Billy Corgan talks about Butch Vig in the studio, funny stories, and his relationship with The Smashing Pumpkins. To donate to the channel go here: rickbeato.com/...
Nobody in the history of mankind has listened to Teen Spirit and gone... ohh that sounds like the Smashing Pumpkins. Even the 3 people who knew of the Pumpkins before Nirvana didnt think that.
Have you seen the 2 1/2 hr one with Joe Rogan? Billy's had some really, truly deep and revealing interviews. He is beyond brilliant and has written the most beautiful music I've ever listened to in my life. His story is so fascinating.
Unbelievable Butch vig studied microphone diagrams and sound waves for 15 years and Billie waltzes in “that’s my sound I taught him that- TAD, L7, Nirvana, sonic youth, soul asylum.. yep that’s my sound. I even showed him how to layer the guitar for killdozer recordings” like wtf billie
@@ShinyFlakesShinyFlakes DUDE- First of all do you even know what “the wall of sound” is in audio engineering??? Anyway I think Billie is quite full of himself here. I’m not saying that a producer/engineer can’t learn from an artist but to say that he learned how to “layer guitars that way” I just don’t buy it.. layering guitars is the very FIRST thing you do when you’re an engineer.. like what audio engineer doesn’t layer things? Maybe Butch was subtly influenced to add more layers but idk I hate the way corgan takes credit and tries to minimize “teen spirit” to being a Boston rip off (which isnt true in my opinion- we can start naming 4 chord pumpkins songs, Today! cough cough that sound like other songs too) regarded as probably the most influential rock song of the 1990s .. idk, he’s clearly very jealous. And I want YOU to tell me what the “wall of sound” is without googling it before I think you’re qualifying to be speaking on this subject for real. Sorry I hope I wasn’t too harsh. I’m not a mean person I swear! I just, you know, don’t see it the same way- that’s all. 🙂 That being said I do love the smash pumpkins I also think they did a lot for alt rock music but maybe Billie could be a little more humble. Who taught Scott litt and Andy Wallace how to layer guitars then? And why do their mixes also have that guitar sound??
@@dmvconartists6657I mostly read honesty not so much jealousy in the “More Than A Feeling” comment. I think Corgan is more just recounting how he felt *at the time* here. Though I agree that he played up too much that the guitar sound was “his”. I also think he’s just being honest about the true song craft behind “Teen Spirit”. And the Boston riff *is* an influence on the riff-even Nirvana itself did mock cover of the opening of “More Than A Feeling”. He’s recounted the story of Kurt playing it for him multiple times and he seems pretty jovial about it.
Same way man. Loving all these bands before the world discovered them was amazing, hearing this obscure band named Nirvana and their album Bleach for the first time in my buddies car (on cassette) as we headed to a bar is a moment I will never forget. Or seeing smacking pumpkins play a small bar near our college just months before Gish was released. I hope my kids have moments like that but the musical scene seems so different today.
"Butch once drank a glass of water, just after I invented water, and every time I drink a glass of water I'm reminded of Butch and how he drank water that I invented" - Billy Corgan
Love this segment. Corgan is a solid raconteur. He goes beyond the average trip down memory lane by giving the audience a little juicy inside baseball and being candid about his competitiveness.
@@puppetbreak9086 duh. But Gish and nevermind are both recorded in 91 and so was L7 and Tad- all that stuff sounds similar so how can you say it’s billie’s sound when there’s Killdozer and die Krusen and tad records that all come before may of 91 or during the same April -sept 91 period and have that sound. It’s clearly Butch mixing and mixing techniques that really make the sound although maybe he did something during the pumpkins sessions that he decided to continue doing that being said you can’t just take credit for NIRVANA, L7, TAD, SonicYouth and those bands guitar sounds.
Just awesome. Real stories from the dude that lived it. Nuff said. Btw I witnessed both bands for the 1st time on radio when they were brand new. I remember what I was doing and where I was for both of them. I knew I just witnessed and listened to legends. Now that I am 55 that has been confirmed finally and my wife believes me after 33 years. I win!
Great producer, great band. Met Mr Corgan in August 2000 in Vancouver. We chatted briefly about My Bloody Valentine and how they achieved their guitar sounds. Very approachable, very down to Earth. A very positive experience. Happy New Years Billy! 🎶
I appreciate Billy’s honesty. And he just in a strange way described why Nirvana went with Steve Albini for In Utero. They could be themselves. Google Albini’s letter to Nirvana about their “recording contract”
We lived in Fontana on Lake Geneva when we were kids. We left Wisconsin for Florida in 1978. I wonder if Smashing Pumpkins ever played clubs there in Walworth County. I DO know of people who saw Cheap Trick play there before they made it big. I think it was a club on the lake called The Beachcombers?
