Billy Corgan

Billy Corgan

Billy Corgan in 2010
Born William Patrick Corgan Jr.
(1967-03-17) March 17, 1967
Elk Grove Village, Illinois, US.
Occupation
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
  • producer
  • television writer
  • author
Years active 1985–present

Musical career

Genres Alternative rock
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass
  • keyboards
Labels
Associated acts
Notable instruments

William Patrick "Billy" Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967)[1] is an American musician, songwriter, producer, television writer, poet, executive, and professional wrestling promoter best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois, in 1988, the band quickly gained steam with the addition of bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Strong album sales and large-scale tours propelled the band's increasing fame in the 1990s until their break-up in 2000. Corgan started a new band called Zwan, and after their quick demise, he released a solo album (TheFutureEmbrace) and a collection of poetry (Blinking with Fists) before setting his sights on reforming Smashing Pumpkins.

The new version of Smashing Pumpkins, consisting of Corgan and a revolving lineup, has released and toured new albums extensively since the 2007 reunion album, Zeitgeist.

In 2011, Corgan entered the world of professional wrestling, founding Chicago-based indie professional wrestling promotion Resistance Pro Wrestling. He later joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2015, becoming its president in August 2016. On November 2, 2016, he left TNA due to lawsuits which he had filed with the company stating gross misconduct as the reason.

History

1967–1987: Childhood and formative years

Corgan was born in Elk Grove Village,[2] a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, as the oldest son of William Corgan Sr., a blues/rock guitarist, and Martha Louise Maes Corgan Lutz. His parents had one more son, Ricky, before divorcing in 1970.[3] His father was soon remarried to a flight attendant, and Corgan and his brother went to live with them in Glendale Heights, Illinois.[2] During this time, Corgan alleges he was subject to much physical and emotional abuse by his stepmother.[4] Corgan also developed a protective bond with his younger paternal half-brother, who had special needs as during childhood.[5] When Corgan's father and stepmother separated, all three boys would live alone with the stepmother, with both of Corgan's birth parents living separately within an hour's drive.[6]

Corgan, who grew much faster than his fellow students, was a strong athlete in elementary school.[7] In addition to being a member of his Marquardt Middle School baseball team, he collected baseball cards (amassing over 10,000) and listened to every Chicago Cubs game.[7] However, by the time he began attending Glenbard North High School in Carol Stream, Illinois, he had become only an average athlete. He decided to start playing guitar when he went over to a friend's house and saw his friend's Flying V.[7] Corgan gave his savings to his father, who bought him a used Les Paul knock-off.[7] Corgan, Sr. steered his son stylistically, encouraging him to listen to Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix, but offered little other support, and the younger Corgan taught himself to play the instrument.[6] His musical interests in his formative years included hard rock like Guts-era John Cale, heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath, and mainstream rock like Queen, Boston, ELO, Rush, and Cheap Trick. In high school, Corgan discovered alternative rock through Bauhaus and The Cure.[8]

Corgan performed in a string of bands in high school and graduated as an honor student. Despite grant and scholarship offers from a number of schools and a tuition fund left by his grandmother,[9] Corgan decided to pursue music full-time.[10] Not finding the Chicago music scene to his liking, he moved from Chicago to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1985 with his first major band, The Marked (so named for the conspicuous birthmarks of both Corgan and drummer Ron Roesing). Not finding success in St. Petersburg, the band dissolved; Corgan moved back to Chicago to live with his father.

Corgan performed with Wayne Static in Static's first band Deep Blue Dream, in 1987/88.[11]

1988–2000: The Smashing Pumpkins

Main article: The Smashing Pumpkins

Upon his return to Chicago, Corgan had already devised his next project – a band that would be called The Smashing Pumpkins.[12] Corgan met guitarist James Iha while working in a record store, and the two began recording demos, which Corgan describes as "gloomy little goth-pop records."[12] After recording their first two demos that Corgan wrote, Iha decided to write one for himself. After looking over it, Corgan criticized it. Iha took this very seriously and did not talk to Corgan for about another two months, until one day they just decided to make some more demos. He then met bassist D'arcy Wretzky after a local show, arguing with her about a band that had just played, The Dan Reed Network. Soon after, the Smashing Pumpkins were formed. The trio began to play together at local clubs with only a drum machine for percussion. To secure a show at the Metro in Chicago, the band recruited drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and played for the first time as a quartet on October 5, 1988.

Billy Corgan in 1992

The addition of the powerful Chamberlin drove the band in a heavier direction almost immediately.[12] On the band's inaugural album, Gish (1991), the band fused diverse threads such as psychedelic rock and heavy metal into a distinctive sound. Gish fared better than expected, but the follow-up, Siamese Dream, released on Virgin Records in 1993, became a multi-platinum hit. The band became known for internal drama during this period, with Corgan frequently characterized in the music press as a "control freak" due to rumors that Corgan played all the guitar and bass parts on Siamese Dream (a rumor that Corgan later confirmed as true). Despite this, the album was well received by critics, and the songs "Today" and "Disarm" became smash hits.

