When you think Billy Corgan the first two things that spring to mind probably aren’t tea and bingo, but The Smashing Pumpkins frontman is an ambassador of both, hosting monthly bingo get-togethers at his Chicago-based tea house Madame ZuZu’s.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the 46-year-old Corgan puts on the bingo events, which are run by a celebrity host, in an effort to promote a genuine sense of community in his home state of Illinois.
“I think stuff like this forces commonality and I like that,” Corgan explains. “I have so much experience, I mean 25 years in music I’ve played concerts from everything from 2 people to 250,000. You realise the difference between real communal spirit and kind of fake spirit.”
Although usually considered a pastime for the elderly, Smashing Pumpkins bassist Nicole Fiorentino notes that the wholesome activity created an entertaining and inclusive atmosphere for all ages.
“It’s really funny to see how excited people get. You’ll hear the ‘ooos’ and ‘ahs’ if you almost have that one last number and then you’re the winner,” laughed Fiorentino.
Corgan opened Madame ZuZu’s in Highland Park, Chicago in September of 2012. The versatile musician is also the creative director of Chicago-based professional wrestling company Resistance Pro.
MAGICAL BINGO NIGHT @zuzusteahouse!!! Next month’s celeb host will be famed newscaster Bill Kurtis!! twitter.com/Billy/status/3…
— Billy Corgan (@Billy) February 12, 2013
