Billy Corgan Must Have Not Made Enough Money When He Sold His Soul to VISA

 

Last night I was cooking when I heard Smashing Pumpkin‘s classic track, “Today,” coming from my TV. It was a commercial. In it, Billy Corgan sang in the background, the GQ-voiced narrator challenged viewers to make “a fresh start” and grab life by the balls.

“A chance to go in a whole new direction. Will you walk out the door and go left instead of right? Will you do something you’ve always wanted to? And will you keep going no matter what life throws your way? Well, let’s go. *Pause* More people go with VISA.”

Interestingly enough, today I came across photos of him testifying in support of the “Performance Rights Act” on behalf of the Music FIRST Coalition at a House Judiciary Committee yesterday.  Music FIRST aims at getting artists royalties whenever their music gets played by a station on terrestrial radio, (versus satellite).

I’m not the music snob I once was, thinking bands should never sell their tracks for commercial material, but really now I just kinda think it all depends. If Whitecastle were to offer me a deal, hells yeah! But VISA? 

This was the man that once said:

“Last year, I was offered heavy, heavy money to license ["Today"]. I actually turned down two huge, huge, seven-figure-plus deals last year for two songs…. At this point in my life, I don’t feel comfortable. Those songs are the reason I’m alive. If your music is not sacred to the point where it’s a really, really, really heavy decision about whether or not you would allow somebody else to exploit , then what’s not for sale?” — Bill Corgan, 2004

Jesus Christ, Billy. A credit card company? Way to suck the corporate cock.

For more info about Music FIRST Coalition, click here and here.

VISA commercial and original music video for “Today” below!