In praise of William Patrick Corgan's podcast The Magnificent Others

When I was in high school I auditioned for our talent show by playing Nirvana’s “In Bloom.” Unfortunately this was like a month before that song really broke so we were turned down for being “too noisy.”

My first girlfriend at the time was a bassist who invited me to join her band. I was on the drums. We also played The Kinks and Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane” which isn’t really that hard a song to play so it was perfect for high school kids.

But I secretly hated Nirvana even though everyone I knew liked them. I didn’t get the anger, I thought the lyrics were dumb or half thought out, and even then I thought that the production was shit.

For whatever reason I was more drawn to Smashing Pumpkins I think because for every 70’s heavy metal rocker they laid down, there was some beaded curtain incense (and peppermints?) stoner vibe. At least at first. I liked the light and shade. Yeah they got lumped into “grunge” and were very much loud/soft/loud/soft but they weren’t afraid to let the melody shine. I can tell you exactly where I was the first time someone let me borrow Gish. I was taking a walk and listening to it and I had stopped into a 7-11 when Tristessa came on and was blown away.

I still think Gish is one of the greatest album debuts ever. And while the Pumpkins fell prey to ego and hubris (to borrow a title from a Harvey Pekar book) their sound was undeniable. Only briefly recaptured during the one-off Zwan album, a supergroup that included David Pajo, it never really recaptured the sound of those first couple albums. It was what it was.

But drama and 90’s memories aside, Billy Corgan’s new podcast, The Magnificent Others is far from being a self-indulgent vanity project. There are only two episodes so far, but I’ve been impressed with both.

Episode 2 features Tom Morello. Billy interviews him with equal parts enthusiasm and restraint, as if he can’t wait to get to the next topic with someone he knows well but is also recognizing his role as interviewer. And at the same time, the interview is so respectful. Corgan just lets him talk instead of fishing for gotcha questions that we’ve all come to expect in this rage bait era. Raging against a country that enabled Morello to become a massive success would have been an obvious starting point but it’s low hanging fruit, that Billy avoids, choosing to focus on the how, instead of how come.

Corgan asks a philosophical question about Gen X’s relevance or point in history. While the answer isn’t really fleshed out, his interview made me think he was leading by example.

I don’t particularly care about politics and politics in music usually makes me roll my eyes. If someone wants to be a protest singer, I put it in the same caliber as any other music. It either works or it doesn’t. But if it doesn’t, it really doesn’t.

You either reach people or they tell you to fuck off. This is true with all art. I disagree with Morello that music or art is all political in that by not taking a stance you fall into “bread and circuses.” That suggests he’s only capable of binary thinking whichis disappointing.

Leftist politics are no different than someone on the right and it’s so trite and so boring and if you have to have a revolution to force someone to adopt your stance, regardless of what bullshit side of the political spectrum you are on, then you are on the wrong side of history. Pinochet and Pol Pot prove my point.

You know who doesn’t voice his opinion on Tom Morello’s politics? Billy Corgan. In fact, only two episodes in, I see him as the Joe Rogan of rock. Not entertaining kooky theories and taking DMT while licking frog toxin, but just allowing people to talk. Reserving judgment. Having a conversation, not an argument.

The fact this is coming from a rock star who used to lecture their audience back in the late 90’s is quite frankly impressive. Billy is showing maturity. I’d like to think it’s a special GenX maturity that could only come from a generation that was labeled as slackers and completely written off.

It’s not just maturity but grace. Corgan meets that person on their level. The first episode featured Gene Simmons and it was perhaps the best interview the KISS frontman has ever done because Billy patiently waited out the bravado and schtick until he got to something meaningful. From an interviewer who is used to having the spotlight centered on him is impressive.

I don’t know if this is just a side hustle but I really hope he keeps it up because this is a good representation of what Gen X has always been. Despite the sarcasm and aloofness and whatever, we are the generation that let people have their say instead of shouting them down like petulant children who refuse to go to bed. Even if we disagree and mock them later, we don’t mock them during their time at the podium.