The band's 1995 follow up effort, the double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, was even more successful, spawning a string of hit singles. According to Jon Pareles from the New York Times, Corgan wanted to "lose himself and find himself..." in this album.[13] The album was nominated for seven Grammy awards that year and would eventually be certified ten times platinum in the United States. The song "1979" was Corgan's biggest hit to date, reaching No. 1 on Billboard's modern rock and mainstream rock charts. Their appearance on Saturday Night Live on November 11, 1995 to promote this material (their second appearance on the show overall) also was the television debut appearance of Corgan's shaved head, which he has maintained consistently ever since.[14]

During the album's tour, the band was plagued by Chamberlin's heroin addiction. On July 12, 1996, touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin died of a drug overdose in a hotel room. Chamberlin was present at the scene but could not revive him. The Pumpkins made the decision to fire Chamberlin and continue as a trio. This shakeup, coupled with Corgan going through a divorce and the death of his mother, influenced the somber mood of the band's next album, 1998's Adore. Featuring a darker, more subdued and heavily electronic sound at a time when alternative rock was declining in mainstream cachet, Adore divided both critics and fans, resulting in a significant decrease in album sales (it sold 1.3 million discs in the US).

Chamberlin was reunited with the band in 1999, and 2000 saw Machina/The Machines of God, a concept album on which the band deliberately played to their public image; critics were again divided, and sales were lower than ever. During the recording for Machina, Wretzky quit the band and was replaced for the upcoming tour by former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur. In 2000, the band announced they would break up at the end of the year, and soon after released Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music free over the internet. The Smashing Pumpkins played their last show on December 2, 2000 at the Cabaret Metro.

2001–2005: Zwan and solo career

Following a brief stint touring with New Order in the summer, Corgan reunited with Chamberlin to form the band Zwan with Corgan's old friend Matt Sweeney in late 2001.[15][16] According to Neil Strauss of New York Times, during his few live performances with the band, Corgan says "is still a work in progress".[17] The lineup was completed with guitarist David Pajo and bassist Paz Lenchantin. The band had two distinct incarnations, the primary approach being an upbeat rock band with a three-guitar-driven sound, the second, a folk and gospel inspired acoustic side with live strings.[18] The quintet performed throughout 2002 and their debut album, Mary Star of the Sea, was released in early 2003 to generally positive reviews.[19] In the midst of their supporting tour for the album, mounting conflict between Corgan and Chamberlin and the other band members led to the cancellation of the rest of the tour as the band entered an apparent hiatus, formally announcing a breakup in September 2003.[20][21][22][23]

In 2004, Corgan began writing revealing autobiographical posts on his website and his MySpace page, blaming Iha for the breakup of the Smashing Pumpkins, calling Wretzky "a mean spirited drug addict," and criticizing his former Zwan bandmates' fixation with "indie cred" and calling them "filthy", opportunistic, and selfish.[21][24]

On September 17, 2003 Billy first presented his poetry at the Art Institute of Chicago's Rubloff Auditorium.[25] In late 2004, Corgan published Blinking with Fists, a book of poetry. Despite mixed reviews, the book debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list.[26] Around this time, he began posting autobiographical writings online under the title The Confessions of Billy Corgan.

Also in 2004, he began a solo music career, landing on an electronic/shoegaze/alternative rock sound for his first solo album, TheFutureEmbrace, co-produced and arranged by Bon Harris of Nitzer Ebb. Released on June 21, 2005 through Reprise Records, it garnered mixed reviews from the press and only sold 69,000 copies.[27] Corgan toured behind his solo album with a touring band that included Linda Strawberry, Brian Liesegang and Matt Walker in 2005. This tour was not as extensive as previous Smashing Pumpkins or Zwan tours.[28] Prior to recording TheFutureEmbrace, Corgan had recorded some 72 songs inspired by Chicago history for the largely acoustic ChicagoSongs project, which have yet to be released.[29][30]

2005–present: The Smashing Pumpkins revival

In 2005, Corgan took out a full-page ad in Chicago's two major newspapers (The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times) revealing his desire to reform the Smashing Pumpkins.[29] Several days later, Jimmy Chamberlin accepted Billy Corgan's offer for a reunion.[31]

On April 20, 2006 the band's official website confirmed that the group was indeed reuniting.[32] The band went into studio for much of 2006 and early 2007, and performed its first show in seven years on May 22, 2007, with new members Ginger Pooley (bass) and Jeff Schroeder (guitar) replacing Wretzky and Iha. The new album, titled Zeitgeist, was released in the U.S. on July 10, 2007, and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts. Corgan and the rest of the Pumpkins toured extensively throughout 2007 and 2008, also releasing the EP American Gothic and the singles "G.L.O.W." and "Superchrist". Chamberlin left the band in March 2009, and Corgan elected to continue under the name.[33]

