How My Bloody Valentine shaped Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins: “What is he doing?”
“I’m a Disney mark,” The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan once said. In wrestling, when you’re a big fan of the sport, you’re referred to as “a mark”. And therein lies the one sentence that will forever make Corgan one of the most interesting figures in rock music. Rather than filling his time reminiscing old memories on a bar stool, Corgan is probably at home, looking at his Disney collectables.
That said, there’s probably more to be taken from Corgan’s appreciation of animated keepsakes and figurines than meets the eye. For starters, it shows that his interests transcend the confines of music and that he’ll likely forever be attached to his inner child, the one that promises safety and happiness no matter what life throws in the way.
And when those within the music industry inspire him, it’s usually someone who goes against the grain, though not in the usual off-kilter way rock stars usually enjoy. In Corgan’s case, he enjoys those who truly puzzle him and whose music excites him about the prospect of creativity all over again. Perhaps that’s why The Smashing Pumpkins are difficult to describe even to those who consider themselves their most loyal fans; their mix of rock, alternative, and shoegaze making them one of the most timeless and interesting acts out there.
In Corgan’s view, this level of excellence was borne out of discovering My Bloody Valentine in college. After buying their first record and attending a live show in Chicago in front of about 100 people, Corgan experienced the rawness and noisiness of their sound, unsure what to think. He ultimately clicked not long after when he listened to their second album, Loveless. Working in the studio with Butch Vig, they played it and were immediately astounded.
“We were like, ‘What is he doing?!'” Corgan recalled. “We heard rumours they were melting the tape and all this crazy shit,” he said. Although from different backgrounds, My Bloody Valentine ended up influencing Corgan in more ways than one and contributing to the Pumpkins’ indescribable sound. Corgan and the band would also later enlist Alan Moulder directly, driven by their infatuation with his work on that record.
From the moment they heard it, they were captivated by his production style and knew they wanted him on their team. “This is perfect,” Corgan said. Moulder is such a talent and still one of the top mixers in the world. Loveless was like a goldmine for aspiring rock musicians mainly because of the “glide guitar” technique they utilised, which saw Kevin Shields manipulating his approach to strumming, resulting in a woozy and shimmering sound.
One of the immediately noticeable things about the Pumpkins’ sound is the similarities they execute with reverb and layering, which creates a rich and textured sound that is difficult to pinpoint to any singular genre. Like Corgan’s love for Disney, and by extension, realms that appear simplistic by making you feel a multitude of emotions, My Bloody Valentine was intriguing to Corgan because they effortlessly created an immersive and hypnotic atmosphere.
Of course, there’s something to be said about both Corgan’s and Shields’ approaches in the studio; their perfectionist states created an atmosphere where every aspect of the process was held to high standards with no exceptions. Perhaps that’s the crux of Corgan’s appeal in a broader sense; he doesn’t bother with the trivial matters of rock ‘n’ roll—he knows what good entertainment is, and he’ll stop at nothing to achieve it.
