Attacking the Castle from Within (W/ BILLY CORGAN)

Around August of 2022, Adam opened up his email to find what was a message of profound encouragement, and could hardly believe it when it was addressed from "William Patrick Corgan," otherwise known as the frontman of Adam's first ever favorite band The Smashing Pumpkins. But that's exactly who it was. Billy had read Adam's 2021 book 'Communions' and, from there, a creative camaraderie developed.
Now, Billy is on SOS by SP and completing the circle. Here, the icon of rock discusses fatherhood, the experience of being at the zeitgeist only to watch the zeitgeist fracture and tether, the new Smashing Pumpkins album Atum and the podcast that Billy has used to launch each of its track in its three-part rock opera song cycle, Judas Priest, the Scorpions, attacking the castle from within, AND MORE!!
FULL EPISODE HERE: www.patreon.com/posts/attacki...

[@rue6062]

I've only recently got into TSP and I've been obsessed with Corgan's interviews. He's a really eye opening smart person. It's actually really inspiring.

[@anthonywandowicz8084]

Smashing pumpkins offers so much material compared to other bands. Billy has put out acoustic versions for almost all songs. He is the real deal and the only one out of his peers from the early 90s Era who never compromised or ditch the ideals he projected

[@drewlittell]

Best band ever

[@PerryScanlon]

His interviews on KZbin are great. A lot to think about philosophically.

[@talespin400]

yes! i'm just getting around to hearing his many interviews throughout his career. His music is SO inspiring!

[@gvibes69]

Very good to see he is not a crazy woke leftist like Neil Young or others!

[@1bit]

Best WPC interview in at least 20yrs and maybe ever. Thank you. As a starving visual artist who’s spent their entire adult life scurrying around the underground while never forgetting or dismissing my love for the Pumpkins and the formative experiences or paths their sound and vibe sent me down it’s a wild delight to hear Billy candidly speaking and bouncing off of everything from noise “festivals” to metal. Thank you

[@cthncthn7405]

I get inspired hearing Billy encourage everyone to be fiercely independent and unapologetic in their art. In a world of anxiety and imposter syndrome it's so refreshing.

[@joshuayettou9032]

Well said. Right on.

[@FPwLola]

The song 33 gets me through tough times, both when I was a teen and now. It's a comfort song that helps me embrace solitude and my station in life as it changes, and to be delighted by it all. Which is super valuable, imo, and a rare message. I always wondered why people so vocally disliked him way back when and in turn why I was so inexplicably taken by his lyrics and musicality. Now that I have the wisdom of this interview and my own life experiences, my deep love of his work is renewed, and I get it. I agree, asking artists to be a tasty brand and people please over staying real is the downfall of the industry and they hate when you call them out-hence all the bad press-WPC was smart and metal enough to take up for himself and follow through when others wanted him to falter and follow. Must be the secret sauce. This was really fun to be a part of, thanks for the upload. 🤘 And for the record, ABBA is transcendent. 💗✨

[@legacyXplore]

I’m a huge SP and BC fan. And I’ve heard him try to explain what he has dealt with over the years many times. In this interview when he talks about the difference between him and Kurt he really breaks it down to a level “we” can relate to. I believe sincerely that his work from especially the last 15 years pushed him to the top of a very small talented group when it comes to artistry and musicianship. I believe him when he says he doesn’t need it but I think that he deserves to know it. There are more of us that can make those types of distinctions than I think he believes.

[@buffalotraffic]

This was one of the greatest rock interviews I have seen in years

[@mercurymachines4311]

Great discussion. In a time where I feel surrounded by craziness, this gave me some hope that not all is lost just yet. I'd love to see Adam and Billy do this again in the future. Peace and Love.

[@cobalus_official]

Awesome interview..! Billy is truly inspiring, all those years of creation. Great questions and really nice and chill conversation.

