Billy Corgan

Billy Corgan's new band, Zwan, gave an extraordinary performance Friday at the Wiltern -- a grand and glorious piece of rock 'n' roll affirmation and theater that signaled the creative rebirth of a major artist whose future has been in question. There's an old belief in boxing circles that a prize fighter, however invincible he once appeared, is usually never the same after a humiliating knockout. There is a loss of confidence and will that is irreplaceable.

Somewhere near the middle of Smashing Pumpkins' headlining set Saturday night at the Sunset Strip Music Festival, Billy Corgan recited a long list of the Los Angeles musicians who'd "made [him] want to be a big rock star. " That the group included the Doors, Love and the Electric Prunes came as no surprise: Traces of those bands' expansive sonics and flowery philosophizing course throughout Smashing Pumpkins' work, from its 1991 debut, "Gish," to the new songs Corgan began releasing for free online late last year.

Even when Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan is dropping a bombshell-- such as declaring that his band is about to quit the guitar-rock arena for good--the soft-spoken singer-guitarist presents the news as calmly as if he were commenting on the weather. Corgan's unflappable demeanor can be unsettling, because you sense that there's a lot of turbulence just beneath that surface.

Once and future Pumpkin, momentary Zwan, temporary solo artist, forever Billy.... Enigmatic and contrary no matter what his context, Billy Corgan came to the Henry Fonda Theatre on Tuesday to play his first L.A. concert under his own name. Add that credit to a resume that began with leading the Smashing Pumpkins to preeminence among '90s American rock bands, then sputtered with the short-lived mistake called Zwan.

In 1971, Bob Dylan was instantly slammed by critics for his book of verse called "Tarantula." Dylan's editors offered no greater support: In an unsigned introduction they wrote they "weren't quite sure what to make of the book -- except money." Over the years, many musicians -- from Patti Smith to Jewel -- have put away their guitars and picked up their pens at a grab for literary greatness. The latest songwriter to join the fray is Billy Corgan, founder and leader of the Smashing Pumpkins, a band that came of age during the grunge era and evolved quickly into a model of the now mainstreamed alternative music scene.

For the first time in Lollapalooza's four-year history, the headliner this summer hasn't been upstaged by one of its support groups--a la Nine Inch Nails' eclipsing of Jane's Addiction in 1991. In fact, the Smashing Pumpkins--who were bumped into the headline slot after Nirvana pulled out of the tour shortly before Kurt Cobain's suicide--have far exceeded expectations. But Billy Corgan, the soft-spoken leader of the Chicago quartet, has never been one to brag about the success of his band.

Who does the Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan think he is--Kurt Cobain or Eddie Vedder? Just when everybody had pretty much narrowed the race for most compelling young rocker of the '90s to the Nirvana and Pearl Jam leaders, Corgan has thrown his guitar in the ring with an album, "Siamese Dream," that captures the alienation and crucially, the melancholia of youth as well as anyone in years.

The Smashing Pumpkins were one of the most acclaimed, influential and popular bands of the '90s, selling millions of records as they translated psychic pain, youthful confusion and the search for solace into an aggressive and elegant brand of rock.

Billy Corgan sits in the penthouse of a posh North Side hotel, a visitor in the town he has called home since he was born here in 1967. "It is kind of weird," he says in his suite, glancing out the window at the gray city by the lake that has been the setting for countless Smashing Pumpkins songs. "Technically, I'm outta here already." Corgan, 33, looks particularly slender, almost feminine, on this beastly cold morning, his shaven head protruding from a woolen turtleneck sweater.

At first glance, Billy Corgan hardly comes across as the latest giant of the college/ alternative rock world. He's not darkly handsome and elusive like Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, nor outwardly rebellious and gritty a la Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. The 6-foot-plus singer, in fact, appears as soft and vulnerable as your favorite stuffed animal. His short, chestnut-colored hair isn't cut in any of the trendy styles of the day, and his round, brown eyes seem placid.

