Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan said in a new Build interview Kurt Cobain was ‘even better’ than him at capturing the spirit of 90’s alternative rock, with the sense of humor and darkness that was often mixed together. Alternative Nation transcribed his comments.
“I mean, even the Bullet With Butterfly Wings video, which seems kind of ominous, we’re in a mud pit. Despite all my rage I’m in a mud pit, I don’t know. I’ll put it this way, there are [multiple] versions of the band that are interesting, but they’re not the band I was in. People all the time tell me their version of the band, and that’s cool, but that’s not the band I was in.
It’s like if you watch Star Trek and you only watch 6 episodes and you thought you knew what the other 20 episodes were like. It’s like, I get why you think that from the 6 episodes, but if you actually watch all the episodes, it’s been kind of a big laugh the whole time.”
The interviewer mentioned that there are two different perspectives of the 90’s kind of blended, the ironic detachment idea, and then the idea of very serious, angst music.
Corgan said, “No one was better at that balance than Nirvana.”
The interviewer added, “And you guys.”
Corgan said, “But I would say Kurt did it even better.”
The interview said, “Then Pavement which is solely ironic detachment without the angst.”
Corgan kind of grimaced at the Pavement comment. He trashed Pavement’s reunion 8 years ago for being a cash grab.
“I don’t know, that’s all record critic stuff, I can’t follow that.”
