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| Birth Name(s) : William Patrick Corgan |
Date of Birth: March 17, 1967 |
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| Profession:
Musician |
Official Site
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Full Billy Corgan Biography
Billy Corgan has formed a new band called Zwan with former Smashing Pumpkins drummer, Jimmy Chamberlin, guitarist Matt Sweeney (from New York indie rock group Chavez), bassist/guitarist/keyboardist David Pajo (from Papa M, Ariel M, Tortoise) and later adding bassist Paz Lenchantin (from A Perfect Circle).
The debut album of his new band Zwan has been a critical fave, as most of Smashing Pumpkins' albums were, and the band plans to spend 2003 touring in support of the disc. Corgan says Zwan will play no Smashing Pumpkins material in their shows, because he wants the band to establish itself independently of the Pumpkins. |
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Additional Billy Corgan Biography
William Patrick Corgan, Jr. (born March 17, 1967 in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, U.S.A.) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter best known for his work in the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. The Smashing Pumpkins remain one of alternative rock's biggest acts and are known for their complex, layered style, and Corgan's distinctive vocals and guitar solos.
Corgan is the oldest son of William Corgan Sr. and Martha Louise Maes Corgan Lutz. He has a younger half brother, Jesse, a physically and mentally disabled playwright and another younger brother, Ricky, who is a painter. The song "Spaceboy" on Siamese Dream was written about Jesse. Corgan's parents divorced at an early age, and his father remarried soon after. His early years were spent with his grandparents, but most of his childhood was spent living with his father and stepmother in Glendale Heights, Illinois During this time, Corgan alleges he was subject to much physical and emotional abuse by his stepmother. His father was a professional musician. Martha Lutz, Corgan's natural mother, had also been suffering from mental illness. She was committed to a mental institution for a brief period of time. When Corgan's father and stepmother separated, he lived with his allegedly abusive stepmother, with both of his birth parents living separately within an hour's drive. Corgan spent a good deal of his youth taking care of and defending his younger brother Jesse, whom he still visits and supports. Corgan was also an honors student at Glenbard North High School in Carol Stream, Illinois.
Corgan grew up listening to hard rock and heavy metal like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. He eventually discovered alternative rock through Bauhaus, The Cure, and The Smiths. By the time he started attending high school, Corgan had begun playing in bands. Corgan was very active in the Chicago music scene beginning in 1983 and formed a band with Greg Bates named Coat of Eyes which included other guest musicians including Jim Marcus founder of the industrial band Die Warzau. Corgan moved from Chicago to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1985 with his first major band, The Marked, named for the noticeable birthmarks of Billy and Ron Roesing, the drummer. The band lasted for around nine months and disbanded, with Billy returning to Chicago to live with his father.
While working at a record store, Corgan met up with guitarist James Iha through a friend and the two began recording demos in Corgan's father house, described as "doomy little goth-pop records." He then met bassist D'arcy Wretzky after a local show, arguing with her about a band that had just played. Soon after, The Smashing Pumpkins were formed. The trio began to play together at local clubs with only a drum machine for percussion. The band would soon recruit drummer Jimmy Chamberlin to secure a show at Chicago's Cabaret Metro, where they played for the first time as a quartet on October 5, 1988.Billy Corgan in 1992.
The new band fused diverse threads such as psychedelic rock and heavy metal into a distinctive sound on their inaugural album, Gish (1991). After the success of Gish, the Pumpkins contributed their 1992 single "Drown," to the Singles soundtrack, and followed that with the massively successful Siamese Dream. The Pumpkins became known for their elaborate production techniques, layering dozens of different guitar tracks over one another with a wide variety of effects. The band also became known for internal drama during this period, with Corgan frequently characterized in the music press as a "control freak" because he often rerecorded Iha and Wretzky's guitar and bass parts on Gish and Siamese Dream. Despite this, the album was well received by critics, and the songs "Today" and "Disarm" became smash hits, with the accompanying music videos receiving heavy airplay on MTV.
The Smashing Pumpkins split up later in 2000 and played their last show on December 2 of that year at the Cabaret Metro.
Corgan toured behind his solo album with a touring band that included Linda Strawberry, Brian Liesegang and Matt Walker in 2005. This tour was nowhere near as extensive as previous Smashing Pumpkins or Zwan tours.
Billy Corgan dated Courtney Love prior to her courtship and marriage to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. In about 1992, he married museum worker Chris Fabian. Rumors circulated that Corgan and Love rekindled their romance during the Pumpkins' 1994 Lollapalooza tour, after Cobain's death. Corgan and Fabian separated sometime in 1995, and divorced in 1997. Corgan refused to discuss the subject in interviews, saying "There is not and will not be any public record on my marriage - that's one thing I have to draw lines around."
When asked in a 1994 Rolling Stone interview about his influences, Corgan replied:“Eight years old, I put on the Black Sabbath record, and my life is forever changed. It sounded so fucking heavy. It rattled the bones. I wanted that feeling. With Bauhaus and The Cure, it was the ability to create a mood and an atmosphere. The air gets heavier. With Jimi Hendrix, it was the ability to translate this other level of guitar. Cheap Trick - it was a vocal influence. Although Tom Petersson once told me that Rick Nielsen called us 'tuneless and nonmelodic.'”
His distinctive, nasal singing style is often a point of contention among critics. The Miami Herald called his voice "one of rock's most annoying sounds." |
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Billy Corgan Quote(s)
| You can't be greater than Elvis, change things as much as the Beatles, or be as original as Led Zeppelin. All you can do is rip them off. |
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