Your SP Story

[Belteshazzar]

How did you discover SP? What is it you love about SP? Favorite songs/albums/members, etc?

[Deleted]

Umm, SP discovered me seriously...kept following me around and showing up...I tried to avoid SP but, to no avail...

and I am now a prisoner...lol

[Deleted]

It's hard to explain in a nut shell...

[Belteshazzar]

i can handle long stories

[shadowmaker]

it began before it began....the hearts and crosses drawn in the early 80's......

[Deleted]

[revolutionblues]

First heard of SP as a kid when they were on the Simpsons. The name stuck with me, probably because it was funny at the time.

I got into them 3 years ago when i was at the cinema with my music buff friend, the Dead Space 2 trailer came on with BWBW playing, i asked him who, he said SP. so i went home and listened to them and fell in love. I had BWBW, 1979 and Rhinoceros on repeat for far too long. Then i got all their albums in order and each one blew my fucking mind.

i love Billys awesome lyrics, Jimmys insane drumming and the diversity in their music. The fact that they werent afraid to put out these soppy love songs or depressing beautiful songs, then have it followed by a hard rock, guitar shredding song is amazing to me. Love the variety and the unique sound each album has.

Favourite album: Adore
Song: Home
Member: Jimmy

[songrider]

I actually was living in Chicago at the time in 1990, and almost got to see them, but work came first and it took longer than I wanted it to take and I never got to see them. I regret it now. Had I known what they would be, I would have used any excuse to leave work that evening and head to the club to see them. Anyway, fast forward a few years later and now I'm living in South Carolina. I kept hearing their songs on the radio stations. Really loved their sound. Well, long story short, my step son ended up getting the MCIS album. He popped it in the cd player while we were playing a video game. I believe it was one of the free roaming driving games like crazy taxi or San Francisco Rush or something. Anyhow, we listened to the whole album from beginning to the end. I LOVED it! I could not stop listening to it. I had heard the previous songs from SD and Gish, but never bought the albums. Well, I bought my own MCIS and bought Gish and SD as soon as I could get them. I seen my first show in the late 90's and seen them again in 2000 and a few other times since. I LOVE SP. Their sound is unique, which is what drew me to them. And I really got into the feel of the whole art of MCIS. It was truly a magical experience. One of thee most wonderful discoveries musically or whatever in my life. I have all his songs ever released, plus re-releases. I have loved all shows I've been to. Wished though that they would have played As Rome Burns on the last tour they were on when they toured the south region. That was my only wish that did not come true in hearing their songs live. And I'm rambling...

[shadowmaker]

He was on the show with the Osbournes?

[Belteshazzar]

I was largely oblivious to the music scene in the 90's, because I was never someone who liked to listen to a lot of music I only half-way liked. I didn't want to invest money in it, I didn't want to turn on the radio and listen to it all the time and essentially just have noise blaring in my head. So I really largely tuned out of music in the 90's. I instead listened to a lot of classical music, movie sound-tracks, etc. I did have an REM album I sometimes listened to, and of course enjoyed bands like U2, etc. And some rock music I did like, I just didn't care to spend money on a whole album of hits and misses. Also, I was growing up in the 90's, going from elementary school to high school, so some of that was that I also just didn't always identify with the music at the time.

I remember hearing about The Smashing Pumpkins in the early 90's though, and somehow the name stood out in my mind and stayed there. I only heard them mentioned once on a blurb on MTV News that they aired on commercial breaks, but through the years, I remembered them without much reminder. In hindsight, that's pretty odd considering how I am now a devoted fan and how truly oblivious I was to 90's music. I hardly paid any attention at all. I vaguely remember seeing parts of music videos and seeing MCIS everywhere in stores, but at the time, I never made the connection.

In 2000, I was 16 and both me and a friend were really into reading Maxim magazine (back when it was 3 times thicker and was more of a quality publication). We saw it gave Machina really high reviews. Coincidentally, I had finally started paying attention to the music world, and I saw a video for The Everlasting Gaze on MTV, which I thought was pretty cool. I now finally made the connection. "Oh yeah, that's that one band I remember hearing about all those years ago and I somehow still remember." My friend and I decided to buy the album together and whoever liked it better could keep it. I ended up liking it better. It was bizarre, intriguing, creative, beautiful - something totally new. It kept sucking me in. It dealt with themes I personally related to about love, God, loss, yet it still had a positive message as well, which was important to me because I hated all the negativity that came from so much of the 90's music. The more I listened to it, the more I fell in love with it. I started listening to it almost daily. To this day, the style of music presented on Machina is probably my favorite that the Pumpkins ever presented. The Machina era really was a special time for me. The album has been notoriously crapped on - but for me, it was absolutely amazing and it's what got me into the Pumpkins. It's been said that it is an "alienating" album...even by Billy himself. And I can see how it would be for a lot of people. But for me, it was anything but. It completely sucked me in.

