The Smashing Pumpkins 1988-11-19

November 19, 1988 – Roselle, IL, US
Live performance by The Smashing Pumpkins
Artist	The Smashing Pumpkins
Date	November 19, 1988
Venue	Roselle Music
Coordinates	41°58′10″N 88°0′39″W
Location	Roselle, IL, US
Venue type	TV studio
Personnel	Billy Corgan, James Iha, D'arcy Wretzky, Jimmy Chamberlin
Order of bands	The Smashing Pumpkins
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The November 19, 1988 – Roselle, IL show, known as the Pulse Basement Jam, was a cable access taping for a Chicago-area music show called The Pulse. A segment called the Basement Jam was reserved for local artists, who got featured after submitting demos. The Smashing Pumpkins submitted their self-titled demo cassette. The Pulse producer Lou Hinkhouse said he was "blown away" when he heard the tape. He called Billy Corgan and booked them for the show.

“ It was a really unique time for them in their development. None of us that day really knew for sure, but we knew they were on to something. And you can kind of see they feel they're entering a new decade, about to explode on to the national scene … and are about to define a new sound for a new generation. ” — Lou Hinkhouse, producer for The Pulse

It is the first known video of the band performing, who were visibly nervous, though this may have been simply a sign of their drive for perfection. The performance in its entirety was included on the DVD that came with the 2012 deluxe re-issue of Pisces Iscariot.

Full performance

Setlist

1. "There It Goes" 
2. "She" (abandoned) 
3. "She" 
4. "Under Your Spell" 
5. "My Eternity" (abandoned) 
6. "My Eternity" (abandoned) 
7. (unknown tease, "Good Morning Mr. Sun")
8. "My Eternity" (abandoned) 
9. "My Eternity" 
10. "Bleed" 
11. "Nothing and Everything" 
12. "Jennifer Ever" (abandoned) 
13. "Sunshine of Your Love" [Cream] (tease) 
14. "Jennifer Ever" (abandoned) 
15. "Jennifer Ever" (abandoned) 
16. "Jennifer Ever" (abandoned) 
17. "Jennifer Ever" 
18. "Death of a Mind" ("Sun") (only performance)
19. "Spiteface" 