@@galetinm To be fair He wasnt specifically talking about tone but the way it was captured. It's a good sound that has been copied many times over since then so I don't really feel like it's that big of a deal that he said that. Especially with the close relationship he had with both Nirvana and Butch Vig.
He has always been incredibly intelligent and articulate. I met him back in 1988 around the time the Pumpkins were getting going and always enjoyed talking with him. Great guy to talk baseball with as well.
@@SlickBlackCadillac they were pretty successful in their own right . "Grave Dancer's Union" and "Let Your Dim Light Shine" we're back to back hit records for them. The next one "Candy From A Stranger" probably would've been successful as well but they went on hiatus pretty soon after it came out and didn't support it or make another record for seven years until Carl got sick and asked if they could make one more record together. and even though that last record they did with that lineup, "The Silver Lining" (2006) wasn't super successful I always thought it was pretty cool that Columbia re-signed them for that one album even though they hadn't been with the label in so long. Just because the people at the label believed in the music and wanted to get the album out wider than it would have been had the band released it independently. that almost never happens with major labels. I think Dave and the guys are pretty comfortable with their level of fame now. They get to make music when they want to on their own terms. They just released a brand new album a couple of weeks ago on Blue Elan called "Slowly But Shirley"
What infuriates me about Corgan in this clip is he, on the one hand, was upset at Butch for "stealing" his guitar sound and using it for Nevermind and, on the other, seems to have amnesia about his own earlier admission he stole the guitar sound for Siamese Dream from a band called Catherine.
As much as i appreciate billy corgan, to suggest that layering guitars is “his sound” is fucking ridiculous. almost every fucking band uses guitar layering, and butch vig likely knew to layer guitars beforehand. It’s common practice. Also there were 2 hard-panned guitar tracks in smells like teen spirit (besides 2 buried tracks in the chorus) so its not like it’s some unique layering of sort. Also, Nevermind’s guitar tone (and nirvana’s tone in general) sounds nothing like smashing pumpkins tones.
totally, and even IF that sound was a magically Pumkin recepe for success, Kurt ended up not liking the production of Nevermind. The writing excels here: Smells Like Teen, would have been a hit with a fuzz, a Metal zone, a Marshall, a Vox, mono, low fi, you name it, THE SONG is a truck. the voice, drums, the power and yes the song.
The tone of Kurt and Billy’s guitars, on the solos, sounds quite different to me. As far as layering the rhythm parts- how many ways are there to ‘layer’ a guitar? If Kurt used anything of Billy’s production techniques Im guessing he did do at the direction of Butch.
"Butch Vig made sure Pumpkins would get across the line and not turn us into Nirvana..." Billy has ego the size of Jupiter. No one but Kurt Cobain could turn Nirvana into Nirvana. Let it go already, Billy.
@@JohnDoe-tm9wz Kurt was true to his identity too. He liked both the Beatles and punk rock. And Nevermind sounds exactly like a crossover between these two. So.
Lol “it’s just more than a feeling.. and that’s my guitar sound.. and I’m reason Nirvana, L7, tad, sonic youth and soul asylum sound like that with layered guitars” 😩😫😫
@@HollowWaterso I appreciate the pumpkins, but Billy is such a conceded ass 😆, he's always had an in, with Courtney, and sometimes I think he knows a little more about what happened to Kurt than he says, just my opinion
While Nirvana and the Pumpkins were great, I look back on the 90s and have warmer feelings about Alice in Chains, specifically Dirt. Siamese Dream was a masterpiece though and definitely one of the best records to come out of that era.
I think the fact that they continued to work with Butch Vig signals that “you stole my guitar sound motherfucker” was much more playful than accusatory. The way you bust your buddy’s balls.
It's weird the producers gets all the cred for the "sound of Nirvana" when the demo of "Teen spirit" is pretty much exactly like the record in many ways.
Fuckign hell , I had no idea that billy corgan was responsible for the entire sound of the late 80’s and early 90’s. Why isn’t he already in the hall, statues erected, monuments in DC. 😮🙄
I'm a HUGE Nirvana fan and a huge Smashing Pumpkins album and I really don't think Siamese Dream gets nearly the credit it deserves. Nevermind is a PERFECT album, every song is amazing but Siamese Dream is ALSO a perfect album. Like I love Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam also, probably overall more than the Pumpkins but neither of those bands made a 'perfect' album ever but Pumpkins did. I think Siamese Dream really was the only of the 90s rock albums to match the level Nevermind reached in terms of songwriting, originality and production quality.
