Barry Williams (The Brady Bunch) | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan
5/20/20261 hr 20 min
Billy Corgan sits down with TV icon Barry Williams in the living room of the Brady Bunch house for a funny, nostalgic, and surprisingly emotional conversation. From becoming Greg Brady at just 14 years old to navigating child stardom, Broadway, syndication fame, and decades of public fascination. The two explore why The Brady Bunch continues to resonate across generations, how Gen X embraced the show through endless reruns, and why its idealized vision of family life struck such a powerful chord with kids growing up in fractured homes. Barry also shares stories about working with Bob Fosse on Pippin, surviving the infamous “Cousin Oliver” era, and eventually making peace with being called “Greg” for the rest of his life.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsBarry Williams· Guest0:00
When I was, like, 10, 10 years old, I w- marched into the kitchen after they'd been keeping me away from it, and I said, "Mom, Dad, you are standing in the way of my destiny."
Billy Corgan· Host0:10
[laughs] Yeah.
Barry Williams· Guest0:12
If you like people- Yeah ... it's terrific.
Billy Corgan· Host0:14
Of course, The Brady Bunch as a, as a American institution has endured on so many different levels.
Barry Williams· Guest0:20
The point of what the show is, and what the show is truly about, is how to get along.
Billy Corgan· Host0:24
How does that work? You know, I remember watching thinking, "I wish that was my family."
Barry Williams· Guest0:29
Sure.
Billy Corgan· Host0:29
You guys represented some sense of family that we certainly didn't have.
Barry Williams· Guest0:34
That's just something you can't act.
Billy Corgan· Host0:36
Yeah.
Barry Williams· Guest0:36
That's just something you can't make it up. You can't write it.
Billy Corgan· Host0:38
Yeah.
Barry Williams· Guest0:39
It's there, not there.
Billy Corgan· Host0:40
Yeah.
Barry Williams· Guest0:41
And we had that.
Billy Corgan· Host0:41
Is there any pearl of wisdom that you can share?
Barry Williams· Guest0:44
Get on the ride. Stay on the ride.
Billy Corgan· Host0:46
Yeah.
Barry Williams· Guest0:46
Love the ride. It's the only one we get.
Billy Corgan· Host0:48
Barry Williams, so nice to see you. Here we are in the Brady house.
Barry Williams· Guest0:54
So nice to be here. It's, it's kinda like welcome home. [laughs] Yes. Uh, some people ask, you know, if I ever left.
Billy Corgan· Host1:00
[laughs] Yeah.
Barry Williams· Guest1:01
And here we are.
Billy Corgan· Host1:02
Well, we're, we're gonna get to the l- the leaving and coming home part.
Barry Williams· Guest1:05
Very glad to welcome you here to the- Yeah, thank you.
Billy Corgan· Host1:07
And thank you for arranging this. This is really cool.
Barry Williams· Guest1:09
Thank you.
Billy Corgan· Host1:09
It's, it's a cool thing for our show.
Barry Williams· Guest1:10
Yeah. Thank you.
Billy Corgan· Host1:11
Um, have you ever heard of this term, I can never say it correctly, simulacra? Do you know that term?
Barry Williams· Guest1:17
Simulacra.
Billy Corgan· Host1:18
Yeah.
Barry Williams· Guest1:19
It sounds like it simulates lacra.
Billy Corgan· Host1:22
[laughs] Cut. Um, uh, what it... The concept of simulacra is, uh, I first