When Is A Pumpkin Not A Pumpkin?

First off, I'm surprised Chicagoist hasn't picked up this story yet, what with their recent wall-to-wall Billy Corgan coverage.

Second, the story itself, today on Billboard.com, says that Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin have signed a management deal for the newest iteration of the Smashing Pumpkins. The article goes on to state that neither James Iha -- last seen with A Perfect Circle -- or D'Arcy Wretzky have gotten back on board the Billy train.

Now, to be fair, it's somewhat obvious to the casual observer that, at its core, Billy + Jimmy = Pumpkins, even more than Billy = Pumpkins. But there's some historical recontextualizing here that kind of casts previous Jimmy-less incarnations in a less flattering light, isn't there? Of course, in the case of the Adore tour with Kenny Aronoff on drums trying desperately to look hip, maybe there's some merit to that. And it also makes Billy's full-page plea last year to get all four original members on board look kinda weak, not that it didn't already.

Also, buried in one of those Chicagoist articles (and yes, I'm being a link whore, hoping they'll notice and remember that I asked really nice for a reciprocal link at their happy hour) is a bit about JAM Productions having trouble securing Grant Park for any concerts this summer. This could get interesting if and when AEG decides who they're going to partner with once the new Fire stadium in Bridgeview opens up this summer. If JAM gets shut out of Grant Park, and loses the Firehouse to whatever Clear Channel is calling itself these days, it could be the beginning of the end for the longtime local promoter.