Smashing Pumpkins timeline
The Smashing Pumpkins timeline.
Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Love them or hate them. But the four musicians in the English rock band Bush don’t want to invoke indifference. “Most of the bands that I hear don’t generate anything in me,” Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale says. “It’s impossible for everyone to like everyone, so I don’t take any of this personally. There are plenty of people who are regarded as geniuses, and I don’t think they are at all.”
Bassist Ted Ansani never wanted a solo career. As one-third of the Chicago-based power pop band Material Issue, Ansani was content to leave the spotlight to extroverted singer-guitarist Jim Ellison. But after Ellison committed suicide three years ago, Ansani and drummer Mike Zelenko found themselves in a predicament. Ellison had been their singer, songwriter and spokesman.
Covering a little known Eric Anderson number near the end of his 50-minute solo set, Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha sang, “I’d love to sing my ballad/But they only wanna hear me rock ‘n’ roll.” Not after this show. The shy musician’s ballad-heavy solo debut was a stunner. And the intimate Top Note Theatre–a part of Metro, the club that gave the Pumpkins their first big break–was the perfect setting for Iha’s laid-back performance in front of a hometown crowd that included Pumpkins’ bassist D’Arcy, members of the Frogs and his parents.
The Smashing Pumpkins will head to Europe on Wednesday for a two-week tour of festival shows. But before they pack their bags, bassist D’Arcy and guitarist James Iha – half of the Chicago-based group – will co-host a Saturday night showcase for Scratchie Records, the label they helped create.
If there’s any justice at all, Beck, Smashing Pumpkins and Tracy Chapman will lug a few Grammy Awards home on Wednesday. And Alanis Morissette, whose “Jagged Little Pill” was released in June, 1995, will be shut out of this year’s ceremonies.
Got the itch to party? The place to be on Saturday is the Metro, where Scratchie Records will host its Christmas party. Fulflej, Chainsaw Kittens, Fountains of Wayne and Kid Million are the headliners, but the evening’s hosts are pretty fabulous, too. The Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha and D’Arcy Wretzky-Brown – who goes by D’Arcy – are co-owners of the Chicago-based record label and likely will jam with their friends.
With so many cuts from “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” being played on the radio, it’s easy to forget how many memorable songs the Smashing Pumpkins have that are almost never heard. The five-CD singles/rarities box set “The Aeroplane Flies High” helps give many unheard gems a chance to shine.
You’d think that after performing for almost 2 1/2 hours and giving the audience three sets of encores, the Smashing Pumpkins would have run off the stage after their sold-out concert Friday night at the Rosemont Horizon. But when the house lights came on, there was a strange sight on stage. Singer Billy Corgan was still there, acknowledging the adulation of his cheering fans and obviously relishing the band’s triumphant homecoming.
When the album “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart last fall, the Smashing Pumpkins seemed destined for a stunning future. Their previous works “Gish” and “Siamese Dream” had made them superstars, but no one in the band imagined that “Mellon Collie,” which has sold more than 7 million copies in the United States, would become the most successful double CD ever.