Billy Corgan Wrestling Q&A: Rock's Heel Wants People to 'Celebrate My Insanity'

Billy Corgan was in the news recently for an off-the-wall TV commercial he did for the Walter D. Smithe furniture company in Chicago.

The Smashing Pumpkins mastermind filmed the spot to help promote his wrestling company and raise money for charity. Recently we had the pleasure of conducting a long, freeform interview with the always-interesting musical provocateur. We touched upon wrestling in our discussion and thought we'd share in light of all the buzz surrounding his new commercial.

You've long had a serious interest in professional wrestling. What is it about wrestling that most intrigues you?

It's all the shades that exist in it that involve good and evil. There is an axiom in wrestling that says, to the effect, "Evil must always believe it is right." So when Roddy Piper would do something messed up, he was sort of sticking to a morality code in wrestling. And what makes great heels are the guys that often times the fans won't embrace because he is not a star, yet he probably has the talent of the star, so they have a sense of justification. That's part of the magic of wrestling for me.

So why, or how, do you relate to that?

In my case, I've often played the public heel because I often feel that is sort of my role. I'm probably a guy that has a world-class gift but often I get treated sometimes like someone that just wandered into a grocery store and just happened to be standing there when the light bulb went on. I do get kind of pissy by being underappreciated and so at times I go kind of "Piper." I play the heel to draw attention to myself and most importantly to let people know I think I do belong in a room with everyone else.

Yet you have won a lot of respect over the years in many corners of the room.

Well, there is a tradition in wrestling where if you're a good guy long enough, they'll eventually embrace you because they know how bad you've been and there is a little bit of that with me where people will just celebrate my insanity, both good and bad. And I've reached the point where I've stopped trying to un-weave it all for everybody because most people don't have the sophistication to put it all in proper context.

It's like, I was talking to one writer recently and I said to him, "I think I am a major talent." Now, if you think I'm a major talent, we will probably get along. But if you don't think I'm a major talent, we may have a problem. And I probably seem like a problem because you'll say why is this guy whining and crying and causing trouble? Shouldn't he just be happy with what he's got? And I get that attitude from people that are like, "Hey man, you had your great moment and you should be appreciative you should be happy we care at all." But guess what? I still have something to say and I think I have a better track record than most people you are listening to today.

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