[@SourceBoniface]

Billy is always such a great interview - I can see why the industry insiders are afraid to work with him. He's very shrewd.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

So it’s not the track record of abusive behavior to collaborators and staff who ended up in his inner circle, then. 🤔

[@dustenwilson]

This was an amazing interview. It's nice to see Billy soon content with the direction of the band and life in his personal life in general. 🎉🎉🎉

[@sibbyeskie]

I was an artist immediately following that era, just trying to get something going as the Napster, boy band and Numetal era started to fill its place. I can barely think about that time period because so much of it, my prime of youth really, was clearly a waste. Though I learned a lot and went on to use what I learned. Maybe the darkest period was in the middle 00’s. I had a record deal lined up and worked for a year or so and by the time I sent it the label, which was basically 99% dark electro alternative for a couple of decades straight, all of a sudden “we’re not signing bands like that anymore” and gave me the name of their most recent signing. It was totally straight forward acoustic radio Lilith Fair material I still can’t believe it and it feels like a weird nightmare. Anyways, I knew to get out then. All of the guys in my scene who stuck with it even though they had no decent material (and a few actually ended up on that label when it reverted its business model), they basically toured for nothing. Memories, I suppose. But it still just seems like a dark void in history. Just thinking of that hearing Billy reflect on that early 90’s groundswell that gave so many of us hope. It was such a cultural anomaly, and ridiculously short lived. A tiny period that felt like it could be forever that gave us all that great music, then gone before we even knew it.

[@samuelheldilaof6361]

do you still have the music though?

[@vondelpark8141]

Amazing talk, great stuff, thanks!

[@everythingiseverything6740]

A Forest by the Cure, first heard it in the 80's changed my world view

[@lkarlton5613]

Fascinating interview. Looking forward to more!

[@jackparanoia]

This was a great interview.

[@retinoises]

What a great conversation! Loved it! Congratulations!👁️🔥👁️👏👏👏👏

[@TheBlackSheepDiaries]

This is too cool to see you guys talking about 1979. That video is exactly the way I was living life at that exact moment in time. It's my favorite of theirs if that's even possible with so many greats. I did an acoustic cover of it over here if ya want a good chuckle, and funny enough, it got hit with a copyright strike. Loving this interview!

[@garyhicks7914]

Thank you Billy for sharing so much of your time n insights

[@garyhicks7914]

Ps in regards to the tit le they started it 👏😂

[@bradleykrebs7543]

This was awesome.

[@Stormsmusik]

One of the most beatiful voices all time...Love it

[@BerserkersBattle-816]

There is no other band on earth that sounds like THE SMASHING PUMPKINS. They are so incredibly awesome it's like a heroin high flowing in my body when I hear them.

[@joshuayettou9032]

Damn well that's a hell of a buzz from hearing a band. You must be a Pumpkins addict, 😂

[@BerserkersBattle-816]

@@joshuayettou9032 I know it's an extreme and random thing to say but they do make me feel like I'm on opiates and I love it.

[@sally_spice4507]

They are in a league of Their own. I have always said they don’t sound like anyone else and that makes them elite in their own way.

[@BerserkersBattle-816]

@@sally_spice4507 Absolutely! No one sounds like them they really did their own thing and they got magic. I get nostalgia when I watch one of their 90s videos because I graduated highschool in 93 and it was a great time to be alive back then.

[@nclsrfn]

incredible interview, you guys are very good.

[@geofolkers]

Great conversation!!

[@suzannealdridge1404]

Best Interview exposing this industry. Billy is a man of integrity

[@romelovesdan]

Billy Corgan- First invite to my "ultimate dinner party guests list".

[@clausm2203]

Great interview

[@thesillytoys]

Great insight

[@TheDentist27]

great interview

[@dustincarl200]

Absolutely Incredible Interview!!! It would be a dream come true to have a conversation with Billy. 👾

[@ChannelZero1031]

Happiness is fucking expensive. The more you try, the more it drains you. I guess it's when you stop trying that it all seems to work out somehow.

