I met Billy Corgan on Whyte Ave, in Edmonton back in the mid 90's. He was coming out of Chapters Book store. My GF asked if we could take his picture, or get a picture with him. He said "I only do One of those." Dude was so chill, pretty playful. He made her guess which one lol. We gave her camera to his body guard, who took a few pics of the 2 of us with Billy. I've met a few Rockstars, and Billy was easily the most fun and human. He took his time with us, and laughed, and smiled. Made us feel special actually. Super cool guy.
It's fun when you can meet celebrities in a way that makes you remember they are just regular people. I hung out with the guys from Children of Bodom after their set in Detroit once, and we just bs'd about stuff outside their bus. About how their bass player bought a schwinn chopper bike to cruise around Detroit and Walmart's world domination. Then a mob came to ask The singer/lead guitarist for his autograph, signing body parts and shit. Mood totally shifted and he went back to the bus. Celebs are just people, but cool people when you remember to treat them that way.
I met him in Maui one time. I was young but had an older sibling who listened to the pumpkins, nirvana, etc so I knew who he was by looking at the posters on her wall. Anyways, I was 7 and said in a childlike voice “you’re billy corgan!” He stuck out in Maui. Tall bald and white! He asked me which hat he should buy. I told him which one and he was wearing it on tv months later. He was scary looking to me. Reminded me of Jack Skeleton from the nightmare before Christmas. But his eyes were so kind and he was just plain nice. Almost playful in a super short moment with him. Very fun memory.
Love that story you experience. I am skeptical at times about Billy Corgan as a person... He's either hit or miss, but to hear him be friendly to you and you were just a little kid, makes me appreciate him alot, even though I know of some that will say he's one of the worst "celebrity" encounters from their own experiences.
I really like how Joe is engaging with his guests. He literally loves to learn and soak up whatever his guests offer in conversation. And offers his insight as well...
I believe that. He strikes me as the kind of guy who tells the story about buying the Ferrari for cash but doesn't mention his generosity... but what do I know
Yes Billy he's an awesome tipper!! Sean Hannity use come into a Restaurant I worked out and would get 4 Miller Lites. The Bill would be like 26 bucks and he would leave whatever change from a hundred for a tip. Our Bartender was the biggest leftist also but sure loved the money. Tiger Woods is utterly the worst and Lebron is right up there.
@@learningcurve3212 a LONG time ago when Sean was broadcasting from Atlanta I used to see him almost daily because I was a DHL driver that had a daily stop at WGST. He would always take the time to chat, or leave a snack and a drink and sometimes cigars for me. Just a super cool guy.
Its a studio... I would put a handful of dollars on the likely fact that it was below 65' F in there. Pretty standard when you have A/V equipment, cameras and lighting in small room.
This is actually a very human interview. Seems like wisdom over time has really shaped Billy, whereas you see other musicians waste the opportunity to learn and end up adult teenagers.
He's not too wise. He said nobody ever gave them any help/advice and then says somebody told them to all make the same money and he said fuck you and that's what broke up the band lol.
@@hyenaswineBecause that was bad advice. Billy wrote all of the music, sure spreading the wealth would be fine, but it was his writing talent that made the songs work. You can also make the reverse argument where without the bands Instrumentation then he wouldn't have gotten anywhere. This is a 50-50 argument. Hurt your ego by sharing the writing credits or lose the band because its your writing that is reaching the hearts of millions. Tough Decision.
@@gunnymaru2900 he already said that was good advice on the joe rogan podcast, and he didn't take it. You totally missed the point. Go catch up, dummy. He's also spent enough time apologizing and trying to keep that band together since. omg you are so lost.
Wisdom didn't shape him, Billy shaped wisdom! 😅 But nahh srsly tho, he has always wanted to go higher n higher n higher without an ego which makes him humble and cool and understanding n cool af!! He's always gained wisdom and been smart with his band. He wasn't a dumb kid nor a dumb adult!!
Billy Corgan hit an insane songwriting peak in the mid to late 90's that was astonishing. Smashing Pumpkins have B Sides that would've been lead singles for most other bands at that time.
The funny thing about this conversation is that Joe Rogan is a total millionaire himself and is quite well known himself, and yet he talks to Billy Corgan like he's discovering that lifestyle.
hes a good interviewer hes digging deeper to bring out the interesting information that the average man doesnt know about, even if he knows the answers already
it's a bit different to being a rockstar. There's normal celebrities and athletes, actors, then you have rockstars. Its a different realm of famous. Those people literally make a living on having a giant base of fans who go and see them everywhere they go. Joe Rogan can't fill a stadium anywhere he goes. He does have a lot of fans online though.
Met Billy about 10 or so years ago, on accident, down the street from Zuzu’s in Ravinia. I was walking to my girlfriend’s apartment, in a light snow, and I saw this familiar looking bald guy walking toward me on the same sidewalk. My mind was racing to figure out who I know in the Chicagoland area (other than my brother’s family and my girlfriend), and the only cogent thought that came to my mind was: he’s the only bald guy I’ve seen, other than myself, not wearing a winter hat (I was visiting from Florida). As we neared each other our eyes met and I just blurted out “Hey, nice weather for a walk, huh?” while rubbing the top of my bald head. His face broke into a genuine grin and he chuckled, rubbing the top of his own head. He replied “Enjoy it while it lasts.” and kept laughing as we each kept walking our separate ways. No deep conversations, just a pleasant passing greeting. The whole time, and the rest of the afternoon, I kept trying to figure out where I had met him before. When my girlfriend got home from work, I told her about it and she jokingly said “Maybe it was Billy Corgan. He owns the place (Zuzu’s).” I googled a (then recent) pic of him on my phone and just about crapped myself, in surprise.
I truly miss the 90s. All his music sets stage for so many amazing nights in my life as a young rebellious teen ... the striking smell of a zoppo and music in the back ground ...I can literally feel my heart glowing while playing any song from the pumpkins!! If I had a time machine I would go back in a second .
Jennifer May Every word you just said is exactly the way I feel about it. I love my life now but I would love a trip back. This music was just so real, wild and free. Like kids at the time. Amazing, amazing times.
I met Billy at a bar back in 2001, my drunk ass didn't believe it was him so he went out of his way, pulled out his I.D. and proved himself to me 😂 I apologized immediately.
The Smashing Pumpkins were my favorite band all through their success in the 90’s. Helped me through tough times. Billy is without a doubt a genius, but a humble one.
My transition from high school to uni to the real world was painted with their albums, and then they became music from that time, while I moved onto other music. I would hear them on the radio and wasn’t as into it as the past. Fast forward to last week or so, I saw SP live and they were A CLASS ACT. Billy’s voice was on point and I got schooled by his deep skills on the guitar, it was so enjoyable. I’m glad they reassembled, they really belong together, making music.
Billy is probably the realist dude in the business. No apologies. He loves his fame and knows how hard he's had to work for it and how much people love it and is actually beyond appreciative of that. Doesn't hide and act like he didn't want success. Who goes into it and doesn't want success? That makes no sense to me. To hear him even admitting his narcissistic tendencies which we all have to some degree or another and how that impacted both his band and his best friends (bandmates) is huge and a big step for him these last several years. SP for life man. Got me through so much growing up
There is no such thing as my teenage years without the Pumpkins. Siamese Dream is one of those rare rock albums where every single song is just spot on, out of the park good.
One of my coworkers is his cousin. I work in a daycare as the infant teacher. His cousin is the 2 year old teacher. I was wearing a Nirvana t-shirt one day at work. She saw it and said "I like your shirt. I've met Courtney Love." I was like, oh cool. Then she asked me if I know who the Smashing Pumpkins and Billy Corgan are. I was like, um yeah! She said "Billy's my cousin." I was like, no way! The next day she brought some family photos with her and Billy in them!
I was a casual SP fan, bought Siamese Dream back in the day. But I was never “over the top” for them, if you know what I mean. But if you watched this interview and only picked up “ego” or “bragging” or “shallow”, then you’re a hundred times worse than you accuse him of being. He was more critical of himself and his actions than he was of anyone or anything. He painted a solid picture of the music industry, and how fame and fortune can corrupt anyone. Loads of respect for the guy.
I was just a bit too young for SP so I'm coming at it from the same view point. I know I've heard about him being a dick in the past but I agree he comes across very well in this interview. His self awareness is up there, and he's obviously spent a lot of time thinking about he band, his behaviour, where it went wrong etc. Maybe he does have a little ego but I'm not sure why that's surprising. People are fools if they think you can be as famous as someone like Corgan and still remain humble and normal. It's literally not possible, all artists are a bit effed up.
