Billy Corgan's Timeline 1967 1970 1976
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Billy Corgan’s Timeline 1967 March 17 William Patrick Corgan was born to William Patrick Corgan Sr. and Martha Louise Maes Lutz in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. 1970 Parents divorce. Father soon remarried and moved Billy to Glendale Heights, Illinois. "My family didn't fit into the culture we lived in, and then abuse made me feel even more alienated from what was going on. Plus, a lot of kids around me were being abused as well, so you didn't think, `Well, I'm different.' I cut myself, I stayed up all night. You know, I did things with sleep deprivation, and I got into I guess what you would call obsessive-compulsive behaviors these days." 1976 Jesse, Billy half-brother was born with Tourette’s and other disabilities. “This song (Spaceboy) is about my little brother. He's an interesting character. It's kind of about how he's different. He has physical handicap, it's hard to explain. He has a rare chromosomal disorder; it gives him a somewhat different genetic make-up. He has different physical and mental problems and yet somehow by all accounts, I'm physically and mentally OK. But I feel our lives are the similar. (Similar in the way that we are both) Freaks of nature, freaks of society, I always keep going back to something by Henry Miller. No matter how much he smiled, told jokes, shook hands, and patted people on the back. People still looked at him funny; they still sensed something wasn't right. I've always felt that way, that no matter how normal I appear, I was treated differently.” 1985, Billy graduates from Glenbard North High School and moves to St. Petersburg, Florida to form The Marked with Ron Roesing. 1987 Billy meets guitarist, James Iha. Their similar influences and interests caused both of them to collaborate and form a band. 1988 May 7 Billy meets D’Arcy Wretsky after they get into an argument over The Dan Reed Network. July 9 Smashing Pumpkins official debut at Chicago 21 Club (Billy, James and D’Arcy) October 5 First gig at the Metro in Chicago as quartet. (Newly added drummer Jimmy November 19 The band is interviewed by Northwestern University’s radio station. They announce that Jimmy Chamberlain is an official band member. The Pumpkins then head to Roselle for the taping for Pulse, a local cable access show. November 23 The Smashing Pumpkins open for Jane's Addiction. Jimmy is the permanent drummer and this is their fourth gig. 1989 March 17 The Smashing Pumpkins play the Light into Dark tour at the Cabaret Night Club. April 12 Light into the Dark LP is released on Halo Records with two SP tracks: “Sun" and "My Dahlia.” September The Smashing Pumpkins begin touring outside of Chicago. 1990 May 10 Billy Corgan solo performance at the Avalon in Chicago, IL. June 29 Billy Corgan solo performance at the Avalon in Chicago, IL. August 18 Billy’s side project, Starchildren, does first show. September Billy categorized the Pumpkin sound as "We've been called everything from neo- glam to hypnotic drone grunge." Billy cites '60s mega-rock bands like Cream, Black Sabbath, the Stooges, Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin "your monsters of rock" as the band's influences. November Pumpkins open for The Lemonheads for three dates. December The Smashing Pumpkins sign with Caroline Records. 1991, May May 9: Smashing Pumpkins begin touring with Guns and Roses. May 28: Gish is released by Caroline Records. "It`s a very spiritual album," he adds. "How Gish and spirituality tie together is something only I can figure out in my head." From Chicago Tribune “Smashing Pumpkins find a home at Caroline Records” Marc Caro. August 8 Rolling Stone interview. Billy was quoted as saying “What the band does is so specific that we couldn’t dilute it in any way. We couldn’t put ourselves in the position where we were powerless.” From “Meticulously Calculated Chaos” Rolling Stone Magazine. October 16 Smashing Pumpkins open for the Red Hot Chili Peppers (with Pearl Jam) at Oscar Meyer Theatre in Madison Wisconsin. December 17 Smashing Pumpkins performance at Whiskey a Go-go in Los Angeles. Billy refers to himself as a “frustrated Midwestern Youth” per Los Angeles Times. (Pic from Google Images) 1992, Smashing Pumpkins decide to leave Caroline Records after making their mark with Gish. The band signs with Virgin Records. “Smashing Pumpkins fielded a flurry of major-label offers before opting to debut on independent Caroline Records. After