October 25, 2006

Smashing Pumpkins Drummer Offers More Clues About Forthcoming LP

By Chris Harris (MTV.com)

It's been nine months since Billy Corgan first broke the news that he's resurrecting his seminal '90s rock outfit the Smashing Pumpkins. Since then, there's been little in the way of reunion updates beyond succinct online postings, including mention that the band is working with longtime Queen/Cars producer Roy Thomas Baker.

But now, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin -- apparently the only original member on board for the band's second go-round -- has taken to the Pumpkins' MySpace page to keep fans in the loop.

"Great things are on track for the future," Chamberlin wrote over the weekend, signing this post, like others he's written, "JC." "As some of you know, we are indeed creating music again -- music that comes from a place so pure it will burn the lies off the very souls of those who try to discount it. We have arrived at a place in our lives where truth and honesty prevail and we are creating from that place. Things are sounding fantastic."

In the postings, which Chamberlin calls "love letters," the drummer said working with Baker is "not only an honor, but also one of the best musical experiences we have ever had." He added that the band has also enlisted the talents of producer Terry Date (Pantera, Soundgarden), "and that is going great as well.

"The universe has a way of letting you know that things are right by introducing people like [Baker and Date] into the fold," he continued. "It's all part of one big cosmic journey, so that everyone reading this is hitching their silver cord to the Great Pumpkin Space Train! Hope this helps clear some things up for you."

Corgan's reunion plans were first announced in June 2005 via an ad printed in his hometown newspaper, the Chicago Tribune. The ad contained no information on what form the band would take or which members would be involved. Six months later, he posted a cryptic message on his MySpace page, which read, "The surprise I have in store for you all will be announced soon enough. Hold on to your horses. After all, good things surely come to those who wait. Don't you just love the suspense?"

It remains unclear whether the other members of the original lineup -- guitarist James Iha and bassist D'Arcy Wretzky -- will be involved in the reunion. Corgan's relationships with both are reportedly strained.