@Pedro Gunderson The guy is a rock legend. Whether you agree or disagree is irrelevant, his 30 million album sales and 23 platinum records beg to differ. How does anyone stay truly humble after that? That would drastically change anyone's life and the way they behave.
@Pedro Gunderson what other metric would you like to use? No one with any common sense and knows who SP is argues whether they're good or bad musicians. You can argue whether you liked or disliked their music and for what reason but what you think has 0 bearing on how talented someone else is musically. A great way to measure how liked someones music is, however, is album sales. And your opinion is just that - yours lol.
I've been in quite a few bands and everything he said resonates as true. Ever since the pandemic began, I've been playing solo acoustic and honestly haven't enjoyed playing music this much in a long time. It's sad that so much toxic drama gets in the way of bands succeeding. The art world is flooded with amateurish attitudes and inflated egos and few if not none of these "musicians" ever really get it.
I have never been in a band, but went to art school (visual arts). Worked as an art director. There’s something weird about being an artist, perhaps it’s the subjectivity of the work combined with monetization of the art “product” that leads to all the disrespect. I don’t know, but I wouldn’t do it again, which is sad. His comment regarding do good work and being told he didn’t know what he was doing resonated with me. It’s astonishing that it happened to one of the best.
I quit playing in bands because of the people in the bands putting me off. Bad decisions being made. Differences in musical direction. Clashing with crap to horrible personalities. Unreliable members who may also have substance issues. Back stabbing and disloyalty for the sake of the band over individuals, ect. I've had enough of the horror.
I wish I had seen this a few years ago. Our band made waves in our local scene which was a thriving, big community of musicians doing zero covers and only our own original written songs. Any venue we played, we pretty much packed. Surrounded by the a** kissers and people who genuinely liked our sound. As the front man, song writer as well as our promoter, managing and booking, I also got more attention. Because of the amount of work and dedication I was bringing to the table, I became unsympathetic towards my band mates feelings towards the obvious void in recognition they were getting compared to me. I didn’t help the cause, intentionally bringing more attention towards myself with antics live and statements I made. Mainly in the name of promoting us but they didn’t see it that way. My advice for what it’s worth, when you begin hearing others outside your band over your band mates, you must correct that immediately.
Bro monody doing rock music as a new band has any clout or buzz todays 😂 that was in ur head I know bands that sell out mid level tour who hardly break even
Always so grateful for when celebrities make it clear how much it sucks to be a celebrity. Makes me feel better for being completely unknown and un-cared-about by more than a handful of other people. Thanks for that, Billy.
I heard a good clip by Matt Damon. He won an Oscar when he was like 27. And he was asked about how winning so young made him feel. He said he felt blessed, because he now knew fame and recognition would never feel any hole he had in his heart. Some people might spend an entire career chasing after that sort of stuff, only to get it at 85, and realize nothing has changed. So it allowed him to realize woke he was young what was and wasn’t important. I think many of us understand this. Certain things we chase won’t make us feel whole or satisfied. But our egos are so tied up with them we can’t help it. And maybe at certain point we forget it the goal we’ve set out for won’t satisfy us.
It's not supposed to make feel better or worse... It's just what it is. Being unknown has it's pros that a celebrity hasn't. You can trust me that most of them would be glad to have them! Bro... Going into a supermarket without hundreds of people nagging you, asking questions and photos?? That's heaven! And you ALWAYS have to be nice, because if you're mean.... Word will get around and it's pretty much game over. For you and your career. You can't be mad one day because... Idk, your coffee was cold, your dog died, your dad is a mess... And so you start to live in this fake world, where YOU matter little but your image is EVERYTHING... Might as well be a statue or a robot at that point. And also fame attracts all sorts of people, specially those who want something out of you if you get what I'm saying... And they can be pretty nasty and low class. I don't mind people that are poor or rich actually... That's a superficial thing! I mind their manners above all else! Money can put you in a mansion or under a bridge but it shouldn't make you what you are. Money is just a consequence of what you are actually... Everything has a trade off man. You want to be a celebrity and deal with it? Or you want to be unknown and deal with it? It truly comes down to your essence... Because one of those things will not be you for sure. Just hope that you find yourself first before making that decision so you won't be living with regret afterwards. Living life with regrets that's hell oh yes it is
@La Verdad Fame isn't what drives musicians. It's success, wich comes with recognition and ultimately fame. Being famous probably has it's perks aswell.
Fuck being chased by paparazzi 24/7 and having tabloids of me walking my dog or smoking a cigarette written every day. That’s 24/7 surveillance and invasion of privacy.
I saw the pumpkins on lollapalooza in 94 and loved hearing Gish and Siamese Dream! Both records are pure HEAVEN! Billy, James, Darcy, and Jimmy doesn’t get better than that! I’m not gonna lie: I REALLY MISS DARCY BEING IN THIS BAND 💔
I love how Billy Corgan actually SPEAKS in whole sentences and doesn't "and umm.... yeah... well... em..err... and then we umm... and the other thing is... ummm" through the whole thing. It's refreshing hear someone actually speak well in an interview.
When I was 15 years old I dreamed about me and my heavy metal band, Bloody Nightmare, being the biggest band in the world, playing sold out stadiums with our super long hair and our amazing stage show complete with burning coffins and driving hot rods around on stage. In reality none of that ever happened. I am now almost 50 years old, as bald as an eagle, having never playing a single gig in my life and working a day job as a warehouse manager, lol.
Some people have dreams just to have them, some people put unbelievable work ethic into their music sacrifice everything else and don’t make it until they lost everything.
Great segment with Billy C. The music business is absolute unreality, with the added reality that it's a cruel business. I used to front a band that was playing clubs, gaining fans, and climbing the ladder in So Cal. Even at the amateur stage, reality started turning into unreality. With more fans came more "friends" and more people letting you know how good you are; meanwhile, your actual, old friends are becoming more distant. It's so unnatural, and it can go to your head. You also start caring far too much that "Flason Jom" will be at your Friday gig, so it better be good so you'll get signed. It was absolutely nuts, but man, was it great when you were onstage, surrounded by your brothers-in-arms, singing and playing your asses off for people that are there to see you. Nothing else compared to that. Nothing. When it all ended - and it ended when relationships collapsed after two of the guys thought me and my buddy tricked them into turning down an offer from a label (no, we all agreed) - I realized how amazing it was to wake up and, oh, read a book or something normal. I have several friends in the business, and luckily, they've survived and make a great living doing what they do without screwing the artists, but they are outliers.
"Even if you were successful, it was set up to make you think you're not successful." This is normal management in a lot of workplaces. This quote is also the "most replayed" as of the time of this posting.
It's not important per se if they are no. 118 or 89, but in that ballpark anyway. However I'd really doubt they are in the top 100 of all time, depending of course what are the criteria for that list.
Not just a double album but also a concept album about life death and rebirth. The first disk is called from sunrise to sunset, and the second is from twilight to starlight. It has an underlying motif through the album. Starting with the first song Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the motif is in Tonight,Tonight Thru the Eyes of Ruby, Porcelina, and Farewell and Goodnight. It's probably in other songs too, I just didn't hear it.
Billy Corgan's actually a really nice guy from a solid working class background. Something I think keeps him grounded. Back around 1990 (When Billy had hair. And so did I. Haha) they were touring for "Gish" and were playing a club date at the old I-Beam club in San Francisco. I was in a local band at the time having moved out there from New York. As a struggling band we were all broke as Hell. So we didnt have money to go see the show. Which we really wanted to go to as we were already big fans. My drummer worked at a local Rock n Roll clothing store a few doors down from the club. After sound check Billy came in and bought a pair of Doc Martins off my drummer. He started to tell Billy our whole typical band story of moving out from NY and struggling just to make ends meet. Thats when Billy put our entire band on his personal guest list for the show! I never forgot that and love telling that story whenever I can. The show of course was awesome. The next time we saw them for Siamese Dream was at a sold out show at the Warfield. That time we gladly paid! Haha. Thanks Billy!
The Angry French Existentialist (AKA The Frenchistentialist) ....you should try to find him in a blog with Adam The Woo. It was really good if you can find it. You'd like it.
