“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

Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins is haloed by a stage light and wears black as he performs live with his white signature Reverend electric guitar.

Dating back to the late 80s and led by Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins have polarised and galvanized with records such as Gish (1991), Siamese Dream (1993), Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (1995), and Adore (1998) through an outright refusal to adhere to genre confines, regardless of the success those confines afforded them.

Because of this, and Corgan’s tendency to speak his mind, critics and fans alike have had a field day. But that hasn’t stopped those same pundits from filling seats in arenas, such is life for the Pumpkins – light and shade, as it were.