The Smashing Pumpkins
USA, 1988–now
Chicago band led by Billy Corgan, formed in 1988. Gish, Siamese Dream and the sprawling Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness fused heavy-metal guitar layering, shoegaze textures and gothic grandeur into one of alternative rock's most ambitious and influential bodies of work.
MusicRoots documents 3 artists who influenced The Smashing Pumpkins and 3 artists The Smashing Pumpkins influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.
Who influenced The Smashing Pumpkins?
- Black Sabbath — Billy Corgan built the Smashing Pumpkins' massive, layered guitar sound on Black Sabbath's heavy metal riffing.
- The Cure — The Cure's gothic melodicism and atmosphere are a key influence on the Smashing Pumpkins' dreamier, melancholic side.
- My Bloody Valentine — My Bloody Valentine's shoegaze wall of guitar shaped the swirling texture of Siamese Dream.
Which artists did The Smashing Pumpkins influence?
- Garbage — Butch Vig produced the Smashing Pumpkins' Gish and Siamese Dream just before Garbage, and that layered alt-rock guitar sound carried straight into the band.
- Epik High — Named in the same breath as Nirvana, and the closer match: the melodic, self-dramatising side of Epik High is Corgan's.
- Flyleaf — Cited by the band among their influences, with Rage Against the Machine, Foo Fighters, Incubus and Nirvana.