Billy Corgan

• 1. Introduction

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  Rolling Stone once called Billy Corgan and his Smashing Pumpkins bandmates "ruthless virtuosos." Corgan was born William Patrick Corgan Jr. in Chicago on the 17th of March 1967. He is the singer, lead guitarist and chief songwriter of the Smashing Pumpkins, and the only member who has never left the band. He is credited with helping popularize alternative rock. He has also published poetry, made solo records, led a second band and built a second career in professional wrestling.

  Those pieces do not obviously fit together. How did a boy passed between relatives' homes become a central figure in 1990s alternative rock? Why did his bands keep splintering and then returning? And what pulled a rock star into the wrestling business? The answers begin in the suburbs west of Chicago.

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• 2. Chicago Beginnings

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  In 1970, Corgan's parents, Martha Louise Maes and the guitarist William Dale Corgan, divorced. Billy said he first lived with his great-grandmother and then with his grandmother. After that, he and his younger brother joined their father and his new wife, a flight attendant, in Glendale Heights, Illinois. The suburb sits 22 miles west of Chicago. His father was a musician and was often away. When Billy was nine, his father and stepmother separated. Billy considers his stepmother to be his mother.

  Corgan alleges that his father was abusive to him, both physically and emotionally. A younger paternal half-brother named Jesse had special needs as a child, and Billy formed a protective bond with him. After the separation, all three boys stayed with their stepmother. Billy once described his father as a "drug dealing, gun-toting musician and mad man." Even so, he came to hold tremendous respect for his father's musicianship.

  At Marquardt Middle School, Corgan played on the baseball team. He had grown much faster than his classmates and was a strong athlete in elementary school. He collected more than 10,000 baseball cards and listened to every Chicago Cubs game on the radio. By the time he reached Glenbard North High School, that athletic edge had faded. Then he saw a Flying V guitar at a friend's house and decided to play.

  A used Les Paul knock-off became his first guitar. Corgan handed his savings to his father, who bought it. His father urged him toward Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix but offered little other help, so Corgan taught himself. In high school he listened to John Cale, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Queen, Boston, ELO, Rush and Cheap Trick. Bauhaus and the Cure introduced him to alternative rock. He played in a string of bands and graduated as an honor student. Grants and scholarships were offered, and his grandmother had left a tuition fund. He chose music full-time anyway.

  In 1985, Corgan left Chicago for St. Petersburg, Florida, because the local music scene did not suit him. He went with his first major band, The Marked. The name came from the conspicuous birthmarks of Corgan and drummer Ron Roesing. Florida brought no success, the band dissolved, and he moved back in with his father. From 1987 to 1988 he played guitar in the Chicago band Deep Blue Dream, which also included the future Static-X frontman Wayne Static. He left to concentrate on a project he had already planned: a band called the Smashing Pumpkins.

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• 3. The Pumpkins Years

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  A record store is where Corgan met guitarist James Iha. The two began recording demos that Corgan describes as "gloomy little goth-pop records." He met bassist D'arcy Wretzky after a local show, arguing with her about the band that had just played, the Dan Reed Network. Soon the three were performing at local clubs with a drum machine. To win a show at the Metro in Chicago, they recruited drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The quartet played together for the first time on the 5th of October 1988.

  Chamberlin's arrival pushed the band toward a heavier sound almost at once. Their debut album, Gish, arrived in 1991 and blended psychedelic rock with heavy metal. It did better than expected. The follow-up, Siamese Dream, came out on Virgin Records in 1993 and became a multi-platinum hit. The music press called Corgan a "control freak." Rumors said he had played all the guitar and bass parts on that record, and he later confirmed they were true. Critics still received the album well, and "Today," "Cherub Rock" and "Disarm" became hits.

