Vernon Reid | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan

The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan

Billy Corgan

Music, Arts, Performing Arts

4.6 • 731 Ratings

🗓️ 3 December 2025

⏱️ 102 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Billy Corgan sits down with guitar icon Vernon Reid — founder of Living Colour and the Grammy-winning force behind miles of electric innovation — for a high-voltage conversation about rewriting the rules of rock. Vernon traces his path from discovering Coltrane to NYC’s avant-garde scene, as well as the precient rise of the Black Rock Coalition. He opens up about the lightning-strike creation of “Cult of Personality,” the surreal shockwaves of their SNL performance, and the pressures that come with success — from label politics to the creative toll on the band. They dive into AI’s existential threat to art, and how the “holy ghost” of a live show can turn a stage into a spiritual event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	From the moment I stumbled on the lift,
0:04.0	and I yelled it with, you know, man, put a beat to this.
0:09.0	You have a brief window, bro.
0:11.0	You have a brief window when your compatriots are willing to listen.
0:15.0	You have a brief window, that's a shit.
0:17.0	And while they're willing to listen, make hey, make hey, make hey.
0:22.6	I remember thinking two things like, wow, this is really good.
0:25.6	You guys sounded great.
0:27.6	And then I was like, why is he wearing like a yellow Corey?
0:30.6	Oh, Corey.
0:31.6	Why is he wearing like the yellow banana?
0:33.6	Oh, you mean the body glove?
0:35.6	Yeah, the body glove thing that was, you know.
0:38.8	It was his thing, brother. It's his thing.
0:43.1	What has riding your horse for 50 years taught you?
0:47.2	Wow. Get off.
0:48.6	Ha!
0:49.4	Yeah.
0:53.4	Vernon Reed, thank you for being on my show.
0:56.1	I'm so pleased to see you today.
0:58.1	Thank you, Billy Corgan, for having me.
1:00.3	It's fantastic.
	...

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