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Billy Corgan slams Pavement. But is he right?

By Joel Weiss on Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 2:36 pm

[image-1]The underlying themes to Corgan's rant are art and bullshit. Looking back to that newspaper ad, attempt to ignore the self-indulgence of the gesture. Take Corgan at his word and all he wants to do is continue his art and make music. Stephen Malkmus (left) and company warned, meanwhile, that new music wouldn't happen. In fact, prior to the official reunion Pavement members talked of booking agents, no doubt visualizing big festival paydays unimaginable for them in the 90s dangled like a carrot on a stick.

The bullshit angle, however, is closer to reality. Corgan's non-Pumpkins efforts with Zwan and his solo disc were dismissed by many. Smashing Pumpkins is a brand. And big brands equal big money. Pavement faded quietly from the alt-rock scene with successive mediocre albums in the second half of the 90s, and bided their time in the music blog age while the Stereogums and Pitchforks of the world created feverish nostalgia via their hipster musical revisionism. Pavement cashed in, and they were up front about it from the beginning.

What do you think?

Follow Joel on twitter @lifeindeadtime.

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Beware an inspired Billy Corgan, because an inspired Billy Corgan sometimes says crazy shit. It was an inspired Billy Corgan that took out a full-page newspaper ad hyping a Smashing Pumpkins reunion without half the core lineup.

Learning his band would share a bill with Pavement at a festival in Brazil, Corgan (right) was inspired to tweet about Pavement in relation to the health of alternative music.

Just found out SP is playing with Pavement in Brazil. It’s gonna be 1 of those New Orleans type funerals… I say that because they represent the death of the alternative dream, and we follow with the affirmation of life part… funny how those who pointed the big finger of ’sell out’ are the biggest offenders now…yawn. they have no love… by the way, we’ll be the band up there playing NEW songs because we have the love xx

Sure, Billy Corgan evolved into a punchline since he resurrected the Pumpkins. Is this just a leftover grudge from the early 90s, or does he have a point?