  The double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, released in 1995, outperformed even that. It produced a string of hit singles and earned seven Grammy nominations that year. It was eventually certified ten times platinum in the United States. Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote that Corgan wanted to "lose himself and find himself..." on it. The song "1979" became his biggest hit to date, reaching No. 1 on Billboard's modern rock and mainstream rock charts. On the 11th of November 1995, the band played Saturday Night Live, their second appearance there. That broadcast was the television debut of Corgan's shaved head, which he has kept ever since.

  On the 12th of July 1996, touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin died of a heroin overdose in a Manhattan hotel room. He and Chamberlin had used the drug together. Chamberlin was later arrested on a misdemeanor drug possession charge. The band fired him and carried on as a trio. Corgan was also going through a divorce, and his mother Martha died in December 1996. That upheaval shaped the somber mood of Adore, released in 1998. The song "For Martha" on that album was written in her memory. A photograph of Martha as a young girl, sitting on a fake moon at Riverview Park, appears in the Siamese Dream booklet.

  Adore was darker and quieter than its predecessors, and heavily electronic. It arrived just as alternative rock was losing its mainstream appeal. Critics and fans were divided, and it sold 1.3 million copies in the United States, a significant drop.

  Chamberlin rejoined in 1999. The next year the band released Machina/The Machines of God, a concept album on which they deliberately played to their public image. Critics were divided again. With 583,000 US sales through 2005, it is the second lowest-selling commercially released Smashing Pumpkins album. During the recording, Wretzky quit, and the former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur replaced her for the tour. The band then gave away Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music free over the Internet. They split at the end of the year, playing their last show on the 2nd of December 2000 at the Cabaret Metro. A year later, Corgan was building a new band, again with Chamberlin.

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• 4. Zwan And After

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  A brief summer tour with New Order came first. Then, in late 2001, Corgan and Chamberlin formed Zwan with Corgan's old friend Matt Sweeney. Guitarist David Pajo and bassist Paz Lenchantin completed the quintet. Zwan had two faces. One was an upbeat rock band built on three guitars. The other was a folk and gospel inspired acoustic side with live strings. The group performed throughout 2002, and its debut album, Mary Star of the Sea, came out in early 2003 to generally positive reviews. During the supporting tour, mounting conflict between Corgan and Chamberlin and the other members led to cancellation of the remaining dates. Zwan formally broke up in September 2003.

  On the 17th of September 2003, Corgan made his debut as a poet at the Rubloff Auditorium of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2004 he began writing revealing autobiographical posts on his website and his MySpace page under the title The Confessions of Billy Corgan. He wrote about his troubled childhood, his failed marriage and the dynamics behind the breakups of both earlier bands. His descriptions of Wretzky and of his former Zwan bandmates were scathing. He said the Smashing Pumpkins broke up in 2000 largely because Iha wanted to leave.

  Late in 2004, Corgan published Blinking with Fists, a book of poetry. Reviews were mixed, yet it debuted on The New York Times Best Seller List.

  Also in 2004, he began a solo music career. His first solo album, TheFutureEmbrace, landed on an electronic, shoegaze and alternative rock sound. Bon Harris of Nitzer Ebb co-produced and arranged it. Reprise Records released it on the 21st of June 2005. Reviews were mixed, and it sold only 69,000 copies. His 2005 touring band included Linda Strawberry, Brian Liesegang and Matt Walker, and the tour was less extensive than earlier ones. In Australia it turned controversial. Corgan antagonised the audience and stormed off stage when fans yelled requests for Smashing Pumpkins songs.

  Before recording TheFutureEmbrace, Corgan had recorded some 72 songs inspired by Chicago history. They formed a largely acoustic project called ChicagoSongs. They have yet to be released.

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• 5. Reunion And Reinvention

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  In 2005, Corgan took out a full-page ad in Chicago's two major newspapers, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. It announced his wish to re-form the Smashing Pumpkins. Several days later, Chamberlin accepted the offer. On the 20th of April 2006, the band's official website confirmed the reunion. After most of 2006 and early 2007 in the studio, the group played its first show in seven years on the 22nd of May 2007. Ginger Pooley on bass and Jeff Schroeder on guitar had replaced Wretzky and Iha.

