AboutJason Musgrove Expertise I`ve been a fan of The Smashing Pumpkins since 1993, and I have all the albums and U.S. CD singles. I can answer just about any question concerning the band`s beginning, how they picked their name, bios of the members, lyrics, discography, soundtracks, some personal info, and other news. I cannot answer questions about their tours.
Question who picked it & why?
did they have a previous name / alias?
Answer Hi Eran,
On a radio show during the Sacred and Profane tour, Billy invited fans to attend the show and ask questions. One of the fans asked how they got their name. Billy told them that when he was younger, he heard a friend say during Halloween that he was going out and would be 'smashing pumpkins'. Billy just thought that it was a cool name for a band. He even told friends that he was in a band called Smashing Pumpkins long before he was ever in one. Eventually, he joined a band, but this band was called The Marked, because of the similar birthmarks both Billy and the bands drummer had. (Billys birthmark covers his entire left hand and most of his left arm.) They moved to Florida but the band didnt work out. Billy came back to Chicago and stayed with his dad. Finally Billy started his own band, which of course, he called 'Smashing Pumpkins'. After the band became famous, however, Billy realized that the fans were bringing pumpkins to the shows and were literally smashing them everywhere. So he decided to add 'The' to the band name, so that 'Smashing' would be read like the British adjective, as he had intended it to be.
And thats how he came up with the name The Smashing Pumpkins! :)
