One of the most talked-about alternative music tours of the summer will see most of the original Smashing Pumpkins lineup reunite for the ‘Shiny And Oh So Bright’ Tour. The annoying shadow hanging over this feel-good story has been the absence of original bassist D’arcy Wretzky. This week, Pumpkins singer/guitarist Billy Corgan reluctantly commented on the feelings within the band heading into the tour, and how it relates to Wretzky.

Consequence of Sound released the following transcription from an interview with Metallica’s Lars Ulrich where Corgan detailed why James Iha, Jimmy Chamberlin and himself are content with doing this reunion without Wretzky:

“If you’re really not passionate about what you do and you’re not passionate about providing that passion to fans by extension and saying, ‘Look we really love what we do and we want to share this with you.’ If that relationship is not at the heart of what you do, then what are you doing? The thing that keeps you on the rudder is the music and the fact that somehow when the three of us [Corgan, Chamberlin, and James Iha) come together, this magical thing happens that’s bigger than me, and I have no problem admitting to that. And if that’s not your guiding principle, then it’s a sh*tty reality show. And we don’t want the sh*tty reality show, we really don’t. We’d rather just stay on the music, and if we can do that, great.”

WIN YOUR WAY INTO THE SMASHING PUMPKINS AT UNITED CENTER IN AUGUST HERE