(Again, Again, Again)
Just got word that Jimmy
Chamberlin has re-joined Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins.
Sources close to the band report that following a serendipitous invite
to the true-fan only ‘
Amazon Listening Party’ for the Smashing Pumpkin’s forthcoming
album,
Oceania, Chamberlin was so
awestruck by the quality of the recording that he reached out to former bandmaster
Corgan and tabled a deal to re-join the outfit.
Sources reveal that Chamberlin privately cited many reasons for his return to fold; “it’s been too long… it’s totally
driven by a desire to not sound anything like ‘classic pumpkins’ and to explore
totally new ground… It’s all about the cash… I just love wrestling and tea and
so does Billy…my shaman told me to do it… Teargarden has been an unmitigated
success so far – it's the best release method ever”.
However, the official announcement,
announced over at
Smashing Pumpkins.com states Chamberlin’s true motivation:
"I
want Corgan’s dreams, his songs and his band back together..."
"...I have waved any creative input and final
say on everything, it will be, and rightly so, all Billy's. This is a make or
break year for the band and only securing the best marketing deal will ensure the
bands future, not the music.”
“It was about 7 or 8 tracks into
the new record. In each track I heard the drums doing things I have done in
other songs or pretty much would do - given the chance. I kept thinking, this in an odd bastardisation
of my originality as an Artist and if Billy wanted to just get someone in to
play like me, why not pick, say Matt Walker. He actually did it OK”. He continues “I figured that; if they’ve got a
new guy in and he’s just going to approximate what I’d do, but so incredibly
poorly I can’t really comprehend it, I should probably just do it myself”.
Chamberlin continues, “I was quietly
optimistic that Billy would move forward in new musical directions, as he
always used to try and one of the reasons I used to love the band, but now my priorities
have changed & it’s why I’m back in; I am all about living in the past now.
I am the difference, I am the 97%. I
realised that touring on ‘
Rat in a Cage’ into my 60’s, is my real dream future”,
gushes Chamberlin.
Talking about the future, for
the handful of you out there wondering about the prospects of drumming tyke Mike Bryne,
unfortunately the one and only music
pundit who was in the slightest bit
bothered by his dismissal, didn't have much hope;
“Even if my life depended on it,
and I had Bonham, Moon and Rich as my phone-a-friends, I couldn’t pick this
guys style out of a line-up of 5 ‘
mathrock’ drummers."
Bryne, tweeted his disappointment at his
inevitable dismissal; “shit. I dun goofed #imitationnotnecessarilythesincerestformofflattery”.