My friend tells a similar story about how Tom Araya from Slayer walked into his work and my friend recognized him and they started talking. Now this was many years ago, so I don't remember all the details of the story, but basically Tom asks if he was going to to the show tonight (which is why Araya was in town) and my friend said he would love to but couldn't get tickets, so Tom says to go to the venue and give them your name at the front door. My friend he was like "yeah right..." but he went and gave his name, and Tom wasn't bullshiting. My friend got in on the front row and got to see Slayer backstage afterward.
Grandpa Simpson had the best saying "I used to be with it, but then they changed what ‘it’ was, and now what I’m with isn’t it. And what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary to me"
Billy is so talented and such an exceptional interview. I remember sneaking downstairs at Providence RI civic center the night Smashing Pumpkins played (96?) before their show and seeing the band sitting in a circle. Very surreal moment how even then they weren't talking just silent in a circle. I asked for school interview and Billy politely said sorry no College interviews and smirked that I snuck behind stage.
Billy Corgan is one of the most interesting rock stars in interviews. I have heard multiple long interviews he has had on Howard Stern before. He really gets deep into the interview and and provides a lot of insight unlike some other rock stars who really don’t have anything insightful to say.
Yeah I see what you mean. There are some nice short pieces of nice interviews with Chris Cornell as well. About spirituality and such. Cornell was on hell of an intriguing, interesting and intelligent character as well.
Barely met the man. I saw him walking out of the train station and I was walking in. Said, “excuse me, I love you and I love your music.” He just said, “thank you”. We shook hands and that was it. Gentleman
Thats awesome. Honestly I think thats the best way to deal with that situation. The amount of fake selfies people take these days is so depressing. To say something short and meaningful like that, and to shake their hand, is the most human way to quickly appreciate someone without taking anything from them.
Billy and his band mates are rush fans. Many times they have gone on record, especially Billy saying if there was no Rush, there would not be us. He was also featured in one of Rush documentary.. Billy genuinely is a very decent guy and down to earth. Love the pumpkins!
A friend of mine was in Las Vegas in the late ‘90s. He was browsing in an art gallery where the paintings were for sale. Billy Corgan was trying to buy a painting but the gallery manager didn’t recognize him and it didn’t help that he was dressed like a bum. The manager was hesitant to take Corgan’s credit card but my friend told the manager, “Oh, he can definitely afford it”. Corgan got his painting and was so grateful that he offered my friend tickets and backstage passes to his show that night. My friend had to catch a flight to Kentucky that afternoon because one of his grandparents had gone in the hospital that morning. Just one of those “ships passing in the night” kind of coincidences that sometimes happen in life.
It's always strange to me that people in bands with a great songwriter never seem to be just grateful that they ended up with them rather than in a failed band. Literally, Ringo Star is the only guy I've ever heard in a band that realised how lucky he was and just went along for the ride. Every other drummer, bassist or whatever that doesn't write anything is going along moaning that they aren't getting enough of something. I remember reading an interview where Pete Townsend said they'd all moan and argue but then look at him to come up with the next hit record. It was all on him. He said the pressure was insane. Roger Daltry literally just sang the lyrics Pete wrote to the music Pete created and made hundreds of millions and still gave him shit all the time. It shows human egos as everyone does it yet we all think we'd just be grateful to be there.
I played drums in bands in my 20's and fucked them all up by being a little bitch who complained about not getting enough respect and money. Now I'm in my 40's, fat with no band and I see what a fucking tool I was.
Well Billy kind of explains why it is not as simple as it seems. As much as music business sees bands as product, there's actually quite a complex sequence behind the success of a band. He might be the main writer and the driving force, but it is not that easy to say fuck the rest, go solo and see the non songwriters as tools. He talks about how tight they were as a band. If you ever been in a band with something "special", you will know how difficult is to find the kind of chemistry Billy talks about. Otherwise it is just Billy's show. SP in the 90s was never like that. There were all strong characters and that kind of was the thing that set them apart.
Imagine that you wrote songs for one of the biggest double albums of all time...and yet continue to be snubbed year after year by the so-called Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Billy impresses me as a very clear-headed, objective, humble, and very wise man in many respects ... enjoyed listening to him. And I always stop by to hear Joe Rogan. I've grown fond of his show for sure. A very informative interview, Joe. Thank you.
The only reason anyone know who this bald dude is is because MTV played his videos every hour. His success was due to record companies and their relationship to MTV, getting airplay and reaching the masses
I always liked Billy Corgan and his band; I try to sing 'Today' every day and i appreciate how BC felt when he wrote the song, as he explained it to us all, after all; I find the song very motivating, if dark appropriately so; and love the video of him and James Iha in a dress - in the ice cream truck thru the country-side; Billy's and his drive and his pursuit of success and the cost to him of that is significant to me; his equation for success and his are honest; i appreciate that he shared his won story story about how he wrote 'Today'; he believes in himself and his craft. We should all believe in ourselves the same exact way.
DAMN that quote on labels vs bands: "They find a needle in a haystack, and then spend the next twenty years telling them you aren't a needle in a haystack."
Billy is super down to earth and insightful. I really like the dude for being self deprecating by admitting he made a bunch of mistakes that led to the degradation of the band.
That is probably the best insight I have seen into what it's like to be a professional musician that makes it to the top. Obviously the story has been told by others before, but I like hearing it described well by Billy. I know he felt like he was struggling for the right words, but he really did make an intelligent view of both sides. If you noticed he didn't try playing the victim, and he didn't blame those that were in the industry.
It was a life changer consciousness altering time for me when it came out. I was in 6 grade. Might have hurt me really. But I’ll never regret how it touched me
I hear and read different things about BC but I’ll always love his music and guitar playing. He still inspires me to play and learn his songs on my Strat. I can’t explain the joy of nailing 1979, Zero and Drown.
I feel now and appreciate, what our parents felt when they always say "nothing better than the 60's and 70's music" so here it is, nothing better than the 90's music, and Im glad I was a teen during that time! ! Smashing Pumpkins was a big part of my life!
No, that jacket and how he's wearing it makes him look like a mistress in a Korean TV drama series walking around in winter. All that's missing is the doctor he's having an affair with walking alongside him with a bag of freshly roasted sweet potatoes which he's chivalrously bought for him.
One of the clearest speaking musicians I have seen. It’s easy to tell he is an intellectual compared to many rockstars who clearly are just great at making music and not much else.
You seen vedder talk? He gets a rap from pissily shying away from the camera in the 90s and because of Ledbetter and he does interject uhs and but he's one of the most thoughtful speakers I've ever seen. Just want to make sure people know that, because they frequently think they know shit
You cannot be on that level and not. You have hundreds, even thousands, of people working with you. Shows typically cost millions of dollars. Metallica does what they want though, as do most of the other legends. They're old and do nearly everything on their own terms.
@@salembeats1875 very true. i would almost say when you have developed as ahugely successful band, you're also a brand...perhaps not on a scale like coca-cola or nike, but something most people who know music easily identify.
Not to mention all the employees they hire for touring, recording ect. They have no choice but to be corporations who have to take care of a lot of people.
10:00 he complains that nobody warned him there would be problems at the end of a 10 minute anecdote about how he was warned that there would be problems by professional advisors who had a list of concrete examples from history
Agree, picked up on these uncomfortable, disjointed comments too. Corgan may be well spoken but it's a wonderful weapon to wield over people not psychologically savvy enough to pick up on a string of clues left behind by 'unreliable narrators', one of which Corgan is.
lmao at this one.. guilty of this fashion crime cause yknow it just feels good to get that sweaty thing off and wear it when its not too warm to really be comfy but too hot for a jacket type deal. MAJOR fashion crime he was probly thinking.. its radio theyll only see it on youtube otherwise. fuck those people..
@@normvlqtte6512 only on Celebrity Skin. and this isn't a mystery. its a known fact he wrote the basis of the music for that album, at least 7 or 8 songs that ended up on it.
I love Corgan's immodest honesty here. "Of COURSE I was different; I had a million dollars in my pocket!" None of this "aw shucks, I'm the same guy, blahblah" crap, the dude went and bought a Ferrari with CASH. That's the reality of being young getting that much money. He behaved no differently than anybody else who would find themselves in that position.
@ThatDamnScottishGuy you know.... When I saw your reply notification, I was expecting some typical angry retort filled with insults. I'm pleasantly surprised. Thank you. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinions.
