The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan recently talked about his “rivalry” with Kurt Cobain and came down strictly to “good competition.” He argues that it was the act of comparing himself to Kurt that provoked some of the negative reactions.
Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins had distinct versions of alternative rock with great success and they were sometimes seen as unofficial competitors in the booming early ’90s music scene.
Billy Corgan drew some attention recently when he indirectly acknowledged this concept by calling Kurt Cobain his “greatest competitor” while talking to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe this May. While reflecting on Kurt’s prodigious talent and how the Nirvana frontman’s tragic death affected him, Corgan said:
Billy Corgan opens up on the matter
Now, in an interview on Q101 Chicago radio station’s “Brian & Kenzie” show, Corgan revisited some aspects of his previous statement and how it was perceived by the public. He said (transcription via Blabbermouth):
“I said some things in some recent interviews… We live in this clickbait world. And what I was trying to say was Kurt was this incredible artist. And when he was alive and we were both in our, whatever, our mid-20s, well, both bands were competing for the same spot. So people take that and they suddenly turn it into something that it isn’t.
“I think if we look back now, we can see that amongst the ’90s bands, the Pumpkins and Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails and [Chris Cornell’s] Soundgarden and [Scott Weiland’s] Stone Temple Pilots, there were a lot of bands competing for the top spot. There’s nothing wrong with that.
“People try to turn it into this weird thing, like somehow it was something dark. No — it’s just good competition. Like, you got a [Chicago] Bulls jersey on your wall. I mean, why do we go to the games? ‘Cause we want our team to win. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Corgan went on to suggest that the perceived backlash to his original statement stemmed from the fact that he “dared” compare himself to Kurt Cobain, who’s often quoted as the unofficial voice of Gen X:
“I’ve been doing these interviews saying Kurt was by far the most talented person of our generation. So I’m waving the white flag and saying he won in the talent pool. But I dare put myself in the conversation. So then people get mad about that, like I don’t have any right. But my band was one of the biggest bands of the era, and still a big band. I’m not some delusional guy up in Highland Park talking about what happened 30 years ago — only. Didn’t we just play the United Center and sell it out?
“It’s this weird thing where people wanna play this weird game with what you have a right to say and not say. I think I have every right, knowing everybody involved, having played with Nirvana, knowing Kurt a little bit personally.
“I’ve been very transparent about what it was and what it wasn’t. And somehow it gets turned into this thing that it’s like a rivalry. There’s no rivalry; it’s just all love and respect.”
Going more in-depth about his perception of Kurt and his legacy, Corgan said:
“Here’s the one thing I would say, and I’m requoting myself: I wish Kurt was still alive, because I want to compete against the best, and he was the best. So how’s that a rivalry, if I want the guy that I respected to still be here writing great songs? It’s such a strange thing to say. Why would people twist that?
“We lost a lot of great music and a lot of great inspiration that Kurt provided for a lot of people when he died. So why is it a bad thing to say I wish he was still here, ’cause I wanna compete against him? But people would twist that even. There’s no hate there. Only respect. Or awe.
“I saw Nirvana play [at the Metro in Chicago] in 1990 on the ‘Bleach’ tour with the original drummer. They were unbelievable. It wasn’t even sold out; there was about five, six hundred people there. So imagine me in 1990. I’m a nobody. I’m in the crowd. I’m watching this band on their first album, and I’m going, ‘Oh my God. That’s the guy.’ So I started there. I didn’t start after ‘[Smells Like] Teen Spirit’; I was there in the beginning.
“My biggest issue is we live in an environment where people are afraid to just speak their heart. And when you speak your heart, it doesn’t always come out perfect.”
