“I would get up in the middle of the night, play it in the middle of the night, in the dark, no light”: Billy Corgan trained himself to play in pitch black

Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins performs onstage during a concert at Gunnersbury Park on August 10, 2025 in London, England.

Billy Corgan is one of the most recognizable faces flying the flag for ’90s alternative rock, having even recently made a surprise appearance at Coachella during rising indie-alt star Sombr’s set to bash out a Smashing Pumpkins classic.

However, the artist at the helm of the Pumpkins ship revealed that his inimitable guitar style can be traced back to what he calls a “weird decision” to practice guitar for four hours a day... in the dark.