Why did Zwan get such a bad rap?
 

I personally love the album, maybe even more than anything the Pumpkins ever put out. Anyone know why Corgan didn't continue on this path? I really thought thefutureembrace sucked.

i liked it as well

Because Corgan doesn't know what he wants and is never satisfied with what he has?

I was severely underwhelmed by Zwan, but I think most of the problem is that Corgan assumed he could start off Zwan with the same level of popularity as Pumpkins in its heyday.

I really liked the Zwan album. The thing I never really got about them though was that their best songs were left off the album and crap like "Yeah" & "Heartsong" were on it. "Heartsong" is the worst thing Billy ever offically released....nevermind, "TheFutureEmbrace" just came out:)

Billy actually hates Zwan, and so should you.
:D

Entertainment Weekly: After the Pumpkins broke up, why did you form Zwan [which featured guitarists David Pajo and Matt Sweeney, bassist Paz Lenchantin, and Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin]? Were you eager - maybe even desperate - to re-create the band feeling?

Billy Corgan: It's the classic thing where you unconsciously re-create a situation to try to fix it. It was a stupid move with good intentions.

EW: Why did it implode?

BC: Sex and drugs and junk. Tick off the list: heroin; band members having relationships; one of the band members sleeping with the producer's girlfriend while we were making the album and continuing to do so after we made the album. You don't trust the person next to you. I'm on the bus. I send an e-mail to somebdy and I throw my BlackBerry in my little day bag. The next day, my ex-girlfriend calls me screaming. Somebody in the group went into my BlackBerry and forwarded her an e-mail that another girl sent me. I mean, that's the kind of stuff we're dealing with. ["Pretty much everything he said has been exaggerated and blown out of proportion," Pajo responds. "The drug stuff in particular. There was no heroin." Adds Lenchantin, "I believe that we were a really good team. I am moving on and onward. I hope that our paths will meet again in peace." Sweeney declined to comment.]

EW: How quickly did it fall apart?

BC: It was fun up until making the album [Mary Star of the Sea]. Then it was like, "What do you mean the guitar's out of tune? What do you mean I have to be there at 11? What do you mean I want to order $100 of lobster every day? I mean, like, bad. But it was too late. It was already public. The album was going out. So I did what I always did: Try to make the best of a situation and start covering up. Put on a good face. And honestly, I'm glad the thing didn't sell, because if it had sold well it would have been really tough. I would look like I was going to walk away from something that I'd just built.

EW: Aren't you at least proud of the album?

BC: I can't listen to it. It's like a nightmare for me now. It just reminds me of the thousands of lied upon lies upon lies. It's a shame because there's tons of music unreleased that will just sit in a box until I can stomach it.

EW: Which of your two bands is more likely to reunite?

BC: Pumpkins. You'll never see Zwan. I'll never go anywhere near those people. Ever. I mean, I detest them. You can put that in capital letters. Bad people. James and D'Arcy are good people. They might be misguided people, but they're good people.[/I]

And.....
 

BILLY CORGAN: "The music wasn't the big problem, it was more their attitude: `Why do we have to practice? I'd rather be hanging out at the Rainbo.' Lifestyle stuff. And then you get into what I would call cataclysmic behavioral stuff. Sex acts between band members in public. People carrying drugs across borders. Pajo sleeping with the producer's girlfriend while we were making the record. I just tried to do what I've always done, which is to patch it up and roll it out. You go into a denial state. I got snookered in by really bad people. It's embarrassing to me. But it wised me up to why I play, and who I love, and it made me appreciate my old band even more."

The whole article from the Chicago Tribune is here:
http://www.zwanmusic.org/newsarchive/366.html

Those are two interesting reads. Thanks :thumbsup:

I didn't detest the album, and like it better then most of Future, but both aren't in the same ballpark of the pumpkins music imho.

i loed the zwan album. loved it. every song was perfect. i enjoyed billy being happy. i love zwan. id love a reuninon album!

Could he be any more of a drama queen?

I still think it was probably the best complete effort by Corgan since Mellon Collie. And I liked Adore and the Machina albums. But stuff like Baby Lets Rock, and Ride the Black Swan are great songs.

I, too, liked the Zwan album.

But I'm happy to find out that Billy's reforming the Pumpkins. At least making plans on doing so. (I figure since he was the one that dissolved the band, and James and D'arcy aren't doing anything better at the mo', then a reunion is imminent if he says he's planning one.)

Check out his website:

http://www.billycorgan.com/news050621.html

Check out the second to last paragraph.

No, he's a big freakin' baby. That said - I loved the Zwan album...until it was stolen out of my truck a few months ago. :(

I personally don't give a shit if he reforms Pumpkins or not - he just better make sure that he keeps Jimmy Chamberlain on the payroll for the rest of his life.