The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan

Billy Corgan sits down with Heart's Ann Wilson to talk about the highs, heartbreaks, and hard-earned lessons behind one of rock's most enduring careers. Ann recalls the exact moment she discovered her powerhouse voice, why Aretha Franklin gave her chills before fame ever did, and how she and sister Nancy built "a parallel universe in rock" when the industry had no place for women. She gets candid...

Billy Corgan welcomes legendary musician, composer, and X Japan co-founder Yoshiki for a conversation about creativity, rebellion, and building something that refuses to follow the rules. Yoshiki reflects on helping create the Visual Kei movement, pushing rock music to its limits with X Japan, and the personal losses that shaped him from losing his father at a young age to the heartbreaking deaths...

Billy Corgan welcomes horror master and filmmaking icon John Carpenter for a fascinating conversation. Carpenter reflects on fighting studios to protect his vision, why he refused to change the ending of The Thing, and what it really means to be an auteur in Hollywood. He shares stories about growing up around the Nashville music scene, discovering filmmaking at age eight, composing his legendary...

Billy Corgan welcomes legendary Verdine White for a conversation about the rise of his group Earth, Wind & Fire and the vision that turned the group into one of the greatest bands in music history. Verdine reflects on leaving music conservatory at 18 to join his brother, Maurice White, and the promise that changed his life: "This is going to make you a legend." He shares unforgettable stories...

The indomitable Pat Boone joins Billy Corgan for a remarkable conversation about surviving fame, making history, and keeping faith through more than seven decades in entertainment. Pat reflects on breaking Billboard records, selling more than 50 million records, and rising alongside Elvis Presley as one of the defining stars of the 1950s. He shares unforgettable stories about their friendship...

Billy Corgan welcomes Todd Rundgren for a masterclass in songwriting, record production, artistic autonomy, and a lifetime spent chasing creative curiosity. From working with Albert Grossman, Bob Dylan, and The Band, to producing hits for Grand Funk Railroad and pioneering the DIY recording approach decades before “bedroom pop” existed, Rundgren shares stories that only he...

Billy Corgan sits down with Dave Davies, the pioneering guitarist/co-founder of The Kinks and one of the architects of distorted hard rock. From the raw explosion of “You Really Got Me” to the emotional genius of Ray Davies, Dave reflects on growing up poor in postwar England, discovering Little Richard and blues music, surviving fame in the ‘60s, and helping create o...

Billy Corgan sits down with TV icon Barry Williams in the living room of the Brady Bunch house for a funny, nostalgic, and surprisingly emotional conversation. From becoming Greg Brady at just 14 years old to navigating child stardom, Broadway, syndication fame, and decades of public fascination. The two explore why The Brady Bunch continues to resonate across generations, how Gen X embraced the s...

Billy Corgan sits down with David J of Bauhaus /Love and Rockets, one of the quiet architects of alternative music. David shares stories about growing up in working-class England, discovering reggae and punk, the accidental genesis of "Bela Lugosi's Dead," and Bauhaus' mission to dismantle the conventions of traditional rock. Billy reflects on hearing Bauhaus for the first time and...

Billy Corgan sits down with Erin Murphy, the iconic Tabitha from  Bewitched , for a candid look at what it really means to grow up inside one of TV’s biggest phenomena, pulling in over 30 million viewers a week. Erin shares vivid, almost dreamlike memories from working side-by-side with Elizabeth Montgomery to childhood moments that felt more like play than...

Billy Corgan welcomes legendary manager Freddy DeMann, the architect behind Michael Jackson and Madonna’s rise to global dominance. He breaks down the exact moment he knew Michael was different, the fight to pair him with Quincy Jones, and how one bold call turned “Shake Your Body” into a global smash. He reveals how MTV was forced to finally play newly transcendent artists, wh...

Billy Corgan welcomes guitar virtuoso Jeff "Skunk" Baxter for a journey through music history starting with the guitar he didn't even want. Baxter shares incredible stories from his early days in Mexico City, from writing fan letters to his heroes The Ventures to eventually producing their records. He reflects on playing alongside Jimi Hendrix and what made the legends truly magnetic: joy, not jus...

Billy Corgan sits down with Disturbed frontman David Draiman for an unfiltered conversation about music, identity, and what happens when an artist steps into the political firestorm. What starts as a reflection on a surreal Black Sabbath/Ozzy tribute quickly turns into something deeper. Draiman shares how the October 7 attacks reshaped his worldview, why he felt compelled to go public, and the per...

