Billy Corgan Quietly Confirms Rick Rubin As The Producer Of The Smashing Pumpkins Reunion Album

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Billy Corgan has put his social media followers through a rollercoaster of emotions over the last few days. On Thursday, he posted a picture of himself getting an IV with a caption about how rock and roll “has its costs” and he was making peace with his family and god. Now, he’s followed up the macabre posts with an explanation and a reveal: He was getting an IV because he had the flu, and the legendary Rick Rubin is producing the next Smashing Pumpkins album. Billy really knows how to roll a producer reveal into a declaration of his health.

According to a blind item from a gossip site that was circulating before the official reunion of Billy, Jimmy Chamberlin, and James Iha (no D’Arcy Wretzky) was made official, the producer of a triple-A rock band reunion with a stipulation that the producer would have full control of the studio. The people involved would give themselves over to the process, as it were, and it seems like this was about the Pumpkins. It’s probably for the best.

Here’s where Corgan lowkey reveals Rubin as the guy sitting behind the mixing desk as the Pumpkins work on their reunion album. Or next album. The Iha album?

Which leads me to this time, or this moment, where like so many, I share a window (curated as it is) into my crazy life. As an example, we are currently in the studio with Rick Rubin. But unless I show you a picture of Rick sitting Buddha-like at a mixing desk, you probably wouldn’t know that.

And for any long-time fan, they’ll notice the stark difference between these sessions and when Rubin lorded over the boards during the creation of the broody Adore. Back during the recording of the 1998 album, the studio was dark, full of candles, and Billy was going through the death of his mother, a divorce, and his band was slowly slipping away. Jimmy Chamberlin was kicked out of the band after a heroin overdose, and everything was bleak. Now, Rubin is back after working with Corgan on his solo album Ogilala, and there’s sunshine.
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A studio still life #art!

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Back when they were cranking out albums in the ’90s, the Pumpkins were notoriously divided in the studio, with Billy writing and performing most of the guitar and bass parts (especially on Siamese Dream) while Jimmy was on the drums. It didn’t hurt their live performances from the era, which were wildly raucous, but it eventually led to their split in 2000. Now, they’re back together and seemingly willing to, essentially, get Iha more involved. Or at least keep everyone happy in order to recapture some of that magic.

But then, wasn’t them fighting constantly part of that magic?

(Via Consequence of Sound)

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