Billy Corgan has been keeping busy with both musical and non-musical projects in recent months. Now he's opening a tea shop in suburban Chicago this spring, which begs the question: What would be served at his tea house? more ›

Billy and the gang dug deep into the pile of Christmas wreaths behind his garage and pulled out this gem from bygone days. It's simple, spartan and actually a nice little holiday tune. And, believe it or not, nakedly sweet. Between this, the SPRC and the recent re-embracing of the band's past, might Billy be on the road back into our heart? Could be! more ›

(Legendary Chicago-based photographer Art Shay has taken photos of kings, queens, celebrities and the common man in a 60-year career. In this week's look at his photography archives, Art reflects on a 70-year love affair.) more ›

Art has gotten to know Billy Corgan very well over the years. more ›

Billy Corgan's Smashing Pumpkins™ are on tour and we suspect that all that time spent digging through unreleased material for their reissues has awakened some sort of nostalgia in The Bald One. The group's set in Las Vegas recently was steeped in golden oldies (and, c'mon, who out there is hoping that's still the case when the band comes through town this Friday at The Riv?) and their nascent Smashing Pumpkins Record Club is giving us glimmers of the nuggets we can expect from said reissue campaign. Last night Corgan released an early version of a classic Gish track, titled "Rhinoceros Version Two (Reel Time Sessions)," into the wild and it casts the guitar burner in a slightly different, organ dominated light. more ›

Oh, Billy. He always seems to make the news these days for everything but music. Yes, the Smashing Pumpkins are slated to play the Riviera this fall in support of a new album, but the thing everyone is talking about right now is his online feud with a guitar pedal engineer who also happens to be a transgender activist. Even if either side was justified in responding to defend themselves, the slinging and name calling that ensued went way too far. more ›

Despite the station contributing to the rise of The Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan gave a rather honest appraisal of the demise of Q101 during an interview with Greg Kot last night on Chicago Live!. more ›

Earlier this morning Billy Corgan sent out word via Twitter that "my little brother Jesse was attacked and robbed this morning by 3 men." Shortly afterward we saw a report via The Trib that a 35-year-old Evanston man was attacked on a train on his way into work this morning. Since the victim's name hasn't been released yet we're not sure if the two are one and the same, but since Corgan's brother is 35 and lives in Evanston we're guessing it is. Either way, this is just bad news all around. more ›

Rolling Stone was as excited as we were about news of The Smashing Pumpkins re-issues Billy Corgan has planned and sat down with him to get details on what kind of bonus material we can expect (a lot) and who he'd love to share a stage with (Ritchie Blackmore). When asked if he would ever play with the original members of the band, Jimmy Chamberlain, James Iha and D'arcy Wretzky, Corgan had this to say: more ›

News that the great pumpkin, Billy Corgan, finally has control of all of The Smashing Pumpkins back catalog and plans to reissue all of it and stuff the re-releases with unreleased tracks and b-sides is actually pretty exciting news. No word on whether Corgan's announcement had any effect on Boston's Bad Rabbits' choice to tackle The Smashing Pumpkins' "1979" for the latest installment of their Live Covers Sessions Series, but we'll use the Pumpkins' reissue news as an excuse to post the resulting video and MP3. Check 'em out. more ›

In 2008 we managed to get our hands on a seven-inch that instantly transported us back to a time when MTV actually played music videos and Alternative Nation rocked its airwaves every Sunday night. Being that we are suckers for nostalgia and all things '90s, UK natives,The Joy Formidable, and their irrepressibly energetic single Austere instantly charmed us and began making its way to the office turntable pretty regularly. We anxiously awaited more from these sprightly pop-sters and a year later the EP, A Balloon Called Moaning, arrived stateside from their native isle of Whales. Filled with crunchy UK alterna-anthems, this EP is meant to be played so loud it your neighbors will come a knocking. more ›

Taking "Today" literally. more ›

In a town primarily known for power pop heroes like Cheap Trick and dark rock villains like Billy Corgan, Jon Drake and the Shakes stand out sheerly because no one can really peg them in either or those genres; nor any other for that matter. They have a luminous pop sensibility, but lyrically they can be darker and more angst-y than a 13-year-old looking for black nail polish at a Hot Topic. Either way they're indisputably the largest, most passionate and assiduous band in Chicago with sometimes over 14-accomplished-musicians on stage, singing and playing their myriad of rock and orchestral instruments until they can no longer stand. more ›

Stop the presses! Billy Corgan is looking for yet another bassist for "The Smashing Pumpkins" to fill the revolving door that role seems to have built into it, and he's going about it via open auditions. (Chicagoist's own Lizz Kannenberg is between band gigs, maybe she could make the cut?) Most recent bassist Ginger Pooley is leaving the band to focus on taking care of her family's newest arrival, her new baby daughter. more ›

Look, we don't even have the energy to make the effort to knock the stuff Billy Corgan is putting out any more, so if you're actually interested you can grab the latest track he's releasing under the Smashing Pumpkins' name, "A Stitch In Time," below. more ›

