December 10, 2008 16:01

Billy Corgan says Smashing Pumpkins won't release any new albums

Frontman says veterans will become 'a singles band'

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan says the band will not release any new albums in the future.

Corgan admitted that the negative reaction to 2007's comeback album 'Zeitgeist' is partly to blame.

He told The Chicago Tribune: "We're done with that ['Zeitgeist']. There is no point. People don't even listen to it all. They put it on their iPod, they drag over the two singles, and skip over the rest."

The frontman said that, despite not recording new albums, fans would still be able to hear new music from the band.

"Our primary function now is to be a singles band, that drives Pumpkins Inc through singles. We'll still be creative, but in a different form."

He added that the band would also stop touring traditional venues.

"We won't do shows like this anymore, where we try to draw a good crowd and balance the past with the present," he explained. "We'll go small and do exactly what we want to do and stop playing catalogue. We'll be like a new band that can't rely on old gimmicks. I'm not stupid. I want people to feel good about what we do."

Corgan went on to verbally attack people who accuse the Smashing Pumpkins of reforming for money.

"What bothers me is the notion that we're done," he said. "We didn't come back for the cash, we came back to be great again. It made me mad that people thought we're done, that we don't have a future. Get out. We don't want you. We've never been that band. That happy band. We picked up where we left off. We're not the retirement band playing our old hits."

Referring to the band's original split in 2000, Corgan lambasted former guitarist James Iha, saying: "The real story [behind the split] was Iha was driving me out of my mind. He was so negative. The guy literally drove me insane."