thePULSEBy Patrick Douglas
Billy Corgan is undeniably the CEO, starting quarterback and head chef of The Smashing Pumpkins. The band as a franchise doesn’t make a move unless he says it will. With the recent release of Oceania, Corgan is still plugging along with what he refers to as “chapter two” in The Smashing Pumpkins’ legacy. Corgan disbanded the group in 2000 and reformed it in 2005 with a whole different crew and mindset.
“Chapter one was a story that played out and could’ve only played out that way because of the personalities involved,” said Corgan. “Chapter two is more about me inserting an artistic integrity upon the operation and basically finding the people that can be consistent in that and are dedicated to that.”
You know with anything Corgan is working on, it’s not going to be done by the book in a traditional sense. In the case of Oceania, it’s described as “an album within an album,” as it’s actually part of a bigger picture and an ongoing concept called Teargarden by Kaleidyscope.
Teargarden by Kaleidyscope is a collection of songs that have been released online since 2010, sorted by Volumes 1-3. Oceania is essentially Vol. 4 in the series.
“The reason I was attracted to the project is because I wanted to show an artistic progression in sequence,” said Corgan. “It’s given people the sense that there was a journey. All I was trying to do was get back to making music that I felt really good about and in my eyes didn’t have any compromise in it. As opposed to working from a place of fear and thinking if we don’t make a really good album, we’re [screwed].”
The days of worrying about how many albums are sold are long gone, according to Corgan, and regardless of how fans or critics like an album, it always seems to turn out OK.
“I’ve had really intense experiences in my life where I’ve made albums I’ve really believed in and one becomes this massive, crazy worldwide success and one I’m vilified for and I felt just as strongly about both albums,” Corgan said. “With Adore it’s been 14 years and Mellon Collie it’s been 18 years. You see where the musical component evens itself out and now you see that both albums are respected equally.”
“Once you’ve had those experiences in public you learn that ultimately the only thing you can really count on is the way that you feel about the music,” he added. “As long as you feel impassioned about the music, the other stuff seems to work itself out.”
During the Pumpkins’ hiatus, Corgan dabbled in a solo career and another band called Zwan, but it was his dedication to Smashing Pumpkins as a brand that brought him back.
“We created a particular vision together for what Smashing Pumpkins represented in opposition or in relation to a known music world, which in the late ‘80s was sort of predictable,” Corgan explained. “I feel responsible to continue on that legacy of artistic attrition or innovation because I see that strength of what makes the band unique.”
“It’s almost a football game with the Pumpkins,” added Corgan. “You can discuss a lot of Xs and Os and maybe you should’ve run this play and it would’ve been better if so and so was on the team. At the end of the day, it’s more about the franchise and what the franchise represents.”
“We play a certain brand of football and I’m really proud and I’m still carrying that on and I ask that of the band members,” he said.
Corgan wrote and composed most of the parts on previous Smashing Pumpkins records and it’s ironic that with so many new people on board, he’s getting more contributions from his bandmates, especially bassist Nicole Fiorentino.
“Nicole’s the first bass player I’ve worked with where she is the bass player on the album,” said Corgan. “She’s such a major contributor and it’s such a thrill to work with her. It’s interesting as a composer to hand her something and see her come up with melodies that are counter punctual in a baroque way but yet they sound like they’re from a different mindsource as opposed to me writing counter punctual melodies that sound like they come from one mind. I’m proud to work with her.”
Coming up on 25 years since the band formed and released its debut, Gish, Corgan has noticed a youth movement in the fanbase as well as a return by many who were there early but left at some point.
“We’ve actually lost a lot of our old fans because we refused to be a greatest hits type of band,” he said. “What’s happened, which has been difficult but really rewarding is, we’ve built a new, younger fanbase and … it’s a little like flies to honey. Some of the older fans are now coming back around.”
“It’s the car crash effect. People slow down and pay attention,” he said.
The Smashing Pumpkins play the Agganis Arena on Saturday, October 27.
For additional information, please visit:
www.smashingpumpkins.com
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www.youtube.com/smashingpumpkins
Pictured L-R: Nicole Fiorentino, Billy Corgan, Mike Byrne, Jeff Schroeder
Photo courtesy of Smashing Pumpkins
