As our own Steve Hyden explores so eloquently in his latest dispatch from the ’90s, a Billy Corgan with nothing to fight against is no Billy Corgan at all. And since most people stopped mocking Billy Corgan once he turned to Jessica Simpson-dating, writing-songs-based-on-tarot-cards self-parody, he was forced to revive a feud so old it could now attend Lollapalooza itself and form its own opinions on why Billy Corgan is sort of a self-absorbed wanker. Upon learning that whatever Corgan is calling the Smashing Pumpkins these days would be playing a Brazil show with the recently reunited Pavement, Corgan—still smarting over that time Stephen Malkmus sort of halfheartedly insulted him in the lyrics to “Range Life”—did the rock star thing and bitched about it on Twitter:
Just found out SP is playing with Pavement in Brazil. It’s gonna be 1 of those New Orleans type funerals… I say that because they represent the death of the alternative dream, and we follow with the affirmation of life part… funny how those who pointed the big finger of ’sell out’ are the biggest offenders now…yawn. they have no love… by the way, we’ll be the band up there playing NEW songs because we have the love xx
As you may recall, Malkmus once called Smashing Pumpkins “nature kids” who “don’t have no function,” then expressed his overall indifference to his inability to understand what they mean. Which is egregious, simply egregious—and also, vague and not that big a deal, really. But then Malkmus was egged on in various interviews, where he said that while he really liked the Pumpkins’ music, he didn’t really get their “rock star lifestyle” or whatever, which is the sort of thing you’d expect Stephen Malkmus to say in an interview. Anyway, that upset Corgan to the point where he threatened to drop off the headlining slot of the 1995 Lollapalooza if Pavement were allowed to play, and for some reason he seemed surprised that Malkmus continued to make fun of his massive ego ever after that. But now he’s getting his revenge, we guess, what with upholding the “alternative dream” and everything by not selling out and recording new songs. With Jessica Simpson. For her VH1 reality show.