@ThatDamnScottishGuy You took what I said far too literally. What I mean by anybody else behaving the same way, I mean enjoying their money in sometimes extravagant ways. If you are dirt poor and you suddenly are worth multi-million dollars, you're going to do SOMETHING a normal person couldn't do. And a lot of people feel ashamed/embarrassed of doing it, so they put up a wall of modesty and humbleness. Corgan didn't do any of that, he put it right out there. I hope you understand now.
Excellent insights into the business. Thank you JRE for these great interview where you don’t try to dominate the narrative and let the artist just talk and give us insight into how he feels, thinks, and operates.
The business and all entertainment has changed vastly in the last few years the stories he’s telling are changeable with TV, music, literature and movies. The big publishers, labels or studios are all losing grip and smaller online platforms are taking their place. And we’re listening to this on a podcast for another example.
Dont worry lol, the big boys saw what was happening and moved right in. Now the modern “digital platform” style business is just as leeching and fucked.
Billy wanted to wear a jacket but also didn't want to wear a jacket.
Lol
Lol
straight up xD still a badass jacket though
Lol👍🏽
Bahaha
I met Billy Corgan on Whyte Ave, in Edmonton back in the mid 90's. He was coming out of Chapters Book store. My GF asked if we could take his picture, or get a picture with him. He said "I only do One of those." Dude was so chill, pretty playful. He made her guess which one lol. We gave her camera to his body guard, who took a few pics of the 2 of us with Billy. I've met a few Rockstars, and Billy was easily the most fun and human. He took his time with us, and laughed, and smiled. Made us feel special actually. Super cool guy.
It's fun when you can meet celebrities in a way that makes you remember they are just regular people. I hung out with the guys from Children of Bodom after their set in Detroit once, and we just bs'd about stuff outside their bus. About how their bass player bought a schwinn chopper bike to cruise around Detroit and Walmart's world domination. Then a mob came to ask The singer/lead guitarist for his autograph, signing body parts and shit. Mood totally shifted and he went back to the bus. Celebs are just people, but cool people when you remember to treat them that way.
csb
Why did you comment the same thing on multiple videos bruv
@@henrywaterman3168 I saw this video first, told the story, then saw the other video. (just like you) But thanks for reading.
It shows
I met him in Maui one time. I was young but had an older sibling who listened to the pumpkins, nirvana, etc so I knew who he was by looking at the posters on her wall. Anyways, I was 7 and said in a childlike voice “you’re billy corgan!” He stuck out in Maui. Tall bald and white! He asked me which hat he should buy. I told him which one and he was wearing it on tv months later. He was scary looking to me. Reminded me of Jack Skeleton from the nightmare before Christmas. But his eyes were so kind and he was just plain nice. Almost playful in a super short moment with him. Very fun memory.
He should've given you the hat
@@curiousme113 ?
@@curiousme113 weirdo
@@curiousme113 what the fuck?
Love that story you experience. I am skeptical at times about Billy Corgan as a person... He's either hit or miss, but to hear him be friendly to you and you were just a little kid, makes me appreciate him alot, even though I know of some that will say he's one of the worst "celebrity" encounters from their own experiences.
I am a huge fan of these unscripted, zero time limit, candid conversations... more reality than we are accustomed to.
I really like how Joe is engaging with his guests. He literally loves to learn and soak up whatever his guests offer in conversation. And offers his insight as well...
Zero 😆
isn’t that sad that it’s more reality that you’re accustomed to?
nem de longe está certo
all celebrity interviews are scripted its just that some celebs are better at hiding their eyes at the teleprompter for example the hulkster
Corgan used to come into the restaurant I worked at in SoHo and would leave over 100% tips.
I believe that. He strikes me as the kind of guy who tells the story about buying the Ferrari for cash but doesn't mention his generosity... but what do I know
Yes Billy he's an awesome tipper!! Sean Hannity use come into a Restaurant I worked out and would get 4 Miller Lites. The Bill would be like 26 bucks and he would leave whatever change from a hundred for a tip. Our Bartender was the biggest leftist also but sure loved the money. Tiger Woods is utterly the worst and Lebron is right up there.
@@learningcurve3212 a LONG time ago when Sean was broadcasting from Atlanta I used to see him almost daily because I was a DHL driver that had a daily stop at WGST. He would always take the time to chat, or leave a snack and a drink and sometimes cigars for me. Just a super cool guy.
I have a dirty joke; but I'm afraid of the liberals.
@@ONE_OF_MANY-MANY_OF_ONE It's alright, that's common among your kind.
According to their outfits Joe Regan is interviewing Corgan during summertime, and Corgan is replying during wintertime
stratocluster Billy will always be dressed like a true Chicago boy lol
And Joe Regan with the arm tats, and the print t-shirt. Pure douchery.
stratocluster - haha! Is that the old Spartans school sweater Will Farell done his cheerleading skit in, when he was on SNL? 😆
Its a studio... I would put a handful of dollars on the likely fact that it was below 65' F in there. Pretty standard when you have A/V equipment, cameras and lighting in small room.
😂😂😂
This is actually a very human interview. Seems like wisdom over time has really shaped Billy, whereas you see other musicians waste the opportunity to learn and end up adult teenagers.
He's not too wise. He said nobody ever gave them any help/advice and then says somebody told them to all make the same money and he said fuck you and that's what broke up the band lol.
@@hyenaswineBecause that was bad advice. Billy wrote all of the music, sure spreading the wealth would be fine, but it was his writing talent that made the songs work. You can also make the reverse argument where without the bands Instrumentation then he wouldn't have gotten anywhere. This is a 50-50 argument. Hurt your ego by sharing the writing credits or lose the band because its your writing that is reaching the hearts of millions. Tough Decision.
@@gunnymaru2900 he already said that was good advice on the joe rogan podcast, and he didn't take it. You totally missed the point. Go catch up, dummy. He's also spent enough time apologizing and trying to keep that band together since. omg you are so lost.
Wisdom didn't shape him, Billy shaped wisdom! 😅 But nahh srsly tho, he has always wanted to go higher n higher n higher without an ego which makes him humble and cool and understanding n cool af!! He's always gained wisdom and been smart with his band. He wasn't a dumb kid nor a dumb adult!!
A portrait of transparency, integrity, and self-awareness.
🤦🏻♂️
With added trains
@@54spatula Double portion. I was tired and stoned. Listening to SP. Could be worse. 🤣😇
@@amymuchko7106 I’ll edit that
Billy Corgan hit an insane songwriting peak in the mid to late 90's that was astonishing. Smashing Pumpkins have B Sides that would've been lead singles for most other bands at that time.
this is so true. as a popular saying goes, "they can produce B sides that were at a quality of most bands A sides".
Definitely
Pisces Iscariot is amazing.
Yeah his peak was prolly 94 to 97. Just incredible stuff
i will always say melon colie was one of the greatest works of art ever as a 13 year old when it came out
The funny thing about this conversation is that Joe Rogan is a total millionaire himself and is quite well known himself, and yet he talks to Billy Corgan like he's discovering that lifestyle.
lol
hes a good interviewer hes digging deeper to bring out the interesting information that the average man doesnt know about, even if he knows the answers already
it's a bit different to being a rockstar. There's normal celebrities and athletes, actors, then you have rockstars. Its a different realm of famous. Those people literally make a living on having a giant base of fans who go and see them everywhere they go. Joe Rogan can't fill a stadium anywhere he goes. He does have a lot of fans online though.
Billy started making money and gaining notoriety before Joe did so I guess time and place also takes a roll too.....
I was thinking the same thing as Joe was playing like he is destitute.
Met Billy about 10 or so years ago, on accident, down the street from Zuzu’s in Ravinia. I was walking to my girlfriend’s apartment, in a light snow, and I saw this familiar looking bald guy walking toward me on the same sidewalk. My mind was racing to figure out who I know in the Chicagoland area (other than my brother’s family and my girlfriend), and the only cogent thought that came to my mind was: he’s the only bald guy I’ve seen, other than myself, not wearing a winter hat (I was visiting from Florida). As we neared each other our eyes met and I just blurted out “Hey, nice weather for a walk, huh?” while rubbing the top of my bald head. His face broke into a genuine grin and he chuckled, rubbing the top of his own head. He replied “Enjoy it while it lasts.” and kept laughing as we each kept walking our separate ways. No deep conversations, just a pleasant passing greeting. The whole time, and the rest of the afternoon, I kept trying to figure out where I had met him before. When my girlfriend got home from work, I told her about it and she jokingly said “Maybe it was Billy Corgan. He owns the place (Zuzu’s).” I googled a (then recent) pic of him on my phone and just about crapped myself, in surprise.
Well- written story. Eloquently inspired imagery.
I truly miss the 90s. All his music sets stage for so many amazing nights in my life as a young rebellious teen ... the striking smell of a zoppo and music in the back ground ...I can literally feel my heart glowing while playing any song from the pumpkins!! If I had a time machine I would go back in a second .
I had that same thought until I became a dad haha
Yes
Jennifer May Every word you just said is exactly the way I feel about it. I love my life now but I would love a trip back. This music was just so real, wild and free. Like kids at the time. Amazing, amazing times.
What’s a zoppo ?
@@purdeeBasic:) a lighter
When millionaires laugh together about how fun it is to be millionaires.
fate_f30 😂🤣
Makes me work that much harder
I feel the same joy when I have an emergency and realize that I planned ahead and saved up for emergencies, so I'm covered.
KillerDoll 🙄
LRAK 12345 👏👏
I met Billy at a bar back in 2001, my drunk ass didn't believe it was him so he went out of his way, pulled out his I.D. and proved himself to me 😂 I apologized immediately.
Hahhha Billy Corgan is the only celebrity who would pull out his i.d. to prove he's actually him 😂
@@30secondvideos91 Loooool
No glasses on.thought he pulled out his D. 😄
My buddy said he’s a big asshole
@@brandonmatics652 well listen how he talks.you can tell he can be
Me and my friends started a band almost 20 years ago. We never became famous, but the fun we had and our bond invaluable.
The Smashing Pumpkins were my favorite band all through their success in the 90’s. Helped me through tough times. Billy is without a doubt a genius, but a humble one.
1979
@@NR-gp2il great song. I don’t understand why you posted just that, though? 🙂
@@sniggity idk but Billy is annoying
@Jacques De Molay he is nowadays. In his heyday, definitely not. Ego maniac.
Billy humble? LOL
Love him or hate him, Corgan is intelligent, well-spoken and a great songwriter.
Hate him. And I agree. Just saying that I hate him :)
Hate him. And can't stand 95% of his noisy cringy whining.
Well I agree he is "Spoken" anyways!
surely if you hate him you're not gonna think that tho...so its really just love or him or don't really know him?
Love him 💕
Bill Burr has let himself go.
You made me spit out my coffee lol
That fucking hilarious 😂
Dude he looks like if Bill Burr and Norm McDonald had a baby.
Independent Man omg😂😂
They actually look more alike.
My transition from high school to uni to the real world was painted with their albums, and then they became music from that time, while I moved onto other music. I would hear them on the radio and wasn’t as into it as the past. Fast forward to last week or so, I saw SP live and they were A CLASS ACT. Billy’s voice was on point and I got schooled by his deep skills on the guitar, it was so enjoyable. I’m glad they reassembled, they really belong together, making music.
Billy is probably the realist dude in the business. No apologies. He loves his fame and knows how hard he's had to work for it and how much people love it and is actually beyond appreciative of that. Doesn't hide and act like he didn't want success. Who goes into it and doesn't want success? That makes no sense to me. To hear him even admitting his narcissistic tendencies which we all have to some degree or another and how that impacted both his band and his best friends (bandmates) is huge and a big step for him these last several years. SP for life man. Got me through so much growing up
There is no such thing as my teenage years without the Pumpkins. Siamese Dream is one of those rare rock albums where every single song is just spot on, out of the park good.
I love both, and my 23 year old loves and still listens to Smashing Pumpkins and My Chemical Romance.
One of my coworkers is his cousin. I work in a daycare as the infant teacher. His cousin is the 2 year old teacher. I was wearing a Nirvana t-shirt one day at work. She saw it and said "I like your shirt. I've met Courtney Love." I was like, oh cool. Then she asked me if I know who the Smashing Pumpkins and Billy Corgan are. I was like, um yeah! She said "Billy's my cousin." I was like, no way! The next day she brought some family photos with her and Billy in them!
First CD i ever bought.
@Saturn The Black Parade? Never heard of it. Everyone’s heard of Smashing Pumpkins.
All killer no filler
I was a casual SP fan, bought Siamese Dream back in the day. But I was never “over the top” for them, if you know what I mean. But if you watched this interview and only picked up “ego” or “bragging” or “shallow”, then you’re a hundred times worse than you accuse him of being. He was more critical of himself and his actions than he was of anyone or anything. He painted a solid picture of the music industry, and how fame and fortune can corrupt anyone. Loads of respect for the guy.
I was just a bit too young for SP so I'm coming at it from the same view point. I know I've heard about him being a dick in the past but I agree he comes across very well in this interview. His self awareness is up there, and he's obviously spent a lot of time thinking about he band, his behaviour, where it went wrong etc. Maybe he does have a little ego but I'm not sure why that's surprising. People are fools if they think you can be as famous as someone like Corgan and still remain humble and normal. It's literally not possible, all artists are a bit effed up.
He did paint a solid picture of the music industry but he comes off as pretentious at the same time
@Pedro Gunderson The guy is a rock legend. Whether you agree or disagree is irrelevant, his 30 million album sales and 23 platinum records beg to differ. How does anyone stay truly humble after that? That would drastically change anyone's life and the way they behave.
@Pedro Gunderson what other metric would you like to use? No one with any common sense and knows who SP is argues whether they're good or bad musicians. You can argue whether you liked or disliked their music and for what reason but what you think has 0 bearing on how talented someone else is musically. A great way to measure how liked someones music is, however, is album sales. And your opinion is just that - yours lol.
@@4barhigh How's the view from your colon?
I've been in quite a few bands and everything he said resonates as true. Ever since the pandemic began, I've been playing solo acoustic and honestly haven't enjoyed playing music this much in a long time. It's sad that so much toxic drama gets in the way of bands succeeding. The art world is flooded with amateurish attitudes and inflated egos and few if not none of these "musicians" ever really get it.
I have never been in a band, but went to art school (visual arts). Worked as an art director. There’s something weird about being an artist, perhaps it’s the subjectivity of the work combined with monetization of the art “product” that leads to all the disrespect. I don’t know, but I wouldn’t do it again, which is sad. His comment regarding do good work and being told he didn’t know what he was doing resonated with me. It’s astonishing that it happened to one of the best.
I quit playing in bands because of the people in the bands putting me off. Bad decisions being made. Differences in musical direction. Clashing with crap to horrible personalities. Unreliable members who may also have substance issues. Back stabbing and disloyalty for the sake of the band over individuals, ect. I've had enough of the horror.
I wish I had seen this a few years ago. Our band made waves in our local scene which was a thriving, big community of musicians doing zero covers and only our own original written songs. Any venue we played, we pretty much packed. Surrounded by the a** kissers and people who genuinely liked our sound. As the front man, song writer as well as our promoter, managing and booking, I also got more attention. Because of the amount of work and dedication I was bringing to the table, I became unsympathetic towards my band mates feelings towards the obvious void in recognition they were getting compared to me. I didn’t help the cause, intentionally bringing more attention towards myself with antics live and statements I made. Mainly in the name of promoting us but they didn’t see it that way. My advice for what it’s worth, when you begin hearing others outside your band over your band mates, you must correct that immediately.
This is proactive advice. Listen up, this is the good way ☝️☝️☝️. Thanks for sharing
this is really kind of you to acknowledge and go out of your way to help other people learn from your mistakes
I appreciate it :)
Band name?
Bro monody doing rock music as a new band has any clout or buzz todays 😂 that was in ur head I know bands that sell out mid level tour who hardly break even
Bryan can we view some of your stuff anywhere?
"I'm Billy Corgan, smashing pumpkins."
"I'm Homer Simpson, smiling politely."
Neither said "I'm". ua-cam.com/video/R0kXDBXSu80/v-deo.html
Oh man, Peter Frampton is gonna be pissed
Yer damn right Im pissed! This guy ruins my pig and Sonic Youth keeps stealing from my cooler!
@@TonyRule "Tony Rule, fun at parties."
Immassuming this is a real quote and now im convinced to watch simpsons...
The Simpsons: The dumbest show in human history with millions of mouth-breathing moron fans. Inexplicable.
Always so grateful for when celebrities make it clear how much it sucks to be a celebrity. Makes me feel better for being completely unknown and un-cared-about by more than a handful of other people. Thanks for that, Billy.
