What does it take to go from Chicago club gigs to becoming one of the defining bands of the 1990s?<br /><br />In this episode of Booked On Rock, I’m joined by author Greg Prato to dive into I Am One: The Smashing Pumpkins Story, 1988–1994—a deep look at the band’s formative years, creative breakthroughs, and the relentless drive of Billy Corgan.<br /><br />We explore the making of Gish, the explosion of Siamese Dream, and how The Smashing Pumpkins carved out their place in the alt-rock boom alongside grunge giants—while doing things entirely their own way.<br /><br />From internal tensions to studio perfectionism, this is the story of how a band pushed boundaries and built a legacy that still resonates today.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Am-One-Smashing-Pumpkins-1988-1994-ebook/dp/B0GRHPC132" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Purchase a copy of<i> I Am One: The Smashing Pumpkins Story, 1988–1994</i></a><br /><i></i><br /><b>Follow Greg Prato</b>:<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/gregprato/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/gregpratowriter/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/gregpratowriter?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">X</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B002MJ4CXI?ccs_id=7117beeb-0079-467a-9264-e8263f14fcc5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Greg Prato Amazon page</a><br /><br /><i>----------</i><i></i><br /><i></i><br />🎧 <b>Listen Ad-Free on Patreon</b><br />Support Booked On Rock and get every new episode completely commercial-free with the Backstage Pass.<br />Join here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BookedOnRock<br /><i><b></b></i><br /><i><b>🛒 Old Glory -  Iconic music and sports fan merch<br />💰 Get 15% OFF | Promo Code: BOOKEDONROCK<br /><a href="https://oldglory.com/discount/BOOKEDONROCK" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://oldglory.com/discount/BOOKEDONROCK</a></b></i><br /><i><br />Booked On Rock is part of <a href="https://goboneless.lovable.app/?fbclid=IwY2xjawOMsP5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF2cEY4eFB5TmpSVUluSTVEc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHiXRejfcz_gRmAxaQK4dbTkOj2N59C0pfXMJWeqnykjej-GyrqUfijU-CoaM_aem_YNBvODDs-m0nzGcX5CiKfA&amp;brid=dSbyFOgxjRZ6bBq2zjvCbQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Boneless Podcasting Network</a><br /> <br /><a href="https://www.bookedonrock.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BookedOnRock.com</a><br /> <br /><a href="https://bookedonrock-shop.fourthwall.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Booked On Rock Store</a><br /> <br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbqUFiA-IGq97wkB5FEJB4Q" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Booked On Rock YouTube Channel</a><br /> <br /><b>Follow The Booked On Rock with Eric Senich:</b><br /><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/bookedonrock.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BLUESKY</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bookedonrockpodcast" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FACEBOOK</a><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bookedonrockpodcast" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">INSTAGRAM</a><br /><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@bookedonrock" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TIKTOK</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/bookedonrock" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">X</a><br /> <br /><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/indie-store-finder" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Find Your Nearest Independent Bookstore</a><br /> <br /><b>Contact The Booked On Rock Podcast:</b> [email protected]<br /> <br /><b>The Booked On Rock Music:</b> “Whoosh” by <a href="https://www.crowander.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Crowander</a> / “Last Train North” &amp; “No Mercy” by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCALNf7YM2pEGJvIHf1zxftA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TrackTribe</a></i>