Courtney Love | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan
4/1/20261 hr 45 min
In this long-awaited conversation, Billy Corgan sits down with Courtney Love. Courtney reflects on her fractured childhood, counterculture upbringing, and complicated family history—growing up around drugs, instability, and radical independence. From juvenile hall to early psychedelics, she traces the shift from feeling like a victim to becoming a force. Together, they take direct aim at the myths: the gatekeeping of the ’90s indie scene, the class politics hiding behind “authenticity,” and the real price women in rock paid for ambition. Along the way: punk beginnings, ABBA vs. Zeppelin, and an unflinching look at confidence, control, and survival.
Clips
Showing 10 of 12Transcript preview
First 90 secondsCourtney Love· Guest0:00
I was confident after that. I got cocky. I got cocky. I was confident.
Billy Corgan· Host0:04
First time I ever laid eyes on you, the memory I have is the shoulders kinda thrown back.
Courtney Love· Guest0:11
Yeah.
Billy Corgan· Host0:12
And this just, this confidence.
Courtney Love· Guest0:13
I throw out 10,000 tangents so no one can get to me.
Billy Corgan· Host0:17
Sure. Well, I've, I've chased you down many rabbits.
Courtney Love· Guest0:20
I know, Billy. [laughs] Like, this is terrifying.
Billy Corgan· Host0:22
My two memories of watching you play at the Avalon that night, you know, was the cool guitar stuff happening, and then this just never-ending scream. [laughs] And what is the source of this?
Courtney Love· Guest0:36
You wouldn't give me money for smokes.
Billy Corgan· Host0:38
You're still mad.
Courtney Love· Guest0:40
[laughs] I am.
Billy Corgan· Host0:40
Courtney, thank you for being on my podcast.
Courtney Love· Guest0:44
Anytime, Billy Horgern.
Billy Corgan· Host0:46
I love it. Okay, well, this is gonna be a 100-part series.
Courtney Love· Guest0:49
I know.
Billy Corgan· Host0:49
[laughs] So this is just part one and two.
Courtney Love· Guest0:50
[laughs] I know.
Billy Corgan· Host0:52
Okay, let's start here.
Courtney Love· Guest0:53
Okay.
Billy Corgan· Host0:54
Uh, I'm gonna jump around a little bit, which I'm sure doesn't surprise you.
Courtney Love· Guest0:57
No. I do that, too.
Billy Corgan· Host0:59
Let's talk a little bit about Mom and Dad.
Courtney Love· Guest1:01
Oh, wow. Wow. [laughs] I just, my blood just ran cold. Oh, my God, of all things, Horgern. Okay.
Billy Corgan· Host1:10
Dad was an interesting guy- Yeah ... in the Grateful Dead world.
Courtney Love· Guest1:17
Yeah, and then in the, the, uh, Irish, uh, uh, holy grail world, and in the LSD, giving LSD to his child at the Haight Ashbury world. You know, he's got a hero's journey, as lame