling in in tears and talking with the singer, who has touched millions since the band's humble beginnings in Chicago in 1989. When one caller expressed her sadness over the breakup, Corgan said, "I'd rather look at it as an accomplishment of hanging in there and making some great music ... If you think about all the positive things, all the good things, it's not sad."

Over the past year, the band has been plagued with shake-ups and lawsuits (original bassist D'Arcy Wretzky left the band last September the band was dumped by its management in January, so the announcement shouldn't present too much of a shock to fans.

As for future plans, Corgan reports that drummer Jimmy Chamberlin would really like to race cars, guitarist James Iha would like to continue making music, and Corgan isn't sure what he wants to do. "I'm lucky because at least in my personal situation, I can do whatever I want to do. Now whether or not I can do them well or anybody cares is another question. It's been 13 years but who I am on the other side of that, I dont know."

"It's about completing the circle and leaving things on a positive note," said Corgan. "We have really enjoyed this year -- more so than any other year that we've ever been a band. That's about it. It's about leaving everybody with a nice kiss and one more swing."

News: D'Arcy's crack charges dropped
Date: 5.21.00
Source: Siva

Charges against former Smashing Pumpkins bassist D'Arcy Wretzky for possession of crack cocaine were dropped Friday (May 19) following her completion of a court-ordered drug prevention class.
Wretzky, 32, did not appear in Cook County District Court for the hearing, Jodee Fallon, a spokesperson for the Cook County, Ill., State's Attorney's office, said.
In February, Judge Nicholas Ford gave the bassist just more than three months to attend four drug-abuse prevention classes as part of a program offered to first-time offenders in lieu of a trial.
Wretzky maintained her innocence after that hearing. "I didn't do it," she said at the time. "I gave somebody a ride. That was it."
Her lawyer, Richard Brzeczek, said on Friday that he had not spoken to Wretzky since the February hearing and was not required to be in court because the classes were completed. He said he did not know when she finished the course, or where it took place.
Wretzky, who quit the Smashing Pumpkins in September, was arrested at 2:30 a.m. Jan. 25. She was accused of buying a third of a gram of crack cocaine from a housing complex on West Lake Street.
An officer dressed in street clothes watched Wretzky enter a car carrying two other people, police have said. The car then drove away with the headlights off and allegedly made several traffic violations, including two illegal U-turns.
Police said they found the drugs in three plastic bags in the pocket of the driver, identified as Tony Young, but that Wretzky claimed that the bags were hers.
Wretzky, a founding member of the superstar rock band, reportedly quit to begin a film career. She was replaced by former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur.