“These silly lists come out about the greatest guitar players – I usually don’t make those lists, or they’ll put me behind somebody who I could play circles around”: Billy Corgan on why he thinks he’s still under-appreciated as a guitarist

He may be most widely known as the creative songwriting force behind Smashing Pumpkins, but Billy Corgan is also a top-tier electric guitar player – a fact that often flies under the radar.

Indeed, Corgan’s guitar chops are routinely under-appreciated by the wider music world, and that’s an injustice that Corgan himself is well aware of.

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman discusses such observations in the new issue of Guitar World, and reflects on how even some of his band’s listeners don’t recognize his “contributions as a guitar player”.

It’s something he’s had to deal with throughout his career, as he's often overlooked in favor of some more conventionally “flashy” players. But it’s not something that sits lightly with him.

“Most people don’t even recognize my contributions as a guitar player,” Corgan argues. “They don’t even assume I’m the one playing a lot of the guitar.

“You have these silly lists that come out about the greatest guitar players; I usually don’t even make those lists. Or they’ll put me behind somebody who I could play circles around. I don’t mean to denigrate the person in front of me or the people in front of me, but come on, you know? I’m enough of a guitar player to know who’s a great guitar player.”

When it is further put to Corgan that his guitar skills are indeed underrated, the Reverend artist adds, “Once you go beyond, let’s call it ‘the Zakk Wyldes and Dimebag Darrells and the truly great Randy Rhoadses,’ there’s a lot of people who pretend to play guitar.

“I certainly have no problem believing I’m better than a lot of them.”

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As Corgan explicitly addresses, “Greatest Guitarist” articles are always divisive, none more so than the one Rolling Stone compiled at the back end of last year. And, in line with what Corgan tells Guitar World, his name can’t be found on that particular list.

Though he is included in Guitar World’s own 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list under the ‘Best alternative and indie guitarists’ section, Corgan is clearly unhappy with the lack of representation he’s been given elsewhere in other high-profile rundowns.

As for why he thinks people relegate or downplay his guitar skills, Corgan suggests it has something to do with the fact he’s responsible for every musical aspect of Smashing Pumpkins – and people struggle to comprehend the fact that he can do it all.

“If I’m being frank about it – and maybe this isn’t the best way to do it – but if I’m being frank, people have a hard time understanding that as it pertains to the Smashing Pumpkins, I’m writing the songs, lyrics, melodies, arrangements and playing most of the complicated guitar,” he theorizes.

“And that I’m capable of doing a solo on top of that. I think that’s hard for people to process.”

To read the full interview with Billy Corgan, pick up the latest issue of Guitar World at Magazines Direct.