102.1 The Edge Interviw with Billy Corgan
If you would like a copy of this interview on tape, email Nikki
Toronto September 21, 1996
This is the on going history of new music, on 102.1 The Edge
Earlier today I had a chance to sit down and talk to Billy Corgan before he and the other 3 Pumpkins took of for an afternoon at the Metro Zoo. Since this world tour started here in Toronto on January the 2nd. An awful that has happened with the band and to the band. A dealth of a girl in the moshpit in Ireland, the dealth of touring keyboardist Jonathon Melvoin, The overdoses, plural, of Jimmy Chamberlin, and the subdiquent sacking of Jimmy. We took this oppurtunity to cathc up and Billy had the oppurtunity to explain a few things even though I asked him about some pretty personal stuff. Show time is coming up at the Gardens in less the two hours. And our Pumpkins coverage contains on 102.1 The Edge.
102.1: The first thing that comes to mind is...
Billy Corgan: Delath, drugs...
102.1: Well stuff like that, but after all the things that have happened on this tour don't you just want to go home?
BC: Yeah, I mean I certainly do get to that point where I think this is like trying to push a boulder up hill. The year has really felt like that. But, um...you know, not to sound like a complete gook, but before we even went on tour this year, not because I necessarily solicit this kind of advice. But one person would say - oh I have a friend who is a pyschic, you should talk to him. So I'd talk to this guy who is a psychic. I met a women who did astrological persjections for just friends. Then I have another friend who does tarot card reading. Who said you know you want me to read your calls. And all those people said the same thing, they said this is going to be the most difficult years of your life. And the thing that you need to keep in mind is when your going through this difficulty is you can't give into it. You can not let it bury you. You have to rise above it continually. If you can do that, that is the lesson of this year. So again, not to sound like a gook but when three different people, literally tell you the same thing from three different ends. Put it this way, whether they are right or they are wrong I still take it as a lesson to learn which is like to not be defeated by external forces. I still believe that the three remaining Pumpkins really haven't done anything wrong. We had a girl die at our concert. Ya know we never insited violence at any of our concerts. I mean, we had a drummer overdose. Who we continually told that he was going to be tossed out of the band. Ya know what i'm saying? All these circumstances are circumstances outside of our literal direct control. It does feel like a pressure cooker sometimes, but there is still alot of joy going on, and the concerts are a reflection of the fact that you can still appreciate the music. But, yeah, Its alot.
102.1: So what happened on the morning of July 12?
BC: Um...I really don't want to talk about it. I mean the spcificates are already kind of out. Is that the day? I guess that's the day. I guess your refring to D-day.
102.1: Who told Jimmy he was out of the band?
BC: Not anybody in the band. Management. Ya know its hard to explain, its such a long road, I mean i've read things, even in the canadian press that people view us tossing Jimmy out of the band is a cruel move. What people should keep in mind is we were on an 8 1/2 year road with Jimmy. It's not a discussion that I could have ever came to by a singular event. Another thing that they need to bare in mind is by tossing Jimmy out of the band we stand to lose alot. We stand to lose our credibility. Ya know a major component of our band. I mean bottom line we stand to lose alot of money, we stand to lose alot of things that we've worked for. So for people to view it as crash move on our part, they should realize its such a move of humility. We were willing to put Jimmy above the band and say that this is crazy.
102.1: How is Matt working out? I saw him on the MTV music awards and I thought that he was incredibly solid.
BC: He is a really, really solid drummer. Whats hard for Matt is we are asking him to play style thats not his own. The difficult thing is to tell him occasionally - Oh Jimmy would've played it this way. And Matt came into the situation with us saying that we need you to copy his parts. We are not going to re-invent the wheel, its just to much material, the show is 2 and 1/2 hours long. If it was a 45 minute set I could see it, but...
102.1: Him and D'Arcy are managing to get that rhythm section more less happening like you want it to under the citcumstances.
BC: Under the circumstances yeah, I'd say its about 90%. And again its no fault of Matts, its just the complexity of our music, and our kind of insane need to be on top of everything.
102.1: I would imagine that you are just going to continue to monitor everything thats happening with Jimmy and his court date is coming up on the 25th.
BC: Ya know to be honest Jimmy will never come back to the Pumpkins. So the only monitoring that is going on is kind of like a human kind. But different people have asked if Jimmy is coming back. Even in this Rolling Stone interview that I will still kind of on that - oh i'm not really sure, but I said that I will ever say never. But I can say never now. Its a done deal.
*Clip of Muzzle*
102.1: Back with more of todays interview with Pumpkins Billy Corgan right after this.
Your with the on going history of new music, on 102.1 The Edge.
102.1: This is being aired just before the show tonight. You have an oppurtunity to tell people what not to do, as far as moshing is concerned.
BC: Oh well, i'm sick of being dad. We had a situation I think it was in Quebec maybe. It was in Quebec. Where you know everybody ripped up all the seats and...