Billy Corgan sits down with icons Billy Idol and Steve Stevens for a conversation about how a genre gets built from scratch—and what it really takes to make something last. Idol and Stevens trace their origin story from a chance meeting in New York to a 40+ year creative partnership that fused punk, dance, and rock before anyone thought it could work. Corgan pushes deeper into the creative decisio...

In this long-awaited conversation, Billy Corgan sits down with Courtney Love. Courtney reflects on her fractured childhood, counterculture upbringing, and complicated family history—growing up around drugs, instability, and radical independence. From juvenile hall to early psychedelics, she traces the shift from feeling like a victim to becoming a force. Together, they take dir...

Billy Corgan sits down with Jesse Rutherford for a candid look at fame, creative identity, and the unexpected journey from child actor to frontman of his ground-shifting band, The Neighbourhood. Jesse reflects on being ‘discovered’ at just five years old, growing up in Hollywood, and the moment everything clicked—picking up drums to a Nirvana track. The conversation dives into how the industry has...

Billy Corgan sits down with Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker  Leslie Iwerks,  granddaughter of Disney animation pioneer  Ub Iwerks,  for a fascinating conversation about family legacy, creative ambition, and the stories history almost forgot. Leslie traces her journey from USC film school to becoming one of Hollywood’s most respected documentarians, with credits including  The Pixar Story , ...

In this deeply personal conversation, Billy Corgan and Melissa Auf der Maur reunite after 25 years to unpack the full story: how a $1 Tuesday night show sparked one of rock's most unlikely friendships, how Billy secretly recommended Melissa to Courtney Love, and why she almost said no — twice. The two dive into the early days of the Smashing Pumpkins, the chaos of underground rock clubs, Courtney'...

Rockabilly legend Slim Jim Phantom sits down with Billy Corgan for a fascinating look into the birth of the Stray Cats and the unlikely road from Long Island bars to global rock stardom. Phantom traces his musical roots from studying under jazz drummer Mousey Alexander to discovering the raw power of Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, and Eddie Cochran. What followed was pure rock-and-roll mythology: th...

On this provocative episode, Billy Corgan sits down with returning guest Conrad Flynn to explore the uneasy intersection of fame, power, the occult, and modern celebrity culture. Their conversation moves beyond headlines into the architecture of influence, the blurred lines between entertainment and politics, and the deeper question of who actually shapes the cultural narrative. They debate whethe...

In this deeply personal conversation with Billy Corgan,  Jack Osbourne  reflects on growing up in the spotlight, getting sober at 17, and carving out his own path beyond the shadow of rock royalty. He revisits the reality TV phenomenon that reshaped pop culture and the pressures of teenage fame, shares intimate stories about his parents’ relationship, the gentleness and laughter behind the chaos,...

In this candid conversation with Billy Corgan, legendary Heart co-founder Nancy Wilson reflects on a nomadic childhood shaped by military life, seeing The Beatles on  Ed Sullivan , and falling in love with the guitar. She revisits the Vancouver club grind, the rare alchemy of sibling harmony, and earning credibility in a male-dominated rock world. Nancy also looks back on the 80s era of big hair,...

Join Billy Corgan for an intimate, funny, and surprisingly revealing conversation with legendary designer Gilles Mendel—founder of J. Mendel and House of Gilles, and yes, Billy’s father-in-law. Gilles traces his journey from postwar Paris and a fifth-generation fashion legacy to haute couture, dressing icons like Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Obama, and Taylor Swift—while pulling back the curtain...

There are artists who make the art—and then there are artists who are the art. On this episode of The Magnificent Others, Billy Corgan sits down with Kommunity FK frontman and goth pioneer Patrik Mata. In this rare, unguarded conversation, Patrik talks about his early fascination with Dadaism, surrealism, and David Bowie, arriving in Los Angeles in 1975 with fifty dollars and no plan, enduring hos...

REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin joins Billy Corgan for an intimate conversation about Midwest rock, a shared Catholic upbringing, and five decades inside one of America’s defining bands. Cronin shares the real story behind writing “Keep On Loving You,” his getting fired in the early days—and later rehired—by REO, and the creative partnership with guitarist  Gary Richrath  that led to the diam...