In summer 2009, Corgan formed the band Spirits in the Sky to play a tribute concert to the late Sky Saxon of the Seeds. He then toured with the band, composed of ex-Catherine member and "Superchrist" producer Kerry Brown, the late Electric Prunes bassist Mark Tulin, Strawberry Alarm Clock keyboardist Mark Weitz, frequent Corgan collaborator Linda Strawberry, flautist Kevin Dippold, "Superchrist" violinist Ysanne Spevack, new Pumpkins drummer Mike Byrne, and Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, playing covers and new Pumpkins material at several clubs in California.[34][35] At the end of the tour, Corgan, Byrne, Tulin, and Brown headed back to Chicago to begin work on the new Smashing Pumpkins album, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope.[36] The lineup at the time which included new bassist Nicole Fiorentino, toured through much of 2010, then spent 2011 recording the "album-within-an-album" Oceania and mounting tours of the US and Europe. However, Byrne and Fiorentino would later leave the band in 2014.

In April, Corgan announced a new solo record of "experimental" recordings he made in 2007, via the Smashing Pumpkins' website.[37] The album, entitled AEGEA, will be released exclusively on vinyl, with 250 copies being made; 200 copies being sold online, through Madame Zuzu's Tea House's online store, 30 being sold at Madame Zuzu's Tea House itself, 10 being sold by way of famed Vintage Vinyl, in Evanston, IL., and 10 being set aside for promotion.[38] The album was released on May 15.[39]

On July 25, 2014, Corgan announced that the tapes from his "Siddhartha" show from March 2014 were being transferred for sale, much in the vein of AEGEA. The set is expected to be between 5 and 6 discs.[40]

During the summer 2014, Corgan recorded The Smashing Pumpkins' tenth studio album Monuments to an Elegy with Tommy Lee and Jeff Schroeder. The album was released in early December 2014.[41]

In September 2015, Corgan started a blog of vintage photographs curated by himself called People and Their Cars. The website also includes an email listing for the blog entitled "The Red Border Club". This list will be used for information on upcoming People and Their Cars and Hexestential books and merchandise along with access to additional images.[42][43]

On September 8, 2016, Corgan announced via a Facebook live video, that he had recorded a new solo album with producer Rick Rubin, and it will consist of 12 or 13 tracks. He described work on the album as being near completion, though a release date was not given.[44]

Personal life

Billy Corgan has struggled with depression for much of his life and has endured bouts of self-injury, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and suicidal thoughts.[45] Corgan attributes these problems to the abuse he endured as a child as well as personal anxieties and issues.[45] Corgan has since become an advocate for abuse support networks.[45]

His mother Martha died in December 1996. The song "For Martha", from Adore, was written in her memory. In the early 2000s, Corgan named his label Martha's Music after her as well. A picture of Martha as a little girl sitting on a fake moon at Riverview Park is featured on the flipside of the Siamese Dream booklet.[46]

Corgan is an avid sports fan. A lifelong fan of the Chicago Cubs, he is an occasional commentator on that team for WXRT DJ Lin Brehmer, and sporadically in interviews.[47] He has appeared at Cubs games many times, occasionally throwing the ceremonial first pitch or singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". He was a devoted fan of the Bulls and Blackhawks in the 1990s, and became personal friends with Dennis Rodman[6] and Chris Chelios.[48]

He is a lifelong fan of professional wrestling and self-described "wrestlemaniac",[49] and appeared at an Extreme Championship Wrestling event wielding an acoustic guitar as a weapon.[50] In 2008, the Pumpkins song "Doomsday Clock" was used by Ring of Honor for promotional videos.[51] On April 26, 2010, Corgan appeared live on the SIRIUS Satellite Radio program Right After Wrestling with Arda Ocal to discuss his love for pro wrestling and the importance of unique theme songs for characters. On August 26, 2010, Corgan took part in a professional wrestling storyline with wrestlers from the Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, during a concert for MTV World Stage.[52] He also ran his own professional wrestling company called Resistance Pro based in Chicago. As far as other entertainment, Corgan once commented that all he watches on TV are "sports and Three Stooges."[53] In March 2008, he was spotted in the crowd at the final day of the cricket test match between New Zealand and England in Wellington. In early 2014 it was rumoured through many wrestling news sites that AMC were picking Resistance Pro up for a backstage and in-ring look at Corgan's promotion.

He incorporates elements of Catholicism and Buddhism into his spiritual philosophy, even though he has not publicly aligned himself with any one faith.[54] In 2009, he launched Everything From Here to There, an interfaith website that is devoted to "Mind-Body-Soul" integration. He mentions praying each morning and night to be able to see through Christ's eyes and feel with his heart.[55][56][57]

In 1993, he married his longtime on-again, off-again girlfriend Chris Fabian, art conservator and artist. They were married at a small ceremony at his house in Wrigleyville.[58] Corgan and Fabian separated in late 1995 and divorced in 1997. Corgan refused to discuss the subject in interviews, saying "There is not and will not be any public record on my marriage – that's one thing I have to draw lines around."[59] He nevertheless described the circumstances of his marriage in his online Confessions in 2005.[58]

In late 1995,[6] he started dating photographer Yelena Yemchuk, who later contributed to several Smashing Pumpkins videos and album art. He continued to date Yemchuk until around 2004. According to Corgan, his breakup with her contributed to the themes of his 2005 solo release, TheFutureEmbrace.[60] In 2008, Corgan said, "I've had a bad marriage and seven bad girlfriends in a row", a perspective he attributes to his dedication to music.[61]

In 2005, Corgan dated musician Emilie Autumn for a number of months. The pair collaborated on multiple occasions during this time, with Autumn providing vocals and violin on his solo album and costume for a supporting music video.