102.1: I think it was Rhode Island.
BC: Was it? Yes it was. Thank you. See you can tell i'm on tour. Um...the point is, is that i'm sick of being dad. Everybody take care of themselves. I mean the other day they had a thing on TV about moshing and they were saying to kids, do you know what you were doing?
102.1: I was on that show!
BC: Were you?
102.1: Yeah.
BC: Oh. Ok. And ya know they were saying, Oh I kow exactly that it is dangerous but I want to do it. Listen I've got enough flags in my hands to wave around at his peritcular moment. I'm putting that one day. Everyone just do what you want to do. If you want to be an idiot and hurt other people go the concert to have some sensual experience opposed to the musical one, ya know your going to do it anyway nothning i'm going to say is...Listen i've leterally stood on stage and said if your going to come over this wall you will be tossed out of the concert. Forget there is no execptions, you will be tossed out of the concert and 50 people still come over that wall. So they don't listen and they don't hear anything, or whatever. I'm just sick of being dad. I'm getting to old for this kind of crap. I've seen it turn into a fun, exciting, potent kind of force, that goes underneath the music. From an albotros weight around our necks. And us having to pear out into the darkness to make sure no one is getting hurt. Its boring and old and until everybody wants to put it down. I've even said on stage those people crowd surfing above you can not stay up there if you don't let them. And yet you still see people with there hands up, holding them up.
102.1: One more tough question, then we'll get to some fun stuff. What were you thinking when you wrote the line "can't you fake it for just one more show"?
BC: Um...I came into that kind of period not to...I came out of Lollapoloaze, which was for me very very difficult and I made it alot more difficult then it needed to be, but it was just that notion of being surrounded by people who don't really understand who don't understand what its like to get up on stage. People from an external point of view see getting up on stage as an exciting and its' so fun tthey don't relize the physic drain it has upon your body and you pass that fulcrum point of where its seises to bge fun, and you have everyone around you going - whats the big deal just get up on stage and play, you guys are great, you can do it, whats the big deal? Well they don't understand. And tehy wave money and carrots and all in front of your face. And its just I don't easyily explain lyrics, but its just the notion of locking yourself in, but you can complain all you want but your still up t there
102.1: How many songs do you hae in you?
*Billy laughs*
BC: I'm running out .
102.1:I mean I look at the medly on the Zero EP. An dI hear dyou were back in Chicago mixing some more stuff.
BC: There is 10 more things coming out?
102.1: 10?
BC: 6 covers and 4 more originals.
102.1:What covers? I'm a big fan of covers.
BC: Ok well there is one on the next single on My Blue Heaven. Most people don't know it, you might now it, its like a 20s standard. And um the otherds are going to be in the Christmas package that we are putting out. Its 5 kinda nerw wavy covers, its's Cars, Blondie, Missing Persons, Cure, and one xcapes me at the paricular moment...oh yeah Alica Cooper. .
102.1: Which Alive Cooper?
BC: Clones.
102.1:Really?
*Billy laughs*
BC: Yeah. Its kinda new wavy.
102.1:That's aninteresting choice.
BC: So its 5 new wavy covers. What we are going to do it you know the can legally put your singles together and put it in a packag. So we just beat everyone to the punch and make our own package, and put more b-sides in the package, so if you were to choose whether to buy soemebocddy elses package and our package our package would get it. And our package is going to have liner notes.
102.1: Is it going to be 7" or is it going to be CD>
BC: No it's going to be CD. Its going to be the 5 singles in one package.
102.1:Cause I know when we play "Never let me down".
BC: But its just the Mellon Collie singles.
102.1: Just the Mellon Collie singles?
BC: Yeah so there is 28 Mellon Collie singles all totally.
102.1: Bottom line is that your running out?
BC: Well literally the 3 originals on the 33 singles where really bottom of the barral riffs. Some weren't even fifnished. I just wrote them. Even though they are b-sides and some are just left over from Mellon Collie I just wrote them recently.
102.1: Are you going to take a break whenever this is FINALLY over?
BC: I have to, I promised myself a vacation cuz I never have taken one. Well atleast in 4 years.
102.1:What kind of vacation would you take?
BC: I'm going to Russia and Itally.
102.1: Take your own toilet paper.
*Billy laughs*
BC: Take my odvice my friend . I mean literally don't leave the country with out a guitar I will never stop working. So i have to put my own shackles on, cuz I really have aproblem , i'm a work a holic.
102.1:Have a good time at the gardens tonight.
BC: Thank you everybody.
102.1:For a record I showed Billy a new copy of the new edition of Details magazine you know the own that features him on the cover. He was most disapointed with the cover photo graph. I don't think that was what he was expecting and he really wasn't crazy about the tone the author took. So keep that in mind when you are readin it.
(Read the Details Magazine article that 102.1 was talking about)