Billy Corgan has been plenty busy lately on the road supporting the new album from Smashing Pumpkins as well as running the National Wrestling Alliance, sometimes simultaneously. The NWA toured with Smashing Pumpkins in Australia and will do the same later this year in select cities across America.
In a recent interview for SiriusXM’s “Metal Ambassador” podcast, Corgan recounted a story about telling Pantera to “Shut the f*ck up” about Metallica.
“Let me tell you a story since we’re talking Pantera,” Corgan said.
“So, they were having a big moment, obviously, during those [first] three albums. And I was backstage with them one day, and one of those mid-nineties (Metallica albums) — might have been ‘Reload’ or something — Metallica had come out with a new album. And there was a lot of controversy about where Metallica was trying to go, and what happened to Metallica, and are they still metal, and they’re wearing makeup now or whatever.”
“And Pantera were just going on and on about Metallica. Not in a negative way — more like a confused, like, ‘I love Metallica, but I don’t get it. And they’re not metal. And what’s going on?’ And I literally said — and this is a true story; I don’t think I’ve ever told this story in public — I raised my hands… And I knew them well enough that they would sort of listen to me. I mean, that’s saying something.”
Corgan continued: “And I would say, ‘You know what? Shut the f*ck up.’ And they looked at me, like, ‘Did you just tell us to shut the f*ck up?’ And I said, ‘Shut the f*ck up.’ Okay, so the room goes silent. And I go, ‘Listen, set aside Metallica for a second. Okay? You guys right now are the best metal band on the f*cking planet, okay? Shut the f*ck up. Worry about Pantera. Just worry about Pantera. Metallica will work it out.’ And they did, right? And I said, ‘You just focus on Pantera. You just focus on being the greatest metal band on the f*cking planet.’”
“And they all kind of looked at each other like, and they were like, ‘Okay, he’s complimenting us.’ And then it was like, ‘Okay, drink this horrible poison, you f*cking alternative weirdo.'”
Pantera singer Philip Anselmo previously said that Metallica’s “Load” album never should have seen the light of day.
“I would have to say ‘Load’ by Metallica,” Anselmo told Metal Hammer in 2014. “I mean, it’s a terrible record, man. I just don’t get it. If you’re gonna put out a record like that, just do a f*cking side project or something, ya know?”
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