TWENTY YEARS AFTER the release of their breakthrough album Siamese Dream, The Smashing Pumpkins will finally play their first gig in Hong Kong. Headed by Billy Corgan, the frontman and only remaining original member, the Pumpkins are scheduled to perform at AsiaWorld-Expo on August 13.
Corgan believes this landmark gig is a sign of the globalised times. In fact, he's expecting even more change to come. "For the last 50 years, the majority of rock'n'roll artists in the world have had to sing in English, because the Western world dictates what is legitimate in rock'n'roll," he says during an exclusive interview with 48 Hours.
"But once that's flipped economically and socially to, say, China, you'll have artists lining up to sing in Chinese because they will all want to penetrate that market. And that would instantly become the number one market in the world," he says.
Along with shifts in the global economy, the music industry has witnessed its share of changes during the past few decades. During his time in the spotlight, Corgan has seen mainstream tastes transition from 1990s alternative to bubblegum pop via Britney Spears, to nu metal and hip hop, and now to the celebration of indie music, and the careers of Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj.
throughout all the changes, The Smashing Pumpkins have remained critical and commercial darlings, which is why Corgan refers to the outfit as his band and his "brand".
His brand has been a success, with eight studio albums that envelop their listener in everything from guitar-heavy rock and metal to gothic rock, psychedelia and electronica, released since the band formed in 1988. With more than 245,000 people following his personal Twitter account, Corgan feels he has high expectations to live up to.
"You create a brand, and then people come to engage with that brand for a particular kind of experience. Whether you can create that experience or whether you can involve them in that experience becomes part of the challenge. Because you no longer have access to what's called a familiar identity," Corgan says of the way the Pumpkins are today. "It's my job to present an evolution of the identity that keeps it fresh. You have to be [savvy] because that's the way to survive. The Pumpkins have had to survive [various line-up changes]."
From the early 1990s until 2000, alongside bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, the Pumpkins ruled the American alt-rock scene, with guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, Jimmy Chamberlin on drums (on most albums), and Corgan fronting the band. They released six dark, moody, yet varied albums, including the critically acclaimed Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, before breaking up in 2000.
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