<![CDATA[ Latest from Guitar World in Smashing-pumpkins ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/tag/smashing-pumpkins Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:43:25 +0000 en <![CDATA[ “Billy said, ‘I've never played a high-gain amp that I like.’ It was a tall order”: How a Smashing Pumpkins superfan made the only amp Billy Corgan has ever truly loved ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/amps/brian-carstens-billy-corgan-interview kvuzm66oekXHejyjEct9in Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:43:25 +0000 Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:46:14 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I would get up in the middle of the night, play it in the middle of the night, in the dark, no light”: Billy Corgan trained himself to play in pitch black ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/why-billy-corgan-trained-himself-to-play-in-pitch-black CH9BCpkLYmkLkNhyuRWeQo Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:56:34 +0000 Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:56:44 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I’ve never met Noel Gallagher, but I’ve heard he liked Strange Times”: The unsung 1986 album that inspired the ’90s Britpop boom ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/the-chameleons-stranger-times SbCBxpsVW2S7v5U2XW3QaY Sun, 05 Apr 2026 06:30:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The two things I remember are the cool guitar stuff… and this never-ending scream”: Billy Corgan on the first time he met Courtney Love and witnessed Hole live ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/billy-corgan-on-the-first-time-he-met-courtney-love-and-witnessed-hole-live t9TbAKtPZhmYxRsmN2Raf4 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:57:15 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Living in the shadow of my grunge parents, Courtney and Billy… it was a complex and exhausting shadow to come out from under”: Melissa Auf der Maur on joining Hole amidst tragedy and her “Master’s in Music” with the Smashing Pumpkins ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/melissa-auf-der-maur-even-the-good-girls-will-cry-memoir-interview ainiM36fv5C4VSPUY3oDrk Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:29:32 +0000 Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:32:06 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I threw my guitar off mid strum, dove into the crowd and began strangling him to the ground”: Billy Corgan on the first time he met future Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/billy-corgan-the-first-time-he-met-melissa-auf-der-maur 6wYrMkE9Ft2KXKCuQG2t6i Thu, 12 Mar 2026 17:17:07 +0000 Fri, 13 Mar 2026 13:19:55 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was a good bass player, and I am proud of my Celebrity Skin work, but oh my God, it changed my level of musicianship forever”: Melissa Auf der Maur on what she learned from playing with Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/melissa-auf-der-maur-what-she-learned-from-the-smashing-pumpkins Vt6KSw3mJsiepEu6A5S6tK Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:10:15 +0000 Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:00:56 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Ed was under the same pressure we all were. You can play your old gear, but it sounds old”: Billy Corgan on what drives guitar heroes to change their tone – and how it led him to package his sound in a pedal ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/billy-corgan-smashing-pumpkins-laney-supergrace-guitar-tone-journey sin4xAcceGSS9gyQaxYkZT Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:20:00 +0000 Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:28:03 +0000 <![CDATA[ "There’s clarity where you want it, and a glorious wall of noise when you need it": Laney Black Country Customs Billy Corgan Supergrace Loudpedal review ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/effects-pedals/laney-black-country-customs-supergrace-loudpedal-review 5PEi3kSGCqWKdTmEjS2Q3Z Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:21:42 +0000 <![CDATA[ “There’s nothing that impressive about being able to play the guitar at a decently high level anymore”: Why Billy Corgan changed the way he plays guitar solos ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/why-billy-corgan-changed-the-way-he-plays-guitar-solos 6Ms758NRzfU5gCZoVPiVVP Tue, 10 Feb 2026 