In early 2006, Corgan moved in with Courtney Love and her daughter, Frances Bean Cobain. According to Love, he had his own wing in her new Hollywood Hills mansion.[62] Two years later, Love criticized Corgan publicly over the latter's alleged refusal to attend Frances' sweet 16 birthday party.[63] In March 2010, Corgan stated in an interview in reference about Love "I have no interest in supporting her in any way, shape or form. You can't throw enough things down the abyss with a person like that" and said he parted ways with her. Shortly after, when Hole's Nobody's Daughter was released, Corgan unleashed on his Twitter a set of anger-filled tweets against her in reference to including two songs he wrote, "Samantha" and "How Dirty Girls Get Clean", that ended up on the new album without his permission. Love then wrote an apology to him on her Facebook, but things heated up. Corgan took to Twitter again in six tweets, attacking her again. Love responded to Corgan's tweets, saying "All i am is nice about you so if you wanna be mean be mean i dont feel anything. i have too much to feel dear."[64]

In 2009, Corgan was linked with pop star Jessica Simpson.[65] He started dating Jessica Origliasso from The Veronicas in 2010 and was still dating her until early June 2012 when the pair broke up. "It's one of those things. It's really difficult when you spend so much time apart", said Origliasso of the split.[66][67]

Corgan is a pescetarian since 2013, which he mentioned on the official Smashing Pumpkins website.[68]

Corgan's girlfriend, Chloe Mendel, gave birth to a son named Augustus Juppiter Corgan on November 16, 2015.[69]

Professional wrestling career

Resistance Pro Wrestling (2011–2014)

In 2011, Corgan founded a Chicago-based indie pro-wrestling corporation called Resistance Pro Wrestling.[70]

In 2011, Corgan formed an independent wrestling promotion called Resistance Pro.[71][72] Two years later, in 2013, he starred in a commercial for Walter E. Smithe Furniture, using the platform to promote his wrestling company.[73] In 2012, he opened a tea house in his native Highland Park called Madame Zuzu's Tea House.[74][75] He is currently at work on his spiritual memoir, entitled "God is Everywhere from Here to There".[76]

In March 2014, it was reported that Corgan was in discussions with American television channel AMC to develop an unscripted reality series about Resistance Pro.[77][78] The premise being a behind the scenes look at the promotion as Corgan "takes over creative direction for the independent wrestling company." The show was given the green light by AMC, under the working title of "Untitled Billy Corgan Wrestling Project," the same month.[79]

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2015–2016)

In April 2015, Corgan was announced as the new Senior Producer of Creative and Talent Development for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where his role was to "develop characters and create story lines", which he has called "a dream come true."[80][81][82][83] In August 2016, Corgan took over as the promotion's new president.

In November 2016, Corgan had left TNA after disputes about not being paid on time and subsequently Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp and Impact Ventures, parent company of TNA Impact Wrestling, announced that Anthem has provided a credit facility to TNA to fund operations. [84] In 2016, he loaned money to Anthem Sports & Entertainment to fund TNA and they promised to pay him back.[85]

On November 11, Corgan signed a settlement with Anthem – TNA and Anthem announced that they would be repaying TNA's loan to Corgan.

Political views

Corgan said after the 2008 presidential election, "I'm very proud of my country right now for doing the right thing."[86] He has since said that he has been disappointed with Obama's presidency and lacks faith in both major political parties.[87] In 2009, he posted a transcript of a webcast by political activist Lyndon LaRouche to the official Smashing Pumpkins forum.[88][89] In 2016, he characterized progressive political campaigners as "social justice warriors", compared them to Maoists, cult members and the Ku Klux Klan, and called them a threat to freedom of speech.[90]

Corgan has also in recent years increasingly espoused conspiracy theories, voiced his admiration for radio host Alex Jones[91] and frequently appeared as a guest on the latter's radio show, where he has endorsed conspiracy theories such as "chemtrails" and the connection between vaccines and autism, decried the "emasculation" of men in contemporary society. Corgan sometimes seems to be "wearing all of his clothes at once" or otherwise oddly dressed during these appearances, and has expressed strong political views, such as that swine flu was an "Obama conspiracy" and "propaganda".[88][92]

On March 10, 2009, Corgan testified in front of Congress on behalf of the musicFIRST Coalition. Corgan spoke in favor of H.R. 848, the Performance Rights Act, which gives musicians and artists their share of compensation when their music is played on music radio stations.[93]

Collaborations

Mark Tulin—a middle-aged Caucasian male with long brown hair wearing a white shirt and black vest—plays bass guitar and smiles while Billy Corgan—a middle-aged Caucasian male wearing a dark green hat and red-and-black striped shirt with a brown jacket—plays electric guitar to his left.
Corgan has collaborated with several acts since reforming The Smashing Pumpkins; he is pictured here performing with Mark Tulin of The Electric Prunes at a benefit concert for Sky Saxon.

