“There’s nothing that impressive about being able to play the guitar at a decently high level anymore”: Billy Corgan on why guitarists today need more than chops
In 2025, being good at playing the guitar is no longer a flex – at least not in Billy Corgan’s book.
In a recent chat with Guitar World, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman argues that technical proficiency by itself simply doesn’t move the needle anymore, especially when “there’s fifty 10-year-olds playing Eruption on YouTube.” He also shares how his approach to guitar solos has evolved in recent years, with less emphasis on playing leads live.
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“I don’t play that many leads live anymore, so if I’m only going to play like two or three leads live, I’ve got to make my point fairly quickly,” says the guitarist. “At this point, I’m 58 years old – the kineticism of a lead is what I’m interested in. The notes are less important to me. And that might sound strange, but that’s just the way I feel.”
According to Corgan, the rise of social media has changed what counts as impressive guitar work.
“If you’re going to play a lead in an alternative rock band in 2025, what are you trying to say? No-one’s going to care that you can play good, because there’s fifty 10-year-olds playing Eruption on YouTube,” he argues.
“There’s nothing actually that impressive about somebody being able to play the guitar at a decently high level anymore, so I think it’s the expressive quality that makes it interesting. So I’m more interested in creating a feeling than showing off.”
And while technical chops are abundant online, Corgan says very few of those players turn their skill into music that resonates in the wider world.
“I don’t see a lot of that great playing converting into popular music, whether it’s in popular metal bands or popular alternative rock bands. I want to see them making the Metallica songs of tomorrow or Megadeth or Slayer or something. I want to see that convert into music. I would wish for that crew of guitar players to convert those incredible abilities into the popular culture.”
He continues: “It’s like if Clapton had just been a guitar influencer and hadn’t been in John Mayall and Cream and Derek and the Dominos. The reason everybody knows Eric Clapton’s name is not because he’s a great guitar player. It’s because he made some of the most popular music of the 20th century, and, oh, by the way, it has incredible guitar. That’s kind of the point I’m making.”
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