Billy Corgan has announced that The Smashing Pumpkins are looking for a new bassist and keyboardist, and he's launched two websites for musicians to be considered for the gigs.

This comes in the wake of bassist Ginger Pooley's decision to leave the band to raise her new baby with her husband. Until a new bass player is found, Mark Tulin of The Electric Prunes will fill in on an interim basis.

Regarding a new keyboardist, Corgan has stated that he is looking for a player who is a fan of - and can play in the prog-rock style of - Jon Lord and Rick Wakeman. (So no Duran Duran-style players need apply.)

In a statement, Corgan said, "Although I am heartbroken that Ginger is leaving the group, I really respect her decision to put her family first. I appreciate everything that she has contributed to The Smashing Pumpkins, and I'm proud of her for being such a great musician and friend.

'We were lucky enough to find drummer Mike Byrne through an open audition process," Corgan added, "so why not open the doors again to anyone who might be interested for the bass or keyboard position. As you can see from our past and present, age, race, or a person's background is not an issue. Everyone is truly welcome to audition."
How to apply

Bassists and keyboardists looking to play with The Pumpkins should send their background info (including age, a resume of any bands/recorded work), photos and performance web links via email only, either to pumpkinsbass@gmail.com or pumpkinske…

What a suprise... in the latest RollingStone magazine interview Billy said he fired Jimmy, due to Jimmy being a destructive force.

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“Jimmy is a destructive human being, and people who are destructive break things,” Corgan says. “I don’t see me reaching the highest levels of my creativity if I’m unhealthy and if I have unhealthy people around me.[...]” After Corgan told Chamberlin he was out...I was like, ‘Fuck you,’”, Corgan recalls. “‘Go ride around in a white van for the rest of your life.

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Jimmy responded with:

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Chamberlin becomes apoplectic when he hears Corgan’s account. “In the middle of the last tour, Billy said it was the agent’s fault, then it was the band’s fault, then it was the fans’ fault,” the drummer says. “Yes, in the past, I was a destructive human being. I was a complete drug addict and a complete loose cannon, but I’ve taken responsibility for my life.” "In the grand scheme of things" he adds... it's a few Gold records and a bunch of money... I have a wife and kids and I am completely happy"

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Next Tuesday a new SP song is going to be released according to Kerry Brown.

Less than an hour before his first Chicago show since Dec. 2008, Billy Corgan sat with me in LaSalle Power Co.’s (500 N. LaSalle Blvd.) u-shaped green room on Thursday discussing -- what else? -- professional wrestling.

The Smashing Pumpkins singer, a die-hard wrestling fan, managed to make the conversation sound like a discussion about theater (“If a wrestler can embody a character, you’ll go along for the ride”) and kept the tone serious and analytical.

“Part of my attraction to that world is that I put the same energy into it that I used to put into my music world,” said Corgan, 42, who was performing at a benefit for NorthShore University HealthSystem’s Integrative Medicine Program.

“It’s not political for me. In the musical world, it got political. I stopped reading all music press and now just read wrestling press.”

If it sounds like Corgan is down on the record industry, that’s because he is. One of the reasons he plans on releasing 44 new Smashing Pumpkins songs for free online is to avoid having to deal with record industry drama.

Corgan has so far released two songs off the “Teargarden By Kaleidyscope” project and said he just completed the sixth song. He expects to release some of the new music over the next few weeks.

“I think a song at a time over the course of three to four years makes sense,” Corgan said. “I figured this was the best way to skip all that drama. All that drama is really boring.”

Surprisingl…