It seems like distant memory, a relic of a bygone era, but “punk cred” was once currency in certain corners of rock culture. To be perceived as inauthentic, cynical, or ambitious meant losing stock with a sizable chunk of the music press as well as your peers, and few bands felt the brunt of that as much as the Smashing Pumpkins. Indie icons from Stephen Malkmus to fellow Chicagoan Steve Albini criticized the band in songs and interviews, and even as recently as 2015, Kim Gordon called the group “in no way punk rock” in her memoir Girl in a Band.
Led by the mercurial Billy Corgan—or William Patrick Corgan, as he’s preferred in recent years—the Pumpkins started as a mopey goth band but gradually addended their love of the Cure and New Order with Black Sabbath-inspired riffs and psychedelic guitar. Their debut, 1991’s Gish, boasted bombastic production...
Led by the mercurial Billy Corgan—or William Patrick Corgan, as he’s preferred in recent years—the Pumpkins started as a mopey goth band but gradually addended their love of the Cure and New Order with Black Sabbath-inspired riffs and psychedelic guitar. Their debut, 1991’s Gish, boasted bombastic production...
- 7/24/2023
- by Fred Barrett
- Slant Magazine
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