Billy Corgan at the Basin Reserve, WTF?

Comes in at 7, typically blazes away fearlessly (click image for large version)

Today I was thinking, ‘I wonder what Billy Corgan is up to these days?’

On his wikipedia page someone has added this somewhat arbitrary detail to the Personal Life section:

“In March 2008, Billy was spotted in the crowd at the final day of the cricket test match between New Zealand and England in Wellington.”

Hardly a key moment in Corgan’s life but, sadly, as of today, one of the best moments of mine. Certainly of more interest than such trifling details as his musical influences or his relationship with Courtney Love. Yawn.

I cannot adequately express how weird reading this made me feel. This event represents a convergence of my two favourite mid-nineties pursuits, cricket and the Smashing Pumpkins – the only things in life that were worth a damn. Oh for those carefree, halcyon days.

This is truly a case of the planets aligning perfectly above me, only 14 years too late. Ah well, I’ll still savour this perfect intersection of great past loves.

Why didn’t any of my worthless friends (if I can still even call them friends) tell me about this 10 months ago when it actually happened? I will not accept the excuse that, like me, they knew absolutely nothing about it. Idiots. It’s their fault this post is embarrassingly past its used-by date.

Here’s video of the event, and one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen. Apparently it was announced that he was in attendance over the Basin’s PA, just before 1979 was played (you can hear it in the background).

I love it that big Gavin Larsen has an obligatory chat with Billy. I imagine it wouldn’t have been dissimilar to listening to my 89 year old Grandmother talking to Will Smith about the intricacies of her pain medication. Here’s how I imagine it played out:

Minder: Billy, this is Gavin Larsen, the CEO of Cricket Wellington. He is famously known for his economical bowling record in limited overs cricket.

Big Gav: Hi Billy, yes indeed, I was quite the dibbly-dobbler in my day.

Corgan: Get this smackhead the fuck away from me. Do not let him touch me!

Minder: …It’s okay Billy, dibbly-dobbler is merely a playful slang term given to miserly, slow-to-medium-pace bowlers.

Big Gav (undeterred): Billy, I loved your work with the Smashed Pumpkins…

Corgan: …This interview is over, where’s my sunscreen? (now screaming nasally) get me my fucking sunscreen!

A lover of sports

Apparently Corgan is an ‘avid sports fan’, particularly of Chicago-based teams and professional wrestling. This might explain why he was at the cricket – taking in the exotic eccentricities of the Empire. Who knows?

On a side note, a couple of months back I bought Billy Corgan’s solo album TheFutureEmbrace from the not-borrowed-enough $2 CD bin at the library. I thought it had a few really good tracks and liked it overall.

My brother cruelly remarked that I had paid two dollars too much for it which cut me deep, such is my loyalty to the musicians of my youth. But in homage to Billy, I buried the hurt of that moment so that it might percolate for a decade and inspire me to start a rock band producing mainly dark, anguished, nightmarish sounds.