Red Rhinoceros
Karmann Sloane El Paso, TX, US
Having just been adopted into my forever family, I remember
that SP was the first music I’d ever heard in my new home. Our kitchen was
painted red, and when I asked my mom why that was, she introduced me to the
video for Rhinoceros, from her favorite album. It was always a source of
inspiration for her, and since she’s passed that down moreover, Gish will
forever be a soundtrack to real love and contentment.
Summer of 91
Aaron Frankfort, ky, US
I had a best friend named john that came back from summer camp in 91′ and one of the older camp counselors was playing Gish in the cabin. John asked who the band was and bought a gish cd on the way home. He brought it over that weekend and was so excited to have me hear it. We were both 11 at the time and the moment i heard I Am One i was hooked for life. The Pumpkins helped shape my love for music, i would not be the same person without them.
Hooked at first listen
Jeremy Bourbonnais, IL, US
Was 19, in the Navy at a dance club in Orlando, FL. When I heard Siva playing I went to the DJ and asked who it was. Went out the next day and bought Gish. SP has been my favorite band ever since.
Coming back to Gish
Patrick Johnson Northvale, NJ, US
I became a fan during the Siamese Dream era. Wanting more, I also picked up Gish. I liked it, but it was such a different album and I didn’t immediately get it. But, I kept going back to Gish. And then one day Gish clicked for me, especially “I am One.” Then the album became a favorite of mine.
My first SP memory
Jed Shaffer Clinton Township, MI, US
In 91, a friend had a friend in Chicago. This FOAF sent my friend a mixtape to “educate him”. On it were songs from Gish. It was the only thing on the tape that stuck with me, but I couldn’t find Gish at my local record shop. It’d be 2 more years before I found the Pumpkins.
Life Changing Moment
Matt San Diego CA, US
Its a story, more than 300 words! So i made a jpg of it
Gish on vinyl
Lea Sharpe Lynchburg, VA, US
The first I ever heard Gish, I was in my junior year science class, and would purposely finish all of my work early to listen to the album. Specifically, Siva rocked my world. Later the next year, my family and I went to the Bridge Stone arena in Nashville to see the Smashing Pumpkins, my now favorite band. I had wanted Gish on Vinyl extremely bad, and I couldn’t find my brother at the merch table. To my surprise, I turn around with him holding Gish on vinyl just for me!
My favourite Gish track
Margo -, PL
I love this track 🦏
First listen
Fredrik Sollentuna, SE
I worked in a record store and a newsletter promoted Gish so I ordered a couple of copies. I instantly put on Gish and was blown away by it. Been a fan ever since!
Old Box of Tapes
Bernie Bazzett Caledonia, New York, US
Around October of last year my aunt heard that I was getting into cassettes so she dug out her old box of tapes and sent them to me. I got the package one morning before school and opened it up and the first thing I saw was a homemade copy of Gish. I ended up skipping my first class to sit and listen to that tape and was completely blown away. My mom heard me listening to it a few days later and told me she remembers that my aunt took her Gish tape to make the copy that I know have.
My favorite album
Pablo Antonio Orizaba, MX
I hear about the band and i wanted to learn more about so i discovered Gish and i hear Rhinoceros for the first time and I was completely amazed , i figured out than i want to have Gish in CD so the last december i receive my copy as a birthday gift and now i’m happy to form part of this 30 anniversary of Gish
Discovery
Dave Hulegaard Port Townsend, WA, US
15 years old with money burning a hole in my pocket, I went to the record store to buy Swervedriver’s Raise. While scouring the S section, my eyes locked onto the Gish cassette. I’d recently heard “Siva” and loved it, so my eyes looked no further, and I left with Gish. Happily. 30 years later, it’s still the most influential record I’ve ever owned.
Wait… they already put out an amazing album?
Kyle Wrightsville Beach, NC, US
Singles st dropped when I was 15. Drown was my 1st exposure to TSP. I quickly went back and grabbed Gish and had my mind blown at its beautiful sounds and songs. Bury Me was the rocker I needed. 🙂 I was a year shy of full immersion with the release of SD, beginning work at the record store and seeing TSP for the 1st time in Nov. ’93. Since then, Gish and SD have been the soundtrack of life, followed very soon by MCIS, Adore, Machina, etc., etc. What a ride!!