This guy needs to stop looking for recognition every time he opens his mouth. Side note: Cobain was a much greater songwriter than he is or ever will be… (doesn’t mean he is bad, but he is just not as good)
hey rick. you should do an interview with the POLVO guys. they had crazy gear, crazy tunings, and crazy songs. you once mentioned in another video how much you loved them, so that would be an epic interview. i mean, i love that you're doing these interviews with MAJOR LEAGUE 90s dudes--butch vig, billy corgan--but the deep dive stuff like the interview with adam franklin is what many more will remember, because no one else is doing that. others could include 90s chicago heroes tortoise, steve albini, & wilco (who are, admittedly, huge), and of course polvo who were/are fantastic. (incidentally, i saw swervedriver open for smashing pumpkins... nice confluence.) anyway, peace. thanks for the great vids.
There were a lot of good producers and people that worked on great records durning the "grunge" era. I'd say Butch had chops and a vision, and was in the right place at the right time.
I like Billy. He's incredibly smart and honest about his feelings,..sometimes to a fault. Great perspective on the era and his contribution to it. Great stuff.
Don't get me wrong, Nevermind is a masterwork. Love that album along with In Utero. But, Siamese Dream was my "go to" album for the mid to late 90's. I still listen to the entire album to this day. Great interview.
Siamese Dream was absolutely epochal for me. I actually liked the Pumpkins more than any other band (eg: Nirvana, Soundgarden, et al- whom I also loved) back then (except for my bloody valentine).
“Kurt was easily the most talented person in our class” Billy might be salty over nirvana’s success, or over Courtney leaving for Kurt. Regardless, he respects and admires Kurt Cobain. I’ve heard him compliment and praise Kurt more than once. Y’all need to chill.
Billy is so well spoken, You could easily pass off his words as cocky or Arrogant, but I don't doubt his recollection on Vig and Nirvana for a minute, Everyday teachers learn something from students and vice versa. Further more, Cobain always complained about how he didn't like the Sound of NEVERMIND and had Andy Wallace remix the entire Album. Maybe that was the reason
Very mature billy. I TOTALLY understand where you are coming from. butch wasn't obligated to you guys . but he made it a point to make sure you're place in history was solidified
For my money, Corgan was the best guitarist of his generation. Kurt, Cornell, Vedder, all were better singers though, obviously. But Soma, Mayonnaise, Drown... Corgan wrote some of the most interesting guitar riffs, abd easily had the best solos.
I disagree about Eddie Vedder. That guy is the worst singer to ever make a dollar…. If you can go find a video of him, singing with Glen Hansard live.. Eddie can’t even begin to hit any of the notes so he turns his face about 100° away from the microphone so that people can’t hear how is destroying the song Glenn is singing. The song has won Tony awards and Eddie Vedder destroys this song completely. It’s incredibly sad but hysterical at the same time for anyone that thinks Eddie Vedder is a good singer.! Eddie Vedder is probably as bad of a singer as Jimi Hendrix or Bob Dylan
Corgan is one of my fav artists from the 90ls. Throwing the Boston rip off line and Kurt ripping of his solo is him being a notorious pompous ego maniac douche.
Ehhh. He knows hes bit the icon Kurt is but as a guitarist there are few equals. Certainly no one else from that “grunge” period comes close they just don’t.
I've lived in WI my whole life, 40 years, Cambridge wi is where I grew up, home of Matt Kenseth Nascar driver, Madison is only 13 miles from Cambridge, it's fun to hear these stories about being on the lake 4 th of July in Madison, smart studios, the whole nirvana butch smart studios history is such a cool story. I know where smart studios used to be and it makes me wonder what ever happened to the gear that was used for these sessions.
If you listen carefully to the whole story, that's not what he says. You listened and reported like a journalist. Seeking sensation. Are you journalist?
Don’t get me wrong love, smashing pumpkins, loved them all the way up to adore. But I’ve never seen SP inside the grunge circle, they always seemed to be slightly different, not bad, not good just SP.
I can hear what Billy’s talking about. It’s the meticulous layering of the different distorted guitar and the mixing of how they come across with the sheen and separation of being able to hear them all on nevermind. Which is what the pumpkins do times a million on SD and Mellon. It’s actually the exact thing cobain didn’t quite love about nevermind which is why he went to albini for in utero which has an entirely different sound signature and sounds more like a traditional recording without any studio magic. People saying Billy is egotistical for this are mistaking what he’s saying. He didn’t say he wrote those songs or picked out cobain’s guitar tone. Those are absolutely cobain’s own choices.
Rick is a genius knowing this was the time to just sit and listen.
It’s really nice to see someone talk about an artist who they have so much reverence and respect for. Billy really loves Billy.
