The Smashing Pumpkins: The Tragic Death of Jonathan Melvoin, Firing of Jimmy Chamberlin

The Smashing Pumpkins: The Tragic Death of Jonathan Melvoin, FIring of Jimmy Chamberlin

0:00 - Jimmy Chamberlin's Early Years
3:21 - Melvoin joins the band
4:13 - Trouble brewing
6:33 - Melvoin's death/aftermath

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By the mid 90’s the smashing pumpkins were one of the most popular rock bands in the world. First bursting onto the scene in 1991 with their debut album Gish. They built a bigger following with 1993’s Siamese Dream. In 1994 the band headlined Lolapalooza and the following year they released their epic two disc cd Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness. The band was riding high and living the dream at least according to many outsiders, but that wasn’t the case. During the band’s tour in 1996 to support their third release, drummer Jimmy chamberlain and keyboardist johnathan melvoin were dabbling in drugs resulting in deadly cfonsequences. That’s what were going to discuss in today’s video.

Chamberlin’s days with the band date back to their early years when they were made of of frontman billy corgan, guitarist james iha and bassist d’arcy wretzky. Up until this point the trio were playing live shows using a drum machine. Chamberlin would express his interest in joining the band telling modern drummer magazine in 1994 “So I went out and saw the band – Billy, James, and D'arcy – playing at Avalon with a drum machine. Man, did they sound horrible! They were atrocious. But the thing I noticed was that not only were the song structures good, but Billy's voice had a lot of drive to it, like he was dying to succeed. So I ended up driving from work every Wednesday to rehearse with them.

Corgan would recall how he didn’t think Chamberlin initially was a good fit saying He was wearing a pink t-shirt, stonewashed jeans, had a mullet haircut, was driving a 280Z, and had yellow drums recalling We were sort of looking each other in the eye thinking, 'This ain't gonna happen, this is not the guy.' [But] he'd learned all our songs, as only Jimmy can, off the top of his head, and, within one practice, we were ready to play. It was amazing. We just knew right away. He's that good. Chamberlain would join the band on their debut album gish. But by the time the band began work on their second album siamese dream, Corgan felt the band was on the verge of breaking up. According to Details Magazine who interviewed the band in 1993 Corgan’s decision to air the band’s dirty laundry in the public created a lot of resentment within the group. In the article Corgan would be quoted as saying. "I hated all my friends, I hated myself, I hated the band." Corgan would enter therapy which forced him to talk more openly about his emotions, write songs about them and become more honest sometimes to the detriment of his bandmates. He soon started talking about the Smashing Pumpkins internal problems. How James Iha and D'Arcy Wretzky dated, but broke up and and Drummer Jimmy Chamberlin’s drug addiction. He would tell the same publication "The idea that the stance was to tell the story and force it into the open..but did it have the intended effect the interviewer would ask corgan to which he’d respond “...no, in fact i think it killed the band.’

When it came time for the groups second album, In order to keep production costs low Corgan relocated the band to Georgia, but there was another reason for going to Georgia, Chamberlain’s debilitating drug addiction. Rolling Stone would report in 1993 Aside from the lower production costs, they chose to record in Atlanta on the theory that Chamberlin would have a hard time attracting his usual coterie (co-ter-ee) of hard-core partyers there. The theory was wrong. Buckling under the pressure, Chamberlin would show up sometimes too wasted too play and once disappeared for five days. Corgan laid down the law: Either shape up or ship out. Chamberlin shaped up in a rehab clinic. It worked. Rolling stone would write.

Johnathan Melvoin, was a later arrival to the band first joining them in late 1995 as a touring keyboardist. He had an impressive resume up until this point in his career playing with musician prince and performing in a number of punk bands including the dickies.. Melvoin’ was exposed to music as a young child coming from a musical family. His father played piano in the 80’s era group Wrecking Crew and most famously played wi