While Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan used to delight in trolling the press with controversial quotes, these days, as the band prepares to mark their 35th anniversary, he prefers to focus on his band's legacy -- especially since he's now the father of two young children.
“I don’t really see a value in it anymore, honestly,” Corgan tells English paper The Guardian of playing the villain -- a role he says made him suicidal.
"In fact, I think it’s the opposite: I think people need to feel inspired," he adds. "And so if you want to talk about a narrative, the story for the band overall is just one of coming together and survival.”
And survive they have, seemingly against all odds. "One of my biggest disappointments ... when we play a concert is you don’t get the sense that the audience understands how rare it is that we’re actually standing there," he tells the paper. "It’s 34 f**king years later, you got three-quarters of the OG band in front of you, we’re ready to play and we want to be here.”
"I don’t want my kids growing up with a has-been father," says Corgan. He notes, "I believe we’re one of the great bands ... We were the ones who walked away from it; nobody took us off our game. And now we’re back to doing what we’re good at.”
The Pumpkins will wrap up their tour with Jane's Addiction November 19 at the Hollywood Bowl.