Corgan and Chamberlain on Cobain and Courtney

Want to watch one of the last Smashing Pumpkins performances with Jimmy Chamberlain? Here you go.

What's that? You'd prefer to watch Billy Corgan turn "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" into a weird spoken-word intro for a minor-league wrestling circuit? Well, it's your lucky day:

This week in reunions... Jesus Lizard

* The Jesus Lizard are back, and playing the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago this summer. If you're like me, and only vaguely remember the band, get a primer (and a couple of YouTube videos) here.

* Jason Newsted rejoined Metallica for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction a few weeks ago.

* Jane's Addiction have recorded two new tracks which were originally demoed in 1987, with Trent Reznor producing. They're on a new box set.

*The three guys in Soundgarden who aren't Chris Cornell got up on stage with the dude from Tad (remember Tad?), and played a couple of songs in Seattle last month. Since it's 2009, you can of course find grainy YouTube videos of the performance here.

Your video mash-up of the day

The Dallas Mavericks, after two straight first-round playoff exits, are up 3 games to 1 on the San Antonio Spurs, and are looking pretty good. So let's celebrate that with a YouTube video of Mavs highlights, set to Urge Overkill's 1993 hit "Sister Havana."

Because nothing says Dallas pro basketball like a 15-year-old Chicago power-pop song.

Green Day on tour

If you live in a major metropolitan area, and want to see Green Day in a giant arena or amphitheater setting, July and August are your chance. The band's announced a 38-date tour starting July 3. If you don't live near a major metropolitan area and you are an insomniac, catch the band five nights in a row on Last Call with Carson Daly on NBC in June, which in my market airs around 1:30 in the morning.

Meanwhile, "Know Your Enemy," (the youtube for which was available below but has been yanked), debuted at #8 on the modern rock charts this week.

Weezer, Blink-182 touring together this summer

No dates yet, but apparently Weezer will be opening up for the big Blink-182 reunion tour, says Buzznet.

In other news, Rainn Wilson and Rivers Cuomo have recorded a cover of the Joan Osborne hit "One of Us." Fast-forward to 4:50 or so if you want to miss all the idle chitchat:

New Green Day: "Know Your Enemy"

I give it a couple of hours max before YouTube knocks this down, but here's the new Green Day single, "Know Your Enemy," bootlegged from British radio earlier this morning. The song's supposed to hit American radio today, so if you're lucky enough to still live in a town with an alternative-rock station, tune in.


In other news, Green Day's been doing secret shows in the San Francisco / Oakland area. Check out pictures of the stage setup for their 2009 tour here.

Where were you in '94?

15 years ago this week, Kurt Cobain took his own life, and in so doing, ended the first, more innocent phase of alternative rock (think about it: things got a lot more corporate after '94). Idolator has a nice piece asking people where they were when they heard about Cobain's death. Among the commenters weighing in: ex-Lemonheads guitarist John Strohm.

I was a sophomore, going to high school in suburban DFW. A reporter from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram came up to get reactions from teenagers at school, but in that pre-Internet, pre-cell phone age, she ended up breaking the news to everyone. Word spread pretty quick after that. A buddy of mine had just gotten his license, and after school, we just drove around in his beat-up Mercury Cougar, listening to KDGE play the more somber Nirvana deep cuts ("Pennyroyal Tea," "Something in the Way," etc.) while we wound our way around the cul-de-sacs.

Where were you in April '94?
Here's the actual Kurt Loder newsbreak on MTV announcing the death:


Here's "Pennyroyal Tea," live from Toronto (bad video, but pretty good audio)

Want some free Marilyn Manson?

I don't, but you might. Get a free mp3 of the first single from his upcoming album here. Coincidentally, we are coming up on the 10th anniversary of the Columbine shootings, which briefly transformed Manson from "Alice Cooper-ripoff" to "genuine menace to the youth of today" in the eyes of middle America. Since then, he's released three top 10 albums and had as many covers ("Tainted Love," "Personal Jesus") reach the modern rock charts as original songs.

DRUMMERS: Want to be in the Smashing Pumpkins?

Do you own your own drum set?
Failing that, can you play "Today" and/or "Cherub Rock" on expert on Rock Band?
Do you live in Los Angeles, or could you get there by Friday?

Well, then you're in luck, because the Smashing Pumpkins (now down to one original member, Everclear-style) are looking for YOU. You've got to e-mail them some information before showing up, though, so get on that. And if you get the gig, let us know.