On the latest episode of his own podcast, The Magnificent Others, Corgan discussed the state of rock music with his guest, writer and cultural commentator Conrad Flynn.

“I think, and I will say it overtly, I think that rock has been purposely dialed down in the culture,” began Corgan. “Again, this gets ‘wizard behind the curtain,’ right? Somebody’s gonna say, ‘Well, how do you know who was the wizard behind the curtain?’ All I know is I saw the gravity shift.”

He continued, “If you were at MTV or around MTV in 1997 or 1998, suddenly they decided rock was out when rock was still very, very high up in the thing. And it was replaced by rap… Their standards and practices immediately shifted, so now that things that weren’t allowed were suddenly allowed. People were waving guns. Some people assert that the CIA was involved in all that. Again, above my pay grade, but I saw it happen. I did witness it happen.”

https://consequence.net/2026/03/billy-corgan-rock-music-purposely-dialed-down/

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5842687&forum_id=2Firm#49723506)

im sure he remembers what he was doing in '97. he released "eye" on the lost highway soundtrack which is a song he was intending to have shaq(not flame) rap on before david lynch told corgan that "tear"(which ended up on the adore album) wouldnt work for the movie

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5842687&forum_id=2Firm#49723593)

The CIA established the Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF) in 1947 as a front organization to sponsor art exhibitions, literary journals (like Encounter and Partisan Review), concerts, and film adaptations (e.g., Animal Farm, 1984).

Funds were channeled through philanthropic foundations like the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations to conceal the CIA’s role, creating a "long leash" strategy to distance the Agency from artists and intellectuals.

The campaign aimed to promote American cultural values—especially freedom of expression—by supporting movements like Abstract Expressionism, which was portrayed as the antithesis of Soviet socialist realism.

Saunders argues that many prominent figures, including George Orwell, Jackson Pollock, Hannah Arendt, Bertrand Russell, and Arthur Schlesinger Jr., were either unknowingly or knowingly involved in this effort, raising ethical questions about intellectual autonomy.

The book sparked significant debate: praised by critics like Edward Said as a "major work of investigative history," it was also challenged for its narrative style and sourcing, particularly regarding the extent of CIA infiltration.

The CIA’s cultural program was exposed in 1967, leading to the CCF’s collapse. Saunders suggests the Agency allowed its exposure, possibly because the campaign had served its purpose.

The book remains a landmark in Cold War historiography, highlighting the blurred line between state power and cultural freedom

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5842687&forum_id=2Firm#49731913)

i don't even know if they have a top 40 in the 21st century, but i wonder if even 10 songs in any given month are recognizable?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5842687&forum_id=2Firm#49731979)

Corgan is prob just butthurt he can't print money in perpetuity the way ppl like the Rolling Stones and other boomer/early gen-x bands can.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5842687&forum_id=2Firm#49734891)

the reason they're irrelevant isn't because MTV preferred hip-hop or whatever. it's because they just suck

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5842687&forum_id=2Firm#49735069)