Connections
Exploring how Machina relates to other Smashing Pumpkins works and influences
The Broader Context
The Machina albums do not exist in isolation but are connected to other works by The Smashing Pumpkins and influenced by various artistic traditions. Understanding these connections provides a deeper appreciation of the Machina narrative and its place within the band's artistic evolution.
From direct narrative links to thematic parallels and stylistic influences, the Machina project is part of a rich tapestry of interconnected works that span the band's career and beyond.
A Note on Interpretation
While some connections between Machina and other works are explicitly confirmed by Billy Corgan, others are based on analysis and interpretation by fans and critics. The Smashing Pumpkins' work often invites multiple readings and personal interpretations.
Interactive Album Connections
Explore the connections between Machina and other albums in The Smashing Pumpkins' discography. Hover over each album to see its relationships to other works.
Connection to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Narrative Continuity
One of the most significant connections is between Machina and the band's earlier double album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Billy Corgan has confirmed that the character of Zero in Mellon Collie is the same character who becomes Glass in the Machina narrative.
This creates a narrative continuity between the albums, with Machina serving as a continuation of Zero's story. The character's journey from the nihilistic, angry Zero to the spiritually awakened Glass represents a significant character arc across the two projects.
Thematic Evolution
Mellon Collie explored themes of youth, alienation, and rage, often from a perspective of nihilism and disillusionment. Machina evolves these themes, examining what happens after nihilism—the search for meaning, spiritual awakening, and transformation.
This thematic progression reflects the maturing of both the character and the band itself, moving from the explosive anger of youth to more complex questions of identity, purpose, and spirituality.
Zero to Glass
The transformation from Zero to Glass represents one of the most direct narrative connections in The Smashing Pumpkins' discography. Songs like "Zero" and "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" from Mellon Collie introduce the character who would later become the protagonist of the Machina rock opera.
As Billy Corgan has stated: "Zero is the same character as Glass... it's the same person. Zero on Mellon Collie is this disaffected, disconnected person who's basically given up. Glass is what happens when that person finds God."
Connection to Adore
Stylistic Bridge
The 1998 album Adore serves as a stylistic bridge between Mellon Collie and Machina. Its incorporation of electronic elements, darker atmosphere, and more introspective lyrics laid groundwork for the sound and themes that would be further developed in the Machina albums.
While not explicitly part of the Zero/Glass narrative, Adore's themes of loss, transformation, and spiritual seeking create thematic continuity that helps contextualize the Machina story.
Production Evolution
Adore marked a significant shift in the band's production approach, moving away from the guitar-heavy sound of earlier albums toward more electronic and atmospheric textures. This evolution continued with Machina, which combined electronic elements with a return to heavier guitars.
The production techniques developed during Adore—particularly the integration of electronic and acoustic elements—were refined and expanded upon in the Machina albums.
Connection to ATUM
Trilogy Completion
ATUM (pronounced "autumn") has been explicitly described by Billy Corgan as the sequel to both Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and Machina/The Machines of God, completing a trilogy that spans decades of the band's career.
Released in 2023, ATUM is a 33-track rock opera divided into three acts, mirroring the ambitious scope of its predecessors. This connection explicitly places Machina within a larger narrative framework, suggesting that the story of Zero/Glass continues to evolve and find resolution in this later work.
Conceptual Continuity
Like its predecessors, ATUM is a rock opera with an ambitious scope. This format echoes the conceptual approach of Machina, suggesting a deliberate artistic continuity across these projects.
The character evolution that began with Zero in Mellon Collie and continued with Glass in Machina finds its conclusion in ATUM, creating one of the longest-running character arcs in rock music. While the connections are more thematic than strictly narrative, they represent Corgan's vision of these albums as interconnected pieces of a larger artistic statement.