  The album Zeitgeist was released in the United States on the 10th of July 2007 and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts. The band toured extensively through 2007 and 2008. It also released the EP American Gothic and the singles "G.L.O.W." and "Superchrist." Chamberlin left in March 2009, and Corgan chose to continue under the Smashing Pumpkins name.

  In summer 2009, Corgan formed Spirits in the Sky for a tribute concert to the late Sky Saxon of the Seeds. Its members came from groups such as the Electric Prunes and Strawberry Alarm Clock, and the guitarist Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction joined in. The band played covers and new Pumpkins material at several California clubs. Afterward Corgan and a few collaborators returned to Chicago to begin Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. A new lineup that included drummer Mike Byrne and bassist Nicole Fiorentino toured through much of 2010. In 2011 it recorded Oceania, an "album-within-an-album," and toured the United States and Europe. Byrne and Fiorentino left in 2014.

  On the 15th of May 2014, Corgan released AEGEA, a solo record of experimental recordings he made in 2007. Only 250 vinyl copies were pressed. Most sold online, and a few were sold at Madame Zuzu's, a tea house he owns and operates in Highland Park, a suburb northwest of Chicago. On the 25th of July 2014, he released tapes from his March 2014 "Siddhartha" show, in the same spirit. That summer he recorded the ninth Smashing Pumpkins studio album, Monuments to an Elegy, with Tommy Lee and Jeff Schroeder. It came out in early December 2014. In October 2017 he released Ogilala, his first solo album in over a decade.

  The Shiny and Oh So Bright Tour began in July 2018 as a reunion focused on the band's first five studio albums. The lineup was Corgan, Iha, Chamberlin and Schroeder. Wretzky was absent, reportedly because of unresolved tension between her and Corgan. She said he offered her a contract and then withdrew it, telling her "we also have to balance the forces at play... there is no room for error." She released text messages between them, and a feud followed in which each side traded biting remarks.

  On the 22nd of November 2019, Corgan released Cotillions, his latest solo album, which he called "a labor of love." He also said, "This is absolutely an album from my heart." On the 14th of July 2022, he and his partner, Chloe Mendel, announced a livestream charity show for the 27th of July. It would benefit the victims of the Highland Park shooting of the 4th of July.

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• 6. Into The Ring

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  Paul Heyman, owner of Extreme Championship Wrestling, met Corgan in 2000 to discuss an investment in the company. Corgan declined. He had made sporadic appearances for ECW, and at one event he turned up wielding an acoustic guitar as a weapon. In 2008, the Ring of Honor promotion used the Pumpkins song "Doomsday Clock" in its promotional videos. On the 26th of April 2010, Corgan appeared on the SIRIUS Satellite Radio program Right After Wrestling with Arda Ocal. He talked about his love of wrestling and the importance of unique theme songs for characters. On the 26th of August 2010, he took part in a storyline with AAA during a concert for MTV World Stage.

  In 2011, Corgan formed Resistance Pro, a Chicago-based independent wrestling promotion. Two years later he starred in a commercial for Walter E. Smithe Furniture and used it to promote his wrestling company. In March 2014, it was reported that he was in talks with the television channel AMC about an unscripted series on Resistance Pro. The premise was a behind-the-scenes look as Corgan "takes over creative direction for the independent wrestling company." AMC gave the show a green light that month, under the working title "Untitled Billy Corgan Wrestling Project."

  In April 2015, Corgan became Senior Producer of Creative and Talent Development for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, known as TNA. His role was to "develop characters and create story lines," which he called "a dream come true." In August 2016 he became the promotion's president. By November 2016 he had left after disputes about not being paid on time. Anthem Sports & Entertainment and Impact Ventures, parent company of TNA Impact Wrestling, then provided a credit facility to fund operations. Earlier in 2016, Corgan had loaned money to Anthem to fund TNA, and Anthem had promised to repay him. On the 11th of November, he and Anthem signed a settlement under which Anthem repaid the loan.

