Forgive me a moment, this ongoing drama has enraptured me…

I happen to catch this band, calling themselves the Smashing Pumpkins, while clicking through channels on the tee vee a couple of weeks back. They sound kinda like the Smashing Pumkins, they look vaguely like the Smashing Pumpkins, but I’m not sure if it’s exactly them. I’m thinking I’m not the only one thinking that:

Smashing Pumpkins Taunt Audience With “James Iha” Outburst

We thought that maybe the Smashing Pumpkins would aim to be more fan-friendly after being told by the crowd that their two-night stop in NYC “sucked,” but we were wrong. Billy Corgan’s assault on audience members continued last night in Washington, D.C. Following the band’s painstaking rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Set The Control for the Heart of the Sun,” one fan near the front gave Corgan the double middle finger treatment. Corgan took issue with it, of course, and asked why the audience member was dissatisfied. The man replied something along the line that the band “no longer rocks” and then wondered where James Iha was. This prompted Corgan to bring a female audience member onstage and referred to her as “James Iha,” then asked the faux-Iha what she’s been up to. Corgan reportedly also went on to rant about how he hasn’t sold out in 20 years.

A tip of the hat to Melissa Goldstein