Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan discussed touring for ‘MACHINA’ in a new interview, and how the record label declined to release the sequel. He discussed then releasing ‘MACHINA II’ online, and how the lie in the media is that Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails put out the first free internet releases in 2007 and 2008 despite the Pumpkins doing it first. Despite saying this, Corgan seemed complimentary of his fellow rock titans and seemed to moreso be criticizing the media narrative. Corgan recently made a stunning Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix revelation.
He told Guitar Guitar, “And then we actually started to gain some momentum during the touring, it was the first real momentum we’d seen as a rock band in a few years. And then we went back to the label and said ‘you know, there’s some real movement here in the market, we’ve got this other record, we’d like to put it out, um, we think it’s kind of a cool story’, and they said ‘f**k off’.”
He later said, “And most people acknowledge our brothers in Radiohead as being the first online free record (2007’s ‘In Rainbows’). Um, we don’t get credit for that. And fans love that record, and then they (the record company) went ‘wait….’ and then they got really curious. Then, when we got some real movement, the band broke up!”
Guitar Guitar later chimed in, “So Radiohead got credit for that and also Nine Inch Nails for giving away a record online (2008’s The Slip) but you guys were…that was what, 2001?”
Corgan responded, “Yeah, 2000.”
Guitar Guitar said, “So it goes. Legacy will say otherwise. History is written after the fact.”
Corgan concluded, “Oh, yeah yeah, no it’s fine, it’s just…it was a confusing time because it was, like, nobody knew what the internet was, even at that point.” Corgan recently responded to the Dave Matthews Band being brutally disrespected.
