I'm Listening: Billy Corgan

Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins talks about navigating his own mental health struggles.

Transcript

00:00I think that, and I've been through some serious mental health struggles, almost killed myself

00:08multiple times.

00:09I'm so grateful I didn't.

00:10It's important to have something that's bigger than yourself.

00:14So if that for you is God, if that for you is family, if that for you is community, even

00:20if it's an artist that you really, really like, use that inspiration to bring the best

00:26out of yourself.

00:28And when I was super depressed somewhere in the 2000s, I remember talking to a therapist

00:35and I was like, look, I'm going crazy here, something bad's going to happen.

00:39And they suggested I do charity work.

00:41Now when I was super depressed and lower than low, the idea of helping someone else seemed

00:48completely crazy.

00:49Like how could I help someone?

00:51I can't even get out of bed.

00:53But something about the act of charity or compassion or giving of another seems to sort

00:59of dispel the cloud.

01:02And one of the greatest things that ever happened to me when I was a youth and going through

01:06all this abuse at home and everything was I started volunteering at the old folks home.

01:12And I would go there once or twice a week.

01:15And all they wanted me to do was sit with the aged who'd been abandoned by their family

01:22and would cry because their daughter didn't call them anymore.

01:25And all they wanted to do was have someone sit, hold their hand and listen to their story.

01:30And it helped me get through my hard years of childhood because I was like, wow, there's

01:35this whole other world out here and I'm not the only one going through stuff.

01:37It wasn't that it was Misery Loves Company.

01:39It was like, I'm not the only one going through this.

01:43So if you can find it yourself to do something nice for someone else, whether even if you

01:47just pick up the phone and call someone that you love and say, I love you, I appreciate

01:51you.

01:52You're such a light in my life.

01:53It will make you feel better even though it doesn't have anything to do with you.

01:56It's crazy how it works.

01:58Trust me on this.

01:59It's like a secret.

02:00It's like a hack.

02:01It's like a life hack thing.