Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne isn’t mincing words when it comes to the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan.
In Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival, Coyne recalls the 1994 tour with one clear takeaway: “Billy Corgan was such a raging asshole… you didn’t want to stick around and watch them.”
The book, released March 25, compiles stories from the early years of Lollapalooza. Back when alt-rock still felt like a slice of rebellion. But behind the scenes, not everyone got along. Coyne says he and his bandmates often avoided the Smashing Pumpkins altogether. “We liked a few of their songs, but we would just despise him after a while,” he said. “We’d leave right after the Beastie Boys played to avoid the traffic.”
That tension ostensibly still lingers. Coyne claims that even in recent years, when both bands have shared a festival bill, they’ve actively dodged Corgan backstage. “You can tell he wants to come into our dressing room. And we’re like, ‘No, we’re not here!’”
Corgan, for his part, seems aware of the damage. In the same book, he admits to facing backlash for his behaviour on that tour, audience members and fellow crew included. “There are strangers who tell me they refuse to ever see the band again after seeing us at Lollapalooza,” he says.
Kevin Lyman, who worked the tour before launching Warped, backs it up. He claims Corgan was abusive to then-guitar tech Billy Howerdel (who later formed a perfect circle), reportedly throwing guitars and getting him fired. Howerdel says it was the only time he’s ever been let go from a job.
The oral history is packed with this kind of chaos, from Corgan’s ego to Perry Farrell’s attempt to feed the entire crowd with a single giant burrito. Some stories are just weird. Others, like Coyne’s, land like a shot from someone still holding a grudge. And maybe for good reason.
Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story… is out now if you want the rest of the mess.
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