BILLY CORGAN: THE INFINITE SADNESS OF BEING RIPPED OFF
Billy Corgan isn't just the frontman of The Smashing Pumpkins; he's also become rock's self-appointed watchdog, vigilantly guarding the sanctity of originality in music. With a head as shiny as his insights, Corgan has taken to podcasts to air his grievances about artists he believes have tread too closely to his creative territory.
The musician’s head does look like it generates a gravitational pull of its own, which could explain a lot.
It does take a galaxy-sized mind to write Tonight, Tonight and still find time to accuse Metallica of riff-jacking. At this point, I’m just waiting for him to accuse Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart of ripping off the Mellon Collie piano parts.
Every time I turn around, Billy’s accusing someone new of ripping him off—and honestly, it’s getting a little cringe. Like, we get it, Billy. You invented angst and fuzz pedals. But if everyone’s copying you, maybe it’s time to take it as flattery.
1. Metallica's "Fuel" vs. Smashing Pumpkins' "Tales of a Scorched Earth"
On the Everblack podcast, Corgan flagged the sonic similarities between Metallica’s “Fuel” and his own scorched-earth anthem. He stopped short of calling it stealing.
2. Scott Weiland “borrowed” Billy’s vocal style
Corgan once said Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland straight-up ripped him off on Plush. That’s a bold claim, especially considering STP was also accused of biting Pearl Jam.
3. Everyone is copying everyone (but mostly Billy)
To his credit, Corgan isn’t totally a douche about it. He’s said, “We all rip each other off, and if it works, great.” Which is kind of like a bank robber saying, “We all take a little cash—it’s just capitalism.”
Ok, he is a total douche about it and in general.
Billy’s self-belief is both admirable and, let’s face it, cosmic. He doesn’t just think he’s a great songwriter—he seems to believe he’s a one-man musical Rosetta Stone. Is it narcissism? Maybe. Or maybe he’s just the last true believer in the church of alt-rock, preaching his gospel through fuzz pedals and conspiracy theories.
At least we know the man has a brain big enough to fill that dome of his—he’s not delusional, just dramatically self-aware. He’s no doubt very smart, despite coming off very cringeworthy.
At the end of the day, Billy needs to realize that while The Smashing Pumpkins will go down as one of the best and most influential bands, according to many in the past 30 years, that influence isn’t always theft. Maybe I’ll find myself influenced by Galilei and see if I can discover them moons that have to be circulating somewhere around Billy, or maybe it’s the whole universe that revolves around him, since he sure seems to think it does.