The Smashing Pumpkins were one of the most acclaimed, influential and popular bands of the '90s, selling millions of records as they translated psychic pain, youthful confusion and the search for solace into an aggressive and elegant brand of rock.

Billy Corgan "TheFutureEmbrace" (Reprise/Martha's Music) * * * The Edsel ... Chevy Chase's talk show ... the new Coke. Now there's another item for the list of Western culture's bad ideas: the pairing of Billy Corgan and the Cure's Robert Smith on the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody." Their sepulchral intonation of the pop group's 1967 heartbreak ballad almost torpedoes the former Smashing Pumpkins leader's solo debut album, which is due in stores Tuesday.

Jason Pominville scored in a shootout, and Ryan Miller made 25 saves to help the Buffalo Sabres beat Calgary, 2-1, on Friday night, ending the Flames' winning streak at four games. Pominville beat Miikka Kiprusoff with a wrist shot that went between the goalie's legs. Miller then stopped Rene Bourque's attempt. Derek Roy scored in regulation for the Sabres (11-4-1), who won for the seventh time in 10 home games this season. Daymond Langkow scored for Calgary (11-4-2), and Kiprusoff made 32 saves.

In 1971, Bob Dylan was instantly slammed by critics for his book of verse called "Tarantula." Dylan's editors offered no greater support: In an unsigned introduction they wrote they "weren't quite sure what to make of the book -- except money." Over the years, many musicians -- from Patti Smith to Jewel -- have put away their guitars and picked up their pens at a grab for literary greatness. The latest songwriter to join the fray is Billy Corgan, founder and leader of the Smashing Pumpkins, a band that came of age during the grunge era and evolved quickly into a model of the now mainstreamed alternative music scene.

Billy Corgan's new band, Zwan, gave an extraordinary performance Friday at the Wiltern -- a grand and glorious piece of rock 'n' roll affirmation and theater that signaled the creative rebirth of a major artist whose future has been in question. There's an old belief in boxing circles that a prize fighter, however invincible he once appeared, is usually never the same after a humiliating knockout. There is a loss of confidence and will that is irreplaceable.

Zwan "Mary Star of the Sea" (Reprise) *** When Paul McCartney emerged from the Beatles breakup with his band Wings' debut album "Wild Life," there was a sense of giddy liberation in the group's shabby communalism and the album's odes to domestic bliss. Launching his new band, Billy Corgan seems similarly relieved and at ease out of the expectations and tensions of leading Smashing Pumpkins.

Billy Corgan "TheFutureEmbrace" (Reprise/Martha's Music) * * * The Edsel ... Chevy Chase's talk show ... the new Coke. Now there's another item for the list of Western culture's bad ideas: the pairing of Billy Corgan and the Cure's Robert Smith on the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody." Their sepulchral intonation of the pop group's 1967 heartbreak ballad almost torpedoes the former Smashing Pumpkins leader's solo debut album, which is due in stores Tuesday.

Billy Corgan didn't exactly retire after disbanding the Smashing Pumpkins last year. Nor did he abandon the melodic storm of punk and classic rock that made that band a force in the '90s. The singer-guitarist is exploring old habits with a fresh, almost relaxed attitude with a new group, Zwan.

Billy Corgan didn't exactly retire after disbanding the Smashing Pumpkins last year. Nor did he abandon the melodic storm of punk and classic rock that made that band a force in the '90s. The singer-guitarist is exploring old habits with a fresh, almost relaxed attitude with a new group, Zwan.

Being a relatively young genre without a strong sense of history, electronic music is often about the new kid on the block. But at Sunday's Area: One concert at Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion, two of the genre's pioneers dominated the day. Accompanied by Smashing Pumpkins founder Billy Corgan on guitar, '80s synth stars New Order made a rousing comeback that showcased all eras of the band's 25-year history (dating to its days as Joy Division).