Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan: “When Kurt Cobain died, I cried because I lost my greatest opponent”

nme.com:

Billy Corgan has recalled his reaction to the news of Kurt Cobain‘s death — explaining that it felt like he had lost his “greatest opponent”.The Smashing Pumpkins frontman discussed the impact Cobain and Nirvana had on his own success in a new interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, and expressed how he missed the sense of competition he had with the grunge icons.Reflecting on the numerous influential rock groups of the ’90s, Corgan took a moment to speak on the late Nirvana frontman — explaining how his success challenged the Smashing Pumpkins to continuously improve.“When Kurt died, I cried because I lost my greatest opponent,” he told the host. “I want to beat the best.

I don’t want to win the championship because it’s just me and a bunch of jabronis — to use a wrestling term.”He continued: “It’s like Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest sports competitor I’ll ever see in my lifetime.”Both Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana had some overlap during the 1990s, before Cobain died in 1994.

The former released their debut LP ‘Gish’ in 1991, although its success was soon overshadowed by the release of Nirvana’s iconic ‘Nevermind’ album, which arrived a few months later.The supposed rivalry continued two years after, when Corgan and co released their breakthrough album ‘Siamese Dream’ in July 1993, shortly before Nirvana launched ‘In Utero’.

Smashing Pumpkins didn’t earn a Number One album until six months after Cobain’s death, when they released their hugely successful and influential ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ in 1995.This is far from the first time that Corgan has discussed the rivalry between the two bands and shared his respect for Cobain.