{"id":23710,"date":"2025-08-06T21:33:49","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T21:33:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/?p=23710"},"modified":"2025-08-06T21:33:49","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T21:33:49","slug":"shes-got-that-thing-that-i-could-never-do-i-have-to-cheat-billy-corgan-reveals-the-technique-kiki-wong-can-do-on-guitar-thats-beyond-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/2025\/08\/06\/shes-got-that-thing-that-i-could-never-do-i-have-to-cheat-billy-corgan-reveals-the-technique-kiki-wong-can-do-on-guitar-thats-beyond-him\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cShe&#8217;s got that thing that I could never do \u2013 I have to cheat\u201d: Billy Corgan reveals the technique Kiki Wong can do on guitar that\u2019s beyond him"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p>If there&#8217;s anything that warrants the term \u201clife-changing,\u201d it&#8217;s<a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/news\/kiki-wong-on-her-smashing-pumpkins-audition\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/news\/kiki-wong-on-her-smashing-pumpkins-audition\"> Kiki Wong being handpicked by Billy Corgan and co. \u2013 out of more than 10,000 applicants \u2013 to join the Smashing Pumpkins<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Turns out, Wong made quite an impression from that very first audition. \u201cKiki\u2019s audition was the first on this one day,\u201d recalls Corgan in the latest issue of <em>Guitar World<\/em>.<\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-base\" \/>\n<p>\u201cSomebody set up the schedule people were traveling in and stuff, and I remember thinking, \u2018Oh, that\u2019s probably not very good for Kiki,\u2019 because the chance of us hiring the first person we see is probably pretty slim. By the time you get to the eighth or ninth person, you\u2019re going to have a hard time remembering the first person.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-3 pb-4 mb-4 border-solid border-y border-neutral-300\"><span class=\"font-article-heading block pb-3 !text-base font-bold uppercase sm:text-sm text-[#333]\">You may like<\/span><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cKiki came in and played very well. Now, I know how to read Jimmy Chamberlin\u2019s body language pretty well; we\u2019ve played together for over 35 years. I remember looking at Jimmy, and I could tell he was surprised at how well Kiki played. We had this thing at the auditions where we played three or four songs, and then we\u2019d sit down and talk to each person for 15 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aside from her stellar playing, what really gave Wong her edge over her competition was her authenticity and down-to-earth demeanor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wasn\u2019t trying to be someone else. She wasn\u2019t trying to be a flatterer. She was just herself. And it was like, \u2018OK, this person can hang in our world.\u2019 After that, for the next three hours, nobody who followed Kiki could beat her. She was still on my mind, even though we weren\u2019t discussing it internally.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-video youtube-facade\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<div class=\"video-aspect-box\">\n<div class=\"watch-on-iframe-fWxvQHXhMiw\" data-yt-video-token=\"fWxvQHXhMiw\" title=\"The Smashing Pumpkins \u2013 Sighommi - YouTube\"><span class=\"youtube-video-title\">The Smashing Pumpkins \u2013 Sighommi &#8211; YouTube<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/fWxvQHXhMiw\/maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"The Smashing Pumpkins \u2013 Sighommi - YouTube\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"watch-on-youtube-fWxvQHXhMiw\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/fWxvQHXhMiw\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/fWxvQHXhMiw\" data-hl-processed=\"none\">Watch On <\/a><\/div>\n<p>As for what Wong can do on guitar that&#8217;s just beyond Corgan&#8217;s abilities, according to the Pumpkins frontman himself, there are a few.<\/p>\n<p> {        window.reliablePageLoad.then(() =&gt; {            var componentContainer = document.querySelector(&#8220;#slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-6wY4Q4E9x7pj8GWy2kavnn&#8221;);            if (componentContainer) {                var data = {&#8220;layout&#8221;:&#8221;inbodyContent&#8221;,&#8221;header&#8221;:&#8221;Get The Pick Newsletter&#8221;,&#8221;tagline&#8221;:&#8221;All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!&#8221;,&#8221;formFooterText&#8221;:&#8221;By submitting your information you agree to the <a href=\"https:\/\/futureplc.com\/terms-conditions\/\" target=\"_blank\">Terms &amp; Conditions<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/futureplc.com\/privacy-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and are aged 16 or over.&#8221;,&#8221;successMessage&#8221;:{&#8220;body&#8221;:&#8221;Thank you for signing up. 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That <em>Master of Puppets<\/em> thing \u2013 I have to cheat that shit. Trust me, I knew Johnny Ramone, and he was a big proponent of this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously, Hetfield and Kerry King would tell you the same. So would Mustaine. The only way to play that way is you gotta do all downstrokes. I remember being at Johnny Ramone\u2019s house \u2013 [imitates thick New Yorker accent] \u2018all downstrokes, all downstrokes.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a belief that the attack of the downstroke is better than if you pick up-down, up-down. To me, when I see somebody who can do that with the downstrokes, I\u2019m like, \u2018Fuck, I can&#8217;t do that!\u2019\u201d he admits.<\/p>\n<p>Wong is quick to add that, from her end, \u201cone of the most jaw-dropping moments on the first tour was just seeing Billy go crazy-shred.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have these times when it\u2019s all improv,\u201d she explains, \u201cand hearing some of the voicings he uses\u2026 One of the things you strive for as a musician is developing your own sound, where someone will say, \u2018Hey, that\u2019s Kiki Wong!\u2019 or \u2018That\u2019s <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/billy-corgan\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/billy-corgan\">Billy Corgan<\/a>!\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut more than that, it\u2019s \u2018That\u2019s Billy Corgan, and no one else can be Billy Corgan,\u2019\u201d she asserts.<\/p>\n<p>For more from Kiki Wong and Billy Corgan, plus new interviews with the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/bands\/steve-jones-on-why-frank-carter-gave-the-sex-pistols-a-new-lease-on-life-and-where-things-stand-with-john-lydon\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/bands\/steve-jones-on-why-frank-carter-gave-the-sex-pistols-a-new-lease-on-life-and-where-things-stand-with-john-lydon\">Sex Pistols <\/a>and <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/guitarists\/carlos-santana-on-his-visitation-from-stevie-ray-vaughan\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/artists\/guitarists\/carlos-santana-on-his-visitation-from-stevie-ray-vaughan\">Carlos Santana<\/a>, pick up issue 595 of <em>Guitar World<\/em> from<a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/awclick.php?awinmid=2961&amp;awinaffid=103504&amp;clickref=guitarworld-gb-8226163828081973852&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.magazinesdirect.com%2Fuk%2Fguitar-world-subscription%2F\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.magazinesdirect.com\/uk\/guitar-world-subscription\/\" rel=\"sponsored noopener\" data-hl-processed=\"hawklinks\" data-placeholder-url=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/awclick.php?awinmid=2961&amp;awinaffid=103504&amp;clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.magazinesdirect.com%2Fuk%2Fguitar-world-subscription%2F\" data-google-interstitial=\"false\" data-merchant-name=\"Magazines Direct\" data-merchant-id=\"6539\" data-merchant-network=\"AW\" data-merchant-url=\"magazinesdirect.com\"> Magazines Direct<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If there&#8217;s anything that warrants the term \u201clife-changing,\u201d it&#8217;s Kiki Wong being handpicked by Billy Corgan and co. \u2013 out of more than 10,000 applicants \u2013 to join the Smashing Pumpkins. Turns out, Wong made quite an impression from that very first audition. \u201cKiki\u2019s audition was the first on this one day,\u201d recalls Corgan in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":23711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23710"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23712,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23710\/revisions\/23712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}