In addition to performing, Corgan has produced albums for Ric Ocasek, The Frogs, and Catherine. He shared songwriting credit on several songs on Hole's 1998 album Celebrity Skin; the title track became Corgan's second No. 1 modern rock hit. He also acted as a consultant for Marilyn Manson during the recording of the album Mechanical Animals. He has produced three soundtracks for the movies Ransom (1996), Stigmata (1999) and Spun (2002) in which he appeared as a doctor.[94] Corgan appeared at the 1996 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies. He inducted one of his biggest musical influences, Pink Floyd. He played acoustic guitar during the ceremony with Pink Floyd, when they performed their song "Wish You Were Here". He has collaborated with Tony Iommi, Blindside, David Bowie, New Order and Marianne Faithfull. Corgan would also guide and collaborate with three bands in the 2000s—Breaking Benjamin (during sessions for 2004's We Are Not Alone), Taproot (for Blue-Sky Research, 2005), and Sky Saxon.[95] Corgan appeared as a guest vocalist on the song "Loki Cat" on Jimmy Chamberlin's first solo album Life Begins Again and Chamberlin played drums for the song "DIA" on Corgan's solo debut, where Robert Smith from The Cure teamed up with Corgan to do a cover of the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody". Corgan has worked on Courtney Love's Nobody's Daughter,[96] and Scorpions' Humanity - Hour 1.[97]

In 2010, Corgan featured on Ray Davies' album on a mash-up of the tracks "All Day and All of the Night" and "Destroyer". He also contributed his guitar work on "Did You Miss Me" by The Veronicas.

Musical style and influences

Corgan performing during the Mellon Collie tour

When asked in a 1994 Rolling Stone interview about his influences, Corgan replied:

Eight years old, I put on the Black Sabbath record, and my life is forever changed. It sounded so heavy. It rattled the bones. I wanted that feeling. With Bauhaus and The Cure, it was the ability to create a mood and an atmosphere. The air gets heavier. With Jimi Hendrix it was the ability to translate this other level of guitar. Cheap Trick – it was a vocal influence. Although Tom Petersson once told me that Rick Nielsen called us 'tuneless and nonmelodic.'[98]

Corgan wrote six articles for Guitar World in 1995, and his solos for "Cherub Rock" and "Geek U.S.A." were included on their list of the top guitar solos of all time. AllMusic said "Starla" "proves that Corgan was one of the finest (and most underrated) rock guitarists of the '90s",[99] while Rolling Stone called him and his Smashing Pumpkins bandmates "ruthless virtuosos". His solo for "Soma" was No. 24 on Rolling Stone's list of the top guitar solos.[100] He is a fan of Eddie Van Halen and interviewed him in 1996 for Guitar World. Other guitarists Corgan rates highly include Uli Jon Roth,[101] Tony Iommi, Ritchie Blackmore, Leslie West, Dimebag Darrell and Robin Trower.[102]

His bass playing, which has featured on nearly every Smashing Pumpkins album, was influenced by post-punk figures like Peter Hook and Simon Gallup.[103]

Corgan has praised Radiohead, saying "if they're not the best band in the world, then they're one of the best". He is also a fan of Pantera.[104] Other favorites include Depeche Mode,[105] Siouxsie and the Banshees,[106] Rush, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Queen, Electric Light Orchestra, Dinosaur Jr., Breaking Benjamin, My Bloody Valentine,[107] and Spiritualized.[53] Corgan stated in 1997 that upon hearing the U2 song 'New Years Day', at 16, "[U2] quickly became the most important band in the world to me."[108]

He has listed his artistic influences as William S. Burroughs, Pablo Picasso, Jimi Hendrix, Jack Kerouac, and Philip K. Dick.[53][109]

Instruments

Corgan played (during the Gish-Siamese Dream era) a customized '57 Reissue Fender Stratocaster equipped with three Fender Lace Sensor pickups (the Lace Sensor Blue in the neck position, the Lace Sensor Silver in the middle position, and the Lace Sensor Red at the bridge position). It also has a five-position pickup selector switch which he installed himself. This battered Strat became his number one guitar by default. He owned a '74 Strat that was stolen shortly after Gish was completed.

Corgan also used a wide variety of guitars on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. On "Where Boys Fear to Tread", Corgan used a Les Paul Junior Reissue, and on "Tonight Tonight" he used a '72 Gibson ES-335. He is also known to use a '74 Strat that has since then been painted baby blue. That guitar was used on the recordings for "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" and also "Muzzle", because the heavier wood gave it the basic Strat sound with a bit more bottom.