I love smashing pumpkins 90's work but he has always been a ass in that way.
@aboutthisproduct7674 yep its part of his "charm"
😆 🤣 😂
Nobody in the history of mankind has listened to Teen Spirit and gone... ohh that sounds like the Smashing Pumpkins. Even the 3 people who knew of the Pumpkins before Nirvana didnt think that.
as he fucking should
As much as I love The Pumpkins’ earlier albums, Billy can be unbelievably self indulgent. Annoyingly so
In part 2 we discuss how Billy corgan wrote, sang, played all instruments and produced Nevermind
LOL! Got 2 mins in and thought the same thing. He’s SO Humble! 😭
🤣
part3: To be true I'm really Kurt cobain
Part 4: Billy Corgan on not wanting to take credit for producing the multiverse.
Part 5: …………..I just wanted to be included.
One of the best Corgan interviews ever. You could tell he respects Rick as he was tentative at first, he got more comfortable as it went on.
Same happened with Sting. They come to respect Rick in a process.
Have you seen the 2 1/2 hr one with Joe Rogan? Billy's had some really, truly deep and revealing interviews. He is beyond brilliant and has written the most beautiful music I've ever listened to in my life. His story is so fascinating.
Of course the “story about Butch” is actually about Billy and HIS guitar sound.
Unbelievable Butch vig studied microphone diagrams and sound waves for 15 years and Billie waltzes in “that’s my sound I taught him that- TAD, L7, Nirvana, sonic youth, soul asylum.. yep that’s my sound. I even showed him how to layer the guitar for killdozer recordings” like wtf billie
Why do you say that man? Corgan is the innovator here, not Bitch. It was Corgan who layered the guitars for the wall of sound sound.
@@ShinyFlakesShinyFlakes DUDE- First of all do you even know what “the wall of sound” is in audio engineering??? Anyway I think Billie is quite full of himself here. I’m not saying that a producer/engineer can’t learn from an artist but to say that he learned how to “layer guitars that way” I just don’t buy it.. layering guitars is the very FIRST thing you do when you’re an engineer.. like what audio engineer doesn’t layer things? Maybe Butch was subtly influenced to add more layers but idk I hate the way corgan takes credit and tries to minimize “teen spirit” to being a Boston rip off (which isnt true in my opinion- we can start naming 4 chord pumpkins songs, Today! cough cough that sound like other songs too) regarded as probably the most influential rock song of the 1990s .. idk, he’s clearly very jealous. And I want YOU to tell me what the “wall of sound” is without googling it before I think you’re qualifying to be speaking on this subject for real.
Sorry I hope I wasn’t too harsh. I’m not a mean person I swear! I just, you know, don’t see it the same way- that’s all. 🙂 That being said I do love the smash pumpkins I also think they did a lot for alt rock music but maybe Billie could be a little more humble. Who taught Scott litt and Andy Wallace how to layer guitars then? And why do their mixes also have that guitar sound??
@@dmvconartists6657I mostly read honesty not so much jealousy in the “More Than A Feeling” comment.
I think Corgan is more just recounting how he felt *at the time* here. Though I agree that he played up too much that the guitar sound was “his”.
I also think he’s just being honest about the true song craft behind “Teen Spirit”. And the Boston riff *is* an influence on the riff-even Nirvana itself did mock cover of the opening of “More Than A Feeling”.
He’s recounted the story of Kurt playing it for him multiple times and he seems pretty jovial about it.
If it's true he can talk about it.
I love the thoughtful way that billy communicates
I get emotional every time there is an honest sharing about those early 90s times... I was 18 at 91 and am feeling still a part of of that era
Same way man. Loving all these bands before the world discovered them was amazing, hearing this obscure band named Nirvana and their album Bleach for the first time in my buddies car (on cassette) as we headed to a bar is a moment I will never forget. Or seeing smacking pumpkins play a small bar near our college just months before Gish was released. I hope my kids have moments like that but the musical scene seems so different today.
@@Hilaire_Balrog you're lucky seeing them live at their height. Perks of living in the usa
I look back at 91/92 as kind of a smaller version of the British Invasion of the mid 60’s. So many great artists. Completely changed the genre.
"Butch once drank a glass of water, just after I invented water, and every time I drink a glass of water I'm reminded of Butch and how he drank water that I invented" - Billy Corgan
He straight up admits he stole Kevin's (MBV) tone, and gets butt hurt when other people layer guitars.
Hahahahaahahahahhahahaha
😂
A lot of this makes so much more sense after the butch interview. Awesome job Rick
Great snippet from the interview. I found all of this fascinating. Would love to see an interview with Butch sometime.
I second this 🤘🏻✊🏻✌🏻
I third this!