I heard a good clip by Matt Damon. He won an Oscar when he was like 27. And he was asked about how winning so young made him feel. He said he felt blessed, because he now knew fame and recognition would never feel any hole he had in his heart. Some people might spend an entire career chasing after that sort of stuff, only to get it at 85, and realize nothing has changed. So it allowed him to realize woke he was young what was and wasn’t important.
I think many of us understand this. Certain things we chase won’t make us feel whole or satisfied. But our egos are so tied up with them we can’t help it. And maybe at certain point we forget it the goal we’ve set out for won’t satisfy us.
It's not supposed to make feel better or worse... It's just what it is. Being unknown has it's pros that a celebrity hasn't. You can trust me that most of them would be glad to have them! Bro... Going into a supermarket without hundreds of people nagging you, asking questions and photos?? That's heaven! And you ALWAYS have to be nice, because if you're mean.... Word will get around and it's pretty much game over. For you and your career. You can't be mad one day because... Idk, your coffee was cold, your dog died, your dad is a mess... And so you start to live in this fake world, where YOU matter little but your image is EVERYTHING... Might as well be a statue or a robot at that point. And also fame attracts all sorts of people, specially those who want something out of you if you get what I'm saying... And they can be pretty nasty and low class. I don't mind people that are poor or rich actually... That's a superficial thing! I mind their manners above all else! Money can put you in a mansion or under a bridge but it shouldn't make you what you are. Money is just a consequence of what you are actually...
Everything has a trade off man. You want to be a celebrity and deal with it? Or you want to be unknown and deal with it? It truly comes down to your essence... Because one of those things will not be you for sure. Just hope that you find yourself first before making that decision so you won't be living with regret afterwards. Living life with regrets that's hell oh yes it is
@La Verdad Fame isn't what drives musicians. It's success, wich comes with recognition and ultimately fame. Being famous probably has it's perks aswell.
Yeah he was wiping those tears with the Ferrari money.
Fuck being chased by paparazzi 24/7 and having tabloids of me walking my dog or smoking a cigarette written every day. That’s 24/7 surveillance and invasion of privacy.
Billy certainly is well articulate and has a head on his shoulders. I have alot of respect for him and the band.
I saw the pumpkins on lollapalooza in 94 and loved hearing Gish and Siamese Dream! Both records are pure HEAVEN! Billy, James, Darcy, and Jimmy doesn’t get better than that! I’m not gonna lie: I REALLY MISS DARCY BEING IN THIS BAND 💔
I love how Billy Corgan actually SPEAKS in whole sentences and doesn't "and umm.... yeah... well... em..err... and then we umm... and the other thing is... ummm" through the whole thing. It's refreshing hear someone actually speak well in an interview.
Hilarious
When I was 15 years old I dreamed about me and my heavy metal band, Bloody Nightmare, being the biggest band in the world, playing sold out stadiums with our super long hair and our amazing stage show complete with burning coffins and driving hot rods around on stage. In reality none of that ever happened. I am now almost 50 years old, as bald as an eagle, having never playing a single gig in my life and working a day job as a warehouse manager, lol.
I'm almost 50, I still have most of my hair, and I'm still rocking as hard as ever \m/
No worries man, bald eagles aren't really bald! Besides, bald is in, but Donald Trump is still in denial!lol
Some people have dreams just to have them, some people put unbelievable work ethic into their music sacrifice everything else and don’t make it until they lost everything.
The child is grown, the dream is gone
Time enough to get that band going, man !!!!
Why dont I see you swinging your guitaaaaarrrrr ?
:)
Great segment with Billy C. The music business is absolute unreality, with the added reality that it's a cruel business. I used to front a band that was playing clubs, gaining fans, and climbing the ladder in So Cal. Even at the amateur stage, reality started turning into unreality. With more fans came more "friends" and more people letting you know how good you are; meanwhile, your actual, old friends are becoming more distant. It's so unnatural, and it can go to your head. You also start caring far too much that "Flason Jom" will be at your Friday gig, so it better be good so you'll get signed. It was absolutely nuts, but man, was it great when you were onstage, surrounded by your brothers-in-arms, singing and playing your asses off for people that are there to see you. Nothing else compared to that. Nothing.
When it all ended - and it ended when relationships collapsed after two of the guys thought me and my buddy tricked them into turning down an offer from a label (no, we all agreed) - I realized how amazing it was to wake up and, oh, read a book or something normal. I have several friends in the business, and luckily, they've survived and make a great living doing what they do without screwing the artists, but they are outliers.
"Even if you were successful, it was set up to make you think you're not successful."
This is normal management in a lot of workplaces. This quote is also the "most replayed" as of the time of this posting.
"Yeah we're in there"
Straight up the most humble Billy Corgan has ever been.
Top 100 seems like a pretty low bar.
Because he knows it’s BS
@@hermanhelmich i mean lets be honest smashin pumpkin made only one real hit
It's not important per se if they are no. 118 or 89, but in that ballpark anyway. However I'd really doubt they are in the top 100 of all time, depending of course what are the criteria for that list.
@@neowatch237 you out of your mind? lol
Man Bill Burr looks so different now he's shaved the mustache.
Fuck the other dick in the comments I laughed
Damn he gained some weight too lmao
@@Distantwizard get a sense oh humour man, it was a joke
Thats not him
Hahaha that is SO FUCKING FUNNY
he was amazing musican and songwriter . the emotions accumulated in their records was enormous . It could kill you or transfer you out of orbit .
Mellon Collie is the Best Double Album of All Time, not just the nineties! Hope Billy enjoys his Ferrari.
The Wall
@@josephiladelphia8733 My first thought was "bruh... The Wall...." lol
yeah at that time we joked saying its not MTV anymore, it was Smashing Pumpkins TV. You just couldn't get away from it!!
Not just a double album but also a concept album about life death and rebirth. The first disk is called from sunrise to sunset, and the second is from twilight to starlight. It has an underlying motif through the album. Starting with the first song Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the motif is in Tonight,Tonight Thru the Eyes of Ruby, Porcelina, and Farewell and Goodnight. It's probably in other songs too, I just didn't hear it.
The Wall
Billy Corgan's actually a really nice guy from a solid working class background. Something I think keeps him grounded. Back around 1990 (When Billy had hair. And so did I. Haha) they were touring for "Gish" and were playing a club date at the old I-Beam club in San Francisco. I was in a local band at the time having moved out there from New York. As a struggling band we were all broke as Hell. So we didnt have money to go see the show. Which we really wanted to go to as we were already big fans. My drummer worked at a local Rock n Roll clothing store a few doors down from the club. After sound check Billy came in and bought a pair of Doc Martins off my drummer. He started to tell Billy our whole typical band story of moving out from NY and struggling just to make ends meet. Thats when Billy put our entire band on his personal guest list for the show! I never forgot that and love telling that story whenever I can. The show of course was awesome. The next time we saw them for Siamese Dream was at a sold out show at the Warfield. That time we gladly paid! Haha. Thanks Billy!
When I think about the gentrification of San Francisco today and what is used to be, I picture the I Beam. It is my image of the old San Francisco.
The Angry French Existentialist (AKA The Frenchistentialist) ....you should try to find him in a blog with Adam The Woo. It was really good if you can find it. You'd like it.
My friend tells a similar story about how Tom Araya from Slayer walked into his work and my friend recognized him and they started talking. Now this was many years ago, so I don't remember all the details of the story, but basically Tom asks if he was going to to the show tonight (which is why Araya was in town) and my friend said he would love to but couldn't get tickets, so Tom says to go to the venue and give them your name at the front door. My friend he was like "yeah right..." but he went and gave his name, and Tom wasn't bullshiting. My friend got in on the front row and got to see Slayer backstage afterward.
well thats fucking awesome..
Bruce Wayne the story that i commented under?:P what else?
He sounds like a grownup and was admitting his own mistakes. He did a good job with the interview.
well he is a grownup so no shit
@@TeamPill He hasn't always acted like one, despite being one.
staypuft44 enlighten me, how was he before? He seems pretty cool
@@ProMrLecoq01 Google it. He was, and still is, a huge ego shit head
@@Georgebush11 exactly.. most of his shit is just bullshit ego talk. 30 million albums dont make ye legendary i'm afraid
What an underrated interview.
I have mad respect for Billy Corgan and his catalog of accomplishments.
🎶 amazing musician 🌸 amazing man 🎶
Grandpa Simpson had the best saying "I used to be with it, but then they changed what ‘it’ was, and now what I’m with isn’t it. And what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary to me"
Christopher Doxtator, wise words.
