Althouse: What's Billy Corgan doing these days?

February 20, 2013

What's Billy Corgan doing these days?

39 comments:

traditionalguy said...: Watching fake wrestling ballet in the morning. It's the smell of... retardation.; 2/20/13, 11:39 AM
damikesc said...: He's been in wrestling for a few years now. I'm surprised not that many people knew about it.

Heck, Freddie Prinze Jr was a writer for the WWE for several years (don't know if he is still there, but he did make one television appearance), in other news that might be a surprise to some.; 2/20/13, 11:40 AM
Known Unknown said...: I always thought Corgan should do more soundtrack work, a la Trent Reznor or Mark Mothersbaugh.; 2/20/13, 11:41 AM
Bob R said...: Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins. Homer Simpson, smiling politely.; 2/20/13, 11:46 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Billy Corgan and the Infinite Badness.; 2/20/13, 11:47 AM
Clyde said...: New comments disabled for Jesse Jackson, Jr.? WTF?!; 2/20/13, 12:00 PM
jr565 said...: Well he's not making money through music anymore.; 2/20/13, 12:03 PM
Wince said...: Despite all his rage he's still just a rat in a "steel cage"?; 2/20/13, 12:07 PM
Jason Bieber said...: Resistance Pro Wrestling has been around for a few years now. It's an indy fed, and something of a vanity (but cool) project for Corgan. Either way, he gets it, and I've only heard good things about RPW.

I should also point out that Corgan's been a well-known wrestling fan for a long time in the wrestling community. He just showed up at ECW shows back in the late '90s.

Also: for the haters out there, I liken pro wrestling to violent ballet. Done right, it's an art.; 2/20/13, 12:20 PM
BonHagar said...: Corgan is cranking like a rat in a cage.; 2/20/13, 12:40 PM
damikesc said...: Done right it can be quite artistic.

Resistance is killed by the realization that the only way a company can survive is:

1) be the WWE
2) get a mark who is willing to lose tons (TNA and ROH)
3) be real small.

Anything else and problems arise; 2/20/13, 12:41 PM
damikesc said...: Done right it can be quite artistic.

Resistance is killed by the realization that the only way a company can survive is:

1) be the WWE
2) get a mark who is willing to lose tons (TNA and ROH)
3) be real small.

Anything else and problems arise; 2/20/13, 12:41 PM
Methadras said...: Boy, talk about idle time being the devil's playground.; 2/20/13, 12:42 PM
mccullough said...: Corgan got sober and got help. Now he's having fun with life. Kurt Cobain, not so much.; 2/20/13, 12:45 PM
Scott M said...: I always thought Corgan should do more soundtrack work, a la Trent Reznor or Mark Mothersbaugh.

I agree, although Reznor has turned into a one-trick-pony for me. Nothing's changed much with his sound since Downward Spiral. Some would call this "style" and I would usually tend to agree given how much I liked Pretty Hate Machine through Downward Spiral, but everything since just says, "lack of range" to me.; 2/20/13, 12:47 PM
Scott M said...: Also: for the haters out there, I liken pro wrestling to violent ballet. Done right, it's an art.

Performers of ballet tend to talk a lot less, so plus points for their column.; 2/20/13, 12:49 PM
Jason Bieber said...: Eh, many indy wrestling feds can survive if they know what they're doing and keep costs down. Don't bring in high priced talent (that is usually washed up) or spend alot of money on gaudy stuff (forget the pyro).

Get a bunch of young guys together and get them a promoter who can build a good "package" that sets them apart from the competition. That's what Gabe Sapolsky and Delirious have done for DGUSA and ROH Wrestling.

The WWE is the powerhouse in America, but I always have a better time at ROH shows. More intimate, and more focus on wrestling than on theatrics.; 2/20/13, 1:03 PM
Jason Bieber said...: Scott M, you ever see a asai moonsault? Or a dragon suplex? Or a chain wrestling match?

That, done right, is art.; 2/20/13, 1:04 PM
Methadras said...: Scott M said...

I always thought Corgan should do more soundtrack work, a la Trent Reznor or Mark Mothersbaugh.

I agree, although Reznor has turned into a one-trick-pony for me. Nothing's changed much with his sound since Downward Spiral. Some would call this "style" and I would usually tend to agree given how much I liked Pretty Hate Machine through Downward Spiral, but everything since just says, "lack of range" to me.

Given that, and I agree with a lot of what you are saying about Reznor, I'd still pay good money to see NIN one more time. I will disclaim that I own all of the NIN Halo's.; 2/20/13, 1:15 PM
Scott M said...: Scott M, you ever see a asai moonsault? Or a dragon suplex? Or a chain wrestling match?

Absolutely. I used to host the pay-per-view events back when they started in the Chicago area, say, 1984-ish. But then I grew out of it.

Don't take that the wrong way. Love what you have passion for. For me, personally, it no longer appealed at all. No biggie, though, since we don't have the likes of Cass Sunstein tell us all what we should like, we're autonomous enough to figure it out for ourselves.; 2/20/13, 1:17 PM
Scott M said...: I'd still pay good money to see NIN one more time.

