Billy Corgan Compares Bernie Sanders To Chairman Mao

Billy Corgan Compares Bernie Sanders To Chairman Mao

More than once, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has appeared on Infowars, the online talk show run by the right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Last month, he was on the show, complaining about “social justice warriors” to Jones. And now Corgan has been back on the show for another long interview, one where he talks about how we’re all being brainwashed. This was presumably taped the same day as that last Alex Jones interview — unless Corgan just really likes wearing that goofy-ass outfit — but it touches on some new subjects. For one thing, Corgan is troubled by the idea of a socialist like Bernie Sanders running for president. Here’s what he said:

I can’t believe that we’re even having this discussion, if you can understand when I say that to you humbly. To be talking in America in 2016 about Mao is a good idea, and a socialist is running for president and that’s OK, and we’re going to go back to these crazy tax rates where we’re going to completely disempower the innovators in our country because the new technocratic class wants to keep their position and they want to keep anybody else from coming in the game… I mean, it’s just crazy to me.

Later on, Corgan joked that he was actually pulling for Sanders: “Of course, free stuff, great. Give me more free stuff. Sounds good to me, I’ll take more free stuff.”

Also, Corgan had more to say about social justice warriors. He specifically seemed worried about the idea that he could use “one word” — and god knows which word he could’ve been talking about — and it would destroy his career:

Everyday, through the media, through advertising, we see people being degraded. We see all sorts of things that we should be horrified as a culture. So we have normalized all sorts of things. But now we live in a world where one word can destroy your life, but it’s OK to, if you’re a social justice warrior, spit in somebody’s face. That’s OK because you’re a victim.

Corgan is also suspicious of the people who are protesting Donald Trump rallies:

When I watch some of the clips that you guys have been been putting up at some of these protests, I have no respect for what these people are doing. They’re shutting down free speech… If they have that level of vitriol for let’s say Donald Trump as a candidate, because they feel it’s antithetical to what they believe in, where is the five times great condemdnation for those societies that are treating their people far worse than just ideas and words?

He never says anything about the Trump supporters or security beating up those protesters. And Corgan seems suspicious of the idea that white privilege exists. Here’s the full interview, if you really want to spend 36 minutes slamming your head into a wall:

“Cherub Rock” is still a great song, though.

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