15:53:05 +0000 Tue, 10 Feb 2026 15:55:20 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I walked into a Guitar Center one day and took it off the wall. It launched 1,000 ships of people chasing that sound”: The guitar that changed Billy Corgan’s life ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/the-guitar-that-changed-billy-corgans-life vCcCaqg7kRgrWtAFAy43TF Mon, 02 Feb 2026 17:24:13 +0000 Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:23:34 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Give the average guitar player the chance to own my live rig. The tone worth $100,000s”: Billy Corgan has shrunk his Smashing Pumpkins rig into a Laney pedal amp – and he tested it in front of 60,000 My Chemical Romance fans ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/amps/laney-billy-corgan-supergrace 6aLto2mbqDTC7ryRKAKjkH Thu, 22 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Fri, 23 Jan 2026 06:21:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Watching Steven Tyler and Joe Perry together, the compromise is the magic. But for me, it doesn’t work”: Why Yungblud will never join a band – despite collaborations with Aerosmith and the Smashing Pumpkins ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/why-yungblud-will-never-join-a-band J8fSPQrEBSzCTgtLXJTM3C Fri, 16 Jan 2026 17:30:03 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It’s one thing to be a visionary, but it’s another thing to have the gift to pull off the vision”: Why Billy Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins collaborated with Yungblud ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/why-billy-corgan-collaborated-with-yungblud JmNDSF9V4PTRCP9z7FNLSb Mon, 05 Jan 2026 16:49:17 +0000 Mon, 05 Jan 2026 16:49:43 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I sold my first guitar to my drummer. He paid me $50, put SpongeBob stickers on it, then lit it on fire”: Kiki Wong reveals her Smashing Pumpkins live rig, gear regrets and how a Line 6 amp made her the player she is today ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/kiki-wong-bought-and-sold xzbATeumV2xXQeiM8tzREW Fri, 02 Jan 2026 11:10:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The moment I discovered what it feels like to teach yourself a riff that you love, I was hooked. It feels like you're riding the universe”: Hole and Smashing Pumpkins' Melissa Auf der Maur reveals the bassists who compelled her to pick up the instrument ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/melissa-auf-der-maur-reveals-the-bassists-who-compelled-her-to-pick-up-the-instrument X2Wr2xFTejNuXjxT92TWyX Fri, 12 Dec 2025 16:39:53 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We drove two hours down to meet the seller, who ended up being someone who worked on production for Slash”: Kiki Wong recalls her biggest amp bargain – when she found a vintage Marshall on Craigslist ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/kiki-wong-recalls-her-biggest-amp-bargain XVTzuUdR8ZYGxMCdBWaBR9 Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:29:29 +0000 Wed, 26 Nov 2025 13:01:40 +0000 <![CDATA[ “People talk a lot of poo about my tone. But it’s what I love and have loved since I was a kid”: Kiki Wong’s go-to amp at home is a budget combo everyone loves to hate ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/kiki-wongs-go-to-home-amp-is-a-line-6-spider aDZeezT2PecTgDTKDhnbe Fri, 14 Nov 2025 13:55:02 +0000 Fri, 14 Nov 2025 16:12:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Turned each band member’s concept into reality”: The Smashing Pumpkins designed some wild Yamaha guitars to celebrate their first gigs in Japan in 12 years – and they were played live ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/yamaha-one-off-guitar-designs-for-the-smashing-pumpkins oxseohxkoMHBpmd4xCL4xf Thu, 23 Oct 2025 11:11:43 +0000 Thu, 30 Oct 2025 15:24:47 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The first time I heard the Smashing Pumpkins’ Cherub Rock, Ifell in love. He’s playing rhythm, but it’s about so much more than the rhythm”: Meet Phoneboy, the New Jersey indie rockers dialing up melody, artistry and singable guitar solos ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/phoneboy-heartbreak-designer teE3aqP6BGMLTQAiXtDYb3 Fri, 19 Sep 2025 08:48:01 +0000 Wed, 24 Sep 2025 14:59:25 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Whether or not my fingers bled, I don't remember”: Billy Corgan on the making of Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness – and how one of its biggest hits nearly didn’t make the record ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/billy-corgan-on-the-making-of-smashing-pumpkins-mellon-collie-and-the-infinite-sadness KbW6TqwVW5nW4stLTNokN4 Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:39:47 +0000 Wed, 24 Sep 2025 14:32:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Isaw Kiki’s name, I stopped and thought, ‘Wait… I think I follow her on Instagram.’ …I was like, ‘Oh, that’s that person I really like’”: Billy Corgan and Kiki Wong on the guitar chemistry behind Smashing Pumpkins’ new era ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/smashing-pumpkins-billy-corgan-kiki-wong-interview Agcnkz3HPEMwWUvBduE8cV Tue, 02 Sep 2025 09:31:14 +0000 Wed, 10 Sep 2025 13:39:32 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was throwing the guitar at the amp over and over”: Billy Corgan wanted to make a statement on this Smashing Pumpkins song – so he trashed his guitar rig ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/billy-corgan-trashing-his-guitar-rig-in-the-studio kHU4zQTpqbGEHNuVb95MfZ Tue, 12 Aug 2025 11:17:51 +0000 Tue, 19 Aug 2025 14:52:48 +0000 <![CDATA[ “She's got that thing that I could never do – I have to cheat”: Billy Corgan reveals the technique Kiki Wong can do on guitar that’s beyond him ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/billy-corgan-reveals-the-technique-kiki-wong-can-do-on-guitar-thats-beyond-him 6wY4Q4E9x7pj8GWy2kavnn Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:13:26 +0000 Wed, 13 Aug 2025 15:02:53 +0000 <![CDATA[ The all-new October 2025 Guitar World – where Smashing Pumpkins and Sex Pistols mingle openly with Carlos Santana and Khruangbin ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/music-industry/magazines/guitar-world-october-2025 ixAp6QwR5gN7VDXYRbCuAX Tue, 05 Aug 2025 16:11:16 +0000 Fri, 08 Aug 2025 11:58:10 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I actually prefer people who play bass with their fingers. A pick has to be used just right to not blunt the guitar attack”:Billy Corgan takes us inside the zeitgeist of his low-end studio work with the Smashing Pumpkins ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/billy-corgan-on-the-smashing-pumpkins-low-end-sound 5beCiB32s6YUF45Y8uD5CF Thu, 24 Jul 2025 09:47:07 +0000 Mon, 28 Jul 2025 14:43:22 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I apologize for the broken beer bottle that was thrown at him”: Melissa Auf der Maur surprises fans as she reunites with Billy Corgan to perform a Smashing Pumpkins classic ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/concerts-gigs-tours/melissa-auf-der-maur-rejoins-billy-corgan-onstage 3Hd5GZhxvrKZvXC7ih5vdk Mon, 16 Jun 2025 12:36:27 +0000 Mon, 23 Jun 2025 09:59:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Distortion, distortion, gain and more gain were my digs before I joined the Smashing Pumpkins. But they’ve introduced me to a whole new world of pedals”: Kiki Wong on her life-changing audition, and what she's learned from Billy Corgan and James Iha ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/kiki-wong-the-smashing-pumpkins 8DzrJ3XsZW9fkQGtPMtQZh Tue, 13 May 2025 19:23:49 +0000 Wed, 21 May 2025 10:05:18 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Smashing Pumpkins taught me that music doesn’t have to fit neatly into a box… it’s not as easy as pie. It’s pie with a side of metal!” Billy Corgan asked Jenna Fournier to go back to bass, and she says the timing is perfect ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/jenna-fournier-kid-tigrrr-billy-corgan A53XxvYEkybtCutCwVhBnU Mon, 05 May 2025 17:09:06 +0000 Tue, 13 May 2025 14:04:49 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I had big shoes to fill, but I knew I had a lot to offer on my own. I think Billy Corgan saw that in me”: From Veruca Salt to the Smashing Pumpkins and Garbage, Nicole Fiorentino has become alt-rock's go-to bassist ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/nicole-fiorentino-garbage-smashing-pumpkins-veruca-salt KFieGqDxkXGLEWcLCtbHJJ Fri, 02 May 2025 15:51:22 +0000 Wed, 07 May 2025 10:52:20 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I still use the Strat and Big Muff sound here and there for overdubs, but when I watched Eddie Van Halen play 3 feet in front of me, I learned that it’s about the hands”: Billy Corgan on critics, tone