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Billy Corgan

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William (Billy) Corgan (born March 17, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois) is best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter for the now disbanded alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. The Pumpkins were one of alternative rock's biggest acts, known for their complex, layered sound, for Corgan's scathing guitar and self-described whiny vocals, and for making use of elaborate and evocative fantasy imagery. The Smashing Pumpkins produced five major albums, including the widely acclaimed and commercially successful albums Siamese Dream (1993) and the follow-up double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995).

Early Period

Corgan moved from Chicago to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1985 and formed his first real band in college, The Marked. They were only together for a few months before he moved back to Chicago.

While working at a record store there, he met up with guitarist James Iha. He then met bassist D'Arcy Wretzky at a local show and soon formed The Smashing Pumpkins. Their first show was at a Chicago venue called The Metro, which would also be the venue for their very last show together as a band. The trio soon began to play together at local clubs, with only a drum machine for percussion, until they were introduced to jazz fusion drummer Jimmy Chamberlin by a mutual friend. The new band fused diverse threads such as psychedelic rock and heavy metal into a distinctive sound on their inaugural album, Gish (1991).

The Pumpkins signed to major-label subsidized Caroline Records to record Siamese Dream. The Pumpkins became known for their elaborate production techniques, layering dozens of different tracks over one another with a wide variety of effects. Siamese Dream's "Soma" uses over 40 guitar tracks alone. The band became known for internal drama during this period, with Corgan frequently characterized in the music press as a control freak who reportedly went so far as to unilaterally erase other band members' studio tracks and rerecord his own performances over them. The reality of the situation was Corgan had developed a deep depression and worked overtime for both Gish and Siamese Dream, recording some of the guitar and bass tracks for the former and almost all for the latter. Guitarist Iha and bassist Wretzky were losing interest in the band during that time period due to a messy break-up. Corgan even went on record saying if Siamese Dream didn't sell well, he would break up the band. The album was well received by critics, and the songs "Today" and "Disarm" became smash hits, with the accompanying music videos receiving heavy airplay on MTV.

Their 1995 followup effort, the massive 2 disc set Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, was even more wildly successful, spawning a string of hit singles and eventually a box set (The Aeroplane Flies High, 1996) of songs recorded during the Mellon Collie sessions which were cut from the album. With the expanded resources now at their disposal, production values became even more elaborate, and the band branched out beyond their hard rock roots, featuring, for example, dense orchestral accompaniment on Tonight, Tonight, ethereal pieces leaning towards rock-electronica ("1979"), and a soft piano intro track in addition to a number of more traditional psychedelic metal-driven guitar-based tracks.

During the album's tour, the band was plagued by Chamberlin's heroin addiction. On July 12, 1996, Chamberlin and touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin overdosed in a hotel room. Chamberlin survived, but Melvoin did not. The Pumpkins were forced to fire their disgraced drummer. They completed the tour with Filter drummer Matt Walker and Frogs keyboardist Dennis Flemion, but the band missed the intense energy that Chamberlin's drumming provided.

Later Works

Their next effort, 1998's Adore, was undertaken with drum machines and studio drummers in place of Chamberlin, and consisted mostly of subdued material. Corgan's mother Martha passed away from cancer during the making of the record, and in the absence of Chamberlin -- Corgan's longtime creative foil -- the proceedings took on a halting, confused tone. Adore earned high praise from some critics, but other critics and most fans thought the band too far from its strengths.

Chamberlin was reunited with the band in 1999, bolstering its confidence but not returning it to commercial prominence. 2000 saw MACHINA/The Machines of God, a concept album on which the band deliberately played to their public image; critics were again divided. An accompanying bonus album, MACHINA II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music, was distributed among fans and released for free in MP3 format on the Internet. After the recording of MACHINA, bassist D'Arcy quit the band and was replaced by Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur. The Smashing Pumpkins split up later in 2000 and played their last show in December of that year.

In 2001, Corgan formed Zwan with Chamberlin and guitarists Matt Sweeney and David Pajo, with bassist Paz Lenchantin joining in 2002. Zwan's focus on sunny, melodic pop-rock surprised fans and critics, and its album Mary Star of the Sea garnered generally positive reviews. In March, 2003, Corgan and Chamberlin performed with Jazz vocalist Kurt Elling at "The Waltz", an annual benefit for homeless and abused teenagers. Together, they performed a version of Jimi Hendrix's "Freedom". Unfortunately, Zwan disbanded during a European tour that year.

Corgan is currently pursuing a solo career and will reportedly have a new album and DVD out by the end of 2004. On February 17, 2004, Corgan posted a bitter message on his blog in which he blamed guitarist James Iha for the sudden breakup of The Smashing Pumpkins four years prior. He also referred to bassist D'arcy Wretsky as "a mean spirited drug addict." In another recent post, Corgan insulted his former Zwan bandmates, dismissing them as "poseurs". Sounding both enraged and hurt, he declared them to be "filthy", opportunistic, and selfish.

In addition to performing, Corgan has produced albums for Ric Ocasek, Hole, The Frogs, and Catherine. He has also produced two soundtracks, for the movies Stigmata (1999) and Spun (2002). He has performed vocals and guitar for New Order and Marianne Faithfull.

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