Banter

There It Goes
BC: Are we still rolling?
Ed: Yes.
BC: Ed?
Ed: Introduce the next song.
BC: Oh, okay. Um, the next –- name of the next song is She and hopefully I’ll hear my vocals better, hint, hint.
Jimmy: Ready?
She (abandoned after 6 seconds)
BC: Start that over.
Jimmy: Cut.
Iha: Cut, take it back.
D’arcy: Heh heh, what are you playin’? Heh heh heh.
BC: Huh?
Jimmy: I don’t know, man, always wanted to say that.
BC: I'm just um, um, I'm having trouble hearing my vocals and my voice is weak, so.... Thank you.
D’arcy: Heh heh.
BC: One more time?
She
BC: Well, that sucked.
D’arcy: But they were really bad, heh heh.
Jimmy: What if we like, hold it out of here?
Iha: Yeah, they’re bad.
BC: Sorry.
Jimmy: Hi, we're the Smashing Pumpkins and we drink Pepsi.
D’arcy: Is that what we do?
BC: Oh my god.
(short unintelligible conversation between D’arcy and a man)
BC: Okay. This is Under Your Spell. Featuring D'arcy Wretzky. On da bass of fuzzness.
Under Your Spell
BC: My Eternity. Okay.
My Eternity (abandoned after 17 seconds)
My Eternity (abandoned almost immediately)
BC: Ahhhhh.
unknown (tease)
Iha: (singing) Good morning, Mr. Sun. I see the light. (tease ends)
BC: Okay, shhh, alright.
My Eternity (abandoned after 2+ minutes)
BC: Sorry we're wasting your time. And sucking big.
Ed?: Alright. You sure?
BC: Yeah, please, please.
Jimmy: We can just set it back?
BC: I don't know why they made this fuckin’ thing.
Ed?: For the–- [tape cut]
BC: D'arcy made like a big fuck -– yeah, you did. A big fuck up.
D’arcy: I -– I don’t what I -– [tape cut]
Ed: Okay, now here it is.
My Eternity
Iha: That sucked a dick.
Jimmy: Hey, I’m gettin’ it.
Iha: Oh!
BC: Boo-lieved it.
Iha: Heh.
Jimmy: Boy, we haven't done this in a long time.
BC: Yeah, thanks, Nick. ... Thank you for your patience.
Bleed
BC: Thank god for you [unintelligible word].
(short unintelligible conversation between Iha, D’arcy and Jimmy)
BC: Cool? Nothing and Everything is the name of this song...that we’re about to start.
Nothing and Everything
BC: Refill, someone?
Jimmy: Starting to sound like a band again.
BC: (laughing) Yeah.
Jimmy: Logical. Sounds like we’d have the slightest idea of what we're doing.
D’arcy: Hahaha! ...
BC: Hang on one sec. ... Okay. This is our new song...Jennifer (whispers) Ever.
Jennifer Ever (abandoned after about a minute after something feeds back)
Jimmy: What was that annoying...?
BC: Screeching.
Jimmy: Jeez.
D’arcy: Ouch.
BC: (high pitched) Hello, help me. (normal) Have I moved? No, mic's in the same place. I'll pull it back if you want. Check! Still a ring. Check! Check! Check!
Ed: Any better?
BC: Yeah, that's better.
Ed: Wanna be clear because--
BC: Yeah, fine, it’s, it’s not bad.
D’arcy: [unintelligible].
BC: Heh heh. Hey man, this is the world of...music.
Ed: You guys ready again?
Sunshine of Your Love (tease - 4 notes)
BC: Rolling? Okay. This...hello?
Ed: [unintelligible].
BC: Yes.
Ed: If you want, it’ll be fine.
BC: Um, this song is about three and a half minutes at the most. Yes, sir.
Sunshine of your Love (tease)
BC: Huh? [tape cut] [unintelligible].
Ed: What’s this song start with?
Iha: With everything.
BC: It's just like, one, two, boom boom boom.
Jimmy: Fresh paint.
BC: Do one of those Lucy kaleidoscopes with our heads rotating. No, we don't...
D’arcy: What’s that?
BC: ...we only do, the only cover we play, um, we've only played two covers, uh, Time Has Come Today, and uh, um, What Goes On by the Velvet Underground and that's it. Ready? Okay. This song is called Jennifer Ever.
Jennifer Ever (abandoned after 1:26)
D’arcy: I got lost. I'm sorry.
BC: Aw, come on!
Jimmy: It all was going so good. Ready?
BC: Heh. Okay. This is Jennifer Ever.
Jennifer Ever (abandoned after 4 seconds)
BC: This is Jennifer Ever.
Jennifer Ever (abandoned after 4 seconds)
D’arcy: (laughing) What’s in that?
Iha: No! It’s her fault, her fault.
Jimmy: What, are you crackin' up on us?
BC: I tried to like...“This is Jennifer Ever.” Sorry.
Iha: Fuck this song.
Jimmy: Take fifty.
BC: To the men out in the trucks, we love you and we're sorry. And the ladies, I'm sorry, I forgot.
D’arcy: What was that little note there?
BC: That was called the -- an F sharp.
D’arcy: (laughing) And you bitchin’.
BC: Nine...and seven.
Jimmy: Let's try it again.
Iha: Okay!
BC: I won't introduce this song.
Jennifer Ever
BC: Thank fucking god.
Iha: I like that song, it’s bitchin’.
D’arcy: Haha! You've heard it enough times, hahaha...
Iha: I don’t know, I guess.
D’arcy: ...it's in your head.
BC: (laughing) It grows on you, don't it?
Iha: Yeah, alright now.
D’arcy: After about ten times.
BC: Two more. Right? Okay. This is called Death of a Mind.
Jimmy: Hey, can you put some reverb on the drums?
BC: Yeah, mass reverb on the drums.
Jimmy: There’s a whole lot of reverb on the drums on this one, okay? Can you hear me? Greg?
BC: Greg?
Jimmy: Could you tell ‘em to put some reverb on the drums?
D’arcy: [unintelligible].
BC: (laughing) No it's not!
D’arcy: Yes it is!
BC: Go!
Jimmy: You ready?
Iha: Yep.
Death of a Mind (Sun)
BC: One more. Thank you very much. One more. At least one more. Okay. [tape cut] No. Keep it under control. This is Spiteface, thank you.
Spiteface
Iha: Can we get sued?
BC: Thank you. Thanks, Lou.
Jimmy: Hey, um, did they say the first, first version we did of that?

Photos and memorabilia

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