Billy Corgan on why David Bowie made him perform behind him
It’s not often that you get to meet your heroes, let alone actually sing with them. Yet Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins was fortunate enough to play with none other than David Bowie at one of Bowie’s most famous concerts — his 50th birthday celebrations. This year, Corgan told the story of playing ‘All The Young Dudes’ with Bowie to Howard Stern.
“It was terrifying,” Corgan said. “We did soundcheck as you do. I thought it was weird because he had me about five feet behind him, so I thought it was a bit of a diss. I didn’t understand that.” Naturally, Corgan must have been nervous about playing with one of his heroes and must have been thrown off by Bowie’s strange request.
However, he admitted to being utterly mind-blown when he actually got to play and sing next to the musical icon. Corgan went on, “So then I come out for the show, and it’s about halfway through the show, and he’s all warmed up, and he’s sweating. And I get, ‘all the young dudes,’ he’s doing that thing. His voice is warmed up, and it’s that voice, and it was mind-blowing.”
He added, “To hear him sing for real standing next to him. For years, I didn’t understand why he kind of put me behind him. It was almost like I was the little kid with him. I realized it was because I’m so much taller. He hadn’t done it to diss me; he wanted us to look the same height.”
Bowie was meticulous when it came to the visual aspects of his show. For him, the visuals were just as important as the audio. Corgan noted, “David was all about optics, so now it makes total sense that he would be concerned that we looked the same height on camera because he was very visual.” Of course, Bowie would not have been concerned about being overshadowed in a metaphorical sense by Corgan. After all, he’s David Bowie, for god’s sake.
Corgan then said that Bowie was always really great with him. “I’m so blessed to have known him,” he said. “The thing about David that was so special to people from the alternative music side is that he could have been Frank Sinatra. He could have been one of those guys, but he chose to be a weirdo just like us. He’s like our Frank Sinatra; he’s our weirdo.”
Indeed, when Bowie started his career, he merely wanted to perform in any way he could. But throughout the years, he constantly redefined himself and became the king of the alternative, whether it was through his costume or musical output. So it’s unsurprising to learn that Corgan was so indebted at being able to play with him.