100%
One of the best Billy Corgan interviews. Great job Rick!
It is. You are correct A A Ron
@@justinpridham7919 AINT NONE OF YALL OLD ENOUGH… TO GO TO THE DAMN CLUB!
@@bluemcdaniel99 Huh? I was in high school when Billy was clubbing with Rodman.
@@justinpridham7919 That what key said in the substitute sketch lol
Wicked awesome segment! Love these interviews Rick!
Love this segment. Corgan is a solid raconteur.
He goes beyond the average trip down memory lane by giving the audience a little juicy inside baseball and being candid about his competitiveness.
Good Old Billy, Taking credit for Nevermind and Butch producing it now....
he created the guitar apparently
🤣🤣 "Every 18 seconds they play teen spirit and I think 'theres MY guitar part"
...ok Mr. Bill. 🤣🤣🤣
Unbelievable right.. egotistical prick
Tbf the guitars on Nevermind sound a lot more like the guitars on Gish than the guitars on Bleach
@@puppetbreak9086 duh. But Gish and nevermind are both recorded in 91 and so was L7 and Tad- all that stuff sounds similar so how can you say it’s billie’s sound when there’s Killdozer and die Krusen and tad records that all come before may of 91 or during the same April -sept 91 period and have that sound. It’s clearly Butch mixing and mixing techniques that really make the sound although maybe he did something during the pumpkins sessions that he decided to continue doing that being said you can’t just take credit for NIRVANA, L7, TAD, SonicYouth and those bands guitar sounds.
I love this so much, what a fantastic conversation.
Just awesome. Real stories from the dude that lived it. Nuff said. Btw I witnessed both bands for the 1st time on radio when they were brand new. I remember what I was doing and where I was for both of them. I knew I just witnessed and listened to legends. Now that I am 55 that has been confirmed finally and my wife believes me after 33 years. I win!
The guitar sound on Siamese Dream is unparalleled.
it's my fav. pumpkins album.
Also love Gish, and Mellon Collie
immensely.
Blew me away at the time, lush, articulate distortion and massive
It's also totally different from the Nevermind guitar sound
and they ruined it with the remaster
Butch definitely deserves an interview in this channel, just saying... ☺
Guess what? 😉
Thanks for the clip , was a really good interview
Can’t get over the fact that Billy’s hands are a different color from each other
I noticed that too. Does he have some kind of condition?
@@rhanlon70 Yeah it's called Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. Thankfully it's just a birthmark.
@@xCaLLMeGHeTTo Wow, I had no idea. Is he in pain from it?
It's called a port wine stain birthmark.
He’s only in pain when people comment on it.
Every time i hear Led Zeppelin IV I go “there’s my drum sound”.
Great producer, great band. Met Mr Corgan in August 2000 in Vancouver. We chatted briefly about My Bloody Valentine and how they achieved their guitar sounds. Very approachable, very down to Earth. A very positive experience. Happy New Years Billy! 🎶
Was that the year they came to Vancouver but didn't sell out there tickets?
@@alukuhito I think they were playing with other groups. It was called Summersault 2000.
I appreciate Billy’s honesty. And he just in a strange way described why Nirvana went with Steve Albini for In Utero. They could be themselves. Google Albini’s letter to Nirvana about their “recording contract”
Oh Billy, your head could never fit in the door anywhere.
Would probably ruin Billy’s day to know Travis Meeks was writing circles around him….as a teenager.
And Butch was inspired to make his own band: Garbage. Icon
We lived in Fontana on Lake Geneva when we were kids. We left Wisconsin for Florida in 1978. I wonder if Smashing Pumpkins ever played clubs there in Walworth County. I DO know of people who saw Cheap Trick play there before they made it big. I think it was a club on the lake called The Beachcombers?
Billy Corgan is really starting to grow on me lately with the interviews he has been doing the past few years. Great storyteller for sure!
With a massive ego. He invented Nevermind guitar sound. Give me a break.
@@galetinm To be fair He wasnt specifically talking about tone but the way it was captured. It's a good sound that has been copied many times over since then so I don't really feel like it's that big of a deal that he said that. Especially with the close relationship he had with both Nirvana and Butch Vig.
He has always been incredibly intelligent and articulate. I met him back in 1988 around the time the Pumpkins were getting going and always enjoyed talking with him. Great guy to talk baseball with as well.
I always thought that Vig had his own sound he brought. More polished if that makes sense
Butch Vig produced Let Your Dim Light Shine by Soul Asylum. That’s his greatest achievement to me.
