1,000 Drummers APPLIED To The Smashing Pumpkins… The Job Went To A 19-YEAR-OLD FAN!
The story of the 19 year old drummer who joined The Smashing Pumpkins
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In 2009, The Smashing Pumpkins faced an unthinkable challenge: replacing Jimmy Chamberlin, the virtuosic, jazz-trained drummer whose explosive style had defined the band’s classic era. For years, Chamberlin and Billy Corgan had been the creative core, often recording most of the early albums Gish and Siamese Dream as a duo. Their partnership was brilliant but volatile, marked by Chamberlin’s personal struggles, a mid-90s firing, reconciliation, Zwan, and the mid‑2000s reunion. By 2009, the chemistry had faded. Chamberlin announced he could no longer give himself fully to the project and refused to “cash the check” without true commitment, leaving Corgan as the last original member.
Needing to prove the band could continue, Corgan made a radical move: a public global audition for a new drummer. Over a thousand drummers submitted resumes and performance videos, including big names like System of a Down’s John Dolmayan. But Corgan wasn’t searching for a Chamberlin clone; he wanted an intangible “X-factor” and someone who could handle the back catalog while helping shape new music.
In Beaverton, Oregon, 19-year-old Mike Byrne was working at McDonald’s and playing in local indie and experimental bands. A rabid Smashing Pumpkins fan since age 13, he had obsessively collected their albums and B‑sides and ran a YouTube channel named after a deep-cut Pumpkins song. On a whim, he sent in an audition video. Against all odds, management called: they wanted him in Los Angeles.
Byrne flew to Burbank for a half-hour audition that turned out to be more about chemistry than copying old parts. Instead of running classic tracks, they jammed for about 15 minutes and then spent the rest of the time talking about bands like Fugazi. He was invited back for a two-week trial, fully aware of how risky the choice looked on paper: a 19-year-old with no major credit stepping into one of rock’s most scrutinized drum chairs. But in those two weeks, the musical connection solidified. On August 17, 2009, Corgan announced Byrne as the new drummer, praising his “X-factor” and saying he believed Byrne would push him to be a better musician.
Before Byrne’s official Pumpkins debut, Corgan eased him in via the Spirits in the Sky project. His first true Smashing Pumpkins show came on Record Store Day, April 17, 2010. From that moment, he carried the weight of being “the guy who replaced Jimmy Chamberlin,” facing intense fan skepticism and constant comparison online. Byrne tackled a steep learning curve, building the stamina and precision required to play the band’s demanding catalog night after night.
His defining statement came in the studio with Oceania (2012), widely praised as the band’s strongest work in years. The album’s success and his performance earned him recognition, including a “Best Up & Coming Drummer” readers’ poll win from Modern Drummer. Byrne’s tenure quietly wound down after 2013, with Tommy Lee brought in to record the next album. Corgan later suggested boredom, generational differences, and creative drift played a role in the split. Byrne moved on to a diverse career as a touring and session drummer for artists like Kesha and Adam Lambert, while continuing his own projects and teaching—turning a fan’s dream shot into a lasting profession.
#thesmashingpumpkins #billycorgan
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@jamlemon
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
Those kaleidyscope songs were actually pretty good. Not a fan of Oceania though. I know it’s well loved by the fandom but it just doesn’t do it for me.
@TheAshleywiggins
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
Corgan is a musician that became a buisnessman.
Damn shame.
@scottdegroot4785
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
As a life long drummer, jimmy chamberlain is criminally under-rated. Listen to one or geek city usa or jellybelly.
@lucristianx
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
I heard Mike Byrne live. It was amazing.
@BuggyMultiplex
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
He left cause billy was paying him Mc Donald's wages.
@ZipZopZipZop
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
😂😂😂😂😂 THEY SUGGED THEN AND THEY STILL SUGG😂😂😂😂
@shanedingz
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
Oceania is my favourite post-90’s Pumpkins album
@mirthenary
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
Speaking of McDonald's, have you ever covered Mac Sabbath? It's a parody of Black Sabbath with a McDonald's theme I don't remember if you did it or not.
@stephenleblanc4677
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
Great video.
@black_hearttttt
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
Poor guy, the CIA kept him down after Nirvana stole every one of his songs and his girl. Such a humble and unfortunate victim Billy has become. He does have an amazing collection of scarfs he can stare at while he deep dives conspiracy theories about how Danzig and Elton John stole all his good songs. Billy is the herpes of music, just keeps coming back no matter how many times you wish he didn't. Siamese Dream was a great record but get over yourself.
@Typical.Anomaly
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
Didn't Chad Smith have a mullet when he joined the Peppers, too?
I guess drummers are badass enough to pull it off lol
I don't play drums, but I'll have a nice shiny skullet within the next 5 years lol
@brianbelden2449
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
The band flopped on its face immediately in 1996 when Chamberlain left.
@NITE_SHIFTING
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
I would've loved to seen his contract.
@rnrtruestories
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
I've been meaning to do this story for a while, but it seemed like I kept forgetting. I saw them in 2012 on the Oceania tour with Anberlin, was a good show but I remember them playing the whole new record from start to finish and then the second half of the show was all the old hits with a Kiss cover thrown in. Some drunk girl threw a stuffy on stage that hit Billy, but he was pretty cool about it, but she still got thrown out of the gig. Back then you couuld pay $300 or so for a VIP ticket, get to meet the band and they'd play a 3 song acoustic set for you, but I didn't shell out for it. Looking back, it would've been a pretty cool experience. Sorry for the late upload guys. Had massive downpour in our city and been dealing with flooding, which was been stressful to say the least.
@NITE_SHIFTING
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
I thought it was going to be Dave Grohl.
@jfiery
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
Corgan… I enjoy his music but man, he's a prime example of someone having no self-awareness. He comes off like a narcissistic tool every time he opens his mouth.
@JamzeGrovedale
June 25, 2026 at 6:18 pm
Anyone know what Mike is doing these days? After Bearcubbin split he's been off the radar.
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