Billy Corgan names his favorite bands and praises the influence of The Kinks

Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins was among more than 70 artists Consequence polled for its list of the 100 best bands of all time, a ranking his own band opens. In a video interview published on 15 October 2026, he went further into his personal picks.

The outlet spoke to him on the red carpet at the American Songwriters Hall of Fame, where he helped induct Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS. Asked whom he would include, Corgan said that for anyone who grew up in the '70s the list started with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, with the third spot a matter of taste; for him, The Who. Right after them come The Kinks. Looking at the '70s alone, he put KISS in the top three without hesitation, alongside Deep Purple and Rainbow, which he said he saw live back then.

The Kinks got his strongest praise. Corgan called Ray Davies “one of the greatest songwriters of all time” and argued that the band had a deep influence on Pink Floyd, on David Gilmour's songwriting and on Pulp, opening up genres that did not yet exist. Alternative fans unaware of that influence, he said, have missed the boat.

Billy Corgan is an American musician born in 1967 in Elk Grove Village, working across alternative rock, hard rock and alternative metal. His newest studio album is “Cotillions”, released in November 2019, according to MusicBrainz.