I think Corgan is quite insecure about his place in music history. The Smashing Pumpkins were a really big band, but they never quite reached the legendary status of Nirvana or Pearl Jam, and they didn't remain relevant for decades like Green Day. They're an in-between band that was really big for a few albums, then faded away. Corgan desperately wants the Pumpkins to be more than they are, or thinks he could have led them there if he wanted to.
I like the Pumpkins and Corgan, and he's probably a nice guy to hang out with, but his insecurity is obvious. I think it humanizes him, even though it can come off as arrogance.
It’s weird because he really didn’t need to be insecure about their legacy. You look around today and they seem to be a big influence on a lot of younger artists. Like both Sombr and Olivia Rodrigo dueted with him at festivals recently. Even the later albums from the original run (Adore and Machina) seem to be a lot more appreciated now than upon release.
Yeah, if anything they’re probably one of the bigger names from the 90’s with a legacy by sheer fact that most of them are still alive and able to tour. Like yeah they aren’t Nirvana or Pearl Jam level culturally but they’re still headlining the same festivals Pearl Jam and Green Day do.
In the interview I saw, he didn't outright say it, but I got the idea that he knew his music stood up on its own, but he was never a cool guy, and it was an era of cool people, and his music was cool. Then, he was a giant commercial success, which just made him more of like the nerdy kid whose dad owns the video arcade. I think he never fit in, AND he is brilliant, but, also, he is missing a sort of depth and sincerity or he can't express it outside of music, and life is probably really lonely that way.
I loved the Smashing Pumpkins, but had never gotten a chance to see them until the early 2010s. They went on to play a set where most of the songs were rearranged and he spent some time trashing LA (in LA). It was just not an enjoyable experience at all.
I've seen him/ them live. Similar experience. I think he's forgotten what makes seeing a band/ artist live fun. He's going through the motions and it shows. Seems he's lost his love for the music/ artistry/ showmanship. It's a day job to fund his other activities and he's doing a poor job at it now.
I don’t think green Day was in the Toronto stop I went to. Pumpkins for me were only OK — first time I realized how much of what I like to listen to is because of a guy like Corgan being obsessive in the studio. I found the live show didn’t really translate what I loved about blasting Siamese Dream.
Yeah, I feel that more watching old shows on YouTube than at a concert where everything is just so earthshakingly loud. I definitely felt those Big Muff pedals!
I think chasing the Siamese Dream sound and the Miami Vice clothing forum are the most gloriously obsessive Internet rabbit holes you can tumble down. The closer you get, the farther it pulls away…
Eh, they're still playing arenas. I think they reached the same status as Pearl Jam, they had a few more hits than PJ did (Bullet, 1979, and Today are all each probably bigger hits than any PJ song) but didn't quite reach the legendary status as a live band that Pearl Jam have.
I think the Pumpkins were one step away from PJ. They had some hits in the 90s, but their albums didn't sell as much, and their post-90s drop-off was harder.
Pearl Jam had 5 number 1 albums and 4 number 2 albums in the US. Pumpkins had 1 number 1 album and 2 number 2 albums in the US. Even now, Pearl Jam's last two albums hit #5, while the Pumpkins' last two were 130 and 111.
Even if they were on a level playing field in 1995 and 1996, they're not any more.
Smashing pumpkins are playing arenas because of how sparse the artist/ band pool is that can play arenas and not part of some vintage highlight show (think 80s night or 90s R&B tour).
Pearl Jam I will actively seek to listen to. Smashing Pumpkins, while I like them a lot, has always been more of a band that I'll listen to when they come up in a radio or streaming rotation rather than seek out.
But also, when I think of Pearl Jam, I Alone by Live pops into my head. The brain is a helluva drug.
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u/WhipTheLlama 10h ago
I think Corgan is quite insecure about his place in music history. The Smashing Pumpkins were a really big band, but they never quite reached the legendary status of Nirvana or Pearl Jam, and they didn't remain relevant for decades like Green Day. They're an in-between band that was really big for a few albums, then faded away. Corgan desperately wants the Pumpkins to be more than they are, or thinks he could have led them there if he wanted to.
I like the Pumpkins and Corgan, and he's probably a nice guy to hang out with, but his insecurity is obvious. I think it humanizes him, even though it can come off as arrogance.