Soul Asylum was great and it sucks they didn't have more success
I loooooove that record
@@SlickBlackCadillac they were pretty successful in their own right . "Grave Dancer's Union" and "Let Your Dim Light Shine" we're back to back hit records for them. The next one "Candy From A Stranger" probably would've been successful as well but they went on hiatus pretty soon after it came out and didn't support it or make another record for seven years until Carl got sick and asked if they could make one more record together. and even though that last record they did with that lineup, "The Silver Lining" (2006) wasn't super successful I always thought it was pretty cool that Columbia re-signed them for that one album even though they hadn't been with the label in so long. Just because the people at the label believed in the music and wanted to get the album out wider than it would have been had the band released it independently. that almost never happens with major labels. I think Dave and the guys are pretty comfortable with their level of fame now. They get to make music when they want to on their own terms. They just released a brand new album a couple of weeks ago on Blue Elan called "Slowly But Shirley"
"I used the word Hello in my conversations and then Kurt Cobain used too" Billy Corgan
What infuriates me about Corgan in this clip is he, on the one hand, was upset at Butch for "stealing" his guitar sound and using it for Nevermind and, on the other, seems to have amnesia about his own earlier admission he stole the guitar sound for Siamese Dream from a band called Catherine.
Siamese Dream is the soundtrack of my teenage years.
Thanks Rik. In defense of everyone involved back in those times, this needed to be posted.
As much as i appreciate billy corgan, to suggest that layering guitars is “his sound” is fucking ridiculous. almost every fucking band uses guitar layering, and butch vig likely knew to layer guitars beforehand. It’s common practice. Also there were 2 hard-panned guitar tracks in smells like teen spirit (besides 2 buried tracks in the chorus) so its not like it’s some unique layering of sort.
Also, Nevermind’s guitar tone (and nirvana’s tone in general) sounds nothing like smashing pumpkins tones.
totally, and even IF that sound was a magically Pumkin recepe for success, Kurt ended up not liking the production of Nevermind. The writing excels here: Smells Like Teen, would have been a hit with a fuzz, a Metal zone, a Marshall, a Vox, mono, low fi, you name it, THE SONG is a truck. the voice, drums, the power and yes the song.
Also…I’m sure My Bloody Valentine, heard Smashing Pumpkins and said”hey, that’s my guitar sound”
I think Kurt's guitar is more Kurt's than Billy's.
In the 90s it seems like Butch was involved with everything I liked in some capacity
I’m sure Scott litt and Andy Wallace did a lot of stuff u like too
Rick is such a good interviewer! He just shuts up and listens... (which you definitely have to do with Billy Corgan.)
The tone of Kurt and Billy’s guitars, on the solos, sounds quite different to me. As far as layering the rhythm parts- how many ways are there to ‘layer’ a guitar? If Kurt used anything of Billy’s production techniques Im guessing he did do at the direction of Butch.
"Butch Vig made sure Pumpkins would get across the line and not turn us into Nirvana..." Billy has ego the size of Jupiter. No one but Kurt Cobain could turn Nirvana into Nirvana. Let it go already, Billy.
That's not what he's saying, Billy meant that the Pumpkins would stay true to their identity and Siamese Dream wouldn't sound like Nevermind
@@JohnDoe-tm9wz Kurt was true to his identity too. He liked both the Beatles and punk rock. And Nevermind sounds exactly like a crossover between these two. So.
@@aliya_punkenglish I rest my case.
@@JohnDoe-tm9wz Thank god you do, because Billy wouldn't.
@@aliya_punkenglish He acknowledged Kurt was better and Nevermind was the defining record of their generation.
Corgan ALWAYS finds a way to put down Nirvana. Every single time
He also praises them, so...
Lol “it’s just more than a feeling.. and that’s my guitar sound.. and I’m reason Nirvana, L7, tad, sonic youth and soul asylum sound like that with layered guitars” 😩😫😫
@@alukuhito he manipulates people to think he’s not still jealous or mad, but he still is.
@@HollowWaterso I appreciate the pumpkins, but Billy is such a conceded ass 😆, he's always had an in, with Courtney, and sometimes I think he knows a little more about what happened to Kurt than he says, just my opinion
Or Pearl Jam, or (insert band)…
Wow at Corgan having the balls to say he created the sound for Nevermind.
While Nirvana and the Pumpkins were great, I look back on the 90s and have warmer feelings about Alice in Chains, specifically Dirt. Siamese Dream was a masterpiece though and definitely one of the best records to come out of that era.
Interesting here that Corgan claims Butch Vig 'stole' his guitar sound when Corgan himself stole that sound from Kevin Shields/My Bloody Valentine
He needs to become acquainted with the word "influence"
I think the fact that they continued to work with Butch Vig signals that “you stole my guitar sound motherfucker” was much more playful than accusatory. The way you bust your buddy’s balls.
