Billy Corgan Compares Work Ethics of ’90s Smashing Pumpkins + Current Lineup

Billy Corgan has perspective now on the music the Smashing Pumpkins made back in the '90s as compared to the material he is creating now and he notes a definite difference in the personalities and work ethic of the players.

The Smashing Pumpkins’ latest studio album is 2012’s ‘Oceania,’ and his current band includes guitarist Jeff Schroeder, drummer Mike Byrne and bassist Nicole Fiorentino. Corgan says things operate a lot smoother with the current lineup, as it's a much more creatively open atmosphere.

During a recent press conference in Slovakia at the Bazant Pohoda music festival the Illinois native explained, “In the 90s making those records, there were a lot of issues internally with the band so I ended up having to do a lot of the work. But we still worked together.” Corgan emphasizes, “But it was more of an argument over who plays what on what song."

“This [lineup] is now more honest and I say, ‘I think that’s for you; this is for me.’ So it’s much more open, and in that way because there’s more open dialogue. If I tell them what is good or bad that gives them the opportunity to fix. But in the '90s, if I talked they wouldn’t listen to me," says Corgan. "Certain band members in Smashing Pumpkins in the 90s were willing to let the band fail rather than deal with their own limitations as a musician, or deal with their own limitations with work. Because the way I am, if that takes 12 hours to record something, I’ll do it. They want to be there one hour and go to the club. So it’s very difficult. With this band though it’s very mature. So if I say you need to work on it, they will work on it. So it’s a much healthier situation.”

Listen to Corgan’s other comments about artistic freedom, pushing the boundaries and  being an avant-garde artist making it into the mainstream in the video posted above.