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Billy Corgan

Billy Corgan Quotes

Musician

Billy Corgan, born on March 17, 1967, is an American musician, songwriter, and music producer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter for the band Smashing Pumpkins, which achieved significant success in the mid-1990s. Corgan is renowned for his unique musical style and profound lyrics, which have had a profound impact on modern rock music.

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Famous Billy Corgan Quotes

“Instead of taking the 'I'm cool, I hope you adore me' path (with my music), I chose the path of how to connect. I think that's the reason a lot of people feel a deeper connection with our band than other bands, and I also feel that's why people polarize on us. If you don't get it, it seems preposterous; if you do get it, it's really heavy - it has a weight to it.”

People Ifs Thinking Feels Reason Seems Path Band Connections Weight Heavy Deeper Adore

Author:Billy Corgan

“I don't think '90s music was as significant as '60s music in terms of changing the world, but it was significant, and I think it was similarly disillusioning when you realize the mainstream just views it as like a curiosity.”

Thinking World Term Realizing Significant Changing The World Mainstream

Author:Billy Corgan

“The reason I don't play any of the old songs is because I really honor my old band, and I think that those songs are best served within the context of that band.”

Thinking Reason Play Song Honor Band Old Song

Author:Billy Corgan

“I really think it's a white, bourgeois idea to pretend that you don't have influences. It seems to be the obsession strictly of white people in college.”

People Thinking Ideas Seems White Influence College Obsession Bourgeois

Author:Billy Corgan

“It makes me crazy to think that somebody might attack my city or any other city.”

Thinking Might Cities Crazy

Author:Billy Corgan

“I dont think we're the type of band people look at and say, 'I want to grow up to be just like that'. We're like a train wreck.”

People Thinking Want Looks Grows Growing Up Type Band Train Wrecks Train Wrecks

Author:Billy Corgan

“I have a hard time thinking of men trying to sing my songs, because I think my perspective is definitely feminine.”

Thinking Men Trying Hard Song Perspective Hard Times Feminine

Author:Billy Corgan

“I want to be able to look back and think that as long as I was going this, I did the best that I could.”

Thinking Want Looks Long Able

Author:Billy Corgan

“I think humankind is going to have to evolve into systems that are more transparent. Then people will be able to make more integral choices about the food they eat.”

People Thinking Able Choices Evolve Humankind Transparent

Author:Billy Corgan

“Fur is a contentious issue. Meat is a contentious issue. GMOs are a contentious issue. I think this whole thing going on about whether or not products should be labeled if they have GMOs in them - I, as a consumer, would like to know if I'm eating GMO food. If I choose to buy it then it's my choice.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Should Whole Choices Issues Products Eating Consumers Meat Fur Gmos Contentious Gmo Foods

Author:Billy Corgan

“I think it would be very interesting to see that many people would probably be okay with paying more for services and goods that they felt were more holistically [generated]. Which means the death of the old system which rewarded people for taking advantage of one another.”

People Thinking Mean Would Be Felt Interesting Advantage Okay Goods Very Interesting Taking Advantage

Author:Billy Corgan

“At some point, you protest too much they think you're guilty just because you're protesting.”

Thinking Too Much Guilty Protest

Author:Billy Corgan

“Usually the intention of the artistic effect is too sophisticated for most people to understand, sort of like a joke that they don't get so they don't think it's funny.”

People Thinking Effects Jokes Intention Artistic Sophisticated

Author:Billy Corgan

“I don't think I'm before my time, I just don't think I'm in my time.”

Thinking My Time

Author:Billy Corgan

“I rummage around in artistic things from the past. If you don't understand the context, they wouldn't make any sense. I rummage around in conceptual ideas of the future, but if you don't know the source of the thinking, [it] wouldn't make any sense.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Ideas Past Source Artistic

Author:Billy Corgan

“As a healthy person, my breakfasts are very bland and boring. Think kind of a white pasty gruel. Or there can be an occasional banana over the top.”

Thinking Kind Persons White Healthy Boring Breakfast Occasional Bananas Over The Top Bland Healthy Person Pasties

Author:Billy Corgan

“There's something going on right now in America, where the American spirit or character is reasserting itself around liberty. I think it's an important time, and I'm trying to document that as an artist. If I just filter what I read through the media, if I just go through what I read through the media, I'm not really in touch with the world I grew up in. I know there's a gap there, I talk to my relatives, I talk to people I meet traveling around, and their mind is on something completely different.”

People Thinking World Trying Mind Important Different Character Spirit Artist Liberty

Author:Billy Corgan

“I think I kind of approached music with this sort of, like, weird thing where I kinda set myself up where I could kinda be myself but not really. I kinda had a backdoor out. So if you criticized me, I kinda had my defenses working. And the problem is that some people seize on that as inauthenticity, which is understandable. So that's painful because it's not that you're being inauthentic...there's a difference between being a poseur and being someone who's so emotionally challenged they're kind of just doing their best to show you what they've got.”

People Thinking Kind Problem Painful

Author:Billy Corgan

“Thinking about the future and thinking about the past is really only a way of ignoring the present.”

Thinking Way Past Thinking About The Future Future Thinking Thinking About The Past

Author:Billy Corgan

“You could have a zillion Facebook followers. Those people don't buy records. It's about a hundred to one...Record companies, they don't have any money so they see social media as the free marketing...So,...'Billy, light yourself on fire and stand upside down, and that'll market the record'. I've spent a lot of time thinking about this. I don't think people by records because of anything that happens on Facebook. They buy records cause they're friends say 'I bought this record and I love it'.”

