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Blinking with Fists: Poems [Paperback]

Billy Corgan (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 21, 2006
The hit poetry collection from the creative force behind The Smashing Pumpkins

Having risen to fame during the grunge era in the early nineties, Billy Corgan is among the most respected figures of the alternative rock world—a visionary artist who, more than a decade later, still commands a devoted following. Long admired for his evocative songwriting, Corgan embarks on a deeper exploration of literary terrain as a poet. Full of “the regretful melancholy of his music [and] the rhythmic, angular wordplay of his best Pumpkins lyrics” (Jeff Vrabel, Chicago Sun-Times), the poems in this collection form an imagistic journey through the intensely personal as Corgan throws into sharp relief issues of love, loss, identity, and loyalty. Crafted with a thoughtful and cadenced approach that shares the same allegiance to thunder and quiet found in his music, these writings further solidify Corgan’s place as the voice of a generation.



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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The frontman and lyricist for the Smashing Pumpkins—whose alternative-rock hits soared through millions of radios in the mid-1990s—enters the arena of the written word with this passionate, if rarely subtle, debut. Corgan has also worked in Chicago-area theater and in spoken-word performance, and his free verse often shows the directness associated with those venues, as well as the oddities fans of his lyrics will know: "The way/ You look/ At me/ Makes me/ Lonely/ Grinding tears/ Behind a mask/ Made of/ Abalone," begins "The Sun of Flowers." Hope, dreams and erotic excitement are frequent themes, while nautical or seaside settings predominate: "the most eternal sun-drenched kiss," Corgan exclaims, "is locked in my mind as something I won’t miss/ Or even try to remember." Other work may resonate with fans, yet strike even them as vague, even amateurish: "Whatever was needed will find its way home/ Delivered with riches and prayers full of soul." The title, with its intimations of a frustrated child, may be the best thing about this collection, and its most appropriate introduction.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Never just the spectator, Corgan transforms his world into the palpable lyrical beauty of the heartbreak of one who cannot turn away, allowing us to get as close as we dare without blinking." --J. T. LeRoy, author of Sarah and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things


Product Details

  • Paperback: 96 pages
  • Publisher: Faber & Faber; First Edition edition (March 21, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0571211704
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571211708
  • Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #809,909 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

35 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (35 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't blink..., September 16, 2004
It's hard to listen to the Smashing Pumpkins, and not be struck by former frontman Billy Corgan's unique writing -- often his songs sounded like poetry set to music. Now he really is a poet. "Blinking With Fists," his first book of poetry, is a stunning, wrenching look at Corgan's ever-expanding talents.

Corgan was known for plumbing the depths of his own feelings in his songs. Now he does the same for his poetry. His poems are gritty and jagged, but they shine through as examinations of his emotions: his loves, losses, loneliness, past regrets, and sometimes his hopes. He makes you feel thoughtful, isolated, on a dark street where dogs are barking, and the world seems to be winding down.

Billy Corgan rose to prominence during the grunge era of Nirvana in the early nineties, as frontman/writer/vocalist of the Smashing Pumpkins. Later, he was the frontman of the sadly short-lived Zwan. But with "Blinking With Fists," (and the novel Corgan is reportedly working on), he shows that he's not just a musician. He gets to take the evocative, eerie writing that he did in the Smashing Pumpkins and Zwan, and turn that writing into something purer.

What's even better, free-form poetry allows Corgan to be less restricted in his writing. In "Blinking," he doesn't have to form his poetry so that it will fit with music. But it still is very lyrical and beautiful, full of strange images and melancholy atmosphere. It takes a little while to really sink in -- but boy, is it worth it when it does.

Billy Corgan has apparently left his band days behind him. But his debut publication, "Blinking With Fists," is a breathtaking collection of poetry that bodes well for his solo career. Highly recommended.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars How Shall I Say This, August 29, 2005
By 
Notnadia (Currently upstairs.) - See all my reviews

It's painful to say anything less than glowing things about this book, since I'm a major fan of the music Corgan and the other members of Smashing Pumpkins released, but I always also knew that when you got right down to it, much of what sounded so great as part of a song, made little real sense when read devoid of music. (For instance, "1979" one of the finest songs of the 90's, what do those words truly mean if you analyze them?) That's most of the problem here. I kept thinking how set to music much of Corgan's free verse would have taken wing, but on its own...it was lacking: even empty. There are some good pieces here in Blinking with Fists but I hope Billy concentrates more on music in the future, since that's where his talent--genius I'll go so far as to say--really lies. Sorry, Billy.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars What Happened?, November 11, 2004
I have been a big Billy/Smashing Pumpkins fan for years. I always considered him a lyrical genius.
When I received this book, I read through most of it and then put it on my shelf where it has remained.
I am extremely disappointed in this book. What happened to his brilliance and the profound words? What happened to evoking emotion in the reader(listener)?
I recommend you check this book out at the library before purchasing it. I love Billy but this book is not good.
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