  Ed Nordholm, the newly appointed TNA and Impact Wrestling president, credits the Broken Matt Hardy gimmick to Jeremy Borash, David Lagana and Corgan.

  In May 2017, Corgan purchased the National Wrestling Alliance, including its name, rights, trademarks and championship belts. His ownership took effect on the 1st of October 2017. Since then he has made the NWA his primary focus in wrestling. In 2025 he received the Historian Award from the Women's Wrestling Hall of Fame.

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• 7. Guitars And Collaborators

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  In a 1994 Rolling Stone interview, Corgan traced his taste to a Black Sabbath record he put on at eight years old. "It sounded so heavy. It rattled the bones," he said. Bauhaus and the Cure taught him to create a mood and an atmosphere. Hendrix showed him another level of guitar, and Cheap Trick shaped his vocals.

  His own playing draws on heavy metal and grunge, ranges from abrasive to melodic, and uses downtuned strings. In 1995 he wrote six articles for Guitar World. Its list of the top guitar solos included his work on "Cherub Rock" and "Geek U.S.A." His solo on "Soma" ranked No. 24 on a Rolling Stone list. AllMusic said "Starla" proves he was one of the finest and most underrated rock guitarists of the 1990s. His bass playing, heard on nearly every Pumpkins album, drew on the post-punk figures Peter Hook and Simon Gallup.

  Radiohead earned his praise: "if they're not the best band in the world, then they're one of the best." In 1997 he said that hearing the U2 song "New Year's Day" at 16 made U2 "quickly the most important band in the world" to him. He also praised Rush in the documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, criticizing mainstream reviewers for marginalizing the band. Outside music, he lists William S. Burroughs, Pablo Picasso, Jack Kerouac and Philip K. Dick among his artistic influences.

  During the Gish and Siamese Dream era, he played a customized 1957 Reissue Fender Stratocaster with three Fender Lace Sensor pickups. He installed its five-position selector switch himself. The battered guitar became his number one by default. A 1974 Strat was stolen shortly after Gish was completed, and he was reunited with it in early 2019. For Mellon Collie, he used a Les Paul Junior Reissue on "Where Boys Fear to Tread" and a 1972 Gibson ES-335 on "Tonight Tonight." In 2008 he released his own Fender Stratocaster, built to produce his mid-1990s buzzsaw tone with three DiMarzio pickups.

  Fuzz pedals, particularly vintage Electro-Harmonix Big Muff units, define his tone. A video called "Stompland" on the band's YouTube channel shows his extensive pedal collection. In 2016, Reverend Guitars released the BC-1 Billy Corgan signature guitar. At the 2018 NAMM Show came the Reverend Billy Corgan Signature Terz, tuned G-g and played as if capoed at the third fret. In August 2017 he sold a large collection of instruments and gear through the website Reverb. In 2020 he worked with Brian Carstens of Carstens Amplification on Grace, his first signature guitar amplifier.

  His collaborations stretch widely. He has produced albums for Ric Ocasek, the Frogs and Catherine. He shared songwriting credit on several songs on Hole's 1998 album Celebrity Skin, and the title track became his second No. 1 modern rock hit. He consulted for Marilyn Manson during the recording of Mechanical Animals. He produced soundtracks for the films Ransom in 1996, Stigmata in 1999 and Spun in 2002, in which he appeared as a doctor. At the 1996 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, he inducted Pink Floyd, one of his biggest influences. He then played acoustic guitar with them on "Wish You Were Here."

