Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan Wants to Destroy Rock 'n' Roll

Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan Wants to Destroy Rock ‘n’ Roll

2011-10-20

Frontman of alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins keeps rock ‘n’ roll real

Smashing Pumpkins, to the present day, are one of the most celebrated alternative rock bands from the ‘90s heyday of the genre. But, if you ask frontman Billy Corgan, the Pumpkins always had a sinister side.

“There’s something about the way the [Smashing Pumpkins] was formed as being in awe of rock ‘n’ roll but also wanting to destroy rock ‘n’ roll,” Corgan told Metro News in Vancouver. “That spirit still pervades everything that goes on with the Pumpkins.”

Of course, Corgan doesn’t really mean he wants to kill rock. Quite the reverse. It’s a way of saying Corgan wants to preserve the rawness and realness on which the genre was birthed. “Maybe it’s different now, but let’s say 20 years ago, there was sort of an unwritten rule that you don’t talk about how fake rock ‘n’ roll really was,” he said.

“… So the Pumpkins came along and were willing to poke holes, particularly in the indie alternative world, in the facetiousness of the whole thing, this idea that we were all living in vans down by the river. It was this kind of fantasy that musicians were a subterranean class were able to create works of incredible beauty or something.”

Corgan says he believes the future of music lies in the creativity of the young. “I think in terms of predicting something, the future of rock ‘n’ roll is probably in mixed media. Because it always starts in the basement with a 16-year-old,” he said. “What can she do to actually change rock ‘n’ roll? Maybe she figures out a very cheap, easy but creative way of combining moving image, a personal vision, and music.”

On November 29, the Pumpkins and EMI will reissue the band’s first two LPs, 1991’s Gish and 1993’s Siamese Dream, which will pack lots of never-before-heard rarities and other goodies. The Pumpkins, who are currently on a North American tour, are also eyeing a November release of their new LP, Oceania.

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Cat Badra

Meet the expert - Cat Badra is a music writer for Audio Ink Radio and a range of other music, sports and lifestyle publications. She's a graduate of Michigan State University with a master's degree in theater and speech. Contact her at cat@audioinkradio.com.