Your dumb. He is talking about guitar layering not tone
It's weird the producers gets all the cred for the "sound of Nirvana" when the demo of "Teen spirit" is pretty much exactly like the record in many ways.
Gish & Nevermind are my two favorite albums from that whole period & style of music.
Billy Corgan-Burr
Fuckign hell , I had no idea that billy corgan was responsible for the entire sound of the late 80’s and early 90’s. Why isn’t he already in the hall, statues erected, monuments in DC. 😮🙄
😎 Thanks Billy 🎸 Rick ⚓️
I liked In Utero way more than Nevermind. It was way heavier, more raw.
In Utero is the one record I could listen to every day from beginning to end. Love it.
Thank god Billy came along & showed the world how to layer guitars. 😂
I would love Billy to record his voice for an Audio Book about Alternative Music 😀😀😀
For me ‘Nevermind’ was ground-breaking. But Siamese Dream just connected on every level. ❤
I'm a HUGE Nirvana fan and a huge Smashing Pumpkins album and I really don't think Siamese Dream gets nearly the credit it deserves. Nevermind is a PERFECT album, every song is amazing but Siamese Dream is ALSO a perfect album. Like I love Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam also, probably overall more than the Pumpkins but neither of those bands made a 'perfect' album ever but Pumpkins did. I think Siamese Dream really was the only of the 90s rock albums to match the level Nevermind reached in terms of songwriting, originality and production quality.
@@siansphericajar of flies was the most sold EP ever until Linkin Park/JayZ's Numb mash up and I'd say it is perfect. Ten is a pretty great album too.
Nevermind was for teenagers. Siamese Dream was for adults.
@@TopherBlairMusicthat's an absurd statement my friend.
@@sianspherica Ten is perfect.
This guy needs to stop looking for recognition every time he opens his mouth. Side note: Cobain was a much greater songwriter than he is or ever will be… (doesn’t mean he is bad, but he is just not as good)
Much greater? Who had more hits?
What’s the guitar solo that Billy did?
I am glad this guy is still alive and embracing his wisdom
hey rick. you should do an interview with the POLVO guys. they had crazy gear, crazy tunings, and crazy songs. you once mentioned in another video how much you loved them, so that would be an epic interview. i mean, i love that you're doing these interviews with MAJOR LEAGUE 90s dudes--butch vig, billy corgan--but the deep dive stuff like the interview with adam franklin is what many more will remember, because no one else is doing that. others could include 90s chicago heroes tortoise, steve albini, & wilco (who are, admittedly, huge), and of course polvo who were/are fantastic. (incidentally, i saw swervedriver open for smashing pumpkins... nice confluence.) anyway, peace. thanks for the great vids.
Billy's recent interview on Howard Stern was also quite good.
The Rick Beato interview, I could probably watch a few more times.
Mayonnaise is the song from Siamese Dream. Beauty
Butch Vig is literally the God of 90s grunge.
There were a lot of good producers and people that worked on great records durning the "grunge" era. I'd say Butch had chops and a vision, and was in the right place at the right time.
Jack Endino got the first Soundgarden and Nirvana albums and recorded Bleach for $690.
He did a great job on killdozers 12 point buck.
I like Billy. He's incredibly smart and honest about his feelings,..sometimes to a fault. Great perspective on the era and his contribution to it. Great stuff.
He's a jerk
Thanks for that!
I appreciate his candidness.
Don't get me wrong, Nevermind is a masterwork. Love that album along with In Utero. But, Siamese Dream was my "go to" album for the mid to late 90's. I still listen to the entire album to this day. Great interview.
In 1991 i didn’t care of those grunge guys, i was blasting loud L.A. Guns, Ratt and Dokken.
Siamese Dream was absolutely epochal for me. I actually liked the Pumpkins more than any other band (eg: Nirvana, Soundgarden, et al- whom I also loved) back then (except for my bloody valentine).
I did, too, but later turned into a bigger SG fan than any of the rest.
Lol at the vest.
I find this so moving that I'm tempted to claim it should be featured in MOMA.
Billy Corgan is the most persecuted and misunderstood person according to the wildly famous and enormously popular Billy Corgan.
This guy is just a bald Dave Mustaine
“Kurt was easily the most talented person in our class”
Billy might be salty over nirvana’s success, or over Courtney leaving for Kurt. Regardless, he respects and admires Kurt Cobain. I’ve heard him compliment and praise Kurt more than once. Y’all need to chill.
I cant figure out which of these dudes is more humble.
Yeah Billy, because no one layered guitar before SP lol
Jimmy Page was the master of layering.
Saying Cobain ripped off Boston is utterly ridiculous.
