The guitarist Billy Corgan believes is “one of the greatest”
The Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan is a multi-faceted character and something of a one-off within the music industry. He’s unafraid to say how he truly feels about other acts, which has caused Corgan to gain several enemies over the years, but there are certain people he’ll never say a disconcerting word about.
One of those figures is Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who has been a constant source of inspiration for Corgan since childhood. His love of Blackmore and Deep Purple has subconsciously seeped into his style. Additionally, Corgan believes the English musician is a guitarist of the highest calibre because he’s constantly evolved throughout his career.
Over the years, Corgan has spoken about Blackmore on multiple occasions, including in his defence after causing a backlash following his comments about Radiohead. He told Antiquiet: “Obviously, there’s a level of reverence, but there’s also a level of intelligence to even know what to piss on. ‘Cause I’m not pissing on Rainbow. I’m not pissing on Deep Purple. But I’ll piss on fucking Radiohead, because of all this pomposity. This value system that says Jonny Greenwood is more valuable than Ritchie Blackmore. Not in the world I grew up in, buddy. Not in the world I grew up in.”
That comment shows how Blackmore is an untouchable person in the realm of Corgan, and he views him as a godlike figure. Meanwhile, during an interview with Revolver about his favourite heavy metal artists, The Smashing Pumpkins singer singled out Blackmore’s solo material before passionately explaining his reasonings.
Corgan stated: “Ritchie Blackmore, I think, is one of the greatest guitar players of all time. And, what I think what’s amazing about Ritchie Blackmore as a guitar player is his transition from a kind of blues guitar player to a hard rock guitar player to a melodic guitar player. Not only did he influence an entire generation of guitar players, of course, Yngwie Malmsteen being the most prominent among them.”
Highlighting the attribute he most admires in Blackmore, Corgan added: “He always wrote music that, at the end of the day, you could play on the radio, and I think that’s what distinguishes a lot of the great guitar players. Not only were they great guitar players, but they made music that everybody could enjoy.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with Rick Beato, Corgan explained how Blackmore influenced his contribution to the sound of The Smashing Pumpkins, noting: “Kim Thayil would play solos, but they weren’t solos played by people who were necessarily trying to play like Richie Blackmore. I was trying to play Ritchie Blackmore.”
In the mind of Corgan, Blackmore is a blueprint of everything a guitarist should be and a musician whom everyone interested in the instrument should study. While he’s rightly revered, the Deep Purple founder still isn’t always discussed in the same vein as other greats such as Jeff Beck, but Corgan’s opinion is crystal clear.