Billy Corgan claimed he'd be releasing the songs fast and furious starting around Halloween for the new Smashing Pumpkins -- well, what he's calling The Smashing Pumpkins -- album Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. We lauded this move originally, especially since it was going to be available for free, which is what anyone should be expected to pay for anything Corgan puts out in recent years. more ›

Billy Corgan put on a puppet show. Yes, you read that right, a puppet show named Gothageddon. It features appearances by -- among others -- a teddy bear ringside announcer, the bald one himself, Robert Smith, Siouxsie Sioux, and, wait for it, James Iha. All characters are voiced by Corgan, often rather hilariously. While we have been greatly disappointed by Corgan's output over the last few years, and with his insistence on squeezing every last penny he can out of the Smashing Pumpkins brand, we have to admit that Gothageddon proves that the dude does still have a sens of humor and for that we're grateful. And amused. more ›

The Great Pumpkin has announced he'll release the next Smashing Pumpkins album -- all 44 projected tracks of it -- piecemeal online for free. Superfans can shell out for periodic EP packages of 4 songs each, and super-duper fans can buy a box set of the whole shebang once (if?) all 44 tracks are released. more ›

• There's still some skepticism as to whether or not President Obama will make the trip to Copenhagen on the eve of the IOC's October 2nd vote for the 2016 Olympic games.
• Speaking of the Olympics, in the latest edition of one poll that measures where city's rank with their bids, Chicago is now second behind Rio.
• WBEZ talked to local Congressmen to see where they stand on health care reform in the wake of President Obama's speech last night.

We couldn't help but snicker when we saw that The Smashing Pumpkins a.k.a. the Billy solo show made #8 on The Independent's list of worst rock and roll comebacks. We still count ourselves fans, but Corgan is sorely testing our ability to even listen to ""Rhinoceros"* without cringing because his current antics continue to sour our appreciation for his band's past heights. (h/t HipstersUnited) more ›

Sometimes you just get tired of working with rock stars...especially if you happen to be one. Instead of combing the Hollywood handbook of freelance musicians for new members, Smashing Pumpkins leader and sole remaining member Billy Corgan is putting out the word that the job of timekeeper is open to anyone who can sling a stick. From a press release received at the musically inclined Chicagoist office today: more ›

The Smashing Pumpkins finally returned home last night and were predictably panned by both DeRo and Kot (were they sitting together in the balcony one wonders?). One of our readers wrote in to tell us the crowd was the problem though, including folks "playing with picture templates on their camera phones, screaming horribly at the most inappropriate times, and worst of all the whiny girl who sat behind us and spent the entire show talking." Were you there? What was your take? Is Billy Corgan off his rocker or are the fans really to blame? more ›

CYNICAL TANKBOY: Oh great, Billy's back. As if it weren't insult enough that he pulled the Pumpkins' name out of the grave once his solo career stalled, now he has to add insult to injury by touring with a bunch of session musicians while cashing in on the sentimentality train? I understand times are tough dude, but if you're not going to tour with James Iha and D'arcy you should be calling yourself either The Billy Corgan Experience or ... Zwan. more ›

Looking forward to hearing the new Smashing Pumpkins single, "G.L.O.W." (not to be confused with the G.L.O.W. we remember from our youth)? We hope you have an Xbox360, Wii, or Playstation 3. Capt. Corgan has announced the track will be packaged with two other older Pumpkins tracks ("1979" and "The Everlasting Gaze") on the upcoming video game, "Guitar Hero: World Tour." How avant-garde. Lucky players will also be able to play as Corgan, enabling them to live the dream of being a once-vital rock star who has kept wheezing well past his sell-by date. more ›

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan is suing Lester Cohn of Pure DV Productions in Gurnee for unsatisfactory work, and for holding footage of the artist hostage. Cohn was hired by Corgan to take video of the singer while on a solo tour between 2003 and 2005. Now Corgan claims that the parts of the recordings he's seen are unprofessional and substandard, and wants to abort mission. Per the Trib, more ›

James Iha and D'Arcy are suing Virgin Records for digital royalties. No word yet on if they also plan on suing Billy Corgan for being a weenie. more ›

Honestly, we were once huge Smashing Pumpkins fans, we swear. But this weekend's vague announcement of a forthcoming Gish box set/anniversary re-release has snapped our last nerve. We refuse to plug Corgan any more until he actually talks James and D'arcy back into the band. That would be newsworthy. more ›

Oh Billy Corgan, are we on this list? Today the Smashing Pumpkins announced: more ›

First person to name the song those lyrics in the headline came from gets a no-prize. Own some of Billy Corgan. Really. It's not a good idea to e-mail a Playboy playmate via Myspace, especially when said playmate is dating the Bears' Adam Archuleta, you're from Aurora, and type in bold threatening capital letters. Some Wisconsinites have a unique take on the designated driver. What did you do on your summer vacation? (via) Give... more ›

Ah, yes. First Turd Blossom, now Fredo. Yup, we're dancing a jig this evening. Are Cubs fans still waiting to exhale? Illinois' number one team - don't believe us, check the map - is only two games back. Billy Corgan will say anything to promote Zeitgeist. One viewing of this video and you'll say to yourself that at least the Chicago Public Schools aren't that bad. Illinoisans have more to love. Video of Frank... more ›