Can’t believe I read Billy Corgan’s entire post about the future of the Smashing Pumpkins, but if you can make it through the whole rant, there are a few interesting bits worth noting. In particular, Corgan doesn’t plan on releasing a conventional album, as he says, “the old-fashioned way.” Instead he’s planning a “large multimedia project,” releasing one song at a time over the next couple years.
“44 seems to be the magic #, so let’s say I’m shooting for 44 songs on this one,” he wrote. “The work will be conceptual in nature planning it all out also I think will help keep me from losing my way in the evil forest.”
The rest of his blog is a bit sad because he keeps acknowledging his recent missteps, but he can’t get out of the kind of pretentious self-congratulating that has started to annoy his fans. Some press sources are calling his statement a “manifesto,” but we think it reads more like a window into the internal dialogue of an aging rock star with his creative drive still endearingly intact.
He ended by saying: “I wish it was as simple as being about the trappings normally associated with fame! If only life were so simple. But it ain’t…but that too shall change. SP can and will represent a new kind of way of connecting my music with you in a way that leaves both parties feeling better for it. You have my personal promise on that.”
Fair enough, Billy. But whatever you do, don’t have “44 different drummers [play] on 44 different tracks.”