[@andreaslandgren1681]

"I don't need to boost myself. I'm really good at this."XD

[@justwondering1967]

Billy is a legend and an American treasure.

[@AnodyneHipsterInfluencer]

Fantastic interview. I really appreciate Corgan's worldview, intellect and sense of pragmatism. Until getting more of an insight into those things 4 or 5 years ago, I would have never imagined his personality, insights and opinions to be what they are. I'd have just assumed he had the typical, pseudo intellectual, white knight, collectivism apologist persona that's prescribed to everyone who wants to more easily navigate and survive in the industry milieu of music, movies, fashion, visual arts etc. Really most working environments today but in particular the arts, as it has been for the last 65 years or so. It's even more of a credit to him in my eyes the way he chooses to make himself available for interviews. It seems he places a priority on sitting down with people whom he appreciates and who in turn appreciate and largely understand him and his art as well. Which of course makes for a far better interview.Taking that over simply interviewing with outlets that have the widest reach for use as a promotional vehicle. I listened to this entire interview and not once did he mention his latest album, tour, side project, nothing. Not that I'd fault him or anyone for doing so, it just speaks to his unpretentious sense of dignity. He's also neither self aggrandizing nor self effacing. That in particular is something I think many young men in the West today would benefit from integrating into their own personalities. Anyhow, I digress. And again, kudos for such a great interview. I'll certainly be looking to get a copy of this book "Communions" that this interviewer wrote and which got Corgan's attention. Looking forward to hopefully seeing more content in the future.

[@tb9k_]

Corgan on conspiracy/drama type stuff is so entertaining. Obviously a lot is based on real experiences but even if he just made up mystery/conspiracy stories it would be fun.

[@LAURASFEZZ]

Amazing

[@SpecialC2474]

Corgan is a genius. This interviewer? Uhhh, like, absolutely? Yeh. Anyway.. Thanks for at least being a conduit for this incredibly patient man to wax nostalgic and enlighten us a little, to what he is all about. SP and Billy are kings.

[@SafetyPropaganda]

In what capacity have I ever claimed to be a genius, ingrate? I’ve only ever claimed to be metaphysically and physically and mentally perfect

[@reputablehype]

You have to put your art into the world no matter the zeitgeist says because at any point in history, someone can reflect back on it without the social pressure and it might impact someones life in a meaningful way.

[@joshuayettou9032]

@ 128:30 When Billy said "Hipster Killer" I just heard an amazing name for a band/song/album etc. Love it.

[@derrikferguson3219]

That was fun.

[@annsophiefans1472]

17:24 --- Let's talk about it in terms of waves. The First Wave is: Exhilirating. Super-intoxicating. 1990-1995. We're running the world! We're running game! Standing in the white-hot arclight of the zeitgeist of a particular culture --- very intoxicating. 18:27 --- Wave Two --- here comes the Imitator Class. the B and C and D-level talents, who are just aping the 'sound' of rage. 19:20 --- Wave Three -- Metal Fatigue. The starship is still running at a thousand miles an hour, you're still inside it, but the metal is beginning to crack. And then Wave Four: Oops! It's Over. And you see the rats starting to scramble off the ship.

[@Grigsy]

Everybody knows that Sorrow is the family business, not tour busses.

[@legacyXplore]

This was an incredible interview. I am a big SP and BC fan because he speaks truth. From 2000 to 2010 I was the exact fan he has a hard time with. I had no interest in anything new. I wanted him to play my music. But not sure if it was age or the combination of age and always listening to him speak but eventually I got it. And have been able to find something I love on everything he has done over the last decade. His answer in this interview about being compared to Kurt was actually a historic quote for music history. I don't feel like I making it more dramatic than it was. Because in that moment he broke down something that is so easy to take for granted. When that era ended the world didn't stop. What BC has done since then makes it game set match.

