Below is the third and final segment of the Smashing Pumpkins’ interview (part one, part two) last Monday on the syndicated radio program “Mancow’s Morning Madhouse”.
Mancow Muller: Hey, fellas, let me ask you something. I mean, ’80s music, the stuff that we grew up with, is so huge again. And when we were kids, it was ’60s music, right?
Billy Corgan: Mhm, Sha Na Na.
MM: At some point this stuff will go full cycle and the ’90s music will hit again. Do you guys envision yourself, you know, at 50 years old, 60 years old, singing “Today”?
BC: That’s a bridge you cross when you get there.
MM: Billy, when you go see these bands that you like and that I like, do you think, “Ah, it’s just nostalgia?” Should they quit, or do you admire them for keeping it going?
BC: It depends on the artist. I think if the artist is still creative…like, look at Neil Diamond: he’s still releasing new songs, he’s a great songwriter, you know? Somebody like that, then I think it’s about the present and the past. Neil Young, the present and the past. With us, it’s about the present and the past. When it turns into just a past thing, that’s where you lose me.
MM: I saw Neil [Diamond] two Saturdays ago.
BC: Was it good?
MM: Yeah. I mean, sure. He did “Sweet Caroline” three times.
BC: That’s weird.
MM: Three times.
BC: Wow.
MM: And what is it about that song that white people have to sing along?
Jimmy Chamberlin: [laughs]
MM: [singing] So good, so good, so good! …Billy, he did do the song I want played at my funeral.
BC: Which is?
MM: “Hell Yeah”.
BC: I don’t know that one.
MM: Well, buddy, you better have someone download it for you.
BC: Okay.
MM: Because it’s his masterpiece.
BC: All right.
MM: “Hell Yeah”, him and Rick Rubin, you’ve got to hear it.
BC: [laughs]
MM: I mean, you guys could have done it better, I hope I haven’t gone into dangerous territory here. But he does pretty well.
BC: God bless. …Are you out of controversial subjects? There must be another one, right?
MM: No! No, I’m just having a conversation with my buddies. So the Smashing Pumpkins continue. The last CD was a smash.
BC: Yeah, we did good.
MM: The concerts are selling.
BC: Yeah.
MM: You guys are all getting along.
BC: Yeah.
MM: Jimmy, you’re off the drugs.
JC: I’m completely clean and sober now for over four years.
BC: It might have something to do with the drumming.
JC: [laughs] Yeah, right.
MM: What do you mean?
BC: Well, that’s why he’s playing so great, I mean…can you imagine, he played…he was out of his mind all those years, with how good he played, and he plays even better when he’s clean and sober.
MM: Jimmy, is there any aspect of that guy that you miss?
JC: Um, no. No, because I gotta say that all those things were filling up empty holes, and those holes have been subsequently filled by my family and my music. I’ve been completely lucky to have kind of lived by fire and kind of survived. And now I’m living by love and water and surviving even better. So, I’m completely happy where I’m at, I’ve never been happier. I have two beautiful kids, a beautiful wife, you know, a beautiful partner, I mean, things are great.
MM: I have two daughters now. My life has changed. I don’t really want to fight Billy as much as I used to want to fight him.
BC: [laughs]
MM: Billy, I’m sure Jimmy’s told you, I told you in Toronto: Kids? When? When are you gonna do it?
BC: I’m…believe me, I’m waiting. It just hasn’t worked out. I really must be miserable to be around, because…
MM: Do you want to have kids?
BC: I do. I’ve wanted to have kids since my late twenties. It’s really probably one of the great tragedies of my life that I don’t have kids.
MM: Is it possible that, just, you don’t have any swimmers?
BC: Uhm… [laughs]
MM: Billy, I would run into you occasionally, and Chris Farley lived in my building where we broadcast, and we would run into you, you know, with your floppy hat, and you’re a very shy guy and everything, but we would see each other every once in a while. When you’re clicking through cable and you see a Farley movie, does that…I still feel kind of sick to my stomach when I see him.
BC: What a great tragedy. He was so talented, and he was such a sweetheart, such a sweetheart. He really was.
MM: Do you feel anything?
BC: In terms of?
MM: Yeah, if just, if “Tommy Boy” is on TV, do you go, “Ohh, man”, because you ran into him a lot.
BC: He — and I think Jimmy can vouch for this — when you talk to him behind the scenes, you realize what a sweetheart he was. And he had that great gift like Belushi, where he could just make you laugh just by the way he moved his body, which is such an amazing talent. He was such a great, gifted person.
MM: All right. Well, guys. Thank you very much.
BC: Thank you!
JC: Thank you.
MM: And, uh…you’re going to be in the area. Are you actually going to come in sometime and see my, uh, my new empire?
BC: We will.
JC: Yeah, of course.
MM: Jimmy, anything else you want to say?
JC: No. All good, man. Good to talk to you.
MM: Thanks guys. Billy, thank you.
BC: Thank you, Mancow, nice to talk to you.
After listening to the unsafe-for-broadcast section of 
We deviated from talking purely about the Pumpkins’ music this week to have a special themed show about former band members. I didn’t mention it in this week’s show, but our next show review will be of the 
I must say, I really enjoyed spending time with those guys. Jimmy is a really positive, good guy, and it wasn’t until our last show together, in Perth, that I would get to see what an awesome drummer he is. Billy is sweet and interesting, all music. It turns out the Pumpkins are major Grand Prix junkies, like Duran are for Soccer/Football. We exchanged views on the state of the music nation, neither of us really having a clue, to be honest, but when I mentioned that I was getting into Chicago blues Billy just lit up. It seems he is a major collector of rare vinyl and even takes a turntable on the road, which I felt rather trumped my Bose sound dock for commitment to the cause. And boy, did he wolf down that bacon and pancakes! That was the last time I saw a morsel pass his lips, however, which would explain his perfectly slim build.
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