A Tribute to The Smashing Pumpkins

The Void

A Tribute to the Smashing Pumpkins (Billy Corgan, D'arcy, Jimmy Chamberlain, and James Iha)

The Smashing Pumpkins' music is, in a word, Love. Love inspires most of Billy Corgan's songs, and his emotions are expressed so sincerely that it is nearly impossible to not understand exactly what he feels, even without the words, although the words are almost as amazing in themselves. I listen to the Pumpkins partly because they are sincere, but there's a better reason. They rock! Who cares about the rest? That's the most important thing.

"I fear that I am ordinary, just like everyone. To lie here and die, among the sorrows, drift among the days."

I still can't listen to the intro to "Today" without being hypnotized. The distortion kicks in and almost the song kicks in, completely absorbing so much you can't escape. I would say the song that defines the Smashing Pumpkins is "Cherub Rock." If you listen to that first, you can sort of get the idea of what they're about musically. Even their simplest guitar parts are completely enchanting. If you've never listened to it, I'd say Siamese Dream is a must. The entire album has the power to send me into the Void part of my brain. From the quite repition of "I'm in love with you" to the defiant screams of "I shall be free," the album encompasses everything.

In both from poetry to actual guitar parts, Billy Corgan has the ability to express emotions that few can get out, and even fewer could express what they feel through the guitar alone. I cannot express their music in words beyond a vague, shimmering image. The music speaks for itself, and only by listening to the music can someone truly understand.

"Today is the greatest day I've ever known."

Other Tributes:

"I've always liked The Smashing Pumpkins. The first time I probably ever heard them was back in 1993 or 1994 on the radio with either "Today" or "Disarm." Billy Corgan has one of those amazingly unique voices that people either love or hate and I happened to love it. At the time Siamese Dream was out, I didn't own a CD player (I was 11 or 12) and didn't buy it until much later. The defining moment for me, when The Smashing Pumpkins became one of my all time favorite bands, was when I received their Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness CD. It had all the songs on the radio ("1979," "Tonight,Tonight," "Thirty-Three," and "Zero"), but the song that convinced me was "Muzzle." The song starts out with Jimmy Chamberlain pounding out the drums, then Billy's voice kicks in, screeching "I fear that I am ordinary...". The song continues with incredibly insightful lyrics. The song completely rocks and at the same time is really deep. Most bands will never be able to write one song half as good as this one, while in the history of The Smashing Pumpkins, " Muzzle" is just one of many extrordinary and incomparable masterpieces."

-- Amy Raridan

Ok, so when you have some free time, experience their music for the first time, or again for the 1000th, and feel the love. E-mail me.