I went back and started buying each of the previous albums in backwards succession. I had no idea what to expect. I was really surprised when I listened to Adore and the sound totally changed. I was first turned off by Adore, because while I thought it was very beautiful, I also thought it was very sad. But then I kept listening and listening, and in the same way as Machina, it drew me in completely. I did the same thing with MCIS. Again, I was surprised by the change in sound. And again, I was a little turned off, but this time because it was a bit too adolescent/grunge sounding at times for my tastes, but then I opened myself up to it and was able to appreciate the genius that the album really is, and how it does have its own unique sound and taste and is really a masterpiece.

By the time I had listened to all the albums, I was blown away. Every album was great. This was finally music that I could truly love from a band I could truly love and count on to make great music - every time. No other band demanded my loyalty and devotion like The Smashing Pumpkins did. No other band came even close.

And then they broke up.

I stayed a part of the online community though. Kept up with Billy through the years. Was of course into Zwan and all the other projects. The Future Embrace, etc. All amazing stuff. I came to really appreciate and admire Billy's poetic mind. In 2005, when I heard about him wanting to get the band back together, I was ecstatic. But also saddened, because I knew I'd be leaving the country for two years to go to Russia on a religious mission, and I'd probably miss participating in all the excitement. I was in Moscow in 2007 when a friend showed me the Tarantula video on his tablet. I was thrilled. Immediately found the album, bought it, listened to it. Again, a totally different sound, and again, I didn't know what to think, how much I liked it, etc. And with missionary work, I didn't have a lot of time to listen to it and digest it anyway. But when I came back home in January 2008, I could finally do that. And again, it really grew on me. Zeitgeist has gotten a lot of crap as well, but in reality, I think that while it's different from the other albums (as they all are from each other), it's just as hit/miss as every other album, and that doesn't make it any less of a great work. It's not my favorite album, but still a great piece of art. Same with Oceania.

So anyway, I've been back and involved with the Pumpkins community since 2008. I've been a rather controversial member of the community, but that's okay. Was banned once from the original message board by Nicole, which is weird because it was hurtful and stupid, but it's a badge of honor at the same time. Now that the O-board has sunk, I'm really happy to be part of a place that, though currently small, is at least open to free expression and true tolerance - in the real spirit of what SP always represented.

I don't know where SP will end up from here, but I'll always be a fan of Billy's work, past, present and future and I love being part of this community.

[revolutionblues]

Really good story, Belte!

How come you banned by nicole? If you dont mind me asking

[midnightpeople]

My brother and I listened to Mellon Collie and Gish constantly on our walkmans in the mid 90's, I was 4 when MCIS came out but still loved it. I listened to 'Here is no Why' all the time. Then Adore came out and I got it for Christmas when I was about 8 years old. It was my favorite CD at the time, it was so sad yet comforting. My favorite song was 'Shame,' even though I didn't understand the true meaning behind it, I felt the emotions and it really touched me.

After a while I kinda forgot about SP, I went through a preteen-pop/punk phase with bands like Sum 41 and other shit, then one day my brother pulled me in his room, I must've been about 13 at the time. He played the first 10 seconds of 'Beautiful' over and over and kept me guessing what it was. It sounded so amazing, I just sat there listening. Then he played it through and I heard Billy's voice, caught me by surprise. At the time I was also head over heels for the girl who is now my fiancee, so I listened to songs like Beautiful, Lily, etc over and over. After a while I was exploring the depths of SP discography, remembering all the amazing songs that I loved so much as a kid, and finding ones I'd scarcely heard or didn't remember and falling in love. When we were going through problems that any high school couple experiences at some point, I found love in Adore and especially 'Blank Page,' 'Daphne' and fell back in love with 'Shame.' Adore in itself has helped me get through so much shit in my lifetime it's ridiculous. Every time I'd listen and just think 'someone else knows what I'm going through, and they've been there, and they came out of it.'

I remember finding out about and hearing Machina for the first time around then, too, and just being blown away that there was a whole era and CD I hadn't known about. 'This Time' gives me chills to this day because I listened to it constantly over one specific summer, the amount of nostalgia in SP songs is unbelievable.

After a good 9 or 10 years as a full blown fan, they're still easily my favorite band. No other song writer can hit me the way Billy can, no matter what he does, what he's conveying or trying to say. It always goes straight to my heart. My brother and I still talk about them and reminisce on the old days when we would play 'Bullet' on our little cassette boom box outside.

