Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan believes that his group are “one of the most misunderstood bands in the history of rock ‘n’ roll”, but is adamant that he won't be changing to fit anyone's expectations or demands.
"I’ve had a lot of the top people in the business sit me down one-on-one in a room and tell me, ‘Just give them what they want. Your life will be a lot better, you’ll make more money’," the 57-year-old musician revealed during a lengthy conversation with podcaster Joe Rogan. "And my response every time was: I don’t give a fuck. I’m here because I’m a freak and I ain’t changing for anything."
"Generations move with a collective energy," Corgan adds, "and by the mid 2000s the the collective energy of Generation X had mostly dissipated in the musical thing. There were bands out playing, but a lot of the lead singers had died, so it's hard to sort of stand and carry a flag for something that people feel very sentimental about if there isn't an army around you carrying the flag."
Corgan also tells Rogan that he believes that "Time will tell my story much better than I did", adding "history has a way of sorting out the bodies."
“We’re probably one of the most misunderstood bands in the history of rock ‘n’ roll," he continues.
"I think it has a lot to do with the issues of Gen X, and it has a lot to do with a relationship that I set into motion with the media when I was a very young person, playing kind of a funny game - like doing my own my own version of Andy Kaufman or Bob Zmuda. Because I thought it was all shitty, so I was just like, I’m just going to play with this like a toy because I think it’s kind of funny.
"I didn’t realise that the coming culture was going to almost be attracted to people who are willing to immolate themselves on the public stage. Most people who are attracted to fame, they want to run towards the the shiny part of it. I was attracted to the non-shiny part, which is, Okay, I’ll light myself on fire and let’s see what happens, or I’ll light you on fire and let’s see what happens."
The Smashing Pumpkins will be touring Europe this summer, kicking off their arena tour in Plovdiv, Bulgaria on July 27.
Watch Billy Corgan's full interview with Joe Rogan below:
