Is Smashing Pumpkins’ Classic Lineup Working on a Reunion?
In the summer of 2015, the current version of Smashing Pumpkins — Billy Corgan, original drummer Jimmy Chamberlain and guitarist Jeff Schroeder, along with touring members Jack Bates (bass), Katie Cole and Sierra Swan (both listed as playing “various instruments”) — hit the road with Marilyn Manson. Those shows seemed to do quite well.
So how much demand is there for a reunion of the Pumpkins’ “classic” lineup? Judging by the way the Internet goes nuts every time such a possibility is floated, quite a bit; those who came of age in the era of Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness are now approaching 40 and would presumably have no qualms about spending top coin to see the lineup that recorded those songs play them live.
While Corgan’s been averse to the idea in the past, he may be warming up to it. Loudwire tipped us off to a recent interview Corgan did with radio station 99.7 WLUP, in which he dropped the following:
“I just talked to him (Pumpkins guitarist James Iha) the other day — things look good for us to play.”
Which is certainly encouraging, although it doesn’t necessarily mean a full-on reunion is in the works: Iha joined the band on stage for a few songs in Los Angeles last spring, so perhaps another such outing is being planned.
And what of bassist D’Arcy Wretzky? She’s previously said she’d be interested in a reunion but the situation is “much too complicated” (read: money, life), and though she and Corgan have been estranged for some time, the latter posted a heartfelt birthday message to his former bassist online last May:
“And speaking of those I’ve been fortunate enough to share the stage with, I see that it’s D’arcy Wretzky’s birthday today: So a big and happy B-Day to her from here! I’m encouraged to hear that she is playing music once more, and writing songs. As I’ve often said, no one had better musical discernment in our band than she.
“As I head home, it’s crazy to think that it was nearly 30 years ago that I began this wild and wooly journey, and that meeting James, then D’arcy, then Jimmy would alter all of our lives forever; for the better, I would argue.”
To our knowledge Wretzky and Corgan haven’t been in touch any further than that, but who knows, if Iha comes on board perhaps peer pressure will wrest Wretzky out of retirement.
Siamese Dream will turn 24 this year. Feel old yet?
