Smashing Pumpkins - If All Goes Wrong
is a double disc dvd set focusing on the return of the Smashing Pumpkins circa 2006. Disc one features the Jack Gulick documentary, If All Goes Wrong, which received a limited theatrical release. Disc two features a live set taken from the residency tour that the documentary follows.
For me, the Smashing Pumpkins were one of the biggest and best bands of the 90's. Siamese Dream rates as one of my favorite albums of all time. When the band split in 2000 I was sad, and since then I've been waiting for their epic four hour finale show to make a DVD appearance.
When they reformed in 2006, I was a little nervous, an unsure as to whether they could pump out material of the quality I associate with the Smashing Pumpkins. The release of Zeitgeist then was a welcome relief.
The documentary, If All Goes Wrong picks up in 2006, with Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain getting together again with new faces Ginger Reyes on bass (replacing D'arcy) and Jeff Shroeder on guitar (replacing James Iha), and Lisa Harrington joining the group on keyboards. The new lineup made its debut playing residencies at small clubs, The Orange Peel in Asheville, and Fillmore in San Fransisco.
Corgan is quick to point out that this is not the 'old' Smashing Pumpkins. It's a new band, moving forward in a new direction. He doesn't want people coming to his shows expecting to hear any of the previous Smashing Pumpkins material. Now at this point, you may find yourself asking, as I did myself, why the heck would he choose to retain the Smashing Pumpkins name if he didn't want people to expect to hear some of the Smashing Pumpkins of old? In my opinion it seems a little like a tomato soup company deciding they don't want to produce tomato soup anymore and starts making vanilla custard instead. The company but still packages and promotes it's vanilla custard as tomato soup, and then wonders why customers complain when they buy what they think is tomato soup but get vanilla custard instead. Don't get me wrong, a band has a right to grow and evolve, but don't complain when fans still like to hear some of what attracted them in the first place. Rant over.
The residency shows clearly demonstrate this as the band go about finding their feet. Toward the middle of the film someone comments that the experience the band is going through is kind of like boot camp. Billy Corgan then is definitely the Commander and Chief.
Early in the residencies, Corgan is obviously inspired, pumping out a number of new songs. He's clearly a prolific song writer. Much of the new material is acoustic based, and at times he straps on a harmonica to bust out some Bob Dylan style material.
While watching the film, I found myself wondering what level of access the director had with the band and Corgan. Compared to the Metallica film 'Some Kind Of Monster', it felt like Gulick was somewhat limited in the material he had to work with. A lot of the interview material appeared to have been shot over a couple of days, and candid moments were few and far between.
For me, the most interesting scene was when Corgan discusses why he won't be dipping into the bands back catalogue to play two of the classic tracks from the Siamese Dream album, 'Soma' and 'Mayonnaise'. The reason being that former guitarist James Iha contributed some music to the two tunes, and Corgan's relationship with Iha is clearly a sensitive topic. He hurls his acoustic guitar at his hotel bed, and that is the end of that.
At times, the shows seemed to be as much about alienating those fans seeking a sharp dose of nostalgia as it is about anything else. From what is shown on the DVD, very few 'crowd pleasers' received an airing, with most of the shows devoted to more obscure choices, and songs that were still clearly works in progress. With the bands focus on the new material Gulick focuses on the reaction of the fans. There's vox pops with fanatics remaining positive, waxing lyrical about the beauty of watching Corgan and friends fleshing out new stuff. There's also shots of the crowd as the new stuff gets aired. These shots don't lie. To say that some in the audience seem disinterested in some of the new material is an understatement. When fans are yawning there way through the gig, this can not be a good sign.
The extended jam track Gossamer is a good example of when, not if, 'It All Goes Wrong". Any track that runs in excess of 30 minutes is going to test the patience of all but the most devoted, or psychologically dependent, fan. Featured in the documentary, it is interspersed with shots of people yawning and even leaving the show mid song. It's the sort of jam that is best kept for rehearsals in the hope that it'll one day yield something solid. It's not the sort of thing that should be cranked out night after night to close a show. While Gossamer may have taken up too much of the live show, it also receives far too much attention in the documentary.
For me, one of the most disappointing aspects of the documentary is that it glosses over the re-formation of the band almost entirely. I would have liked to have seen more of went on behind the scenes, and how the gap between 2000 and 2006 impacted upon the band as they began to get things back together.
Pete Townshend pops up a couple of times throughout the documentary to offer his insights into what it's like to be control driven band leader.
I finished the documentary wondering why Corgan seems so intent on deliberately antagonising his audience? Does he want to weed out the fans so he's only left with the fanatics, of which there are plenty in evidence throughout the film? Don't question his artistic choices, accept what you are given, or walk away. That's the vibe I got anyway.
So, is it a good film? It's ok. Perhaps I would rate it higher had I not recently re-watched the awesome Metallica doco Some Kind Of Monster. Whereas that film had a degree of 'warts and all', If All Goes Wrong has the feel of a documentary that has been carefully managed. I'd give it a 6 out of 10.