Oh hell yeah. I saw them/him live in 1993, but not since and would love to do so again. Great show and I would expect any live NIN show would hit all the high points for me.; 2/20/13, 1:19 PM
Nonapod said...: Being more of a metalhead I think Broken was the high watermark for NIN.; 2/20/13, 1:34 PM
jr565 said...: NIN (or Reznor) has a semi decent song at the end of the House in the Woods soundtrack. But yeah, it does sound a lot like their other work. Limited sonic palette to be sure.; 2/20/13, 1:51 PM
jr565 said...: Whoops that should say Cabin in the Woods.; 2/20/13, 1:52 PM
Jason Bieber said...: Scott M, totally understandable. I grew up with wrestling in the late 80's, but really got hooked with ECW and the Attitude Era in the WWE.

While I watch the WWE these days (CM Punk #Bestintheworld) I'm a bigger ROH fan.

And I also agree that there's always different strokes for different folks.; 2/20/13, 2:26 PM
Known Unknown said...: Oh hell yeah. I saw them/him live in 1993, but not since and would love to do so again. Great show and I would expect any live NIN show would hit all the high points for me.

I used to work at a very small ad shop. We did work with his dad, Mike Reznor. I had friends who used to hang out with him when he would play Zeppelin covers on just an upright piano.

First saw NIN right after Pretty Hate Machine came out at Metropol in Pittsburgh. Probably about 600 people in the place. Great show. Saw them later in bigger venues, but the small shows are always more memorable.

I think one of the best sets I've ever seen, though, was Ministry at Lollapalooza in 1992. They were amazing and got the crowd really going.; 2/20/13, 2:33 PM
Known Unknown said...: Performers of ballet tend to talk a lot less, so plus points for their column.

Oh come on, the talk was part of the fun.; 2/20/13, 2:35 PM
Anthony said...: Last I saw of Corgan he was doing some commentary on a couple of Rush documentaries. I really liked Smashing Pumpkins through Siamese Dream, less so Mellon Collie. Always seemed like kind of an arrogant cuss musically, but less so with other things.

That said, my Spousal Unit kinda turned me on to WWF/E back in the late '90s and, although I would never turn it on myself, it proved fairly fun to watch.

I recall one time several of them were on the game show The Weakest Link, and Kane actually won. Heh.; 2/20/13, 2:54 PM
Scott M said...: Last I saw of Corgan he was doing some commentary on a couple of Rush documentaries. I really liked Smashing Pumpkins through Siamese Dream, less so Mellon Collie.

I was in radio late 90's through 2003 so I still got a lot of SP singles and such, but had completely forgotten about them afterward. It wasn't until The Watchmen movie trailer used one of their older tunes that I started listening again. A lot of the "b-side" stuff is excellent.; 2/20/13, 3:03 PM
Chef Mojo said...: Billy Corgan? Isn't he the commercial spokesman for Unpretentiousil?; 2/20/13, 7:26 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: This idea art in and of itself is something to advocate, when talking in ways that would seem to indicate a fondness for the act of the advocacy itself included and not, is not right.

Art is and isn't, good and bad, always.; 2/20/13, 7:53 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: What was that?!; 2/20/13, 8:08 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: You want Great Art?

Find and figure out the comment at Althouse here of the man, divorced or widowed but I think it was divorced, who left a light on in his bedroom at night so that when he awoke he might possibly, for a second or two, think it was like when he was married and his wife was reading with a light on in bed while he was sleeping.; 2/20/13, 8:35 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: Bob Goldtwait makes Great Art too.

Red (red-state as in right-wing) babies blood splattered across the screen makes lefties feel like lefties.

Young lefties and old.

Please Bob, more baby blood; abortion isn't and wasn't ever enough.

God Bless America (is the name of his movie where right wingers of all ages die via violence and all the world is finally decent enough).

Thanks Snickers, I think I just saw Bobby in your ad!

Cool!; 2/20/13, 8:51 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: And I am not ashamed to admit that I though Carley Ray Jepson was really cool.

Till I realized she's given her number to like a billion other guys.; 2/20/13, 8:53 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: Not understanding the concept of life before birth nor debt (taking more than you give in) correlations' categories must coincide with wealth.

How?

Banks.

For good?

Yes.

For bad?

Yes.

Okay then.; 2/20/13, 9:17 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: I've embraced my racism before and again do it shall I tonight.

Why other than race would my demo like BEP?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWgvGjAhvIw

What other could there be?; 2/20/13, 10:04 PM
AllenS said...: I delivered newspapers for the St. Paul Pioneer Press (morning paper) and the St. Paul Dispatch (evening paper), but the same company in the early 1960's in White Bear Lake, MN. Professional wrestling was the only game in town during the winter and comprised almost everything in the sports section of the papers. The following page or two were the crime reports.; 2/21/13, 5:47 AM
TMink said...: While I never appreciated, heck I could never stand listening to his voice, I always enjoyed his songs and guitar playing. In a couple of interviews, he presented himself as a decent and talented guy. The commercial to me is great and furthers my impression.

Still can't stand his voice though.

Trey; 2/21/13, 11:00 AM