MovieChat Forums > Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2023) Discussion > Billy Corgan pleasantly surprised me.

Billy Corgan pleasantly surprised me.

posted 14 years ago by BehindTheBeat
12 replies | jump to latest

I really liked Smashing Pumpkins' first two albums so I'm a bit of a fan. I have heard him talk about his love of Black Sabbath, Hendrix, Judas Priest, The Cure and Depeche Mode, but I had no idea he was into Rush.

More importantly, I would have never expected that he would have the most profound things to say about Rush in a documentary about the band. I saw the movie in a packed theater and nearly every scene with Corgan was responded to with applause.

After I listen to Rush all day today, I'm digging out my copies of Gish and Siamese Dream. Thanks Billy.

[–] Anscules 14 years ago

same here. also liked the jason mcgerr stuff about neil.

"Rampart: Squad 51."

[–] goodbyeenemyairship 14 years ago

Billy is a really smart guy. Perhaps too smart for his own good, when it comes to his own career - music - media image - and audience.

[–] markcdaniels 14 years ago

I, too, thought Billy Corgan had the best things to say. From the very start of the film - even before it really begins telling the "biography" of the band - Corgan was asking the hard questions about Rush's (lack of?) popularity, all the bad press about them in music magazines, and the apathy towards them from mainstream sources. By the end of the film, Corgan had arrived at answers and solutions to these questions/problems. It was one of Corgan's first spoken lines that made me think I wanted non-fans to see this film, and one of his later lines that made me think I wanted to show it to my mother, too. I'm not a SP fan, but bravo, Billy!

[–] sjankis630 13 years ago

He really had some profound stuff to say for sure. It is good they had him open up the documentary. I went to see this in the theater and in the beginning when they were just showing the band members doodling around backstage I was starting to get worried that this documentary would be too staid and maybe boring.
But then they cut to Corgan saying how someone was going to have to answer to the fact that Rush has not been given their proper due and the film quick cuts into Limelight with the logo. The crowd I was with went nuts at that point.

[–] jefgg 12 years ago

I was also surprised by Billy Corgan. I had no idea he was a RUSH fan. Too many musicians will do interviews about other bands just to get their face in a movie. "Beyond The Lighted Stage" could have edited some of the musicians and Jack Black.

[–] TheLoony 11 years ago

I can't stand to listen to The Smashing Pumpkins as they bore me to tears(that's what a lifetime of listening to prog will do ya LOL)and I agree that Rush and SP have little in common except in general, as they both are rock n roll bands but back in the Napster days I found that version of Limelight and was pleasantly surprised with it, also the tunes on the Spun soundtrack.

Don't like the guys music but the words he speaks in the flick get me choked up every time. After all these years it's cool to see two of my favorite bands from my formative days, Iron Maiden and Rush, are two of the biggest bands in the world. Even though I can't go around saying "I told ya so!" it's nice to have a little vindication after being a musical outcast for most of my life.

[–] Druff 14 years ago

Yeah, Rush is a funny band in that you just never know who is going to suddenly come out of the closet as one of their fans. Me, my musical background is primarily rooted in hardcore, thrash, etc. One day I paid a surprise visit to a friend of mine, and when he opened his front door I heard Permanent Waves on his stereo.

Him: "Hello? Oh, hey dude."

Me: "Hey man, I was just... is that Rush? You're listening to Rush?"

Him: "Uh, yeah. Yeah. They're actually kinda one of my favorite bands."

Me: "Dude... ME TOO!"

Both: "NO WAY!"

True story.

[–] teamgod13 14 years ago

I liked what Billy had to say about Rush, but his little whines about growing up and family drama bugged me. He seems like a very jaded and unpleasant person to talk to. I remember seeing him on CBC's The Hour and he really seemed like such a stuck-up, jaded douche.

And what was with his facial hair? Like, dude, you can't grow a beard. Shave that *beep* off. Honestly I could barely look at his face because of all the long white/gray hairs sticking an inch out of his face. What a mess.

[–] dave88 14 years ago

jeez man, who cares what Billy Corgan looks like?

[–] TheLoony 14 years ago

BehindTheBeat,

I have no idea if it's from a album or not as I'm not a SP fan, but there is a live acoustic version of Limelight done by Billy Corgan. Similar to the tunes he did for the Spun soundtrack - U.F.O.'s Love To Love You and Iron Maiden's Number Of The Beast(there might be more but my memory is a little fuzzy after all these years), just him and a guitar. I never knew he was a Rush fan either as his music and Rush have almost no similarities IMO. At least the way I hear it, there is no discernible influence on his music.

[–] mariusar 14 years ago

Completely agree - Corgan [and Reznor] really surprised me [pleasantly] with their comments. The Entre Nous snippet was especially meaningful to me as I too have always loved that song.

cheers!
-mariusar

[–] sage2112 8 years ago

Agreed. I'm not even a big fan of SP, but he was very well spoken and really came off as a truly genuine fan.