Who says Billy Corgan isn’t a compassionate man???
Just because the man can’t seem to go 12 months without firing a bandmate or two, and just because he’s got a larynx like a prepared piano, and just because he’s constantly walking around the world looking like this doesn’t mean the man doesn’t have good qualities somewhere inside that alien skull of his, right?
Possible case in point: the cantankerous Corgan, ever eager to solidify his reputation as some sort of holier-than-you musical guru, is currently taking time out from his presumably full-time fucking job of publicly defending the Zeitgeist (TMT Review) cover art to lend a hand in the preservation of the musical legacy of a REAL musical guru and incredibly influential electronic synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog by supporting the creation of a museum dedicated to his (uh, that’s Moog’s... not Corgan’s) life and work. In fact, the stylish Smashing Pumpkins frontman is currently working with the Bob Moog Foundation to establish the museum and scholarships in his name (again, that’s Moog’s name... not Corgan’s... or at least I damn-well hope so).
No word yet as to whether ol’ High-Horse Willy is actually supporting this museum thing financially or whether he’s simply using that squawk box of his to simply raise a stink and get his pictures in some online zines. But one thing’s for sure: when Corgan raises his shrill, disagreeable, bleating-goat voice, it’s sort of impossible to tune it out. So, lets just get right to it.
"I believe Bob Moog to be one of the great visionaries of our time," said the more-educated-than-thou Corgan, sounding an awful lot like your college roommate. "His ideas far transcend use in just music, and to this day continue to have impact in everything from rock to rap to quantum physics. I strongly believe many people all over the world would benefit from being able to interact with the thoughts, ideas, inventions, and life of Dr Moog." Uh, Billy? It’s getting kind of hard to see you up there on top of all of those soap boxes...
But in all seriousness, folks, when Moog died in 2005, he apparently left his archives in a state of disrepair. At this point, Corgan and the Moog Foundation are fastidiously working to restore and preserve them in the museum, which is, despite Billy Corgan coming off like his usual asshole self, a pretty musically worthwhile endeavor, wouldn’t you say? For further information, feel free to visit Moogfoundation.org. From there, you can read more about Moog’s accomplishments, make a donation, and learn more about the Moog foundation.
Just, kind of, you know, try to ignore that feeling of inferiority that you’ll get knowing that everyman Billy Corgan already beat you there.
