Post by Riksta on Oct 29, 2010 21:43:24 GMT 7
First of all, I want to apologise if this is inappropriate or out of line for this forum, or in the wrong section, or anything like that!
I've met a few of you both at the 2008 & 2010 Adelaide shows. Now I remember at the 2008 show, a couple of you were in awe that I got to see them live in 1996, and I was in awe (and still am) that you get to travel around Australia seeing as many of their live shows as you can.
So what my discussion, and this topic, is relating to is basically: how did you get into SP, what got you into them, why you still like them and that kind of thing.
And to show that its not just a question, I'll answer the own questions that I have just posted.
Basically, I got into Smashing Pumpkins in around 1994/1995. I was 14/15 years old at the time. I had heard "Disarm" on the radio, and loved the song, but that was not what got me into them.
What did get me into them was seeing the "Today" music video on a videotape of Rage I had recorded one night. The imagery of the ice cream truck, driving off into the wild yonder, the driver not seeming to have a care in the world, really provoked something in me. Having heard/seen the song "Today", as well as enjoying the song "Disarm" that was being played on the radio at the time, provoked something in me to go and get the "Siamese Dream" album. After my first listen to the copy I obtained, I was hooked. As a teenager at the time, the album really did sum up everything I felt and was going through, it had those slow songs for the times I was feeling down, those "rockish" songs for the times I was feeling angry, and everything in between.
I then managed to obtain a copy of "Gish" and listen to their first album, and it pretty muched summed up my opinions of them I had from "Siamese Dream" and more.
Then, as a fan of the band from what I had heard from "Siamese" and "Gish", along came a new album called "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness", which I then obtained as soon as I could, and loved every minute. There was everything summed up from Gish and Siamese, twice as it was a double album.
Now in this time I was going through a fair bit, being of that age where you're not a kid but not quite an adult, with me listening to the albums on repeat on my way to and from school, and when I got home from school. The next thing I knew, a concert is announced. I was there on Thu 7th March 1996 when the Pumpkins played Adelaide Entertainment Centre (with support band DefFX). To me, it was spiritual. There was a band in the same vicinity as me whose songs had helped me get through some very tough times, playing those very songs. To this day, I remember very little of that concert unfortunately, I was so wrapped up in the fact I was there, and was so happy and excited to be there enjoying every minute, I don't remember too much. Triple J did a piece where you had the chance to be in a small studio "press conference" with the Pumpkins, along with a short acoustic concert. To win you had to say what you would do to meet them, either faxed or phoned in (or something like that, can't remember exact details) - I gave to a school friend my entry to fax as I didn't have a fax machine - I remember my entry stated I would sing Disarm backwards, and if I didn't win could Billy just call to say hello as I wanted to thank him for his music. Needless to say the call never came, but I didn't hold it against him, in fact, I still don't know to this day whether that fax was ever sent by someone who I classed as my friend at the time.
Now with my ticket stub for that concert I still have, I have the small cutout from the newspaper announcing the overdose of Jonathan Melvoin and the firing of Jimmy.
After that, it took a little bit from the release of Adore for me to buy the album, but when I did, I was glad I did. I wasn't heavily into the "alternative" style of music at the time, I'd moved more towards the hip hop/gangsta rap genre at the time (god knows why) but still liked the odd listen to Adore, and the older albums were still being listened to a fair bit.
I remember the day I bought "Machina". I was working at a certain local government at the time, and the Big Star Records store wasn't far from where I was working. I had read & heard that a new SP album was due out that day, went there in my lunch break they hadn't received any copies yet, but I paid for one anyway and on the way home picked it up and had it on my car stereo through the discman's cassette tape adapter! I was blown away, especially with Jimmy's reappearance and the drumming on the album.
When "Rotten Apples/Judas 0" came out, I was almost well over the alternative scene, wasn't listening to much of that kind of music at all, I had become more of a "homie", but due to what the band had originally got me through and my respect for them, I purchased it anyway. Along with the DVD that came out with all their music videos, including "Today" which was pretty much the turning point in my fandom!
Everything in between then and now isn't really that exciting, I pretty much grab anything SP/Billy related (including the Zwan and Billy solo album) just because of the respect I had back in the day, but to this day I still love the band and everything they do. The 2008 concert reaffirmed that, I had loved the Zeitgeist album and it was brilliant I had the chance to see them live again, for the first time in 12 years.
I have got to admit, I'm probably not as huge a fan as some of you guys, being able to travel to see all their Aussie concerts when they tour and such, but I still love them and will be at their shows whenever I can. As for Billy's Adelaide rant about GenX being scared to be at their shows and listen to their new stuff, I love Teargarden so far Billy!
I guess I always like to think that SP saved my life back in about 1994/1995 when I was going through a lot of crap, and did contemplate suicide as a teenager a lot, but would always listen to Gish and Siamese Dream and stick it out another day, night after night when I got home from school, looking back I seriously doubt I would have taken my own life but at the time all I loved revolved around Smashing Pumpkins, and to this day I still think I owe them for my being here today. I don't post much here and don't follow the news on the band much, but I do love the Smashing Pumpkins, and want to thank them for the music they have given both me and the rest of the world.
