Billy Corgan has claimed that his career does not get the recognition that it deserves.
The Smashing Pumpkins musician declared this in a recent interview, stating that he ought to be on those “Greatest Guitar Players” lists.
In the interview, Billy Corgan said this: “Most people don’t even recognize my contributions as a guitar player. They don’t even assume I’m the one playing a lot of the guitar”.
Billy Corgan Blasts “silly lists”
Billy Corgan went on to lament these Greatest Guitar Players lists, calling them “silly”. He also accused them of placing him behind players that are beneath him.
“You have these silly lists that come out about the greatest guitar players; I usually don’t even make those lists”, Corgan said. “Or they’ll put me behind somebody who I could play circles around. I don’t mean to denigrate the person in front of me or the people in front of me, but come on, you know? I’m enough of a guitar player to know who’s a great guitar player”.
The musician continued: “Once you go beyond, let’s call it the Zakk Wyldes and Dimebag Darrells and the truly great Randy Rhoadses, there’s a lot of people who pretend to play guitar. I certainly have no problem believing I’m better than a lot of them”.
Corgan also offered a theory as to why he is down the pecking order on these lists, or is snubbed altogether.
He said: “If I’m being frank about it – and maybe this isn’t the best way to do it – but if I’m being frank, people have a hard time understanding that as it pertains to the Smashing Pumpkins, I’m writing the songs, lyrics, melodies, arrangements and playing most of the complicated guitar. And that I’m capable of doing a solo on top of that. I think that’s hard for people to process”.
Back in April, Corgan’s band Smashing Pumpkins unveiled their new guitarist, YouTube sensation Kiki Wong, who replaced the departing Jeff Schroeder. More on this here.
Back in June, Billy Corgan also paid tribute his friend and late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor.