There are times when an artist will do or say or be involved with something that completely transforms how you think of them and, all too often, it will alter how you regard their body of work from that point onward. Just look at how Bill Cosby not only had an upcoming show series cancelled, but even reruns of The Cosby Show have now been pulled. When I see a Robin Williams movie now, it is impossible not to be reminded of that tragic act of suicide earlier this year every time he comes on the screen. It is hard not to think of all of the weird antics of Charlie Sheen or Shia LeBoeuf whenever those guys are on television (at least it is for me).
That spreads into sports, as well. For me, I am bothered every time that I see the Pittsburgh Steelers, and know that "Big Ben" Roethlisberger is playing, who should be in a jail cell for the multiple charges of rape that he likely would not have escaped if he were not a millionaire athlete. Ditto with Michael Vick.
When it comes to music, the same thing applies. Who does not think of the suicide of Kurt Cobain when Nirvana's music comes on? I think of John Lennon getting shot to death whenever his music comes on. Personally, I cannot hear about Axl Rose without thinking of all those times where he showed up for shows hours late, and seemed indifferent when his antics caused rioting in certain cities and, generally, just how much of an egotistical ass he often comes across as. For me, despite his settling out of court, it was impossible not to think of the weird things that Michael Jackson did, particularly having children sleep in his bed, and hanging that baby over the rails of that hotel whenever I heard his music. It is hard to listen to what passes as music from Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift to begin with, but when you couple that with the obvious ploys for attention and headlines, it makes it that much harder.
Of course, it is not always so serious as all of that. Sometimes, there are just some weird things that famous people do, and it strikes you as so odd, that it changes the whole impression that you had of them. Dave Mustaine of Megadeth is a perfect example, having gone from a metal icon preaching anarchy, to a conservative Christian advocate, or to hear or see Prince without remembering that he is a Jehovah's Witness. Eric Clapton conjures up strange associations with far right wing extremism, as does hearing Ace of Base when they come on the radio (which happens quite infrequently these days). It is hard not to think about the tensions that exist and prevent reunions of formerly great bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, the Animals, or the Kinks when I see or hear about former band members.
And now, it will likely be difficult to hear about or listen to the Smashing Pumpkins without thinking of the general weirdness of lead singer Billy Corgan, who seems to be on the wrong side of controversies this year. He had a public spat with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave, and now, he is once again setting the spotlight on himself as he gets up on his bully pulpit to trash talk other great bands, while promoting, obviously, his own.
Boy, Billy Corgan really is pressing hard on this apparent competition in music! He recently stated that he and Kurt Cobain were the top two songwriters of the nineties by far, and that everyone else was, at best, "a distant third."
Well, he is at it again, trashing two major bands form that era: Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters. I do not believe it is coincidental that those happen to be the two bands from that era that have continued to generate considerable and consistent success over the years, while most of the other bands from that that era - Smashing Pumpkins not be an exception - broke up for some time, or have otherwise faded from the public spotlight.
Yes, I understand that there is a level of competition that often exists between bands. That was the case, for example, in the sixties, when rock bands were experimenting and trying new things. The Beach Boys released a great album that sounded different than anything that had come out before, and the Beatles answered with Sgt. Pepper's, which became the standard bearer. There can often be a healthy spirit of rivalry that can be good for both acts, and brings out the best in their creative ability.
Then, there is that spirit of petty competition and pretty clear cut case of jealousy that Corgan has apparently gotten trapped in, devaluing the music, perhaps especially his own, by detracting from the work of pretty much every other major act in existence (remember, Nirvana as a band has not existed in decades, and the two biggest acts from that scene to have survived would be Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters, and Corgan goes out of his way to undermine both acts).
"Dave is a great musician, a great songwriter and has done the work, but to me, my criticism of the Foo Fighters, if I’m being a music critic, is that they just haven’t evolved and that’s sort of the recent wrap on them is, you know, making the same music," Corgan said. "Obviously, I’ve put my whole life on the line for making different types music as I’ve gone along. We’ve talked last time I was here about playing old songs, evolving and it’s just my mentality. I know it’s not for everybody. Listen, [Dave’s] getting it done, so it’s like, if you want to be competitive, my philosophy against his, he’s the one winning."
Winning?
You know what I don't understand here, is that Corgan seems to be talking about this thing like it's an actual contest between these two groups. Some kind of popularity contest, perhaps?
Clearly, he seems to be suggesting, just underneath the radar, that his music is better because he has diversified and that, in this sense, then, Corgan is actually winning (Charlie Sheen, anyone?) because he has kept his integrity intact. Or, am I completely misunderstanding what it is that he is saying here?
Because the fact is that Corgan has been talking about other bands, including Cobain and Nirvana, like he was in direct competition with them. Moreover, he seems pissed that some bands, particularly Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters in this case, have continued to enjoy strong commercial success and arena tours, while his Smashing Pumpkins do not any longer.
You know, I conceded that there is some level of competition between great artists, of course. Musicians, particularly, have had their sense of rivalry catch fire at times. Again, sometimes, rivalries can be healthy, but I think that applies only when it is used to push creativity and imagination to the next level. When it deteriorates to one member of this band trash talking another band, it can get downright petty and, frankly, stupid. It reflects poorly on that person doing the talking, and particularly when that person sounds particularly bitter about the success that another band is enjoying, or has enjoyed. Pearl Jam, for whatever reason, seems to be particularly susceptible to that. They have had several prominent musicians criticize them, starting probably with Kurt Cobain, but certainly not ending there. Over the years, I have heard reports of members of Hole, Creed, Jet, Nickelback, and now, yes, the Smashing Pumpkins all take their best shot at Pearl Jam, one way or another. In some cases, those bands have largely disappeared from the public eye, while Pearl Jam remains on the scene, and my suspicion is that there is no small measure of jealousy behind these attacks, although that is not a charge that can be proven, or anything.
