Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan Contemplates Changing the Band's Name

Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan Contemplates Changing the Band’s Name

2011-12-19

Story by Anne Erickson

The Smashing Pumpkins may no longer be called the Smashing Pumpkins

The Smashing Pumpkins are gearing up to release their latest full-length in 2012, Oceania, and frontman Billy Corgan says the set is getting such great reaction from his peers, that they’re advising him to change the band’s legendary name! The Smashing Pumpkins not the Smashing Pumpkins anymore? That’s hard to visualize.

In a new interview with Sterogum, Corgan explained that, “some people who’ve known me a long time, people like 20+ years, people in the music business, people who’ve been around during the making of other albums, they’ve basically patted me on the back and said ‘You’ve actually done it. You got off Planet Pumpkin onto something else.’

“What’s so funny about it — I haven’t told anybody this, you seem like a nice person so I’ll tell you — the reaction to the record is so strong that people have said, ‘OK, now’s the time to change the name.’

“Yep. ‘Now’s the time to change the name ‘cause now you can be the victor of the whole thing. You can stand away from the Pumpkin and you have the record to prove it and you have the band to prove it and you guys can create your own legacy.'”

Corgan added that not everybody agrees: “Everybody in the band says, ‘No… We’re the Smashing Pumpkins.’ It’s hard to explain that mentality but there’s a real pride. There’s a real pride. There’s a real pride there to say, ‘No. We’re willing to take this on. We’re not afraid of it. We’re not gonna run from it.’”

Only time will tell if the Smashing Pumpkins truly reincarnate under a different moniker, but one thing is for positive: Corgan and the band plan to tour as much as possible in 2012. “The general plan is to … we kind of want to go out and do the concept thing of we’ll play the record, hopefully with some kind of visual accompaniment,” he said. “And do kind of like because the record’s exactly one hour so it’ll be like the concert will start with one hour of Oceania, this kind of journey of the album and the songs, and after that play whatever makes sense after that…” Check out what Corgan has to say about the recently reissued Siamese Dream and Gish albums, here.

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Anne Erickson

Meet the expert - Author, writer and editor Anne Erickson is a Detroit-based reporter and radio host. She has written for the USA Today Network, Consequence.net, Blabbermouth.net, and many more. Anne holds a master's degree from Michigan State University. Contact Anne at anne@audioinkradio.com.

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