Billy Corgan

Billy Corgan names Joy Division second only to The Beatles—no pressure, lads

On the YouTube series Track Star, Billy Corgan listens to Joy Division’s “Disorder” and nonchalantly declares them the second most influential band of the 20th century, right after The Beatles.

He says their crystallization of post-punk set a blueprint so subtle that imitators exist in droves—though most miss the mark entirely.

Corgan argues Joy Division’s post-pop minimalism carved out an aesthetic still detectable in production techniques, more so than in direct sound references.

He likens their elusive influence to that of The Velvet Underground and remarks on their singular position in shaping what followed, consciously or not.

Billy Corgan bids Sabbath farewell—still rocking, but only in memory now

Smashing Pumpkins’ vocalist Billy Corgan marks the end of an era as he reflects on Black Sabbath’s final show, describing the band as "both here and not here; with us, and yet gone."

In an Instagram post steeped in nostalgia and blurred permanence, he signals a musical absence that oddly lingers, suggesting Sabbath now lives more in memory than in sound.