During the recording and tour of the album Zeitgeist, Corgan used a Schecter C-1 EX baritone, finished in black with Tony Iommi signature pickups.

Corgan also endorsed Reverend Guitars in his Zwan era, most notably playing a Reverend Slingshot.

In 2008 Corgan released to the market his own Fender Stratocaster.[110] This new guitar was made to Corgan's exact specs to create his famous mid-'90s buzzsaw tone; the instrument features three DiMarzio pickups (two custom for this instrument), a string-through hardtail bridge and a satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish.[111] When playing live he uses both his signature Strats as well as two other Fender Strats, one in red with a white pick guard and one in silver-grey with a black pick guard; a Gibson Tony Iommi signature SG; and his Schecter C-1 (only used on the Zeitgeist song "United States").

A video called 'Stompland' on the official Smashing Pumpkins YouTube channel is informative on Corgan's choice of effects pedals. In the video he reveals an extensive collection of pedals used throughout his career with the Smashing Pumpkins. Corgan's tone is often characterized by his use of fuzz pedals, particularly vintage versions of the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff [112]

Solo discography

On May 24, 2007 at den Atelier, Luxembourg City.

Albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
SWE
[113]		 SWI
[114]		 UK
[115]		 GER
[116]		 NZ
[117]		 AUS
[118]		 FRA
[119]		 US
[120]		 JPN
[121]		 NLD
[122]
TheFutureEmbrace
  • Released: June 21, 2005
  • Label: Reprise Records
  • Formats: CD
45 82 89 67 25 24 73 31 49 77
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK
[115]
"Walking Shade" 2005 74 TheFutureEmbrace
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Soundtrack work

