New Billy Corgan Album To Feature Bowie Tribute, James Iha Collab

William Patrick Corgan, aka Billy Corgan, seems to be at peace in his full given name. Corgan has a solo album on the way, Ogilala, set for release on Oct. 13, and while the album was produced by Rick Rubin and features a collaboration with former bandmate, guitarist James Iha, the project promises to be one of Corgan's most personal.

According to a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Corgan was the only person to play on the album besides a string quartet and Iha, who appears on "The Processional." This marks the first time the two have recorded together since the 2000 Smashing Pumpkins album Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music. Evidently, Corgan and Iha's reunion came from a very musical place.

"I sent him some [songs] and said to him, 'I feel like this is right up your alley' as far as the kind of music he likes to work on," Corgan said. "He picked out two songs, though one will likely be a B side."

The first single for Ogilala, "Aeronaut," was released last month, a piano-driven, string-laden indication of how personal his new album might be.

Corgan also revealed how one of his biggest inspirations, David Bowie, worked his way into the project. The first track on the LP, "Zowie," is a tribute to the late legend.

“It was written around the time that David had passed and I was thinking about him a lot," Corgan said, "I was lucky that I got to work with him a little bit. I was really struck by his passing. You almost have to take a step back and be like, ‘OK, that’s the end of a journey. What does it mean? How do we evaluate this artist now that there’s no more?’ It sort of closes the circle.”

William Patrick Corgan begins a tour in support of Ogilala on Oct. 14 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

New Billy Corgan Album To Feature Bowie Tribute, James Iha Collab

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