Billy Corgan, the bald frontman of the Smashing Pumpkins, appeared on the cover of the summer 2014 issue of PAWS Chicago cuddling his two black cats – Sammi and Mr. Thom – who were both adopted from PAWS. The annual magazine is distributed by the adoption center/no-kill organization also called PAWS Chicago.
The rock star, 47, has had a history with the animal shelter organization in the past, even helping them raise over $100,000. The organization’s main goal is to build no-kill communities for dogs and cats.
Anderson Cooper, who has a show called “Anderson Cooper 360”, took shots at Billy Corgan for doing “uncool” things like posing with the two cats. The CNN show has a recurring puff piece segment where he briefly takes aim at surreal news items.
Cooper said:
So perhaps Billy Corgan is I don’t know, off his alternative rocker, but I think maybe there’s more to this. Maybe he’s being ironic, or maybe when the cool rock stars start doing less rock starry things, it kind of makes us face our own mortality. See I want R.E.M. to stay just the way I know and love them, I don’t want ‘Everybody Hurts’ to suddenly be used in an Excedrin commercial. I don’t ever want to see a product called Eddie Vedder’s Prune Jam. I want to see neither Stephen Malkmus nor Thom Yorke on the cover of AARP Magazine.
The 360° Twitter also took aims at Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins, stating, “Where are they now? From 6 million-selling album to posing with cats.”
Cooper went ahead to call the band’s iconic LP Siamese Dream “derivative,” he even went as far as sharing that weird furniture store commercial that featured Corgan’s Resistance Pro wrestling company and the singer himself.
Cooper made it clear that he wanted the group to stay just the way he knows and loves them.
Not being one to be stepped on, Corgan responded with some angry tweets.
@andersoncooper Sorry to disappoint, but when I’m not raising cain for a great organization like @PAWSchicago, I’m still making REAL music
— Billy Corgan (@Billy)
@andersoncooper I realize you’re too busy being a globalist shill to know the difference, but there are those of us who do as we like
— Billy Corgan (@Billy)
Paws Chicago made their voice heard by photoshopping Cooper’s head onto a magazine about dogs.
The rock band sold T-shirts with the images of Corgan and his two cats in bow ties with the words, “F*ck you Anderson Cooper” at their hometown show at Chicago’s Thalia Hall.
Away from cat matters to music matters, the group intends to reissue 2000’s MACHINA/The Machines of God as well as cuts from live shows. The idea is to present MACHINA in its intended form “as a theatrical narrative”; the songs will be resequenced and remastered into the “original and intended double/triple album sequence.” However, fans will have to wait for the release to find out if they will also repackage the companion album MACHINA II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music.
They are also encouraging current artistes to contribute to new versions of MACHINA tracks. Corgan is also likely to commission new remixes. This project aims at completing what the Smashing Pumpkins visualized a long time ago.
The band’s fans should also expect a reissue of 1998’s Adore.
Apart from posing for cute photos with cats, making music for the masses and selling furniture, Corgan occasionally hosts experimental ambient music performances in his own tea shop.
Fans can check out the new Smashing Pumpkins album Monuments to an Elegy. The album also features Tommy lee.