The first of Billy Corgan’s former bandmates has rejoined the fold following the surprise announcement that Corgan intends to reunite his platinum-selling alternative-rock group the Smashing Pumpkins. Jimmy Chamberlin said on Friday that he is eager to make music with Corgan again. His position is no surprise, since he drummed with Corgan in the short-lived band Zwan, as well as performing on several tracks for the Great Pumpkin’s first solo album, “The Future Embrace,” released last Tuesday.
But the status of former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha and bassist D’Arcy Wretzky remains a mystery.
“All I can say is that the Smashing Pumpkins are Billy, James, myself and D’Arcy,” Chamberlin said. “In an ideal world, that’s what it will end up being. The hope is that everybody will come to the table, but I can only speak for myself in saying that I’m in, and I’m excited.”
Chamberlin said he has not spoken to Wretzky since she left the band in August 1999. He communicates with Iha by e-mail, and though they have not discussed the Pumpkins reunion, “I intend to reach out to him.”
The drummer said he and Corgan have been talking about reforming the band “for some time,” but he doesn’t know whether the singer and songwriter has spoken to Iha and Wretzky, or if Corgan simply “opened the door” for them to return when he placed two full-page advertisements last week in the Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune.
“It’s still all very new, and I don’t know if anybody really knows what’s going on,” Chamberlin said. “We really haven’t sat down at the table and figured out the nuts and bolts.”
I have been listening to the online radiostation 
