Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has never been shy about wading into political waters. In the past he has spoken positively about President-elect Donald Trump, disparaged former Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, and even compared “social justice warriors” to the KKK. Corgan’s conservatism runs so deep that he recently began filming a new series, Thirty Days, in which he embarks on “a trip to see if the American culture that I recognized as being a part of was still there.” Corgan is periodically checking in with 97.9 The Loop’s Mancow Morning Show while out on his travels, and his most recent dispatch dealt with the rise of so-called “fake news” about Trump.

Speaking with Mancow about the explosive Trump dossier published by BuzzFeed and reported on by CNN and other prominent news outlets, Corgan reasserted his opinion that the mainstream media is out of touch with working class American people. “I think it’s an important time, and I’m trying to document that as an artist,” he said. “If I just filter what I read through the media, which obviously yesterday was a watershed day with the media, if I just filter what I read through the media, I’m not really in touch with the world I grew up in. I know there’s a gap there.” He went on to address the specific accusations in the dossier, in which Trump is described as having hired Russian hookers to perform sexual acts in a hotel room: “I hate to make the most obvious point: If you’ve got 10 billion dollars, you’re not hiring hookers.”



Editor’s Note: CNN never reports on the contents of the dossier, only its existence. CNN did, however, report that Trump was briefed on the contents of the dossier by intelligence officials.

Cooper reserved some of his vitriol for CNN journalist Anderson Cooper, citing a contentious interview Cooper recently conducted with Trump confidante Kellyanne Conway. “It’s one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever seen from a journalist,” he said, “especially someone at his level who understands the game. He absolutely is melting down trying to pin her down, and it’s amazing watching the mainstream American media melt down before our eyes. It’s something I thought I’d never see.”

Watch the most recent episode of Thirty Days below, if you can stomach it.