FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

Deerhunter's Bradford Cox Says He Was Manhandled and Berated By Smashing Pumpkins and Crew in 2007

Pumpkins management has called the story a "complete fabrication" and threatened litigation.

Video surfaced today of between song banter at a Deerhunter show in Asheville, North Carolina last night where outspoken singer Bradford Cox recounted a nightmare 2007 gig opening for Smashing Pumpkins at the same venue where things allegedly went coarsely, inexplicably wrong. Cox says he saw a pyramid of watter bottles back stage and grabbed one for himself, only to be shoved into a wall by Smashing Pumpkins' crew for stealing "Mr. Corgan's water."

Advertisement

Not long after, Cox was called to meet Corgan and complied, only to get dressed down by the man himself, who called Deerhunter a "shitty little insignificant fucking indie rock band" and threatened to sue when Bradford responded by slapping his back stage pass at the head Pumpkin. Cox also says Pumpkins crew threw Deerhunter's drum kit down a flight of stairs, effectively destroying it, and kicked the band out of the venue.

Several eyewitnesses can attest that Cox's account is a complete fabrication, probably to get some much needed attention," Smashing Pumpkins' manager told Pitchfork today. "He is correct about one thing, that the whole thing is on tape, and that we have a video of the encounter. Since this is intentionally slanderous, I will likely suggest we pursue charges unless a retraction is forthcoming." Watch Bradford Cox's colorful telling of the incident below.