In just the last few weeks alone, we’ve heard Billy Corgan voice his opinions on everything from the “derivative” music of Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters to his place in music history (that would be *ahem* right beside Kurt Cobain).

In lengthy interview with good friend and Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones earlier today (via Radio.com), the ever-opinionated Smashing Pumpkins frontman spoke up about a handful of other topics, namely the “assassin” and “dinosaur media” honcho Anderson Cooper, the hefty power he holds as being an “awake” citizen, aware of the corrupt systems plaguing our country, the Ferguson protests, 9/11, and so, so much more. If you thought you’d heard everything Corgan has to say, think again.



When discussing Cooper and his controversial comments regarding Corgan’s PAWS Chicago magazine cover, Corgan expressed his confusion and disappointment over the whole debacle. According to Corgan, Cooper’s “report” made it sound like he had “fallen so far off the celebrity radar that I’ve been reduced to doing a cat magazine” and that it made “no mention of my successes” as though he “just disappeared off the celebrity map.”

Jones and Corgan then used the Cooper incident as a way to segue into a greater discussion about the power of artists and how they can greatly influence the “public that is asleep” — aka, those who are not supposedly “in the know” and don’t question much authority or “dinosaur media” like CNN.

“You’re a target because you have power again,” Corgan noted, referencing his return to the spotlight on the heels of the Smashing Pumpkins’ latest album, Monuments to an Elegy. He took aim at Cooper and other media folks with a similarly elite pedigree, saying: “There is a level of arrogance here. That crowd thinks they can flick us off their shoulder whenever they want.”

However, he’s quick to note that a “vast part of our country is waking up”, that they’re “breaking the hypnosis”, recognizing the “false paradigms”, and “starting to question the narratives.” According to him, such a movement has the ability to grow as long as people like him and other fellow artists “continue to prepare the way” for the slumbering public. He advocated for the support of artists, and to a larger extent, championed his own “free thinker” spirit.

“Artists in many ways are some of the most dangerous people in the world because we have that street credibility to go out and sing some gospel,” he commented, “that’s what makes me dangerous.” He later alluded to the fact that there are systems in place (such as “assassin” Cooper) that are, and have been, stifling the voices of so-called “dangerous artists” like himself.

“There’s a reason the CIA was spying on John Lennon,” Corgan said. “He was probably one of the most dangerous artists in the world.” He added rhetorically, “Look at the lack of political music in the world right now compared to the ’60s — is that an accidental omission?”

Listen to the entire nearly 40-minute interview below.