secrets, and how he keeps Smashing Pumpkins fresh ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/billy-corgan-smashing-pumpkins-aghori-mhori-mei XWnzAEgkPyQkuaQUndtPRX Thu, 01 May 2025 18:36:43 +0000 Wed, 07 May 2025 10:45:41 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It’s really quite genius, but also hard to learn – it sounds insane, but sometimes the easiest songs still get me nervous”: Kiki Wong reveals the Smashing Pumpkins song she had the most trouble with ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/kiki-wong-on-the-hardest-smashing-pumpkins-song-to-learn rrJo4MgdxsMpMZWXv8BBUo Mon, 21 Apr 2025 16:28:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ “That’s the same guitar I’m playing on stage with the band and on tour with Green Day in front of 50,000 people”: Billy Corgan on why he plays off-the-shelf Reverends – and isn’t fussed about playing expensive guitars ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/why-billy-corgan-plays-off-the-shelf-signatures 2GrExEpnLSFHCPWFiphkAX Fri, 04 Apr 2025 10:14:40 +0000 Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:57:10 +0000 <![CDATA[ Billy Corgan announces new solo project featuring Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Kiki Wong, and U.S. tour celebrating classic Pumpkins eras ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/billy-corgan-announces-new-solo-project-featuring-kiki-wong xQ8FKknpdU6LRcQS6StZEG Mon, 31 Mar 2025 20:22:22 +0000 Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:21:28 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I woke up to a DM from Shirley Manson asking if I'd be interested in the gig. We had never met”: Former Smashing Pumpkins bassist Nicole Fiorentino on how she landed her role in Garbage – with no audition ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-nicole-fiorentino-landed-her-role-in-garbage jVfh6Deebt5URqHpWo5uRC Wed, 26 Mar 2025 13:03:18 +0000 Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:25:24 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He's smoking and making jokes, and he goes, ‘You play, right? Let me see what you got.’ What am I gonna play him? I'm not gonna play Van Halen…” Billy Corgan on the time Eddie Van Halen asked him to showcase his chops – during a Guitar World interview ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/billy-corgan-on-the-time-eddie-van-halen-asked-him-to-play-guitar oypWM6kF2K6xW9VcWz5d5F Thu, 27 Feb 2025 14:58:16 +0000 Wed, 05 Mar 2025 14:18:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Hard to believe that rehearsals begin a week from Monday. We begin again. Every time a rebirth. Every time an adventure”: Another former Smashing Pumpkins bassist is joining Garbage on tour ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/another-former-smashing-pumpkin-bassist-is-joining-garbage-on-tour JBQnAjB5zTEwXb8k9g8mPj Tue, 18 Feb 2025 12:17:42 +0000 Tue, 25 Feb 2025 15:28:31 +0000 <![CDATA[ “You wouldn't have thought that you would see those three guys together”: Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's final show will play host to a Tool, Rage Against the Machine and Smashing Pumpkins supergroup ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/concerts-gigs-tours/ozzy-osbourne-and-black-sabbath-final-show-tool-rage-against-the-machine-smashing-pumpkins-supergroup pKAkAmvT5eF2vweGumSKG6 Fri, 07 Feb 2025 16:55:29 +0000 Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:53:04 +0000 <![CDATA[ “People might look and think I’m just this TikTok personality. They don’t know that I’ve been playing since 2010”: Kiki Wong recalls her early guitar career – and the “crazy” bootleg tours with three people sleeping in the back of a truck ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/kiki-wong-early-guitar-career Nwqmg3Fh9CatvfqoMrUVze Tue, 14 Jan 2025 13:41:15 +0000 Mon, 17 Feb 2025 17:10:27 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I never thought little ol’ 15-year-old me playing metal guitar in the bedroom would amount to this moment”: After 10,000 applicants, Kiki Wong landed the Smashing Pumpkins guitarist gig ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/kiki-wong-smashing-pumpkins-year-in-review-2024 d9ze6AoifxdqeyY5HJCuBc Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:09:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I don’t think James would rip anything off from me, but the first time I heard that song, I was like, ‘That’s awfully