The Smashing Pumpkins vocalist/guitarist, etc. Billy Corgan has entered a benefit auction in an attempt to win the handwritten lyrics to Hole‘s gold-certified 1994 single “Violet“. Originally penned by Hole in the early 90s, that song has long been said to have been written in part of the past romantic relationship Corgan and Hole vocalist Courtney Love shared. While Love has admitted as much, she’s also insisted that the track wasn’t penned exclusively about their time together. Speaking with NME last week, she stated:
“It’s not just about Billy Corgan, as many might assume; it’s about sitting on the fire escape of his flat, sipping cheap wine and taking a Vicodin (oh, to be young!) while the Chicago sun sets, leaving behind a bejeweled amethyst sky. The piece also touches on the theme of being caught between two boys—representing the angel and devil within me, as well as my own nature.
Sometimes I just channel whatever comes. I realize my comment on Jools Holland was a bit mean – I was just being bitchy beefy. But someone has to uphold the standards of good faith beef!”
In the mid-90s Love made clear that her relationship with Corgan didn’t end on amicable terms, at one point anonymously referring to Corgan on an episode of ‘Latter…with Jools Holland‘ as, “a jerk, I hexed him and now he’s losing his hair.”
Love also went on to say the song was about “being caught between two boys”, poetry, drugs and more. Yesterday, November 17th, saw Corgan reveal that he had purchased three tickets in an auction for the handwritten lyrics to the track. The proceeds from that auction will go towards the Ellis Park Wildlife Sanctuary.
Corgan stated in the below video showing off his purchases, “Now it’s made a lot of press this week that this auction’s going off so I’ve actually bought my ticket. Because I’d like to win these lyrics, because I think it’s about a guy I know a little bit about. And I’d love to put that on my wall.”
He also went on to pledge his support for the auction and the aforementioned wildlife sanctuary.
