‘Siamese Dream’ featured on “Zane Lowe’s Masterpieces”

We’re back from the holiday week here at HU, and wanted to point out that in case you missed it, Billy Corgan appeared on BBC Radio One last Monday to kick off DJ Zane Lowe’s Masterpieces for 2011. During the program, Lowe waxes ecstatic about Siamese Dream while attempting to place the album in its historic context. Interviews with Siamese Dream producer Butch Vig and Blink-182′s Mark Hoppus are also featured. (Since when do I care about what anyone from Blink-182 has to say about artistic merit? Blech.)

You can still listen to the interview streaming from the BBC’s website – at least for the next 20 hours.

Here’s a partial transcript of Corgan’s remarks about the end of his relationship with former Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, which start around 50:30 in the program:

Zane Lowe: How can you guys not be in contact still? Even if you’re not making music, if you have that kind of spiritual kinship? That’s deeper than that! Isn’t it?

Billy Corgan: You know, we’ve all had — and this may sound a little bit strange, but — we’ve all had great romances in our life, you know? And, they don’t always all go the way we want them to. And it doesn’t mean we don’t love, and doesn’t mean we don’t think fondly of… But I think relationships run their course. Jimmy and I made so much incredible music together, so, you know, if we never play together again, that’s okay with me.

He — you know, I want to speak for him for a second, I feel I can — he wanted to have his own musical journey. He was always on my musical journey. And so I have to really bow my hat to him and say…I think it’s that time in his life where he has to have his own musical journey. He’s entitled to it. He’s earned that. I understand why a fan would want to see him play with me and play those songs. He did it. Maybe having his own band and having his own music experience and not having somebody sort of veto over his head what the drum fill should be…I mean, you’ve got to remember, as psychic as that relationship was, he had to deal with me going, “Nah, I don’t really like that drum fill.” You know, “Can you slow that part down?” Because as the songwriter you get to make the calls. And he was always so so supportive of my music, so, I can’t say a bad word about it. I just think we reached a point where there was nothing else to do, and that’s that. The ugliness part is just the part of…that just goes with breaking up.