[@drummerdem50]

Billy is a smart dude

[@marisasinn-dorfeld7113]

What a fantastic interview, so refreshing after the mainstream stock standard journo questions. Very satisfying 🥰

[@remmy6610]

Smaching Pukiins are gonna be like the Roĺling Stones. They are one of the best in there time. So I think they left their mark in the RNR world.

[@craigusselman546]

Billy is a funny genius musician I like him more and more

[@MrFakNo]

Springsteen is "ballsy" and transparent because he's made enough money to not care about his put-on persona.

[@HallowWeener]

that is so cool his son cares about the ecosystem of the oceans!!!!

[@pilleater]

Awesome possum.

[@PlaysWithChildren]

Man, Arcade Fire is a great band. They may be a hipster favorite but they are MUCH more than that. Bowie performed live with them for a reason, he has good taste.

[@SafetyPropaganda]

the worst band perhaps ever and everything that went wrong with the commerciaization of "indie rock" post 2000 and bowie was really fucking old by that point

[@cuteasxtreme]

@@SafetyPropaganda you’re saying you like ATUM but not Funeral???

[@amymuchko7106]

Shape up your act, Corgan.

[@geminippe7088]

Yeah, I love us being able to “create our own world now” Me 40 year old mom South Africa William & you (the writer)

[@SupermanNew52]

I'll try to keep this short. I was eleven years old when Siamese Dream was released. I heard that, and Billy would be my favorite person from that moment forward and SP my favorite band. I used to frequent the fansites in the early 2000s and late 90's. There were many "fans" that wished him dead, he's not lying. All because he wouldn't make another Siamese Dream or MCIS. On the other hand, I'm there loving Adore and Machina and just losing my mind arguing with these pieces of garbage while they're trying to tell me things like Arcade Fire and AFI are better than SP now(back in 2000 that is) lol. I basically settled on the idea that Billy already created his masterpieces and anything else was like bonus material on a DVD. I could always go back and listen to my favorite SP albums if I didn't like the newer stuff. He would then go on after Machina/Machina II to do his solo album, ZWAN, Zeitgeist, Oceania, etc. and there were a ton of really awesome songs in there too that belong up there in the same league as Siamese Dream and MCIS era stuff. I wound up completely understanding that Billy just wants to make music for HIMSELF, and if people like it great, but if not that's great too. That theory of just taking things for what they are has helped me out a ton in life when choosing what to spend my time doing and enjoying. I wish every pumpkins fan could see this video interview you've done. Take care everyone, and thanks for doing this interview with Billy.

[@greenmatrix30seven]

Its interesting he brought up buster Keaton and silent movies. He did an interview not more than 2 weeks ago mentioning silent movies and the history of America. And here he is saying it again.

[@User-om5bv]

Did you ever published the Cobain piece you discussed with Uncle Billy here, I'd like to read it if that's a possibility, friend.

[@annsophiefans1472]

25:00 --- I know both of them, Parker and Fanning -- I've literally known them since they were nineteen years old and they were just these kids.

[@Afterhouramenu]

So sick you know Mr.Billy great episode - also can you post the MikeyMDC episode? I want to see the trainspotting shirt bleach

[@SafetyPropaganda]

lmao not a bad idea

[@Dirtysouthpottymouthmamabear]

Now most good music is hard to come by.thats why I stay with the classics and my teen son knows spumpkins,nirvana, Metallica, Marilyn Manson And journey,nin,kings of leon

[@x0rn312]

should make a doc about what happened to all the kids from that video

[@richardcrook2112]

01:39:30 The Cure - Figurehead

[@AndrewTate2Prison]

Do we hate algorythms? Of course we do...But hey searching for Billy Corgan and this video came up...and I discovered what looks like a really interesting channel. Bourgeoise culture? For sure...the owners just want to snag that market share...in this day and age that niche market share. But what can you do? Just crank some Midnight, Vanik, Venom, and Motorhead and have some fun!

