Watch Billy Corgan Perform David Bowie Tribute + James Iha Collaboration
Billy Corgan, or William Patrick Corgan as he'd like you to cal him, has his new solo album Ogilala coming next week, Aug. 13. Corgan recently played a show in Berlin, where he performed two of his new songs from the album, including his David Bowie tribute "Zowie" and "Processional," a song that was co-written with former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha.
"Zowie," like many of the other songs released so far, features Corgan just playing a piano to create a very intimate sounding track. His vocal melody is excellent, and is a great way to open up his longer set. Afterwards, he switches over to an acoustic guitar and performs "Processional." Iha's work is especially interested in creating delicate, beautiful sounds that work with the sparsest of guitar sounds, and that carries through here.
Ogilala has the potential to be a revitalizing work in Corgan's career. The album is produced by Rick Rubin, who also helped revitalize the career of Johnny Cash in the American series, reintroducing the artist to the world at large. So far, Corgan has teased the album with his single "Aeronaut" released last month, and building excitement for the album through playing a song a day via social media.
Cogan also spoke about the potential of a larger Smashing Pumpkins reunion featuring Iha, D'arcy Wretzky and Jimmy Chamberlin. But most of all, he's happy the band is all on speaking terms now. “[A reunion tour] has been knocked about," explained the singer. "There’s certainly gears that turn and things get waved around, but until it’s inked, I’m in the dark as much as anybody … But I’ll say this and I mean it: If we never play a note together again, that’s okay. I’m way, way more interested in the fact that we have peace with each other. I’ve reached the point in my life where I’m not in a hurry to get to anything. If it’s there, great. If it’s not, cool.”
Check out Corgan performing "Zowie" and "Processional" above!
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