Rock & roll is not about what you play, it's about how you play it. Billy Corgan More Quotes by Billy Corgan More Quotes From Billy Corgan We need to get back to a level of social responsibility that we haven't seen for a long time. Billy Corgan responsibility long needs I think I kind of approached music with this sort of, like, weird thing where I kinda set myself up where I could kinda be myself but not really. I kinda had a backdoor out. So if you criticized me, I kinda had my defenses working. And the problem is that some people seize on that as inauthenticity, which is understandable. So that's painful because it's not that you're being inauthentic...there's a difference between being a poseur and being someone who's so emotionally challenged they're kind of just doing their best to show you what they've got. Billy Corgan kind people thinking That's the real endeavor: to try to create that direct conduit from the pure consciousness of your creative voice to the person who's a craftsman who can go into the world and consistently deliver new things worth paying attention to. Billy Corgan voice creative real The deeper I get into my life as a musician, I'm discovering that it becomes less and less about other people, and more about what I want to do. And that's a good place to be. Billy Corgan musician want people We love cats more than we love women [with Marilyn Manson]. Billy Corgan manson cat I'm passionate about creating new systems that are more holistic to humankind. What do I mean by that? I mean, create new systems of business so that people with ethics both exploit their goods and their gifts while not exploiting the earth, exploiting one another. Billy Corgan creating mean people If I have resistance to something, it means there's something wrong. The resistance to me is a sign of fear. Billy Corgan resistance ifs mean Radiohead and Our Lady Peace are doing the seven layers of guitar, and I kind of jumped on that before anyone else did. Billy Corgan layers guitar kind I'm attacking the pomposity that says this is more valuable than that. I'm sick of that. Billy Corgan attacking valuable sick If you don't have some sort of belief system by which to center your life, it's hard sometimes to understand why you would put up with your family. Billy Corgan our-family belief sometimes Twenty-eight to 31 is the tough period. You have to be really careful because it's so cataclysmic, so life-altering. People do really dramatic things like get married, or they'll get divorced. Your chances of committing suicide go way up. It's basically psychic death. You see the signs of it around 27, and you're still on the out-end of it around 31. Everyone I've talked to who's gone through that and come out the other side walks out of it like, "MY LIFE IS GREAT". Billy Corgan chance suicide people Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in the cage. Billy Corgan cages rage rats If you don't fit into this kind of like gossipy, trendy, Web-hit thingy, you're relegated to sort of second-class celebrity status. Billy Corgan fit kind class I don't like that the government is going to manipulate the information to try to convince me that what I'm eating is not what I'm really eating. If people choose to eat cardboard because it's ten cents cheaper, then let them. That's at the root of freedom. But in the reverse, I'd like to know if what I'm eating or consuming or buying is somehow hurting or exploiting someone in another part of the planet. Billy Corgan government hurt roots I want people to see me happy. Billy Corgan want people We had a wonderful time with this kind of grunge awareness, where suddenly rock was cool again. People wanted to head loud guitars. It was a great time, and I'm glad we were there. But the gimmick part has worn off. Billy Corgan rocks guitar people Time is never time at all. You can never ever leave without leaving a piece of youth. And our lives are forever changed. We will never be the same. The more you change, the less you feel. Billy Corgan pieces leaving forever For someone who's had the level of success I've had, there's been very little critical review of my work, which is pretty fascinating. Billy Corgan critical-spirit levels littles In the music business I am surrounded by people who don't view music as a sacred voice. They view music as something that they can use and exploit, often times lazily. They have no sense of the tradition, they have no sense of honor about those who came before and charted the path. Billy Corgan voice views people In the beginning, though, I have to admit that I did have a chip on my shoulder. I did want to prove everyone wrong. But after I went through the process and came out the other side, it wasn't about anyone else. Billy Corgan chips sides want