Billy Corgan has always had strong opinions about what Smashing Pumpkins should sound like, and he’s never shied away from conflict – even with his own label.
During a recent episode of his podcast, the Magnificent Others, Corgan recalled bristling with Smashing Pumpkins’ label over the band’s 1993 single “Cherub Rock.”
“The intro was one minute long,” Corgan explained while chatting with his guests, Stone Temple Pilots’ Dean and Robert DeLeo. “Of course the record company comes and goes, ‘Hey, ‘Cherub Rock’’s five minutes long. Can you guys cut that intro?’”
As you’d expect, Corgan fired back against the label’s suggestion. “I said, ‘Go fuck yourself.’ And you know where we got that intro from? We stole it from ‘By-Tor and the Snow Dog’ from Rush.”
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Record executives tried persuading Corgan to reconsider, but the rocker was steadfast in his decision.
“No fucking way. That intro is fucking great. Fuck yourself,” he recalled declaring. “And they say, ‘Well, MTV…’ I said, ‘I don’t give a shit.’”
In the end, Corgan got the last laugh. Released as the lead single from Siamese Dream, “Cherub Rock” became the band’s first hit, peaking at No. 7 on Billboard’s Alternative chart.
Billy Corgan’s 2025 Tour
Corgan will be hitting the road without Smashing Pumpkins this summer, but he’ll still be playing plenty of the band’s material. The singer will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the 25th anniversaries of both of Machina/The Machine of God and Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music.
Corgan will be backed by his new solo band, the Machines of God, on the trek, which kicks off June 7 in Baltimore.
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Gallery Credit: UCR Staff