The night SP blew Pearl Jam and RHCP off the stage
Mike Hiratzka Miami Beach, FL, US
The first time I saw SP was in Cincinnati in 1991, Pearl Jam opened and RHCP headlined. I was front and center on the barricade for SP, it was incredible! They were by far the best band on stage that night, and watching Billy and Jimmy up close was amazing. One of the concert highlights of my entire life!
Gish and the Girl
Cam Miller Dayton, KY, US
In Oct. of 1991, I asked to be the lunch hour DJ of my suburban Detroit high school. I had just moved there the previous spring and was trying to “fit in” so I completely fabricated a story of how I had been a DJ at my old school in South Carolina (I had not). My first order of business was to ask students to write down what music they wanted to hear. A punk rock girl walked up, wrote “Smashing Pumpkins Gish ” on the sign up sheet and walked away. I bought the CD. The LONG BOX CD and fell in love with the Pumpkins… and that girl. She became my first high school girlfriend. 🙂
Rhinoceros Waltz
Anne Falls Church, VA, US
My first child was born around Gish’s 20th anniversary. She was a colicky baby and we spent many moonlit hours waltzing up and down the hallways together to the softly playing, dreamy tune of Rhinoceros. For some reason, this song in particular soothed her more than others. Ten years later, Rhinoceros still makes me think back to that incredibly exhausting, yet sweet time of early motherhood.
Late One Friday Night
Drew Edinburgh , GB
So late one Friday night after coming from Rock City nightclub I was watching an ITV show call Raw Power. I can vividly remember seeing the video for Rhinoceros and being blown away…. Next morning it was straight down to Way Ahead records in Nottingham and bought Gish on vinyl. Straight home and played all weekend. Cannot believe 30 years old!
Memories of home
Chio Cancun, MX
All Gish songs bring me memories of the highway to home for Christmas. My family together, the Holiday reunions, the friends, and a beatiful season, when my father was still alive. Thank you SP for that magic!!!! 🙏💗
10 to the Hour, Every Hour
Tony Belser Atlanta, GA, US
July, 1991. The summer before my Junior year of high school. MTV was on in my room, as usual, one regular Salina, KS Saturday. At 10 to the hour, every hour, Kurt Loder would always let me know what was happening. Well, this particular instance it was a new Chicago, IL based band called Smashing Pumpkins.
“Wow, I was just in Chicago last week for my Dad’s family reunion…and what an awesome name for a band” little 16 yr. old me thought.
After a great news feature where I saw this killer looking group that was multi-racial AND multi-gender, a video called SIVA was aired.
“Woah…who writes a harmonized guitar intro like THAT…who plays the drums like THAT…what a voice…and the bottom drops out in the middle…Who Is THIS…?”
I bought the tape immediately, (I still have it), and, thus, began a long ride with my favorite band of all. Happy Anniversary Gish!
Creating a Bond
Holly Sycamore, US
My sister wasn’t a huge fan of SP growing up & was annoyed by how obsessively I clung to their music. In ‘11 she bought me the Gish reissue for my birthday. She watched the dvd with me & something about seeing SP at Metro where we went to shows hit differently. She went through the entire discography the next few days falling in love with the polyphony & ultimately creating a huge bond for us.
Rhino
Joshua Domínguez Santa Cruz De La Sierra, BO
The first time I heard a song from Gish was in 2015. After going to through a bittersweet year suddenly I was getting into a bad depression without accepting that I was having deeper issues with myself. At that point I hated and felt sorry for me, the first girl that I ever fell in love with just rejected me months prior to 2015 which led me to a serious misbehavior with all my surroundings (I was angry, sad, confused and dazed all the time, I even start to drink more and more every time I got the chance) , I couldn’t find any words or any consolation on anybody or anything until one night in one of many bitter moments at the roof of my house, I listened rhinoceros, a song that along mayonnaise gave me that chilling feeling of knowing how I was doing at that time, it help to canalize some sadness inside that along with a long trip to a place where I felt I was useful it help me get through those times which I will forever be thankful to you smashing pumpkins for been one of the few humans to know how I was.
Mis-spent youth
Jon FR
I’m probably 15 years old, skipping school on a rainy day because surely there’s more interesting things out in the world. I cycle the 5 miles to the town center so I can hit the thrift shop vinyl bins hoping to find treasure in someone’s old musical memories. All the while Gish is playing on my Walkman, it creates the backdrop for the day, the shifting Sonics, sometimes brutal, sometimes sweetly soft, seem to mirror my emotions and the weather. The album always makes me remember that rainy lost day.