No one can ever accuse Billy Corgan of not sharing. The Smashing Pumpkins leader (and only remaining original member) finally took to the pages of his band's official Web site last week to explain just what the hell is going on in Pumpkinland these days, what with the parting of the ways with original drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, the continuing despite being the only real Pumpkin left and the whole melting-down-on-stage thing.
 
His nearly 2,500-word rant offered some questions and raised a whole bunch more. Because we know you're busy, here are some highlights:
 
Current project: Working on a new Pumpkins album in sunny California with "some of my friends," focusing on five or six songs that he hopes to include in a "large multimedia project" he has in mind that may contain up to 44 songs. Read more...

Dear Billy,

So I heard you're looking for a new drummer. And in a manner befitting of a guy who called his last album Zeitgeist, you've taken to the Internet to find this person. This is a very big deal to me, as I have always been a die-hard Smashing Pumpkins fan (despite writing this column in 2007 ), which is why I'm here to help you in your search.

I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but there are lots of drummers on the Internet. And most of them are probably going to be emailing you their "resume, photograph/headshot [and] any music/audio showcasing [their] talents," like it says on the Pumpkins Web site. Most of these drummers are totally not fit to carry Jimmy Chamberlain's timpani mallet … amateur bashers who just want the fame and glory that comes with (maybe) playing on an upcoming Pumpkins' album.

But there are some who are worthy. And since I care so deeply, I've trolled through thousands of hours of clips to find five of them. After the jump, you'll find your next drummer. I promise. Read more...

Almost from the moment they burst out of the fertile early 1990s Chicago alt-rock scene, the whispers about the Smashing Pumpkins were that they were a one-man show. Despite guitarist James Iha's considerable chops and pop songwriting sensibility, bassist D'arcy Wretzky's charismatically stoic persona and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin's jazzy yet muscular touch, the Pumpkins were and always would be singer/songwriter Billy Corgan's baby.

Now, thanks to this weekend's unexplained ouster of Billy's longtime foil and last fellow original member, Chamberlin, Corgan is truly the Axl Rose of alternative rock. He's the Trent Reznor of overblown guitar bands. The ... oh, you get the point.

Fans had already been a bit iffy about Corgan reuniting the "band" three years ago when he announced that he and Chamberlin would be touring (and recording) under the venerable group's name. But with at least 50 percent of the original members on board, many seemed willing to overlook it.

(Take a look at how the Smashing Pumpkins have changed over the years.)
Read more...

Over the weekend at the Scream Awards in Los Angeles, MTV News caught up with the two remaining original members of the Smashing Pumpkins — frontman Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin — to discuss a number of topics, including the band's upcoming 20th-anniversary tour and the Pumpkins' newfound freedom. They're no longer under contract with a record label, and they issued their latest single, "G.L.O.W.," last month as an independent release.

"For years, we always dealt with this idea that some guy in some office somewhere was going to make a decision we wouldn't have any control over, and now, that's not a problem anymore," Corgan said about being free from the shackles of the majors. "I never gave a sh--, but when they gave a sh--, it was a problem." Read more...

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has filed a lawsuit against an Illinois filmmaker he claims was hired to document the band's concerts and studio sessions, but delivered shoddy work.

According to NME.com, Corgan's suit claims Lester Cohn's work wasn't up to snuff, and that the filmmaker's holding the footage hostage until he's paid for his time.
Corgan's suit seeks more than $100,000 in damages. Cohn was hired from 2003 to 2005, to document the band's return, but Corgan insists the end result was "completely unsatisfactory and not completed in a professional, workmanlike manner in accordance with the standards of a music filmmaker."