Albums featured

In wrestling

References

  1. ↑ Prato, Greg. "Billy Corgan Biography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  2. 1 2 DeRogatis, Jim. "Rock and Roll's Best and Worst Chicago Songs." Chicago Sun-Times. July 30, 2003.
  3. ↑ William also fathered a half-brother, but Corgan has never found out who he is. See: Corgan, Billy. "The Toy Hammer." The Confessions of Billy Corgan. June 2, 2005.
  4. ↑ Corgan, Billy. "Following the Moon." The Confessions of Billy Corgan. July 1, 2005.
  5. ↑ Wilson, Beth (April 17, 1995). "He's My Brother.". Daily Herald.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Howard Stern interviews Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin Archived March 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. (mp3 recording). February 29, 2000.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Blashill, Pat (October 1996). "Out on a Limb". Details Magazine.
  8. ↑ DeRogatis, pg. 76
  9. ↑ Fricke, David. "Smashing Pumpkins Look Back in Wonder Archived September 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.". Rolling Stone Magazine. December 20, 2000.
  10. ↑ Corgan, Billy. "Eddy Street." The Confessions of Billy Corgan. April 15, 2005.
  11. ↑ "William Corgan on Twitter: "I am shocked to hear that Wayne Wells (Wayne Static) has passed away. I played with him in his first band, Deep Blue Dream, in 1987/88"". Twitter.com. 2014-11-02. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  12. 1 2 3 Corgan, Billy. Interview. Vieuphoria.
  13. ↑ Pareles, Jon (October 22, 1995). "Alternative Rockers Think Big, Uneasily.". New York Times: 2.38.
  14. ↑ Mac, Ryan; Dunn, Charlie (December 14, 2010). "Review: Live 105's Not So Silent Night". The Stanford Daily. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  15. ↑ Canoe inc. "CANOE – JAM! New Order: Billy Corgan joins New Order: report". canoe.ca. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  16. ↑ Moss, Corey. "Billy Corgan Ready To Debut His New Band, Zwan Archived August 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.". MTV. November 2, 2001.
  17. ↑ Strauss, Neil. "There's Life After Pumpkins Honoring the Obscure A Museum Boom". New York Times.
  18. ↑ "Music News". XFM. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  19. ↑ Mary Star of the Sea on Metacritic Archived March 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.. Metacritic.com. January 28, 2003.
  20. ↑ Dansby, Andrew. "Zwan Cancels European Tour Archived June 27, 2003, at the Wayback Machine.". RollingStone.com. June 13, 2003. Available here.
  21. 1 2 Corgan, Billy (August 3, 2004). "Smashing Pumpkins (weblog)" (http). LiveJournal.com. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
  22. ↑ Kot, Greg. "Billy Corgan comes clean, starts over Archived September 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.". Chicago Tribune, April 24, 2005. Retrieved September 10, 2007.
  23. ↑ Snierson, Dan. "To His Soul". Entertainment Weekly, May 23, 2005. Retrieved September 10, 2007.
  24. ↑ Corgan, Billy (February 17, 2004). "Smashing Pumpkins (weblog)" (http). LiveJournal.com. Retrieved June 14, 2006.
  25. ↑ Klein, Joshua (September 19, 2003). "Poet Corgan smashes image – Chicago Tribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Billy Corgan's First Poetry Effort Debuts on New York Times Best Seller List". Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  27. ↑ "Smashing Pumpkins Reunite... Sort Of" (http). Pitchfork Media. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
  28. ↑ "Tour history – dates (search results)". Spfc.org. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  29. 1 2 Corgan, Billy. "A Message to Chicago From Billy Corgan." Published in Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune on June 21, 2005.
  30. ↑ "Billy Corgan (Billy) on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  31. ↑ Spegel, Ashley (June 28, 2005). "Chamberlin's in For Pumpkins Reunion... To Nobody's Surprise". Chart. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  32. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (April 21, 2006). "Smashing Pumpkins Site Says 'It's Official' – Band Has Reunited". Mtv. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  33. ↑
  34. ↑ "The Official Smashing Pumpkins". The Official Smashing Pumpkins. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  35. ↑ "The Official Smashing Pumpkins". The Official Smashing Pumpkins. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  36. ↑ "Twitter / Kerry Brown: Listening 2 killer demos a". Twitter. September 3, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  37. ↑ "The Official Smashing Pumpkins". The Official Smashing Pumpkins. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  38. ↑ "The Official Smashing Pumpkins". The Official Smashing Pumpkins. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  39. ↑ "AEGEA BY WPC:2nd PRESSING". Retrieved May 27, 2014.
  40. ↑ "The Official Smashing Pumpkins". The Official Smashing Pumpkins. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  41. ↑ Leas, Ryan. "Inside Baseball With Billy Corgan: The Smashing Pumpkins Head On Adore, MACHINA, And The End Of Teargarden". Stereogum. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  42. ↑ Fulmer, Elias. "Billy Corgan's Latest Project: People and Their Cars". Alternative Nation. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  43. ↑ People and Their Cars Archived October 21, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
  44. ↑ https://twitter.com/Billy/status/773943752578756609[]
  45. 1 2 3 Joel Schumacher (director) (March 3, 2008). Half of Us (FLV). mtvU.
  46. ↑ Corgan, Billy. "In the Shadows of Ruins". The Confessions of Billy Corgan (weblog). May 30, 2005.
  47. ↑ Maller, Ben. "Chicago rocker Billy Corgan covers Cubs Archived January 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.." Ben Maller. June 29, 2004.
  48. ↑ Archived February 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  49. ↑ "Billy Corgan is Ready to Rumble." Spin Magazine. April 4, 2000.
  50. ↑ Billy Corgan on ECW. Video available Archived December 1, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
  51. ↑ "Smashing Pumpkins – Doomsday Clock featuring ROH Wrestling". YouTube. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  52. ↑ "Imágenes del ataque de AAA a los Smashing Pumpkins – ¿Via Facebook se había arruinado la sorpresa?". Superluchas (in Spanish). August 27, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  53. 1 2 3 "spfc.org : quality posts : Listessa Interviews Billy Corgan". Spfc.org. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  54. ↑ "Conscious Choice: Billy Corgan Comes Out of the Dark". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2008-09-05. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  55. ↑ "Everything From Here To There". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2010-03-17. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  56. ↑ Archived November 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  57. ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins: Making Peace With The Immediate Past". NPR.org. June 24, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  58. 1 2 Corgan, Billy. "Wedding Bells Chime." The Confessions of Billy Corgan. May 26, 2005.
  59. ↑ Marks, Craig. "Zero Worship Archived February 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.." Spin Magazine: June 1996.
  60. ↑ Corgan, Billy. "Blue Room Interview, Part I." Recorded 2005. Archived August 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  61. ↑ Kot, Greg. "Billy Corgan dishes on the Smashing Pumpkins: The past is dead to me Archived October 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.". Chicago Tribune.
  62. ↑ Friedman, Roger (June 22, 2006). "Courtney Love to Play London's West End" (http). Fox News. Retrieved June 1, 2007.
