Without The Smashing Pumpkins Gish, Nevermind Wouldn’t Exist As We Know It
Let’s face it: Nevermind was coming. But without The Smashing Pumpkins’ Gish, it might have sounded VERY different. Today, we’re looking into The Smashing Pumpkins’ debut album and their work with producer Butch Vig, who (at the time) had just recorded demos for Nevermind. His work on Gish directly inspired the production elements found in Nirvana’s breakthrough.
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WATCH NEXT:
✓ The Smashing Pumpkins’ Inside Joke That Became “Mayonaise” https://youtu.be/6RiMSiWTsoU
✓ How “Today” Saved Billy Corgan: https://youtu.be/sHrImJFDuYM
✓ Why “Disarm” is The Smashing Pumpkins’ Most Tragic Masterpiece: https://youtu.be/p6zmuC7XSrk
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 Gish Vs Nevermind
1:14 The Chicago Scene Finds Its Voice
3:58 The Gish Sessions with Butch Vig
8:04 Crafting the Sonic Blueprint of Gish
11:05 The Birth of a Name
12:48 The Line From Gish to Nevermind
15:43 The Lasting Echoes of Gish
CLIPS & REFERENCES:
The Smashing Pumpkins “Siva” (Official Music Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3wAtWywrP4
The Smashing Pumpkins “I Am One” (Official Music Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi6RJmUNBbw
Billy Corgan Talks About “I Am One” (The Smashing Pumpkins via YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9HanWEm2QY
Billy Corgan Talks About “Rhinoceros” (The Smashing Pumpkins via YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPuqUK6WgI4
Billy Corgan, Tape Op interview, 2018: https://tapeop.com/interviews/115/smashing-pumpkins-a-studio-history
Billy Corgan, Rolling Stone interview, May 2021: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billy-corgan-gish-thirtieth-anniversary-interview-1175072/
Billy Corgan & Rick Beato Interview, 2022: https://www.guitarworld.com/news/billy-corgan-butch-vig-stole-guitar-sound-for-nirvana-nevermind
Billy Corgan NME Interview: https://www.nme.com/news/music/smashing-pumpkins-billy-corgan-on-gish-influencing-pearl-jam-and-nirvana-2951893
Jeremy D. Larson, Pitchfork, “The 25 Best Grunge Albums of the ’90s,” October 2022: https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-best-grunge-albums-of-the-90s/
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@Cinestudi0
May 12, 2026 at 10:03 am
He's not wrong, without smashing pumpkins and pixies, nirvana would have being a veeeeery diferent band
@MikeArmijo-w6w
May 12, 2026 at 10:03 am
That delusional.
@DepthWish
May 12, 2026 at 10:03 am
This is complete garbage. Billy Corgan wants to take credit for everything. Killdozer was on Touch & Go and that is who Nirvana liked. Vig produced Killdozer before Smashing Pumpkins and before Tad. Sub Pop had a double sided with Tad and Nirvana before Smashing Pumpkins. Nirvana toured with Tad. So, are you saying that Novoselic looked into the future that Vig would record Smashing Pumpkins and then decided to use his time machine to go back and call him to record the Nevermind demos? Where are your references to your assertion about Novoselic. Nirvana had already recorded the Smart Sessions demos before the Smashing Pumpkins went to Vig. The demo of Polly from that is on Nevermind. Cobain stole Billy's girlfriend, limelight and had the generation defining band and Corgan can't get over it. Andy Wallace mixed Nevermind for the polish, not Butch Vig (who deserves lots of respect) but this is such poorly researched B.S. New subscriber here that is now unsubscribing from this channel.
@rockydennis5912
May 12, 2026 at 10:03 am
B U L L S H I T. Billy Corgan sucks. He's a corny shredder with a terrible voice, who thinks he's special because he discovered shoe gaze in the 80's. He's not a great songwriter like Kurt. He couldn't sing like Kurt, And he just hated that he wasn't considered the biggest talent of the 90's. And in my mind he's not even in the conversation. He is arrogant, pompous, corny, cringey and I have no idea why anyone thinks otherwise. Great, he liked My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver, but he also liked Steve Vai and Yngwie (gross). He liked some good 70's and 80's stuff, but clearly he liked some pretty awful 70's and 80's stuff too. And it's all over his songwriting. It took him 8 hours to sing 2 words? Where Kurt just basically sat down and sang all of In Utero in one sitting. Great bands like R.E.M., Beatles, Nirvana are bands that Billy should never compare himself with. EvER. If anyone stole a guitar sound, it was Billy Corgan stealing Mudhoney's guitar sound and then acting like he invented Fuzz.
@nothingworthrewarding
May 12, 2026 at 10:03 am
Without Butch Vig neither would exist as we know them. And without Virgin and Geffen Records we likely wouldn't know about them at all. Mass-market corporate
brandsI mean 'bands' are curious like that.@piggycity
May 12, 2026 at 10:03 am
Wonder if he also used it on Sonic Youth’s Dirty album which is an amazing guitar and drum album.
@theflyinyourpie
May 12, 2026 at 10:03 am
I'm pretty sure Kurt thought Nevermind sounded to clean and overproduced than he would have liked. If it wasn't produced with the same techniques used on Gish I think it would have a more raw sound which would have lead to the end result being an album that was more his taste anyway. I don't think the album would have suffered with a more raw punk sound because that is where Kurt's roots are after all.
@curtisbush5728
May 12, 2026 at 10:03 am
It wasn't a one off deal with an indie! It was a multi album development deal with Virgin, what they wanted to do was use caroline as street cred as that's where they worked with punk and hardcore as well as experimental and alternative bands! It was all a farce! Pull the wool over our eyes, they knew with time they'd be huge if the right band could knock down the doors first, but in the meantime let's not spend too much and get them out in clubs throughout the country! With no Butch, nevermind would be as great as Bleach and In Utero! It would be a punk rock classic! Still a great record, my gateway into everything I know and love! But, nonetheless it may be as great as black flags damaged or sonic youths sister!
@claudiogallucci563
May 12, 2026 at 10:03 am
billy Corgan taught jimi Hendrix how to play guitar and Elvis how to dance.. just ask him.
@rorschach1
May 12, 2026 at 10:03 am
Highly doubt that
@raggen1571
May 12, 2026 at 10:03 am
Didn’t Billy Corgan admit that he found his guitar sound after listening to Swervedriver (or was it Catherine Wheel?) anyway, this is the way it goes.