ABC/Randy HolmesBilly Corgan isn’t optimistic about The Smashing Pumpkins‘ chances of getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Responding to a question on his Instagram Story about who he’d want to induct The Pumpkins if they were to enter the Rock Hall, Corgan writes, “I don’t envision it happening, so…”
Artists are eligible for induction into the Rock Hall 25 years after releasing their first commercial recording. The Smashing Pumpkins released their first album, Gish, in 1991, so they’ve been eligible for induction since 2016. However, the band has never even been nominated.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, comedian John Mulaney suggested that the reason Corgan and company haven’t been inducted yet is because the Rock Hall has an “anti-Chicago bias.” When another fan brings up Mulaney’s comments to Corgan, he responds, “It is anti-a-lot-of-things.”
“Particularly metal,” he adds, though The Pumpkins are more of an alt-rock band than a metal band.
The 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees include Def Leppard, Stevie Nicks, The Zombies, Radiohead, The Cure, Roxy Music and Janet Jackson. The induction ceremony will be held March 29 in Brooklyn, New York.
Incidentally, Mulaney’s claim of an “anti-Chicago bias” in the Rock Hall doesn’t hold water. Among the Chicago-born or Chicago-based musicians who’ve been inducted: the band Chicago, Paul Butterfield, Bo Diddley, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters.
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