Billy Corgan says Smashing Pumpkins still better than Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters

[GreenLantern]

Billy Corgan is still the ultimate '90s alternative-rock god, according to Billy Corgan.



During a new interview on "The Howard Stern Show," the Smashing Pumpkins frontman blasted musical counterparts Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters. In Corgan's eyes, both are inferior to Nirvana and his own band.



"I know [Pearl Jam] have a tremendous fan base, and they should," Corgan said of the group, whom he called "derivative." "They're a great band, but I'm a Beatles guy, I'm a Stones guy, I'm a Kinks guy. To me a lot of other bands don't have the work. [...] I think if you stack my songs up, Cobain's songs up, and that band's songs, they just don’t have the songs. They're a great band. They're still an arena act. They've gotten it done for a long time; I have to bow to that. That's a mystery to me, because I don't get it."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/1...n_6301122.html

Hah, ok, I just pulled myself off the floor. My gut hurts from laughing so hard. Oh Billy... oh Billy..

[rotten42]

No

[DownhillGoat]

What about Zwan? Where does Zwan rank on his scale?

[Igster]

I used to like the Smashing Pumpkins, but Corgan is a goof. Pretty much caused me to not listen to them anymore based on his comments and the one time I saw them in concert with a bunch of other bands and you could tell he was thinking "Why am I playing in this country? I'm more important than this". He was just going through the motions.

[Sliver]

Wow, I totally agree with his sentiments on Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters. I still listen to 90's punk, grunge and alternative primarily, with some modern hip hop and alternative thrown in for good measure.

It has always baffled me that Pearl Jam was/is so popular. With the exception of a handful of songs I really like by them, they are otherwise a pretty generic, boring band IMO.

As for Foo Fighters - I love Nirvana and Dave Grohl as a dude is totally awesome, but again with the exception of a few very good songs, they are loud, generic, annoying noise. Amateurish lyrics, too.

As for Smashing Pumpkins, I'd kind of lump them in with Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam. They probably have 10 outstanding songs, but the rest are just boring noise. It's a giant stretch for Corgan to put himself in the same league as Cobain. Nirvana didn't make a single bad song. It was all killer, no filler.

Blind Melon was better than Pumpkins on most of their songs; but Pumpkins definitely had more songs that hit it out of the park. It's still a wonder to me that Blind Melon was just forgotten. That's a great band.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Sliver

It's still a wonder to me that Blind Melon was just forgotten. That's a great band.

How is it a wonder? That tends to happen after your front man ODs after the first commercial hit.

[Thor]

He was recently bashing a tranny too, gj guy!

[macker]

Out of the noted bands I would rank them Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Blind Melon, Foo Fighters. I guess I agree with what he is saying but would never buy a new album of any of the above to find out if that still holds true. They can't get better than they were.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

How is it a wonder? That tends to happen after your front man ODs after the first commercial hit.

No kidding. Blind Melon were one hit wonders and that one song was overplayed worse than Nickelback. It might have been different if not for Hoon's death.

As far as the Smashing Pumpkins goes, I find their music has not aged well at all. Even songs I used to like gets harder and harder to listen to. Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters have aged better, imnsho.

[CaptainCrunch]

None of them hold any power to the awesome might of Gwar

[troutman]

Terence Trent D'Arby once said he was better than The Beatles.

Good way to get attention, at first.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I'd say Siamese Dream is certainly better than anything Pearl Jam or the Foos have released (and I love Pearl Jam too). But those bands still sell out arenas and I doubt the Pumpkins could sell out a dive bar at this point, so you can see the bitterness shining through by Billy.

[undercoverbrother]

But are they Better Than Ezra?

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by Igster

I used to like the Smashing Pumpkins, but Corgan is a goof. Pretty much caused me to not listen to them anymore based on his comments and the one time I saw them in concert with a bunch of other bands and you could tell he was thinking "Why am I playing in this country? I'm more important than this". He was just going through the motions.

Summersault 2000? They were just horrible on that tour.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

How is it a wonder? That tends to happen after your front man ODs after the first commercial hit.

But two albums were released after the album with No Rain (although one was posthumously, but still amazing). They weren't getting the credit they deserved when Hoon was alive, let alone after the 90s. To me they are a solid band that holds up well 20 years later. Very few lame songs, particularly compared to Pumpkins, Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam (again, IMO).

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

No kidding. Blind Melon were one hit wonders and that one song was overplayed worse than Nickelback. It might have been different if not for Hoon's death.

As far as the Smashing Pumpkins goes, I find their music has not aged well at all. Even songs I used to like gets harder and harder to listen to. Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters have aged better, imnsho.

That's the thing, they were better than the one-hit status they have. Soup and Nico were their best albums. I'd post some songs, but I'm kind of short on time. If you have a chance, listen to them both.

[Igster]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

Summersault 2000? They were just horrible on that tour.

Yup. I saw them in Edmonton. Foo Fighters were on the tour and completely outperformed and outclassed them.

Highlight of the show for me though was A Perfect Circle. Holy crap they were good.

After I watched Corgan not give a s*** and go through the motions, I vowed to never listen to the Pumkins again.

[calumniate]

Even flowwww..

Even flow

[Russic]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

Summersault 2000? They were just horrible on that tour.

A friend of a friend caught James Iha's guitar pick and cried.

Looking back, that was a RIDICULOUS lineup. Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, Our Lady Peace, A Perfect Circle, I Mother Earth, Eve 6, Sum 41, Treble Charger, and Finger Eleven. Not all awesome I realize, but almost all are still around in some capacity which you can't say for too many bands from 14 years ago.

[DoubleK]

I'd say at a point each of them were 'better' than the others.

It's pretty hard to beat the longevity of either PJ or FF.

Siamese Dream is the best start to finish album that any of them have released.

[Igster]

Yup, it was. Our Lady Peace was awesome as well. Really enjoyed Finger Eleven on the smaller stage too. Really the only blemish on the whole thing was Corgan's attitude.