[@SafetyPropaganda]

Follow links to our patreon page for the real content these are just freebie unedited videos

[@MikeSmith-uf3zn]

Hes worth 60 million Damn baby

[@talespin400]

tell me your favorite song by The Smashing Pumpkins?

[@mml5418]

I of mourning

[@mattlovasz1750]

WPC is the best!

[@StrayTablet]

Fandom can be a curse.

[@garyhicks7914]

I think i can therefore i am the new Smashing Pumpkins guitarist 1st string Billy knows it not yet. 😂

[@morganophelia5963]

i never knew he had kids ..cool

[@sub-jec-tiv]

Helpful tip: you’re talking into the top of that mic and it’s a side-address mic. You’re supposed to leave it on the table angled sideways at your mouth. If you talk into the top of it, the sound is not going to be as good.

[@LaceAndCorsets]

Talk about your 33 mason robe Billy

[@latentsea]

33 song concept record. Build your own world. Party w jz and bea.

[@BradDrawsStuff]

does Will or the guy they keep flashing to with the messy bedroom ever talk here??

[@latentsea]

He say “yea “ at 34:00

[@geminippe7088]

1:41

[@SeekingNamelessly]

You could write a non-revisionist history book just on WPC's interviews alone

[@TheGoldenCapstone]

I understand and agree with the conversations Corgan and the host were having but how do we separate the opinions crafted by gatekeepers of what's good/bad art from legitimate criticism? I mean, sometimes and album is just a miss.

[@ratpH1nk]

I am guessing right there in the left -- kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4q2k62qeKiHoqM (Maya Rudolph)

[@sealife564]

His interviews are always great. Lasting impact for sure! Once you realize it's all full of shit... you can't go back

[@AmericanSpyFox]

See how easy it is to get an interview, yet Corgan won't give us an interview lol.

[@crypttonite]

Lehrer as in McNeil Lehrer?

[@joshuayettou9032]

That scarf 🧣 around Billy's neck is so cringey lol😂 With that being said Corgan is a highly intelligent man and he makes a lot of sense. Brilliant dude.

[@craigusselman546]

Billy likes scarves.

[@latentsea]

Must protect the money maker golden throat and keep temperate at 72 degrees plus or minus *3/4 degrees

[@sean_shimmer]

mickey avalon is in the today video making out with his then girlfriend

[@x0rn312]

Lars was wrong Billy was right, And the world made the wrong choice Look at how much damage the d m c a is still doing to this day as far as people not being able to do things that are obviously fair use etc...

[@86Starcaves]

You can love Corgan and also admit that he's insufferable at times

[@burnedoils]

he's gonna go back in his cage now

[@mudchat4486]

i think i see what you did there :)

[@panicerror]

in europe this "ghetto-art" is to the nth degree

[@vinylsolution2522]

If you don't love the Scorpions, you don't love perfect Guitar Riffs. And your a Snob.

[@photofriend44]

This interviewer is not that great.

[@davidfletcher1533]

Horrible

[@JP-zi9mr]

lets be honest and I know it hurts to say this but his newer albums are not good art.

[@drewlittell]

Sure they are. They are just not as great as the masterpieces. It’s still quality in comparison to everything else that’s coming out now. In any 35 year career there will be ups and downs. SP’s conundrum is the highs are so high it makes just decent stuff seem bad in comparison

[@hairbrushmicrophone9130]

Silvery sometimes was one of the best smashing pumpkins songs to come out of recent memory. But yea the albums as a whole aren’t on the level of siamese dream or melon collie

[@anthonywandowicz8084]

It's disgusting how sea world kid naps orcas from their families. It's the same dramatic experience we go thru

[@mysteriousmansion1841]

Criticizing Hollywood without mentioning the ethnic tribe of that industry shows Billy Corgan really isn’t a rebel at all

[@mysteriousmansion1841]

Kanye did what no one else has the balls to do.