photo by Kristin Bur

Smashing Pumpkins are considered to be one of the seminal rock ’n’ roll groups, whose top-charting albums in the ’90s paved the way for many bands today. Billy Corgan, the frontman and only remaining original member, reformed the band in 2007 and released Zeitgeist, which references a Marxian concept of the spirit of the age. Not one to shy away from controversy, Billy Corgan has remained a steadfast, outspoken critic of what’s left of the record industry. Teargarden by the Kaleidyscope is the latest Pumpkins venture, and it sees Corgan writing a 44-song album and releasing each song individually, after its completion, to capture what Corgan calls “an arc of expression.” Corgan is the first to admit that this project is his most ambitious to date and that he is probably a little bit in over his head. Boulder Weekly sat down to discuss this and caught the mercurial singer in a candid mood.