  David Bowie invited him to sing "All the Young Dudes" at Bowie's 50th birthday party. In 2007 he sang on the Scorpions song "The Cross." In 2010 he featured on a Ray Davies mash-up of two Kinks songs. On his solo debut, Robert Smith of the Cure joined him on a cover of the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody." He co-wrote songs with Blue October frontman Justin Furstenfeld, including "Don't Say it Wasn't Love" and "Sobriety." In July 2025, he joined the house band at Back to the Beginning, singing "Breaking the Law" and "Snowblind."

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• 8. Private Life

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  In 1991, Corgan briefly dated Courtney Love. On The Howard Stern Show he confessed that he had arranged for her band to stay in his Chicago apartment so he could meet her. He had longed to, after seeing her photograph on the back of Hole's new single. The relationship ended on the 12th of October 1991, when Love found out he was seeing someone else.

  In 1993, Corgan married Chris Fabian, an art conservator and artist and his longtime on-again, off-again girlfriend. They held a small ceremony at his house in Wrigleyville. They separated in late 1995. Corgan filed for divorce in December 1996 on grounds of irreconcilable differences, and it was granted in 1997. For years he would say only that the marriage was "unhappy," before describing it in depth on his personal blog in 2005. In late 1995 he began dating the Ukrainian photographer Yelena Yemchuk, who later contributed to several Pumpkins videos and album art. They stayed together until around 2004, and he says their breakup shaped the themes of TheFutureEmbrace. In 2005 he dated the musician Emilie Autumn for a number of months.

  In early 2006, Corgan moved in with Courtney Love and her daughter Frances Bean Cobain. According to Love, he had his own wing in her Hollywood Hills mansion. Two years later she criticized him publicly over his alleged refusal to attend her daughter's sweet 16 party. In March 2010 he told an interviewer, "I have no interest in supporting Love in any way, shape or form." That year he claimed co-writing credit on at least two songs on Hole's album Nobody's Daughter and tried to assert a right of approval. He then posted angry rants on Twitter about two songs he had written, "Samantha" and "How Dirty Girls Get Clean," which ended up on the album without his permission. The writing dispute was never litigated or publicly resolved. Love wrote an apology on Facebook, but the feud went on. The two eventually reconciled, and Love was invited to perform at the Smashing Pumpkins 30th Anniversary Show. In 2020, Corgan told the Los Angeles Times that she is one of the few people who matter to him, and he described their bond as family.

  In 2009, Corgan was linked with the pop star Jessica Simpson. In 2010 he began dating the Australian singer Jessica Origliasso, and they stayed together until early June 2012. She blamed their split on careers that kept them apart too much. He has been with Chloe Mendel since 2013. On the 17th of September 2023, at the 30th anniversary Siamese Dream show at Madame Zuzu's, he announced that they had married the day before. They have three children: a son, Augustus Juppiter, born on the 16th of November 2015, and two daughters. Philomena Clementine was born on the 2nd of October 2018, and Juno Delphine on the 18th of March 2025. His father, William Dale Corgan, died at age 74 on the 19th of December 2021.

  For much of his life, Corgan has struggled with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, self-harm, obsessive-compulsive disorder and suicidal ideation. He attributes these problems to the abuse he endured as a child at the hands of his father and stepmother, along with other personal issues. He has since become an advocate for abuse support networks.

  In 2009, he launched Everything From Here to There, an interfaith website devoted to "Mind-Body-Soul" integration. He identifies as Christian, though he accepts elements of Buddhism, Ken Wilber's spiritual ideas and gnosticism. He prays each morning and night. In 2012, he opened a Madame Zuzu's Tea House in the Ravinia neighborhood of Highland Park. It closed in 2018 and reopened in a bigger space in downtown Highland Park in 2020.

  The Chicago Cubs remain a lifelong love. Corgan has appeared at many games, occasionally throwing the ceremonial first pitch or singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." He was an occasional commentator on the team for the late WXRT DJ Lin Brehmer. He has also followed the Chicago Bulls, Blackhawks and Bears, and he became personal friends with Dennis Rodman and Chris Chelios. As for television, he once remarked that all he watches is "sports and the Three Stooges."

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