If you've made it this far, I thank you, and would love to hear your experiences.
I've met a few of you both at the 2008 & 2010 Adelaide shows. Now I remember at the 2008 show, a couple of you were in awe that I got to see them live in 1996, and I was in awe (and still am) that you get to travel around Australia seeing as many of their live shows as you can.
So what my discussion, and this topic, is relating to is basically: how did you get into SP, what got you into them, why you still like them and that kind of thing.
And to show that its not just a question, I'll answer the own questions that I have just posted.
Basically, I got into Smashing Pumpkins in around 1994/1995. I was 14/15 years old at the time. I had heard "Disarm" on the radio, and loved the song, but that was not what got me into them.
What did get me into them was seeing the "Today" music video on a videotape of Rage I had recorded one night. The imagery of the ice cream truck, driving off into the wild yonder, the driver not seeming to have a care in the world, really provoked something in me. Having heard/seen the song "Today", as well as enjoying the song "Disarm" that was being played on the radio at the time, provoked something in me to go and get the "Siamese Dream" album. After my first listen to the copy I obtained, I was hooked. As a teenager at the time, the album really did sum up everything I felt and was going through, it had those slow songs for the times I was feeling down, those "rockish" songs for the times I was feeling angry, and everything in between.
I then managed to obtain a copy of "Gish" and listen to their first album, and it pretty muched summed up my opinions of them I had from "Siamese Dream" and more.
Then, as a fan of the band from what I had heard from "Siamese" and "Gish", along came a new album called "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness", which I then obtained as soon as I could, and loved every minute. There was everything summed up from Gish and Siamese, twice as it was a double album.
Now in this time I was going through a fair bit, being of that age where you're not a kid but not quite an adult, with me listening to the albums on repeat on my way to and from school, and when I got home from school. The next thing I knew, a concert is announced. I was there on Thu 7th March 1996 when the Pumpkins played Adelaide Entertainment Centre (with support band DefFX). To me, it was spiritual. There was a band in the same vicinity as me whose songs had helped me get through some very tough times, playing those very songs. To this day, I remember very little of that concert unfortunately, I was so wrapped up in the fact I was there, and was so happy and excited to be there enjoying every minute, I don't remember too much. Triple J did a piece where you had the chance to be in a small studio "press conference" with the Pumpkins, along with a short acoustic concert. To win you had to say what you would do to meet them, either faxed or phoned in (or something like that, can't remember exact details) - I gave to a school friend my entry to fax as I didn't have a fax machine - I remember my entry stated I would sing Disarm backwards, and if I didn't win could Billy just call to say hello as I wanted to thank him for his music. Needless to say the call never came, but I didn't hold it against him, in fact, I still don't know to this day whether that fax was ever sent by someone who I classed as my friend at the time.
Now with my ticket stub for that concert I still have, I have the small cutout from the newspaper announcing the overdose of Jonathan Melvoin and the firing of Jimmy.
After that, it took a little bit from the release of Adore for me to buy the album, but when I did, I was glad I did. I wasn't heavily into the "alternative" style of music at the time, I'd moved more towards the hip hop/gangsta rap genre at the time (god knows why) but still liked the odd listen to Adore, and the older albums were still being listened to a fair bit.
I remember the day I bought "Machina". I was working at a certain local government at the time, and the Big Star Records store wasn't far from where I was working. I had read & heard that a new SP album was due out that day, went there in my lunch break they hadn't received any copies yet, but I paid for one anyway and on the way home picked it up and had it on my car stereo through the discman's cassette tape adapter! I was blown away, especially with Jimmy's reappearance and the drumming on the album.
When "Rotten Apples/Judas 0" came out, I was almost well over the alternative scene, wasn't listening to much of that kind of music at all, I had become more of a "homie", but due to what the band had originally got me through and my respect for them, I purchased it anyway. Along with the DVD that came out with all their music videos, including "Today" which was pretty much the turning point in my fandom!
Everything in between then and now isn't really that exciting, I pretty much grab anything SP/Billy related (including the Zwan and Billy solo album) just because of the respect I had back in the day, but to this day I still love the band and everything they do. The 2008 concert reaffirmed that, I had loved the Zeitgeist album and it was brilliant I had the chance to see them live again, for the first time in 12 years.
I have got to admit, I'm probably not as huge a fan as some of you guys, being able to travel to see all their Aussie concerts when they tour and such, but I still love them and will be at their shows whenever I can. As for Billy's Adelaide rant about GenX being scared to be at their shows and listen to their new stuff, I love Teargarden so far Billy!
I guess I always like to think that SP saved my life back in about 1994/1995 when I was going through a lot of crap, and did contemplate suicide as a teenager a lot, but would always listen to Gish and Siamese Dream and stick it out another day, night after night when I got home from school, looking back I seriously doubt I would have taken my own life but at the time all I loved revolved around Smashing Pumpkins, and to this day I still think I owe them for my being here today. I don't post much here and don't follow the news on the band much, but I do love the Smashing Pumpkins, and want to thank them for the music they have given both me and the rest of the world.
If you've made it this far, I thank you, and would love to hear your experiences.