There's something truly remarkable and real about Billy and his world of music. Something that's so different from other musicians/bands, even the ones I like and love aside from SP. It's like he has the ability to craft emotions, memories, etc perfectly into chords and melodies.

I like the SP 2.0 and up material, not quite as much but it's still pretty good. Oceania was a solid album and 'Pale Horse' and 'Wildflower' rank up in my favorites for sure.

My overall favorite album changes from MCIS to Adore and back almost constantly, but probably is more aimed at Adore, even by a hair.
Favorite song is probably 'Beautiful' because of the memories tied to it, the world of music it led me to, and just the sheer originality and beauty of the song. It deserves its name.

[Belteshazzar]

Aug 21, 2014 1:47:27 GMT -5 revolutionblues said:

Really good story, Belte!

How come you banned by nicole? If you dont mind me asking

Thanks

Well, basically because I'm a social conservative on a number of political issues. Me and a guy on the O-board who is rather notorious for being contentious and picking fights (Eulogy) got into a debate, and with him, things always take a downward spiral. So we were debating about gay marriage/the nature of homosexuality, etc, and even though I didn't call him any names or anything and was actually trying to keep the conversation productive, I got banned by Nicole for "hate speech." Which was total B.S. and the admins on the board knew it at the time, which is why they didn't completely comply with her wishes and only banned my name and told me to just lay low for awhile. I like Nicole in certain ways and I think she's a fine bassist and person, but in other ways, I'll probably be forever miffed at her reaction to a loyal, dedicated fan just for having a political view. I'm not the only person she's exploded on over politics. She had some pretty scathing posts on Facebook at the time too, to various people who didn't deserve her wrath.

Anyway, that's it in a nutshell. There's more to it but its a long story.

[revolutionblues]

Damn, thats shitty. Didnt think nicole was like that. No way should some one be banned just for a different view than anothers. But its a little claim to fame for you

[Belteshazzar]

Aug 21, 2014 2:22:14 GMT -5 midnightpeople said:

My brother and I listened to Mellon Collie and Gish constantly on our walkmans in the mid 90's, I was 4 when MCIS came out but still loved it. I listened to 'Here is no Why' all the time. Then Adore came out and I got it for Christmas when I was about 8 years old. It was my favorite CD at the time, it was so sad yet comforting. My favorite song was 'Shame,' even though I didn't understand the true meaning behind it, I felt the emotions and it really touched me.

After a while I kinda forgot about SP, I went through a preteen-pop/punk phase with bands like Sum 41 and other shit, then one day my brother pulled me in his room, I must've been about 13 at the time. He played the first 10 seconds of 'Beautiful' over and over and kept me guessing what it was. It sounded so amazing, I just sat there listening. Then he played it through and I heard Billy's voice, caught me by surprise. At the time I was also head over heels for the girl who is now my fiancee, so I listened to songs like Beautiful, Lily, etc over and over. After a while I was exploring the depths of SP discography, remembering all the amazing songs that I loved so much as a kid, and finding ones I'd scarcely heard or didn't remember and falling in love. When we were going through problems that any high school couple experiences at some point, I found love in Adore and especially 'Blank Page,' 'Daphne' and fell back in love with 'Shame.' Adore in itself has helped me get through so much shit in my lifetime it's ridiculous. Every time I'd listen and just think 'someone else knows what I'm going through, and they've been there, and they came out of it.'

I remember finding out about and hearing Machina for the first time around then, too, and just being blown away that there was a whole era and CD I hadn't known about. 'This Time' gives me chills to this day because I listened to it constantly over one specific summer, the amount of nostalgia in SP songs is unbelievable.

After a good 9 or 10 years as a full blown fan, they're still easily my favorite band. No other song writer can hit me the way Billy can, no matter what he does, what he's conveying or trying to say. It always goes straight to my heart. My brother and I still talk about them and reminisce on the old days when we would play 'Bullet' on our little cassette boom box outside.

There's something truly remarkable and real about Billy and his world of music. Something that's so different from other musicians/bands, even the ones I like and love aside from SP. It's like he has the ability to craft emotions, memories, etc perfectly into chords and melodies.

I like the SP 2.0 and up material, not quite as much but it's still pretty good. Oceania was a solid album and 'Pale Horse' and 'Wildflower' rank up in my favorites for sure.

My overall favorite album changes from MCIS to Adore and back almost constantly, but probably is more aimed at Adore, even by a hair.
Favorite song is probably 'Beautiful' because of the memories tied to it, the world of music it led me to, and just the sheer originality and beauty of the song. It deserves its name.

That's a really sweet, sentimental story, man. I'm glad you shared it. Great memories and emotional ties to those songs and albums. I feel the same about Adore, too.