close’”: Billy Corgan reckons this Metallica track sounds suspiciously similar to a Smashing Pumpkins deep cut ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/billy-corgan-on-james-hetfield-metallica-smashing-pumpkins Q5DGvLGFkp2hDBP3Zy5oJZ Mon, 16 Dec 2024 11:42:20 +0000 Thu, 19 Dec 2024 14:25:04 +0000 <![CDATA[ “This band has allowed me to diversify my playing 10-fold. I would consider myself a one-trick pony prior to joining”: Kiki Wong on how playing with Smashing Pumpkins has made her a better guitar player ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/kiki-wong-on-smashing-pumpkins-diversifying-her-playing e9EH3mFPDhbejw8jvf8nt8 Fri, 06 Dec 2024 12:07:53 +0000 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:04:16 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I only picked up guitar in the first place to impress my father. I didn’t have a true desire to play that great players like Joe Bonamassa did”: Billy Corgan opens up on his guitar insecurities and being cast as the Smashing Pumpkins’ “big, bad Dracula” ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/smashing-pumpkins-billy-corgan-aghori-mhori-mei Py9Ddcv4A4icNXxCpi5ntX Tue, 26 Nov 2024 13:31:40 +0000 Fri, 06 Dec 2024 16:40:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When I worked with Tony Iommi, I had an epiphany... he sounded like him no matter what amp you’ve got him on”: Billy Corgan on how watching Iommi taught him the key to the playing style of Eddie Van Halen ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/billy-corgan-guitar-technique-unique-sound pV8iHCRnAKjL83AxCN7edK Tue, 05 Nov 2024 13:22:50 +0000 Fri, 06 Dec 2024 16:41:20 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I haven't used the Big Muff since 1993. I don’t use that many pedals anymore, but I use them live”: Billy Corgan shares his pedalboard secrets, including the $1,000 pedal he stole from his dad ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/billy-corgan-smashing-pumpkins-2024-pedalboard d3PQgExW8zqUfnmfK9ofxQ Mon, 04 Nov 2024 20:58:56 +0000 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:20:25 +0000 <![CDATA[ “These silly lists come out about the greatest guitar players – I usually don’t make those lists, or they’ll put me behind somebody who I could play circles around”: Billy Corgan on why he thinks he’s still under-appreciated as a guitarist ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/billy-corgan-on-why-hes-under-appreciated-as-a-guitarist caW4ZAy8XqnSFg8WVf8uZd Tue, 29 Oct 2024 16:28:00 +0000 Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:25:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I didn’t know Corgan, but I knew he wasn’t the easiest person to work with. I thought, ‘This isn’t going to last but it’ll be interesting’”: Jane’s Addiction’s Eric Avery on his brief stint with the Smashing Pumpkins and what he learned from Billy Corgan ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/janes-addiction-bassist-eric-avery-on-working-with-the-smashing-pumpkins-billy-corgan PZCtKVXsBz5kzf2CuWsdzG Thu, 05 Sep 2024 13:47:18 +0000 Mon, 16 Sep 2024 15:43:45 +0000 <![CDATA[ “This guitar is fantastic for drop tunings. The stability is bar none”: Reverend Guitars’ new Billy Corgan Signature Drop-Z is a precise-engineered long-scale riff machine designed for those who love Smashing Pumpkins and drop tunings ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/reverend-billy-corgan-drop-z-guitar-world-demo Zb9B9iwSwS2jsnrkwesjLH Fri, 23 Aug 2024 17:00:00 +0000 Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:16:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “There hasn’t been one moment I regretted my decision. It’s allowed me to be creative in ways I would never have imagined if I’d stayed”: Jeff Schroeder takes us inside his first music since leaving the Smashing Pumpkins – and admits it’s a big departure ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/jeff-schroeder-metanoia KTGvhkXQ7LvG749qrNSZj8 Fri, 02 Aug 2024 11:40:27 +0000 Tue, 13 Aug 2024 08:46:05 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Someone pinch me… actually don’t, because I want to keep living this dream”: Kiki Wong brings a metal edge to her debut Smashing Pumpkins performance after beating 10,000 guitarists to the gig ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kiki-wong-debut-smashing-pumpkins-performance yKuQQQfY39NZcLU3tUJR4K Mon, 10 Jun 2024 10:33:45 +0000 Mon, 24 Jun 2024 08:21:22 +0000