Because once you start to focus on things like that, and you let your bitter words do the talking and making cheap headlines instead of focusing on expressing yourself at what you, at least allegedly, do best, such as making music, than your focus is not where it should be. Corgan's music has not been getting the attention that it once did, and so he begins attacking those musicians from the era of his band's peak success and talking ill about them. Does that sound like a bitter man who feels entitled to more recognition than those bands? He obviously thinks that his music is better, that it has some quality about it that is absent in the music of the Foo Fighters or Pearl Jam, because he has pretty much outright said that.
His criticisms remind me of Kurt Cobain's criticism of Pearl Jam, which increased exponentially, matching Pearl Jam's rise in popularity. The more popular they got, the more Cobain was vocal in his criticism of them. That could be taken to mean different things. He noticed them more as they received more attention. He felt that they were perhaps feeding off of his own band's breakthrough success.
There is another way that it can be seen as well: a certain measure of jealousy, and a desire to detract from their popularity, hoping to generate headlines in order to spike sales for one's own band.
Now, Corgan appears to be copying Cobain in that sense. In detracting from Pearl Jam''s success, he seems almost to be saying that he doesn't "get" Pearl Jam's success because he is a fan of the Beatles, the Stones, and the Kinks, and apparently feels that this stated interest in them qualifies him as an expert in originality in music. As a songwriter, he says that he and Cobain alone in the nineties possessed that certain something that made them stand apart from everyone else. I will say this much, however: one thing that makes Pearl Jam stand apart in a very good way is their absolute refusal to get involved in petty bickering and back and forth like this. They never answered Cobain's constant prodding, when he tried to get some kind of a public war going against them. And they have, and surely will remain, mum on Cobain's accusations that their popularity remains a mystery to him, since they just don't have that extra something that would have justified their popularity through the years (at least according to Corgan). Pearl Jam has, and will likely remain, class acts throughout, and these fifteen minutes of post-success fame that Corgan is pining for will pass. Chances are, he will be left scratching his head and wondering why his own music albums have dropped off the radar in terms of popularity, and I suspect that this was his main motivation for trash talking two other great bands.
Here is how he explained how mystified he feels that Pearl Jam achieved the success that they have achieved:
"I know [Pearl Jam] have a tremendous fan base, and they should," Corgan said of the group, whom he called "derivative." "They're a great band, but I'm a Beatles guy, I'm a Stones guy, I'm a Kinks guy. To me a lot of other bands don't have the work. [...] I think if you stack my songs up, Cobain's songs up, and that band's songs, they just don’t have the songs. They're a great band. They're still an arena act. They've gotten it done for a long time; I have to bow to that. That's a mystery to me, because I don't get it."
Well, finally, something that Corgan says that I can actually agree with.
He doesn't get it.
Here are some links to articles that got me on this subject, and from which I was able to write this blog entry. The quotes used in the entry were taken specifically from this first article:
Billy Corgan Says Smashing Pumpkins Are Still Better Than Pearl Jam And Foo Fighters The Huffington Post | By Matthew Jacobs Email Posted: 12/10/2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/10/billy-corgan-pearl-jam-foo-fighters_n_6301122.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592
Billy Corgan Says Next Smashing Pumpkins Album Is 'The End,' He's 'Over Rock & Roll' ARTICLESNEWS By Chris Payne | December 10, 2014
http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6398437/billy-corgan-smashing-pumpkins-final-album
10 Things We Learned From Billy Corgan's Reddit AMA ARTICLESNEWS By Leslie Richin | December 10, 2014
http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6398428/10-things-billy-corgan-reddit-ama?utm_source=gravity&grcc2=db33eb68664aa1a079580db0c5629964~1418233189529~339db668c63acf75d5bcc8be7728b693~f42a8820ab568987a727a85a943f9600~1418233189568~602~8~0~0~0~-1~-1~-1~68~8~38~H4sIAAAAAAAAAJ1QPY8jIQz9KztFSkaADZjtVjpFuiuuiVKvgCEJe_OlgVyUht--zHZXnbS2JT_bT36Wb6WsB3g7yGOLx-PR-zSOfnHb0Idlaj23lRTGmBuc42NPGiwhmIZ27pOFZbu6meXJ5Vuar2y9T-ufNGd2SbMbmRv9fapGk-aaAyAJAVwbtPX2TW1JDQnOyi6X2T9XbHEYUmFucgc43sv0npf7FuIBflw39zeVZ5XERa2ay0qiAtjBa01BgwsXowblQyAfjZHktYX_E2rNqcSfw6sQbXH7CymLVimySO_BTatL17mNmbIcpTUWOYE00iDoypuryto9fI_zqTvPbdvwciquxNwZkN1pmeKWY-kUFx3yHi1xCx0z2CuJ6qvNiQx0v39Vb7VojyaNbpDBIbYykrHhAkJ5FFXbXqDsiXqJpuaPIJhbExdk68WNOdbdPgGmEFf5FQIAAA
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