Billy Corgan’s Miserable Day at Disneyland

Let’s get one thing straight: Just because Billy Corgan visited the Happiest Place on Earth does not mean that emotion rubbed off on him. The Smashing Pumpkins frontman caused a stir earlier this month when he was photographed taking a ride on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland — and looking less than enthused.

Billy Corgan takes a ride on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland (Splash News) In the pics, the 48-year-old singer could be clearly seen with his hands gripped on the safety bar and a grimace on his face. But before you criticize him too much for his lackluster response to the iconic roller coaster, maybe you should take a listen to his side of the story. He recently spoke out about that day during a VIP Q&A prior to taking the stage at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, and though what he said might have come across as a bit crabby, it also kind of made sense. You can hear Corgan discuss his Disneyland trip starting at around the 8:40 mark in the clip below:

“I literally had somebody say to me the other day, I think it was at Disneyland: ‘Hey, you don’t seem that into this.’ I was like, 'I’m at f—ing Disneyland. I just want to hang out at Disneyland,” he began. “I’m not here to do a meet and greet. I’m here to be at Disneyland. You know what I’m saying?” For what it’s worth, Corgan did share some of his own snapshots from the day of his buddy Doug — and Doug looked like he was legitimately having a grand old time.

Unfortunately, Corgan didn’t share any photos of himself enjoying Disneyland, but Corgan did pose for plenty of photos with fans who were disappointed by his demeanor in their snaps. “It’s almost like, 'Well you’re here, and I’m here, and because I’m on my vacation, your vacation, you’re part of my vacation,’” he lamented before going on to defend his behavior.

“It’s like, I’m not working and I wasn’t being unpleasant. I wasn’t being rude. I was taking pictures with people. I took a picture with every person that asked. But then it gets into, what’s in your head? Like you’re not smiling enough or you don’t seem to be enjoying — and I’m like, 'What the f— do you want from me?’” (They want you to look more excited in their photos, Billy!)

From there, he took aim at the nature of modern-day celebrity in a broader sense. As much as he’s not enthused about Thunder Mountain, he’s even less enthused about the requirements of fame.

“That’s when it gets like, are you paying me? On whose dime are we on here? Because we have so much celebrity culture that is servile, 'I’ll say whatever you want. I’ll make sure I take just the right selfie so I look better than I really look.’ I don’t want any part in that, that’s not interesting,” he quipped. “So if that means one person has to walk away and go, 'He doesn’t seem like he’s in a good mood,’ and they never go to a show again, I mean, they’re not really a fan, so that’s just the way it goes.”