“Not everybody has a high standard. A lot of indie people think playing too good is a bad thing”: Billy Corgan on the difference between rock and “indie” guitar players

In the latest episode of his The Magnificent Others podcast, Billy Corgan sat down with Richie Sambora to discuss their respective musical backgrounds – and revealed he came from an indie scene where being a good guitar player wasn't looked overly fondly upon.

Corgan's comments came after he and the ex-Bon Jovi electric guitar hero discussed some of their earliest eye-opening musical moments. Sambora's first gig was Black Sabbath in 1975 when he was just 15 years old.

“I lived on a dead-end street next to a swamp, but I could cut through the swamp and get to the train tunnel in a minute and a half,” Sambora remembers. “It dropped me off in Penn Station, underneath [Madison Square] Garden. I saw everyone that there ever was to see: Queen, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, David Bowie five times.”

Corgan is quick to note that such early experiences meant Sambora's bar for music was set high – something that contrasted with the music scene where he cut his own teeth as a guitarist.

“Not everybody has a high standard,” the Smashing Pumpkin man relays. “You know the thing about a lot of indie people is they think playing too good is a bad thing.”

Despite his rock background, though, Sambora was able to generate a credible reputation among such “indie” guitar players, as Corgan reveals.

“You are very well respected in the alternative community,” Corgan continues. “A lot of the rock guys, the alternative community look at and go, 'Uh, too obvious, too cheesy, they want it too bad,' but you have a different rep in my world. People would understand where you're coming from. They get it.”

Richie Sambora | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan - YouTube

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During his chat with Corgan, Sambora also reflects on his time in Bon Jovi, and discusses the events leading up to his eventual departure. Sambora left Bon Jovi in 2013, but joined forces with his replacement, Phil X, for a run-through of Livin’ on a Prayer at a recent charity bash as the pair proved there’s no bad blood between them.

Corgan, meanwhile, recently announced a new solo project, with the Smashing Pumpkins' newest guitarist, Kiki Wong, also set to be involved. Billy Corgan and The Machines of God will celebrate a plethora of classic Pumpkins records, with a US tour kicking off in June.

One of Corgan’s previous podcast chats with Gene Simmons saw the bassist recounting how Ace Frehley’s Kiss audition nearly ended up with him throwing fists.