  63. ↑ Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  64. ↑ Daniel Kreps (April 27, 2010). "Billy Corgan Lashes Out at Courtney Love Over 'Nobody's Daughter' | Rolling Stone Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  65. ↑ Baker, KC. "Jessica Simpson and Billy Corgan Are Taking It Slow Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.". People Magazine.
  66. ↑ "Billy Corgan says Veronicas' Jessica and Lisa Origliasso could go solo". The Daily Telegraph. September 15, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  67. ↑ Interview with Billy Corgan, Howard Stern Radio Show. June 19, 2012.
  68. ↑ "The Official Smashing Pumpkins". The Official Smashing Pumpkins. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  69. ↑ Mendelson, Will (December 22, 2015). "Billy Corgan Welcomes Son, Augustus Juppiter Corgan, With Chloe Mendel". Us Weekly. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  70. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  71. ↑ Frye, Andy. "Pumpkins' Billy Corgan gets into pro wrestling". ESPN. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  72. ↑ "Smashing Pumpkins Frontman Billy Corgan Joins Pro Wrestling Company". Fox Chicago News. October 13, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  73. ↑ Minsker, Evan (February 19, 2013). "Watch: Billy Corgan Does Weird Furniture Store Commercial to Promote His Pro Wrestling Company". PitchforkMedia. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  74. ↑ Bendersky, Ari. "Billy Corgan Opening 1930s Chinese-style Tea House this Spring in Highland Park" Archived August 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.. Eater.com. 2011-12-29.
  75. ↑ Battan, Carrie. "Billy Corgan Opens Tea Shop". PitchforkMedia. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  76. ↑ Greg Prato (May 10, 2011). "Billy Corgan Writing 'Spiritual Memoir' About Smashing Pumpkins | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  77. ↑ "Billy Corgan in Talks With AMC For Reality Show Based on His Indie Pro Wrestling Company". The Huffington Post. March 31, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  78. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (March 26, 2014). "AMC To Develop Scripted Comedy, Latenight Project with Kevin Smith". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  79. ↑ "AMC Picks Up Billy Corgan's Wrestling Reality Show". RTTNews. March 29, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  80. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  81. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 19, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  82. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  83. ↑ Brian Steinberg (2015-04-27). "Billy Corgan: TNA Impact Wrestling Hires Smashing Pumpkins Frontman". Variety. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  84. ↑ Currier, Joseph (2016-08-12). "Dixie Carter no longer TNA President, Billy Corgan takes over". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2016-08-12.
  85. ↑ Middleton, Marc (11 November 2016). "Billy Corgan signs settlement with Anthem". Wrestlinginc. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  86. ↑ "Billy Corgan on Obama". YouTube. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  87. ↑ "Billy Corgan on Barack Obama: "He ran on a moral compass agenda … but, what happened?" – Piers Morgan – CNN.com Blogs". Piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com. June 20, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  88. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  89. ↑ "The Official Smashing Pumpkins". The Official Smashing Pumpkins. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  90. ↑ Blistein, Jon (19 April 2016). "Billy Corgan Compares 'Social Justice Warriors' to Cults, Maoists, KKK". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  91. ↑ Seitz-Wald, Alex (March 25, 2013) Billy Corgan’s strange infatuation with a conspiracy theorist Archived March 30, 2016, at the Wayback Machine., Salon.com
  92. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  93. ↑ "Smashing Pumpkins". Smashing Pumpkins. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  94. ↑ "Spun (2002)". IMDb. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  95. ↑ "The Official Smashing Pumpkins". The Official Smashing Pumpkins. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  96. ↑ "Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  97. ↑ "SCORPIONS: New CD To Feature Guest Appearance By BILLY CORGAN". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  98. ↑ "Rolling Stone Interview, 1994.". Retrieved June 8, 2007.
  99. ↑ Prato, Greg. "Pisces Iscariot". Allmusic. Archived from the original (http) on December 13, 2006. Retrieved October 7, 2006.
  100. ↑ "The 25 Coolest Guitar Solos". Rolling Stone. August 6, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2006.
  101. ↑ "Billy Corgan und Uli Jon Roth (1/6)". YouTube. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  102. ↑ "Smashing Pumpkins: 'There Are Always More Riffs Than Words'". Ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  103. ↑ Archived September 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  104. ↑ Interview: Billy Corgan. INSite Magazine. May 14, 2000.
  105. ↑ Smith, Sarah (June 2012). "I'll Piss on Fucking Radiohead". Retrieved September 20, 2012.
  106. ↑ "Billy Corgan plays X tracks while hosting SiriusXM Lithium station". crestfallen.com. October 28, 2011. Archived from the original on August 31, 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  107. ↑ McGlinchey, Joe (January 1996). "My Bloody Valentine". Perfect Sound Forever. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2008. Also noted is their influence on Billy Corgan, who recruited the engineer of 'Loveless', Alan Moulder, for the latest Smashing Pumpkins album.
  108. ↑ "Billy Corgan Interviews U2". Starla.org. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  109. ↑ Corgan, Billy. Twitter Q&A. October 3, 2011.
  110. ↑ "Fender Artist Series - Billy Corgan Stratocaster". Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Archived from the original on 2008-07-02. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
  111. ↑ Gruhn, George; Carter, Walter (2010-01-01). Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars: An Identification Guide for American Fretted Instruments. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879309442.
  112. ↑ "Stompland". Youtube. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  113. ↑ "Billy Corgan". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  114. ↑ "Billy Corgan". Hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on September 8, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  115. 1 2 "Chart Log UK". Zobbel.de. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  116. ↑ "charts.de". Officialcharts.de. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  117. ↑ "Billy Corgan". Charts.org.nz. Archived from the original on November 28, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  118. ↑ "Billy Corgan". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  119. ↑ "Billy Corgan". Lescharts.com. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  120. ↑ Steve Bekkala. "Billy Corgan – Awards – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  121. ↑ "ビリー・コーガン". ORICON STYLE. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  122. ↑ "Billy Corgan". Dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  123. ↑ "Pitchfork: Smashing Pumpkins Reunite (Sort Of)". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2008-01-19. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  124. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3MRi1HdVos
  125. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVaiFekYtYo

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.