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REVEALED: 2 | Vintage Vibes

11 sublimely mellow Smashing Pumpkins cuts

Despite all their rage, sometimes Billy Corgan & co. made some of the most perfectly tranquil music of the 90s

Louder

“Whether or not my fingers bled, I don't remember”: Billy Corgan on the making of Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness – and how one of its biggest hits nearly didn’t make the record

With no let-up for 86 days straight, Mellon Collie was the double album that spooked the label, pushed Corgan to the limit, and would become the ’90s own White Album. This is its story

Guitar World

The 10 best B-side albums

Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Oasis, The Smiths, Deftones, the Manics and more all had classics going spare, as these superlative compilations prove

Louder

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“Our riffs are unconventional because we don’t know what key anything is in. Most guitar players wouldn’t admit that”: From Billy Corgan to Big Thief, how Momma became one of alt-rock’s most addictive bands

On album number four, Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten find themselves at their most autobiographical, searching deep to channel the music – and employing pedals with secret powers

Guitar World

“Isaw Kiki’s name, I stopped and thought, ‘Wait… I think I follow her on Instagram.’ …I was like, ‘Oh, that’s that person I really like’”: Billy Corgan and Kiki Wong on the guitar chemistry behind Smashing Pumpkins’ new era

How bonding over Dimebag Darrell and dressing like “Rob Halford's cousin” helped turn Wong into a Pumpkin overnight

Guitar World

Sometimes bands shouldn’t be trusted to revisit their own material, as the latest Smashing Pumpkins reissue set proves

Billy Corgan has made the band's 2000 Machina project even bigger and more bombastic when it needed toning down, not blowing up

Louder

Billy Corgan joins My Chemical Romance for Smashing Pumpkins cover in Chicago

Smashing Pumpkins frontman is surprise guest for My Chemical Romance's cover of Bullet With Butterfly Wings

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“She's got that thing that I could never do – I have to cheat”: Billy Corgan reveals the technique Kiki Wong can do on guitar that’s beyond him

Wong was handpicked by Corgan and co. from over 10,000 applicants to join the Smashing Pumpkins, and it's safe to say she's been a powerhouse addition to the lineup

Guitar World

The all-new October 2025 Guitar World – where Smashing Pumpkins and Sex Pistols mingle openly with Carlos Santana and Khruangbin

Featuring new interviews with Billy Corgan, Kiki Wong, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, Zakk Wylde, the Beach Boys' Al Jardine, Inhaler's Josh Jenkinson and dynamic duos from Khruangbin, Momma, the Voidz and Phoneboy

Guitar World

“I actually prefer people who play bass with their fingers. A pick has to be used just right to not blunt the guitar attack”:Billy Corgan takes us inside the zeitgeist of his low-end studio work with the Smashing Pumpkins

One of the most influential guitarists of his generation, Billy Corgan has also written and recorded the bass tracks on almost every album in the entirety of the Smashing Pumpkins’ history

Guitar World

“I apologize for the broken beer bottle that was thrown at him”: Melissa Auf der Maur surprises fans as she reunites with Billy Corgan to perform a Smashing Pumpkins classic

The bassist linked up with the alt-rock titans for the final song of the night in Montreal

Guitar World

Why the Adore tour was the messiest, most all-over-the-shop moment in Smashing Pumpkins’ history (and it’s not just because some bloke wee’d on my foot at one of the gigs)

Billy Corgan & co. totally lost the plot in the bid to try and replace Jimmy Chamberlin in 1998. Two words: "percussion solo".

Louder

"They are bigger than the Ramones. Their influence is greater, their reach is greater, and certainly their success is greater." Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan on the punk band he believes has eclipsed the Ramones

Billy Corgan shares his respect and admiration for some old friends

Louder

“Distortion, distortion, gain and more gain were my digs before I joined the Smashing Pumpkins. But they’ve introduced me to a whole new world of pedals”: Kiki Wong on her life-changing audition, and what she's learned from Billy Corgan and James Iha

Wong enjoyed a high-profile on social media and maybe that would have been enough. But when Billy Corgan called an open audition, she beat 9,999 others to live out her grunge dreams as guitar player for the Smashing Pumpkins

Guitar World

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Guitar World

“Smashing Pumpkins taught me that music doesn’t have to fit neatly into a box… it’s not as easy as pie. It’s pie with a side of metal!” Billy Corgan asked Jenna Fournier to go back to bass, and she says the timing is perfect

The guitarist-vocalist’s band Niights, solo project Kid Tigrrr, and visual arts projects are one thing, but hitting the stage as part of Corgan’s Machines of God band as a four-stringer is another

Guitar World

“I had big shoes to fill, but I knew I had a lot to offer on my own. I think Billy Corgan saw that in me”: From Veruca Salt to the Smashing Pumpkins and Garbage, Nicole Fiorentino has become alt-rock's go-to bassist

Traditionally a tube amp user, the Reverend Decision fan is hitting the Helix-powered stage with Shirley Manson and co., with in-ear monitors and no pedals – and delivering her own bass take on the band's classics

Guitar World

“I still use the Strat and Big Muff sound here and there for overdubs, but when I watched Eddie Van Halen play 3 feet in front of me, I learned that it’s about the hands”: Billy Corgan on critics, tone secrets, and how he keeps Smashing Pumpkins fresh

Aghori Mhori Mei sees Corgan and co. finding a fresh perspective in revisiting gear and writing approaches from the past, and – “for a change!” says Corgan – fans and media alike are loving it

Guitar World

“It’s really quite genius, but also hard to learn – it sounds insane, but sometimes the easiest songs still get me nervous”: Kiki Wong reveals the Smashing Pumpkins song she had the most trouble with

After beating 10,000 other candidates to the gig, the guitarist set about navigating Billy Corgan’s “distinct playing style,” with one song proving more challenging than the rest

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BANG Premier

Billy Corgan unfazed by Smashing Pumpkins’ public misconceptions

Smashing Pumpkins rocker Billy Corgan has "no desire" to fight for the band's image even though their public perception is different to how they see themselves.

MusicRadar

“We’re still avoiding him to this day... we would just despise him after a while”: Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne is not a Billy Corgan fan

Beef dates back to Smashing Pumpkins man being "just horrible" during Lollapalooza in '94

Fortune

Billy Corgan on launching his new podcast, the future of music and the 'shocking shift' brewing with AI

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has parlayed his music success into various businesses, from wrestling to a tea shop. This year, he launched his podcast "The Magnificent Others" with Bill Maher's Club Random Studios.

Guitar World

“Not everybody has a high standard. A lot of indie people think playing too good is a bad thing”: Billy Corgan on the difference between rock and “indie” guitar players

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman recently sat down with Richie Sambora to discuss their early musical experiences

Louder

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan lines up shows to celebrate the anniversaries of three classic Smashing Pumpkins albums, but he'll be performing with his new solo band, not Smashing Pumpkins

What better way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness than seeing it performed by a band that's not Smashing Pumpkins?

BANG Premier

Billy Cogan to mark Smashing Pumpkins anniversaries with solo shows

Billy Corgan is going on tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Smashing Pumpkins‘ ‘Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness’ - but without the rest of the band.

Guitar World

Billy Corgan announces new solo project featuring Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Kiki Wong, and U.S. tour celebrating classic Pumpkins eras

The tour, titled A Return to Zero, promises to be a career celebration – with a setlist that draws from seminal Pumpkins albums – and kicks off this summer

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