VIDEO: William Patrick Corgan Drops Psychedelic, Virtual-Reality-Infused ‘Aeronaut’ Music Video
Track hails from Smashing Pumpkins frontman and recent Stern Show guest’s new solo album “Ogilala”
November 3, 2017
William Patrick Corgan’s newly released music video for “Aeronaut” begins with an atypical disclaimer: “The following was conceived, created, & captured in virtual reality.”
Next, we see him in a shimmering white suit, playing a neon-lit piano in total darkness. The song he croons, off his new solo album “Ogilala,” depicts an epic voyage across space and time and before long the backdrop changes. We see him and his piano traversing vibrantly colored landscapes, sprawling cityscapes, and, eventually, even the furthest corners of outer space.
Conceived by artist-filmmaker Danny Bittman, the virtual reality project for “Aeronaut” involved capturing Corgan’s hologram performance in volumetric video, according to Rolling Stone, and then using computers to design the digital backdrops. It’s reportedly part of a VR experience which will be available to the public in 2018.
Meanwhile, in real life, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman made his Stern Show return in October. He performed several of his songs in the Stern Show studio and chatted with Howard about a variety of subjects, including the making of his long-awaited second solo EP “Ogilala.” Corgan revealed “Aeronaut,” which he said is about his son, was originally written to be faster and quite a bit sillier, but then producer Rick Rubin heard it and suggested he slow it down.
Listen to Corgan’s full conversation with Howard here and check out his in-studio acoustic rendition of the Smashing Pumpkins hit “1979” (below).
William Patrick Corgan’s new album “Ogilala” is available now.
