Music

Billy Corgan says he will never reform original Smashing Pumpkins

by Ciaran Thompson

With news of the Smashing Pumpkins reissuing their first three albums, the thought of a possible reunion between originally members Billy Corgan, James Iha, D’arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin might have been on the minds of some longtime fans, but Corgan has put that theory to bed.

“That’s just one of those things that are never going to happen,” Corgan told Rolling Stone. “If you don’t see somebody for a while, there’s the old thing, ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder.’ Well, there wasn’t any absense.”

“The things that have happened between us in the interim haven’t been good,” he continued. “There’s been lawsuits and lots of stupid stuff. It’s only made it worse. If it was bad before, it’s really bad now. I cannot in any way, shape, or form ever envision standing on a stage, playing music again with James [Iha] and D’arcy [Wretzky]. I just don’t see any situation where that would be possible.”

The band split in 2000 after releasing the album Machina II: The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music. Corgan replaced all the members and continued releasing songs and a album as Smashing Pumpkins.