God that's a great quote, totally forgot about that.
"And it'll happen to you!"
YES THAT EPISODE WAS AMAZING
whats the episode called?
Nice intelligent guy who can own his own mistakes and failings.
Billy is so talented and such an exceptional interview. I remember sneaking downstairs at Providence RI civic center the night Smashing Pumpkins played (96?) before their show and seeing the band sitting in a circle. Very surreal moment how even then they weren't talking just silent in a circle. I asked for school interview and Billy politely said sorry no College interviews and smirked that I snuck behind stage.
Thanks both to Joe Rogan for being a great interviewer and Billy Corgan for being a great guest!! Just a fascinating interview!!
Imagine Joe Rogan Being A Rockstar
Siamese Dream was the soundtrack to my teenage years. Just amazing.
Best rock album ever
Ewan Sinclair same
Ewan Sinclair definitely their best album, pure pumpkins
Listen to their album Oceania it's so damn good
Nebulous, yeah Oceania is my 2nd favourite after SD
I met him in Boulder, CO when I was like 14 lol. Very cool dude. Gave our group tickets and backstage passes. Thanks for the fun night!!
A Gregs this is like the coolest story, id kill for that to be me
Was it at the Fox theater on the hill?
This is the podcast that first got me into JRE, and til this day, it’s still one of my favorites.
Man, I love his candor. Great of him to just be himself and give a glimpse behind the curtain.
Billy Corgan is one of the most interesting rock stars in interviews. I have heard multiple long interviews he has had on Howard Stern before. He really gets deep into the interview and and provides a lot of insight unlike some other rock stars who really don’t have anything insightful to say.
He played great on that show.
Yeah I see what you mean. There are some nice short pieces of nice interviews with Chris Cornell as well. About spirituality and such. Cornell was on hell of an intriguing, interesting and intelligent character as well.
Because other rockstars aren't self made. They are corporate made.
@@ajx117 Throw in some examples... I bet you you're going to name only the ones you think their music sucks..
One of the smartest interviews with a rock musician - Billy explains the inner dynamics of a band precisely.
@RockMeAmadeus yeah because you would know more than the band members themselves lol
Barely met the man. I saw him walking out of the train station and I was walking in. Said, “excuse me, I love you and I love your music.” He just said, “thank you”. We shook hands and that was it. Gentleman
Thats awesome. Honestly I think thats the best way to deal with that situation. The amount of fake selfies people take these days is so depressing. To say something short and meaningful like that, and to shake their hand, is the most human way to quickly appreciate someone without taking anything from them.
Billy and his band mates are rush fans. Many times they have gone on record, especially Billy saying if there was no Rush, there would not be us. He was also featured in one of Rush documentary.. Billy genuinely is a very decent guy and down to earth. Love the pumpkins!
A friend of mine was in Las Vegas in the late ‘90s. He was browsing in an art gallery where the paintings were for sale. Billy Corgan was trying to buy a painting but the gallery manager didn’t recognize him and it didn’t help that he was dressed like a bum. The manager was hesitant to take Corgan’s credit card but my friend told the manager, “Oh, he can definitely afford it”. Corgan got his painting and was so grateful that he offered my friend tickets and backstage passes to his show that night. My friend had to catch a flight to Kentucky that afternoon because one of his grandparents had gone in the hospital that morning. Just one of those “ships passing in the night” kind of coincidences that sometimes happen in life.
EDIT: He should cherish that memory for the rest of his life.
Was it Morpheus gallery by chance?
It's not his memory to cherish it's his friends lol
It's always strange to me that people in bands with a great songwriter never seem to be just grateful that they ended up with them rather than in a failed band. Literally, Ringo Star is the only guy I've ever heard in a band that realised how lucky he was and just went along for the ride. Every other drummer, bassist or whatever that doesn't write anything is going along moaning that they aren't getting enough of something.
I remember reading an interview where Pete Townsend said they'd all moan and argue but then look at him to come up with the next hit record. It was all on him. He said the pressure was insane. Roger Daltry literally just sang the lyrics Pete wrote to the music Pete created and made hundreds of millions and still gave him shit all the time. It shows human egos as everyone does it yet we all think we'd just be grateful to be there.
I played drums in bands in my 20's and fucked them all up by being a little bitch who complained about not getting enough respect and money.
Now I'm in my 40's, fat with no band and I see what a fucking tool I was.
Well Billy kind of explains why it is not as simple as it seems. As much as music business sees bands as product, there's actually quite a complex sequence behind the success of a band. He might be the main writer and the driving force, but it is not that easy to say fuck the rest, go solo and see the non songwriters as tools. He talks about how tight they were as a band. If you ever been in a band with something "special", you will know how difficult is to find the kind of chemistry Billy talks about. Otherwise it is just Billy's show. SP in the 90s was never like that. There were all strong characters and that kind of was the thing that set them apart.
@Green Mills yeah they're able to be in a very fortunate position. But some crazy stuff has happened there nonetheless.
He lost me at "wrestling".............
Imagine that you wrote songs for one of the biggest double albums of all time...and yet continue to be snubbed year after year by the so-called Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I just enjoy listening to Billy corgan talk. Brings me back to 1995 when as a teenager I hinged on his every word.
Billy impresses me as a very clear-headed, objective, humble, and very wise man in many respects ... enjoyed listening to him. And I always stop by to hear Joe Rogan. I've grown fond of his show for sure. A very informative interview, Joe. Thank you.
Astronaut in space: what are those two shiny things down there?
😂
Underrated
Looks like Dolly Parton's greatest hits!✌️
Billy Corgan looks like Tommy from Rugrats.
I can see that.
His jacket is lined with reptar bars
Do we wanna be tough omelettes ?
Omg I thought that as a kid lol
Gotta love Billy, hes so smart. Only intelligent people recognize and admit their mistakes of the past.
Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness is a fully epic album. I still listen to it regularly. It truly is Billy’s crowning glory.
Siamese Dream easily one of the best albums from the 90s
Absolutely! My favorite all time
My favorite is dirt
Golden
Great album, but they sucked live. Was a huge let down when I saw them in concert.
Dwane Walker dude they were amazing live
Damn, he hit the nail on the head with the Napster/MTV phenomena. Smart man.
The only reason anyone know who this bald dude is is because MTV played his videos every hour.
His success was due to record companies and their relationship to MTV, getting airplay and reaching the masses
@@andrewisjesus that is true the industry is all about knowing the who's who
Fred Galo And now we can get everything and anything we want from Apple for $9.99/month.
Smashing Pumpkins were my young adult life, this interview was gold to me.
Thanks Joe for being a real person, I mean that sincerely.
I always liked Billy Corgan and his band; I try to sing 'Today' every day and i appreciate how BC felt when he wrote the song, as he explained it to us all, after all; I find the song very motivating, if dark appropriately so; and love the video of him and James Iha in a dress - in the ice cream truck thru the country-side; Billy's and his drive and his pursuit of success and the cost to him of that is significant to me; his equation for success and his are honest; i appreciate that he shared his won story story about how he wrote 'Today'; he believes in himself and his craft. We should all believe in ourselves the same exact way.
DAMN that quote on labels vs bands: "They find a needle in a haystack, and then spend the next twenty years telling them you aren't a needle in a haystack."
Billy is super down to earth and insightful. I really like the dude for being self deprecating by admitting he made a bunch of mistakes that led to the degradation of the band.
did he ever apologize for fucking Kurts girlfriend?
Down to earth 😂😂
down to earth? boasting about paying for a Ferrari in cash (which I doubt he had in hand - who carries 200k in cash)
That is probably the best insight I have seen into what it's like to be a professional musician that makes it to the top. Obviously the story has been told by others before, but I like hearing it described well by Billy. I know he felt like he was struggling for the right words, but he really did make an intelligent view of both sides. If you noticed he didn't try playing the victim, and he didn't blame those that were in the industry.
A fine group in artistry. A spectacular example of fortitude and legendary talent.
Have A Cigar is the best song to describe the reality of the record industry.
By the way, which one's Pink?
@@nerthus4685 Floyd
@@nocomment1469 its one of the lyrics, not an actual question, unless you were making a joke that went over my head
"Welcome To The Machine" is too.
@@chippchipp1 came here to say this.
"Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness" is an album I still listen to this day and it's almost 2020.
MCIS is timeless!
@@AltCTRLF8 it is really amazing and it highlights those of us who are fans of music!! ✊🏿✊🏿😎
timeless, the production is god tier
There's no first "the."