Do you know what he means when he says they ripped off Boston?
Billy is first reaction of nirvana stealing his guitar tone is classic narcissist
Sounds a lot like Jack Black and The Black Keys. That did get nasty.
It is just a supreme guitar sound.
Billy is so well spoken,
You could easily pass off his words as cocky or Arrogant, but I don't doubt his recollection on Vig and Nirvana for a minute, Everyday teachers learn something from students and vice versa.
Further more, Cobain always complained about how he didn't like the Sound of NEVERMIND and had Andy Wallace remix the entire Album. Maybe that was the reason
Does anybody else notice Billy has two different color hands ???
Has Billy Corgan always had two different coloured hands?
Great interview, Rick!
Very mature billy. I TOTALLY understand where you are coming from. butch wasn't obligated to you guys . but he made it a point to make sure you're place in history was solidified
Knowing Billy’s history is awesome to see him so humble and relaxed happy. SP forever.
For my money, Corgan was the best guitarist of his generation.
Kurt, Cornell, Vedder, all were better singers though, obviously.
But Soma, Mayonnaise, Drown... Corgan wrote some of the most interesting guitar riffs, abd easily had the best solos.
Best songs of all of them too.
I disagree about Eddie Vedder. That guy is the worst singer to ever make a dollar…. If you can go find a video of him, singing with Glen Hansard live.. Eddie can’t even begin to hit any of the notes so he turns his face about 100° away from the microphone so that people can’t hear how is destroying the song Glenn is singing. The song has won Tony awards and Eddie Vedder destroys this song completely. It’s incredibly sad but hysterical at the same time for anyone that thinks Eddie Vedder is a good singer.! Eddie Vedder is probably as bad of a singer as Jimi Hendrix or Bob Dylan
Corgan is one of my fav artists from the 90ls. Throwing the Boston rip off line and Kurt ripping of his solo is him being a notorious pompous ego maniac douche.
Ehhh. He knows hes bit the icon Kurt is but as a guitarist there are few equals. Certainly no one else from that “grunge” period comes close they just don’t.
I've lived in WI my whole life, 40 years, Cambridge wi is where I grew up, home of Matt Kenseth Nascar driver, Madison is only 13 miles from Cambridge, it's fun to hear these stories about being on the lake 4 th of July in Madison, smart studios, the whole nirvana butch smart studios history is such a cool story. I know where smart studios used to be and it makes me wonder what ever happened to the gear that was used for these sessions.
Madison is a great city. Far out.
Random aside: Billy has a red hand and a not so red hand...
Dude it’s a birthmark
Dude he didn’t have a spoon to stir the kool-aid
The Marked
@@drewlittell 👀
i was just noticing this. anyone know what this is? his left hand is red. seems concerning. is it a heart issue?
Boohoo little Silly Corgan. Butch and Kurt stole my lunch money! I’m telling mom and dad !
If you listen carefully to the whole story, that's not what he says. You listened and reported like a journalist. Seeking sensation. Are you journalist?
Silly Corgan 😂
Nobody loves Corgan more than Corgan. Always loves talking about himself
To be fair that’s exactly what interviews are. 1 person asks another questions about themselves or their opinion on something.
Is it me or does his left hand look red ?
Billy looks like a burned out Santa clause
Billy Corgan is a fantastic interview!
Rick kind of laughed. Then he realized, oh dang, he’s serious. Awkward 😬
Great interview. What the hell is wrong with Billys circulation? Left hand always red, right hand normal colouring.
Smashing pumpkins were incredible
Don’t get me wrong love, smashing pumpkins, loved them all the way up to adore. But I’ve never seen SP inside the grunge circle, they always seemed to be slightly different, not bad, not good just SP.
I can hear what Billy’s talking about. It’s the meticulous layering of the different distorted guitar and the mixing of how they come across with the sheen and separation of being able to hear them all on nevermind. Which is what the pumpkins do times a million on SD and Mellon. It’s actually the exact thing cobain didn’t quite love about nevermind which is why he went to albini for in utero which has an entirely different sound signature and sounds more like a traditional recording without any studio magic. People saying Billy is egotistical for this are mistaking what he’s saying. He didn’t say he wrote those songs or picked out cobain’s guitar tone. Those are absolutely cobain’s own choices.
Gish was magic when it came out
People here shitting on Billy, wtf do you know? Maybe by "layering guitars" he meant a *specific* kind of thing he did, what do you know?
Most of us came to hear about the tree incident. Fans know everything about the band but little details about the "Timber!" story.
I think Billy had a idea to travel to small towns and just kind of talk to people❤ I really liked that
No puedo dejar de mirar la mano tan roja de Billy. Da cosica.