People Thinking Light Happens Social Causes Company Records Fire Media Hundred Down And Marketing Social Media Followers Free Market Upside Down Record Companies

Author:Billy Corgan

“I think the original, 'They're the next Jane's Addiction' things that people said about us in the beginning have been pretty much wiped out.”

People Thinking Has Beens Said Next Originals Addiction Jane

Author:Billy Corgan

“People always called the Cure gloomy, but listening to the Cure made me happy. There was something about the gloominess that gave me comfort, and I think we're the same way.”

People Thinking Way Made Listening Comfort Cures Gloomy

Author:Billy Corgan

“The Pumpkins love rock-and-roll, we absolutely love it, but we also think it's a flatulent, ego-serving kiddie playground. You can have your cake and eat it too.”

Thinking Rocks Ego Serving Cake Rock And Roll Playgrounds Pumpkin Have Your Cake And Eat It Too

Author:Billy Corgan

“I hate how in magazine pictures, they always stick me somewhere in the back. It means they don't think I'm the cute one.”

Thinking Mean Hate I Hate Sticks Magazines Cute

Author:Billy Corgan

“We were just a little immature in the past. I think we actually wanted to create difficult situations for ourselves just to be able to use that emotion for stimulation.”

Thinking Littles Use Able Wanted Past Difficult Emotion Situation Immature Stimulation Difficult Situations

Author:Billy Corgan

“I get more out of life just being myself, by just being a human being. Not by being a rock star, not by being whatever. Sometimes I act like a jerk, but I think people respect me for being myself. That's the ultimate thing about the Smashing Pumpkins.”

People Thinking Humans Sometimes Stars Human Beings Rocks Ultimate Just Being Rock Star Jerk Pumpkin Being Myself Smashing Respect Me Smashing Pumpkins

Author:Billy Corgan

“I think a spiritual journey is not so much a journey of discovery. It's a journey of recovery. It's a journey of uncovering your own inner nature. It's already there.”

Thinking Spiritual Journey Discovery Recovery Get Over Spiritual Journey Uncovering

Author:Billy Corgan

“Your basic person wants to talk about material culture, internet culture. I think about God, cats, nature.”

Thinking Want Persons Culture Materials Internet Cat Internet Culture

Author:Billy Corgan

“I'm very disappointed in my country right now, because I think we've kind of lost our moral compass.”

Thinking Kind Country Lost Moral Right Now Disappointed Compass Moral Compass

Author:Billy Corgan

“I do not think wrestling is going to save the world.”

Thinking World Wrestling Save The World

Author:Billy Corgan

“I think rock & roll has prepared me for a lot of flexibility.”

Thinking Rocks Prepared Flexibility

Author:Billy Corgan

“I think the days of working with producers in the conventional sense are over for me.”

Thinking Producers Conventional

Author:Billy Corgan

“People think I take some sort of masochistic pleasure out of putting out music that's gonna be unpopular.”

People Thinking Pleasure Masochistic

Author:Billy Corgan

“I was raised a Christian, but I wouldn't call myself a Christian now. I think when I was younger it was easier to focus on the negative, nihilist vision... this is sort of picking up on the other half of the body, which is God and white light.”

Thinking Body Light Christian White Half Vision Focus Easier Negative Raised Other Half White Light Nihilist

Author:Billy Corgan

“I did 13-something years of talking to wrestlers and promoters about why they did certain things and why they booked matches a certain way and what they were thinking and whether they were satisfied with the draw. And I got a lot of insight in the business.”

Thinking Way Years Certain Business Talking Draws Insight Satisfied Wrestler Promoters

Author:Billy Corgan

“I lay a lot of blame at the feet of Dusty Baker for not being more strict about fundamentals, which I think would give the team a stronger day-to-day identity.”

Thinking Giving Team Feet Identity Stronger Blame Fundamentals Lays Teamwork Strict Day To Day Bakers Inspirational Team

Author:Billy Corgan

“I started thinking that if post modernism is about people opening up all their skeletons, I'm going the other way. I don't want anyone knowing anything about me anymore.”

People Ifs Thinking Way Want Knowing Opening Posts Modernism Skeletons Opening Up Post Modernism

Author:Billy Corgan

“I think long and hard about what it is I'm actually trying to do, and then I kind of have to narrow my focus into that. If I don't, I'm too all over the place.”

Ifs Thinking Trying Kind Long Hard Focus

Author:Billy Corgan

“I think when I listen to old records, it puts me back in the atmosphere of what it felt like to make the record and who was there and what the room looked like. It's more a sensory memory.”

Thinking Felt Memories Rooms Records Atmosphere Sensory Old Records

Author:Billy Corgan

“I think God is the most unexplored territory in rock and roll music.”

Thinking Rocks Territory Rock And Roll Unexplored Rock And Roll Music

Author:Billy Corgan

“I don't think people are fans of me because I wrote hit songs. I think they're fans because I'm a lunatic or a weirdo. The hit songs came out of my idiosyncratic personality, not the other way around.”

People Thinking Way Song Fans Personality Lunatic Weirdo

Author:Billy Corgan

“Personally, I think Jesus would like better bands.”

Thinking Jesus Band

Author:Billy Corgan

About the Author

Born: March 17, 1967
Known for: Musician
Quotes: 280

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