BUSINESS
January 10, 1997 | Times Staff and Wire Reports
Chicago rock superstars Smashing Pumpkins filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Chrysalis Music in Los Angeles Superior Court, declaring their music publishing contract with the firm void. The band alleges that it entered into a four-album song-publishing deal with Chrysalis in 1992, but after meeting the requirements of the pact, discovered it was unenforceable.
ENTERTAINMENT
September 6, 1996 | ROBERT HILBURN, TIMES POP MUSIC CRITIC
Wouldn't you just know that those cagey folks at MTV would have another ace up their sleeve on Wednesday at the 13th annual Video Music Awards telecast? No, the surprise kickoff this time wasn't the welcoming back of a celebrity who had fallen from grace--a la Pee-wee Herman in 1991. And it wasn't the public kiss of a private couple--along the lines of lovebirds Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley in 1994.
NEWS
July 13, 1996 | JOHN J. GOLDMAN and STEVE HOCHMAN, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
In another incident illustrating the growing presence of heroin in the world of rock music, a member of Smashing Pumpkins, one of the nation's most popular and acclaimed alternative rock bands, was arrested Friday and charged with heroin possession after a backup musician with the group died of an apparent drug overdose. Police said Jimmy Chamberlin, 32, the band's drummer, was with Jonathan Melvoin, 34, when the veteran keyboard player overdosed in Park Avenue's posh Regency Hotel.
ENTERTAINMENT
October 22, 1995 | Lorraine Ali, Lorraine Ali is a frequent contributor to Calendar
Even when Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan is dropping a bombshell-- such as declaring that his band is about to quit the guitar-rock arena for good--the soft-spoken singer-guitarist presents the news as calmly as if he were commenting on the weather. Corgan's unflappable demeanor can be unsettling, because you sense that there's a lot of turbulence just beneath that surface.
ENTERTAINMENT
October 17, 1993 | LORRAINE ALI, Lorraine Ali writes about pop music for Calendar.
At first glance, Billy Corgan hardly comes across as the latest giant of the college/ alternative rock world. He's not darkly handsome and elusive like Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, nor outwardly rebellious and gritty a la Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. The 6-foot-plus singer, in fact, appears as soft and vulnerable as your favorite stuffed animal. His short, chestnut-colored hair isn't cut in any of the trendy styles of the day, and his round, brown eyes seem placid.