The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan has named his pick for the second most influential band of the 20th century – after The Beatles.
The frontman was a guest on a recent episode of the YouTube series Track Star*, where he was quizzed on a range of bands that the host considered to be among the greatest of all time.
After hearing an excerpt of one song in particular, Corgan made the bold claim that only the Fab Four have had a greater impact on music than the artist he had just listened to.
The song was ‘Disorder’, the opening track of ‘Unknown Pleasures’, the debut album from Manchester post-punk giants Joy Division. “So, I’ve argued for a good 20 years that probably outside of The Beatles, Joy Division is the most influential rock band of the 20th century,” Corgan said.
“I think it sort of speaks for itself. They sort of crystallised post-punk in a way that no bands ever did and they became the template for so many bands that followed.”
Expanding on his claim, he added: “It’s pop music not made for a pop market and that’s why people are still listening. But where does that music go? They had what, one big song, maybe, which is ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart.’ But I just think they’re one of the greatest bands of all-time and it’s such an easy case for me to make that I don’t know how to make it.”
“Important bands like The Beatles and The Velvet Underground and Joy Division, they create a template by which other bands can create their own music. They’re basically ripping those bands off in an unskilled way but you don’t necessarily hear the influence. So there’s 400 Joy Division bands but you wouldn’t necessarily hear it. Even if they’re trying to imitate Joy Division, they kind of really can’t.”
He concluded: “That’s where it gets weird. You can hear Beatles influences in people, but you can’t necessarily hear Joy Division influences. I hear it in the way that they sort of produce their records. I think it’s that post-pop minimalism thing that was very big in Chicago and it never leaves here.”
Elsewhere in the same video, Corgan was introduced to Geese for the first time and quipped that they should enter a fight with the Connecticut rock band Goose. “Goose versus Geese,” he said. “Winner takes all.”
Corgan has spoken admiringly about Joy Division and New Order in the past, and was credited as a special guest vocalist on the latter’s 2001 song ‘Turn My Way’. He went on to briefly tour with them for a short run that year at some UK, US and Japan dates.
Since 2015, Jack Bates, who is the son of New Order bassist Peter Hook, has also been a touring bassist for the Pumpkins.
In 2018, Hook told NME about his pride at his son being a part of Corgan’s band. “[Corgan]’s a massive Joy Division fan, and he repaid me by stealing my son! It just goes to show that you can’t trust anybody!” he said.
“He’s having a lovely time, he’s a chip off the old block. He’s the best bass player I’ve heard for a long time and I’m immensely proud of him. Billy has been absolutely wonderful.”
Last year, Corgan appeared on a podcast about the history of New Order and explained why he felt the band’s “alien quality” landed so well with Generation X music fans in the US.
In other news, The Smashing Pumpkins recently kicked off a seven-night takeover of Lyric Opera House in their Chicago hometown, at which they are reimagining ‘Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness’ alongside a 60-piece house orchestra.
The band also recently released the 30th anniversary deluxe reissue of ‘Mellon Collie’, which included a 6LP package that offered over 80 minutes of unreleased audio from the album’s accompanying 1996 tour. Speaking to NME back in February, Corgan touched on ‘Mellon Collie’ turning 30 and joked: “It’s weird because I can’t believe it’s been 30 years. I’m really excited, but at the same time, I’m like ‘What happened over these last 30 years?’”
