It's Part Two of our Machina/The Machines of God deep dive! In this episode we go deep into the maturation of the band's jangly, goth, pre-Gish sound into something thick and powerful, the 80's Pop Rock of "The Imploding Voice," and some seeds of CYR to come. We also discuss the Bowie Scary Monsters influence, the beautiful inspiration behind "With Every Light," and Frank's "Crying Tree of Mercury" and Gremlins association. All that plus some much deserved appreciation for the artist behind the Machina album art (and some cool custom skateboards on his website), Vasily Kafanov, our next tour wishlist and dreams of Katie Cole and Sierra Swan doing live backing vocals on some of these ol' tracks. We also ask the big question: Does Machina sync perfectly with The Never Ending Story?! No. It does not, but it’s fun to think it does! 

Pale Scales cover used as bed music is by Exit Music.

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It was the end of The Smashing Pumpkins (for a while, of course). In 2000, the band announced their breakup and released what was to be their final album, Machina/The Machines of God. A loosely conceptual album that got buried in a time of TRL Teen Pop and Nü Metal, over the years Machina has gained the respect and admiration (we believe) it deserves. In Part 1 of our 2-part coverage of "Machina One" we discuss the high concept, Bowie-esque themes of Zero transforming to Glass, The Jekyll & Hyde nature of "The Everlasting Gaze", the Peter Hook hook of "Raindrops + Sunshowers" and the cream of the "radio, radio" songs crop that is "I of the Mourning". We delve deep into the many sonic layers of this deceptively beautiful, challenging album and explore how the band pulls elements from their entire history, circling back to their 80’s roots while implementing all the power and experience they accumulated along the way. Join us as we ponder the "Cherub Rock"/"Heavy Metal Machine" connection, the bittersweet feeling of "This Time" and this week's big thought experiment: Is Machina the daytime companion to The Cure's Disintegration? Think about it... All that and more plus Pat’s Romantic Teen Comedy epiphany with "The Sacred and Profane"!

Pale Scales cover used as bed music is by Exit Music. 

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In this Bonus mini-episode, Pumpkast listeners who attended "The Arising! Tour" share their firsthand accounts. Thanks to Adam B., Julie R., David K., Zwee, Art A., Andrew R., Glenn G and Brian for sharing! 

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DJ and Filmmaker Peter Makebish tagged along with the Pumpkins on their 9-date Arising! Tour and filmed every show – as well as lots of candid behind-the-scenes footage never before seen by the Pumpkinhead public. As he watched through the tapes, he realized he had a potential documentary on his hands. 20-plus years later, the footage MIGHT finally see the light of day. 

Peter takes us through his history with the band, his approach to filmmaking and lots of memories from the tour, including giving Jimmy Flemion from The Frogs a haircut onstage during "1979." All that plus Billy on a water slide, "the fun bus," the Pumpkins' lasting legacy and Peter's hopes for his documentary to finally see a release. Party like it's 1999, gang! Enjoy!

Special thanks to Adam Bramwell. 

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We're kicking off "Machina Summer" with a hot one! In 1999, The Smashing Pumpkins took a break from recording Machina: The Machines of God to embark on a nine-date US tour dubbed "The Arising!". It seemed like a triumphant moment in SP history, with Jimmy's return marking the first time all four original members had played together since 1996. The short, small-venue tour also gave the band a chance to debut new songs from Machina I and II and have some fun with re-imagined takes on old favorites. Sadly, it also marked the exit of bassist D'arcy Wretzky, the only original pumpkin never to return to the patch (thus far...). Joining us to discuss the tour as well as D'arcy's exit and lasting influence is Karyn Cooper from Chick-Lit Pod! We have a healing group therapy session with Karyn and later share a pretty stunning first-hand account from one of our listeners who was there. 

It's part one of our two-part coverage of The Arising!, a fleeting, fraught, fascinating moment in Pumpkins history. Enjoy!

Pale Scales instrumental cover by Exit Music. 

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It's another installment of our listener chats, Pumpkinheads, and joining us this time is indie musician and artist Huron John! We discuss how his work is influenced by the Pumpkins, keeping the DIY ethos alive, and what it's like being a "Gen Z" Pumpkins fan (and the ridiculousness of these generational labels). We also delve into the inner workings of Spotify and the new gatekeepers of today's music industry, what Tame Impala and My Bloody Valentine have in common with the Pumpkins, and the rich tapestry that is Billy’s vision for the band. 

We all relate on the idea of Mellon Collie training our young ears for a diverse musical palette, and Huron shares some SP memories like seeing the Pumpkins in Chicago with his Dad and visiting the record store to buy the Teargarden box set.

All that plus the importance of physical media, more love for CYR and that feeling when art finds you in the right place and time. Hope that place and time for you and this episode is HERE and NOW because it's a great one!

Check out Huron's brand new album Cartoon Therapy (and the boardgame-inspired vinyl release of it on June 17th)!

(Recorded in March 2021)

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It's our first trip into chatting with Pumpkast listeners! Today we have musician and illustrator Stephen Patrick Kelly (The Heirs of the Supernova, Have Strat Will Travel, Shane Longshadow is Hungry) on the show to discuss how he came to SP, the diverse makeup of their fanbase, Pumpkin tattoos and the similarities Billy shares with Superman in The Justice League comics. We also discuss respecting Billy’s boundaries and a POC's place in the world today. All that plus Stephen’s band The Heirs of the Supernova and their new album Instruments for Declination. 

Hopefully you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as we enjoyed having it. Thanks, Stephen! 

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Happy Gish-aversary, Pumpkinheads! This past weekend Billy and Jimmy celebrated 30 years of Gish with a live listening party/Q&A at the rockin-est tea house in America, Madame ZuZu's. Though your hosts couldn't physically attend, we were all over the livestream and are here to share our thoughts on what we loved about this special event. Craving some first-hand reporting from someone who was there in person? Pumpkast Field Correspondent Pamela Fisher (aka polkadotpam) was kind enough to "spill the tea" with her fist-hand account! Lots of great stuff to talk about including the announcement of the first archive release, "Live in Japan 1992." We're going crazy... buying all this new merch! 

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Our very first return guest, Sierra Swan, is back on the ‘kast to discuss her new EP “Tangerines" (out early on Bandcamp and everywhere else on May 17th)! We inevitably talk Prince, parenting and the secretly-jacked genius of Danny Elfman, as well as the process of writing and recording the new EP, which includes the track "Peach" written by Billy Corgan. Sierra also gives Billy credit for reaching out to his fans about mental health on his Instagram -- or as she calls it, "Billy TV" -- and even teases some upcoming projects (solo and with the Corganator). All that and more plus fun Covid weddings, live concert dreamin' and WEED! 

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At the time, the reaction to post-Mellon Collie Pumpkins albums was a mixed bag amongst fans and critics. But here at the Pumpkast, we see value in these albums and we know you do too! For this episode, listeners share their stories of why they adore 'Adore"! 

Thanks to Pam, David, Ness, Will, Mary, Evangelina, Omar, Simon, StarlytNite (sorry we said "StarlyNite" in the episode), Scott, Dan, Carlos, Jacob, Noni and Justin!

We plan to do these for every post-Mellon Collie studio release, so be on the lookout for when you can submit your thoughts on Machina/Machina II, coming this summer!

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