Pitchfork

Oh, Billy, you just can't keep away from the courtroom, can you? According to the Chicago Tribune [via Chicagoist], Smashing Pumpkins frontguy Billy Corgan is exercising his right to sue once again. The target of Corgan's litigious ire this time out is Gurnee, Illinois filmmaker Lester Cohn of Pure DV Productions. Cohn was charged with the unenviable task of keeping his camera's lens trained on Billy during concerts and studio sessions around the time of the recording and release of Corgan's 2005 solo debut, TheFutureEmbrace. The suit claims that Cohn did just that, but he did a really crappy job of it.

According to Corgan, Cohn has only shown Billy a little bit of his footage, but what he saw "was completely unsatisfactory and not completed in a professional, workmanlike manner in accordance with the standards of a music filmmaker."

It goes on. The Tribune reports that Corgan twists the knife a bit by claiming that Cohn "misrepresented his filmmaking expertise and does not deserve the money he was paid." Billy's looking for a cool $100,000 in damages, plus the return of all footage. Corgan's lawyer says that Billy sought to use the footage to "create works in different media."

What else is new in the world of Billy? Well, he got himself his own line of geetars, he's lining up those 20th anniversary shows, and his Pumpkins will issue a new single called "G.L.O.W" to the airwaves in September. Former Pumpkins D'Arcy and James Iha are suing Virgin Records over digital royalties. A post on the Smashing Pumpkins' official website states that the suit has nothing to do with Corgan, but it might hold up that Gish box set that's in the works.

Also, the vintage Pumpkins tune "The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning" has gotten a new lease on life thanks to its inclusion in the trailer to the forthcoming Watchmen movie.

Pumpkins:

08-08 Davenport, IA - Adler Theatre
08-09 Hammond, IN - Horseshoe Casino
08-12 Louisville, KY - Palace Theatre
08-13 Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theatre
08-15 Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium
08-16 Charlottesville, VA - Charlottesville Pavilion
08-17 Raleigh, NC - Memorial Auditorium
08-19 Boca Raton, FL - Mizner Park Amphitheatre
08-20 Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
08-22 Orlando, FL - Summer Krush