making its mark as an indy band with last year's Gish, however, the Chicago-based band decided the time was right to move to the majors and signed with Virgin Records.” “Smashing Pumpkins Go Major Label Way” Orlando Sentinel Tribune. July 31, 1992. Parry Gettelman January 23 Interview with Spiral Scratch Magazine “Fuck Off, We’re From Chicago” which discusses U.K. release of Gish. “Head Pumpkin Billy Corgan's tortuous four months in the studio (he co-produced GISH) beats the hell out of paying a trick cyclist: "it's that perfection thing," he muses, and “it's that Todd Rungren thing. You name it, we did it-hard, intense- we did every part over until it was RIGHT! It's such an ambiguous thing, y'know, music, the band, you never know where you are, where to draw the line, until you get into the studio, to make a single, or album, or whatever; after years of thinking about it, writing and playing, then you have to draw the line somewhere, but where? I should've gone to see a psychiatrist!" flaxen haired groovy chick bassist D'Arcy giggles, "yeah, instead you went and got your palm read!" March 28 Billy, James and D’Arcy go onstage during Pearl Jam’s encore for two songs. They played “Window Pain” and a cover of “I Got a Feeling” by the Beatles April 7 Interview with Reflex Magazine is released. “SMASHING PUMPKINS Best Case Scenario” by Marshall Gooch. "You can't satisfy everyone," he says. "There is a path in life of self-realization. It doesn't even have to do with being a musician. I think you need to come to things--realizations-- as naturally as possible, because your mind and soul will be behind those things 100%. And what I found myself doing in reading press was going 'Oh, I'm not this? I'm not this either. Okay, well I'd better learn how to be this.' And then I was going 'Well, wait a second. This is stupid.' If it comes to me to be funny . or whatever, I will." July Smashing Pumpkins play at the Tourhout/Werchter Festival in Tourhout Belgium. August 29 Smashing Pumpkins play show at the Reading Festival in the United Kingdom. The show nearly led to the band’s break-up. Billy later admitted that the band was upset at each other and "it was one of a handful of times where we've let each other down." September Touring was taking its toll and tensions were high. Things were just generally bad. 1993 March Smashing Pumpkins do show at Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of these performances later appear on “Vieuphoria.” May Billy buys his first home. June Pumpkins wrap up studio time for the new album. They record 25 songs, but choose 13 for the album. The songs were a reflection of Billy’s life. Interview with Billy and Jimmy from “RAGE” music program in Australia. BILLY: If I had my preference I'd just prefer people to listen to the music and make judgments on that. We're not just at competing at a musical level; we're competing with the media as well. And to pretend that there's not a media perception is deceiving, it's stupid. You can try to pretend that there's not a media machine that you have to feed into, that's lying you know. You know you have to deal with your MTV's and your Melody Makers, so, you make a choice of how you want to be in those mediums, and, my choice personally is be who I am and if it's misinterpreted then there's nothing I can do about that. If I'm trying to out guess some idiot who's never been on stage, never played a note in his life, and I'm not excluding some women from this, you know, who cannot understand the depth of what we do then that's their problem, and it's not my problem 'cause they can't understand.” BILLY: “The reason I wrote Disarm was because, I didn't have the guts to kill my parents, so I thought I'd get back at them through song. And rather than have an angry, angry, angry violent song I'd thought I'd write something beautiful and make them realize what tender feelings I have in my heart, and make them feel really bad for treating me like shit.” (I included this because from a fan’s perspective, this is a beautiful, honest answer.) July 13 “Cherub Rock” is released as first single. Interview discussing the release of Siamese Dream “Danger..UXB…as in Unexploded Band.” By David Cavanaugh Select Pop Babylon (Article was sent to David Asselin as part of Siamese Dream press release kit. “I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE TO suffer, for great art. It's just that we happen to." Smashing Pumpkins are a band that could snap apart at any minute, and take several people down with them.