Billy Corgan on the only rock star who could outdo Chuck Berry: “He was the ultimate chameleon”
Certain artists are almost universally regarded as the best in their field, existing on a higher plane and setting the gold standard for songwriting, guitar playing, performing, or whatever their standout skill may be. Chuck Berry is undeniably one of those legends, widely seen as a pioneering force in rock and roll, and a master from whom many other greats learned. However, according to The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, there was one man who could surpass even Berry.
It’s a classic case of the student becoming a master. Over time, a select and supremely talented few will emerge and exceed those who show them the way, racing ahead of not only their pack of peers but of the leaders who always guided them. When it comes to Chuck Berry, plenty have tried. Hoards of artists have covered his songs or borrowed from his influence, attempting to merely live up to his incredible talent, let alone exceed it. Yet few have managed as tracks like ‘Johnny B. Goode’ and ‘You Never Can Tell’ always sound best from the source.
But for Billy Corgan, there is one exemption to that. He’s happily hit play on The Beatles’ take on ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ as he claimed that John Lennon might just have beaten Berry at his own game.
“He was the ultimate chameleon,” Corgan said of Lennon. To him, the musician’s broad stroke and varied influences made him utterly “remarkable” as he could write a song like ‘Across The Universe’ one day and a big rock and roll anthem like ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ the next. He could do pop, rock, soul, and blues. Across his discography, it really seemed like Lennon could do absolutely anything.
“He could steal what he wanted to steal, but he could make it his own,” Corgan said, discussing Lennon’s masterful skill of being able to borrow from any and every influence and make it work for him. One of those major influences was Berry, who played a major role in inspiring the early Beatles sound. But for Corgan, the Fab Four’s output was better than the input, as he said, “He could write a Chuck Berry song better than Chuck Berry.”
However, that ability would come to be a curse when things turned nasty between Lennon and Berry. It ended in a lawsuit, as Berry claimed the Beatles had plagiarised his work for Come Together, and it seemed like Lennon’s influence-stealing was pushed a bit too far.
But if you ignore the ethical ins and outs of taking bits and pieces from other artists, cultures, genres and eras, Corgan simply sees the impressive nature of Lennon’s adaptable talent. “He could write the ultimate song, one that defined a genre or a generation – and then he moved on,” he said, seeing the Beatle as the ultimate God-tier musician.
