I wish I could say this isn’t the most Billy Corgan story ever.
Billy Corgan has alleged that the George W. Bush administration sought to enlist him for a clandestine influence campaign.
The Smashing Pumpkins frontman divulged the claim during a recent podcast episode with occult historian Conrad Flynn, describing off-the-record White House meetings during the Bush era that left him feeling like a character in Eyes Wide Shut.
Corgan, a self-described libertarian, expressed shock at the outreach, insisting his “influence is not that great.”
He cryptically connected the experience to his broader belief that edgy, socially transformative rock voices are systematically marginalised.
The claim adds another layer to Corgan’s history of esoteric public statements, which includes a famous account of encountering a shapeshifter, a topic he and Flynn also explored in depth during their wide-ranging conversation on the supernatural and music.
