ZERO shirt

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Revision as of 09:34, 26 October 2022 by MusikAnimal (talk | contribs) (never was on display at Madame ZuZu's, apparently)
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From the Mellon Collie liner notes

The ZERO shirt or ZERO costume was the public persona of Billy Corgan while supporting The Smashing Pumpkins' third studio album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. He was first seen wearing the iconic shirt during at the band's appearance at the Reading Festival on August 25, 1995, and more notably the "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" music video, which was filmed on September 27, 1995.[1] He then continued to wear the costume at nearly every performance throughout the Infinite Sadness tour, and also occasionally in inverse colors during the 20th Anniversary tour.

The shirts were very popular in the 90s and available at store outlets worldwide.[2] In 2011, one of the four original Zero shirts was auctioned off by Corgan to benefit victims of the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami,[3] selling for around $6,500.[4] Other artists also participated as part of the EMI family's charity auction.[5]

Cotton reissues of the shirt have existed for some time, but on October 24, 2021, a near accurate replica made from 100% polyester was issued and quickly sold out.[6]

Origins[edit | edit source]

Zero, sharing the name with the song "Zero", is a character within the broader story of Glass and The Machines of God. It was an unfinished story by Corgan of "a rock star gone mad" named Zero, loosely based on himself, who heard the voices of God and renamed himself Glass and his band The Machines of God.[7] The story goes on from there, but this is reasonably where the concept for the Zero shirt and costume originated, with Mellon Collie being Zero's part of the story. According to former Smashing Pumpkins Fan Club chief Laura Ann Masura, the visual design was the work of Jimmy Chamberlin.[8] Corgan once said:

A May 2010 write-up on FeelNumb.com claimed the design for the ZERO shirt worn by Corgan wore was originally produced by the Zero Skateboards company.[4] However this claim has been intensely disputed.[9][10] Their story suggested the company had stopped making the shirts before Corgan borrowed from the brand.[4] However, Zero Skateboards states they first formed in 1996,[11] while Corgan's first appearance in the shirt was no later than August 25, 1995. More notable publications such as the HuffPost shared the story, but explicitly stated it as FeelNumb.com reporting, thus lending no additional veracity.[3]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. "Smashing Pumpkins making of Bullet With Butterfly Wings". Daily Motion. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  2. SPIN Media LLC (June 1996). SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. pp. 53–. ISSN 08863032.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Smashing Pumpkins Stage Clothes Stolen Tweets Billy Corgan". HuffPost. September 27, 2012.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Rossell II, Raul (May 31, 2010). "The Story Behind Billy Corgan's Smashing Pumpkins "ZERO" Shirt". FeelNumb.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2018.
  5. "THE SMASHING PUMPKINS BILLY CORGAN TO AUCTION ZERO SHIRT TO HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR JAPAN". SmashingPumpkins.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2011.
  6. @smashingpumpkins (October 24, 2021). "EDIT: SOLD OUT; SP has received many requests for this shirt over the years. For the first time, a replica of @williampcorgan's ZERO shirt is now available. This is a custom shirt based on his original (yes original) design and materials. Link in bio" – via Instagram.
  7. van Pelt, Arthur (September 30, 2012). "The Story of Glass and the Machines of God". SPFreaks. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  8. Laura Ann Masura interview with @pumpkintees. December 18, 2021
  9. https://www.reddit.com/r/SmashingPumpkins/comments/mpntkz/zero_shirt_origins/
  10. http://forums.netphoria.org/showthread.php?t=183998&page=2
  11. https://www.instagram.com/zeroskateboards/