Smashing Pumpkins frontman, legendary pioneer of indie rock and, increasingly, a bit of a weirdo, Billy Corgan has announced that he no longer wants to be called Billy.
Yes. He now wants to be called William. In fact, he has insisted it.
During a concert in Lima, Peru, the crowd were cheering him on while he discussed the fact that it was his birthday. They chanted his name and actually sung Happy Birthday, and someone even brought out a cake with candles for him to blow out. Before launching into his next song, he announced, “My name is not Billy. My name is William” – and the crowd started chanting his *real* name. “My mother thanks you in heaven,” he reportedly replied.
Weird. I know.
He’s also changed his Facebook name to: William Patrick Corgan
When did the name change occur, and why? Has he bottled up his irritation for the past few decades or is this a new development? Did he just decide that, now that he’s 48, it’s time for a more adult-sounding name? Do we even need to know? I feel like we’ll be better off just accepting it, because he’s a kind of koooky dude.
You can watch fan-captured footage of the video below.