Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins was one of over 70 artists we polled to form the basis of our 100 Best Bands of All Time list. Corgan spoke passionately about The Kinks and KISS, and you can read those words in the rankings. But the rocker — whose own band kicks off the list — had more to say about who he’d place on his Mount Rushmore of Rock.
Consequence caught up with Corgan earlier this year on the red carpet for the American Songwriters Hall of Fame, where he was helping induct Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of another of the top bands of all time, KISS. Asked whom he’d put on our list, Corgan instantly named three iconic bands that Generation X were raised on. “If you grew up in the ’70s, the list was always like [The] Beatles, [The Rolling] Stones, and…,” acknowledging that third slot was a matter of personal taste. “Probably for me personally, it would be like Beatles, Stones, [The] Who.”
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“But right after that is The Kinks,” he continued. “It’s easier for me to break it down by decade. If you said ’70s, KISS is top three, no problem. I dunno who you’d put first; probably Deep Purple-slash-Rainbow, as far as personal affinity. I saw them back in the day.”
It’s The Kinks who loom largest for Corgan, and whom he believes played a large role in shaping the future of alternative rock. “Ray [Davies] is one of the greatest songwriters of all time,” Corgan said. “And don’t forget — and you have to listen deep to understand what I’m saying — The Kinks had a profound influence on Pink Floyd. David Gilmour’s songwriting has a lot of Kinks influence in it. Pulp has a lot of Kinks in it. They opened up genres that didn’t exist. If you’re an alternative fan and you don’t know The Kinks’ influence on alternative music, you’ve kind of missed the boat on that. So, Kinks, one of the greatest bands of all time, hands down. Easy.”
Watch Corgan dive into his personal list above. You can also pick up essential albums from his picks above, and then check out the complete 100 Best Bands of All Time list to see where Corgan’s heroes — The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, KISS, and The Kinks — land. (Sorry, Deep Purple, but we love you too!)