It was a life changer consciousness altering time for me when it came out. I was in 6 grade. Might have hurt me really. But I’ll never regret how it touched me
I hear and read different things about BC but I’ll always love his music and guitar playing. He still inspires me to play and learn his songs on my Strat. I can’t explain the joy of nailing 1979, Zero and Drown.
Joe I really enjoyed your conversation with Billy! Love the depth of questions posed and Billy’s thoughtful reply’s…Great job
one thing about Billy...he just tells it like it is without worrying about how others view it. hes authentic
WickedSharp 001 hes just a butthurt geek cause he parroted the indie rock in the 90s and they never accepted him because he was a pretentious weiner
Exactly. The guy is REAL.
Wealth does that to you. You don't have to filter yourself when you have Fuck-You money.
I AM ALIVE !!!!! Wtf? He is way more humble than people like Axel Rose, Fred Durst, Metallica, Dave Mustaine even Pantera
@@deengew What exactly did he say that was pretentious? You are probably a Trump supporter...
i like the way how he speaks. very articulate and his analogies were precise.
You are obsequious
I agree. Love his analogies. He knows his sports, too, surprisingly. A perfect guest for Rogan.
@@MrShanester117 LOL
Me too . He’s great to listen to cuz he’s incredibly precise and articulate but he’s also very honest. There is zero bullshit with Corgan.
He’s a genius.
i wasn’t alive in the 90s, but i discovered the pumpkins a few months ago and i feel like the music has just made me so much happier
I feel now and appreciate, what our parents felt when they always say "nothing better than the 60's and 70's music" so here it is, nothing better than the 90's music, and Im glad I was a teen during that time! ! Smashing Pumpkins was a big part of my life!
That puffy coat draped over Billy’s shoulders makes him look less like a superstar, more like a supervillain.
Dr. Evil
😁🙃😆👏👏
He’s just showing off the ribbons on his hoodie
More like a super dusche
No, that jacket and how he's wearing it makes him look like a mistress in a Korean TV drama series walking around in winter. All that's missing is the doctor he's having an affair with walking alongside him with a bag of freshly roasted sweet potatoes which he's chivalrously bought for him.
One of the clearest speaking musicians I have seen. It’s easy to tell he is an intellectual compared to many rockstars who clearly are just great at making music and not much else.
You seen vedder talk? He gets a rap from pissily shying away from the camera in the 90s and because of Ledbetter and he does interject uhs and but he's one of the most thoughtful speakers I've ever seen. Just want to make sure people know that, because they frequently think they know shit
Growing I was far more into Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails but the Smashing Pumpkins always had a special place in my heart.
cool bro thanks for sharing any other deeply enthralling stories to share?
Billy is a super cool dude. Just as with all of us, time heals all wounds.
That’s why the big bands like Aerosmith, Sabbath, Metallica, etc, are more like corporations than bands, lawyer driven, contract driven....
Any big artist really, you’re basically a business and a lot of artists get screwed over cuss they never see it like that
You cannot be on that level and not. You have hundreds, even thousands, of people working with you. Shows typically cost millions of dollars. Metallica does what they want though, as do most of the other legends. They're old and do nearly everything on their own terms.
@@salembeats1875 very true. i would almost say when you have developed as ahugely successful band, you're also a brand...perhaps not on a scale like coca-cola or nike, but something most people who know music easily identify.
You have to be a business. I mean look what happened to MC Hammer. He lost 30 million by helping out more people than helping himself.
Not to mention all the employees they hire for touring, recording ect. They have no choice but to be corporations who have to take care of a lot of people.
10:00 he complains that nobody warned him there would be problems at the end of a 10 minute anecdote about how he was warned that there would be problems by professional advisors who had a list of concrete examples from history
hes a joke. money and fame means nothing to me. only UA-cam views. and he has none.
Maybe don’t spend. Million bucks on a Ferrari
Agree, picked up on these uncomfortable, disjointed comments too. Corgan may be well spoken but it's a wonderful weapon to wield over people not psychologically savvy enough to pick up on a string of clues left behind by 'unreliable narrators', one of which Corgan is.
Dude gave us music we paid for. You cannot find this quality of sound. Today.
“Napster” ahhhh I remember those days.
I’ve realized a lot of rock stars are really just nerds at heart.
The band moved on without him, who's gonna raise their hand when an interview comes along.
Musicians? Yeah they’re nerdy. It doesn’t go away with fame.
most musicians are nerds. they've spent most of their life sitting alone in their room playing instruments instead of socialising
hazwaz well musicians do talk to people. But about as much as they practice tho.
They ain't proper rock stars- Liam Gallagher is a rock star
You either wear a jacket or you dont 🤣🤣
😂😭
Brett R that’s bugging me too
LOL
lmao at this one.. guilty of this fashion crime cause yknow it just feels good to get that sweaty thing off and wear it when its not too warm to really be comfy but too hot for a jacket type deal. MAJOR fashion crime he was probly thinking.. its radio theyll only see it on youtube otherwise. fuck those people..
Hes Billy corgan he strives to be as different as possible lol
Great interview..can’t believe how humble He is after being a rock star… and what a wonderful jacket
I rocked Mellon Collie grade 6-8 memories! I get chills hearing it today.
"A lot of people thought Courtney Love had a ghost writer" Yeah Joe, he's sitting right in front of you
Yes it is actually funny, he has a few uncredited songwriting around too.
Oh shit! 😂 😂😂
I so wish Billy would’ve said “yeah she did” then Joe “who” ... Lol
@@normvlqtte6512 only on Celebrity Skin. and this isn't a mystery. its a known fact he wrote the basis of the music for that album, at least 7 or 8 songs that ended up on it.
Live through this was so obviously Kurt Cobain that it was painful.
That “today” music video is the greatest music video of all time. Ironically they leave billy and drive off without him at the end.
Love listening to Billy Corgan. These conversations are awesome 🤘🥁🤘
Billy gave us the masterpieces Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie. For that I'm forever thankful
you know what makes billy a good lyric writer? hes so damn honest with himself
I love Corgan's immodest honesty here.
"Of COURSE I was different; I had a million dollars in my pocket!"
None of this "aw shucks, I'm the same guy, blahblah" crap, the dude went and bought a Ferrari with CASH. That's the reality of being young getting that much money. He behaved no differently than anybody else who would find themselves in that position.
@ThatDamnScottishGuy Way to miss the entire point, disgruntled UA-cam guy. Dude never said he was better.
@ThatDamnScottishGuy you know.... When I saw your reply notification, I was expecting some typical angry retort filled with insults. I'm pleasantly surprised. Thank you. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinions.
@ThatDamnScottishGuy You took what I said far too literally. What I mean by anybody else behaving the same way, I mean enjoying their money in sometimes extravagant ways. If you are dirt poor and you suddenly are worth multi-million dollars, you're going to do SOMETHING a normal person couldn't do. And a lot of people feel ashamed/embarrassed of doing it, so they put up a wall of modesty and humbleness. Corgan didn't do any of that, he put it right out there. I hope you understand now.
The only one that is special is Keanu Reeves, he just is pure awesomeness. Then again, not everyone wants that flashy lifestyle.
Excellent insights into the business. Thank you JRE for these great interview where you don’t try to dominate the narrative and let the artist just talk and give us insight into how he feels, thinks, and operates.
Writers ALWAYS make more than the artist. If you do both, golden.
he was right way back then.. the world really is a vampire.
THIS. seriously...
Spot on lad!
"What do I get for my pa aaaaain"
I miss rock stars. They don't really exist anymore. No band posters on walls or anything like that. I can't wait till it comes back
Support Greta van fleet. Maybe they can bring it back
I mean, hip-hop guys are new rockstars, they literally have the same lifestyle but the genre is different
@Pedro Gunderson Let's do THIS!
Willie Caolho their audience is aged 35 and above, only youth movements can bring rock back - which won’t happen
@@tonyiommi2380 that band is hot fucking garbage.
12:58 Joe: “A lot of people thought she had a ghost writer”
Billy: “👀”
The business and all entertainment has changed vastly in the last few years the stories he’s telling are changeable with TV, music, literature and movies. The big publishers, labels or studios are all losing grip and smaller online platforms are taking their place. And we’re listening to this on a podcast for another example.
Dont worry lol, the big boys saw what was happening and moved right in. Now the modern “digital platform” style business is just as leeching and fucked.