The Trilogy's Scope
The trilogy of Mellon Collie, Machina, and ATUM spans nearly three decades of The Smashing Pumpkins' career, representing one of the most ambitious conceptual projects in rock music history. Each album explores different aspects of the protagonist's journey, from youthful rage to spiritual awakening to final resolution.
Connection to "Aghori Mhori Mei"
The Latest Chapter
Released in August 2024, "Aghori Mhori Mei" is The Smashing Pumpkins' thirteenth studio album and has been described as having thematic connections to the Machina narrative. While not officially part of the trilogy completed by ATUM, this album continues to explore similar themes and may represent a new chapter or perspective on the established narrative.
Thematic Connections
The album continues to explore spiritual themes similar to those found in Machina, with particular focus on transformation and transcendence. The title itself references Aghori sadhus, ascetic Shaiva sadhus known for post-mortem rituals, suggesting connections to themes of death, rebirth, and spiritual transformation central to the Machina narrative.
Many fans and critics consider "Aghori Mhori Mei" to be the band's strongest work since the Machina era, noting similarities in both thematic content and musical approach.
Artistic Evolution
While maintaining connections to the Machina narrative, "Aghori Mhori Mei" represents an evolution of the band's sound and conceptual approach. The album builds upon the foundation established by the Machina albums while introducing new elements and perspectives.
This connection demonstrates how the themes and concepts introduced in the Machina era continue to resonate and evolve throughout The Smashing Pumpkins' later work, creating a rich tapestry of interconnected artistic statements.
The Machina Reissue
25th Anniversary Box Set
On August 22, 2025, a comprehensive Machina reissue is scheduled for release as a deluxe box set. This 25th anniversary edition will combine both Machina I and Machina II albums as originally intended, along with additional unreleased material from the sessions.
The reissue will include 48 tracks of Machina material plus 32 additional demos, outtakes, and live cuts, totaling 80 songs. This release will finally present the Machina project in its complete form, allowing listeners to experience the rock opera as it was originally conceived.
Historical Significance
The reissue represents a significant moment in The Smashing Pumpkins' history, finally bringing together the complete Machina project in its intended form. This will provide new context for understanding the narrative and musical connections between the two albums and their place in the band's broader discography.
For many fans, this reissue has been long-awaited, as Machina II has never received a proper commercial release until now.
New Insights
The inclusion of demos, outtakes, and previously unreleased material promises to provide new insights into the Machina narrative and its creation. This additional context may reveal new connections between Machina and other works in The Smashing Pumpkins' catalog.
The reissue also offers an opportunity to reassess the Machina albums with the benefit of historical perspective, potentially revealing aspects of the work that were not fully appreciated at the time of its original release.
Artistic Influences and Parallels
David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust
Billy Corgan has cited David Bowie's "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" as a direct influence on the Machina concept. Both works feature a fictional rock star character who serves as an alter ego for the artist and explores themes of fame, identity, and cosmic connection.
Like Ziggy Stardust, Glass is a character who receives messages from beyond and attempts to communicate them through rock music, ultimately being consumed by his own creation.
The Who's Tommy and Quadrophenia
The rock opera format of Machina draws inspiration from pioneering concept albums by The Who, particularly "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia." These works established the template for narrative-driven rock albums that Machina follows and expands upon.
Like these earlier rock operas, Machina uses music to tell a complete story with character development, narrative arc, and thematic exploration beyond what typical album formats allow.
Pink Floyd's The Wall
Thematic parallels exist between Machina and Pink Floyd's "The Wall," particularly in their exploration of the isolation of fame and the relationship between artist and audience. Both works examine the psychological impact of celebrity and the construction of personas as both shield and prison.
The character of Glass, like Pink in "The Wall," struggles with the barriers between himself and authentic connection, though Glass's journey moves toward transcendence rather than breakdown.
Literary and Mystical Traditions
The Machina narrative draws on various literary and mystical traditions, including elements of Gnosticism, alchemy, and mystical Christianity. These influences inform both the narrative structure and the symbolic language used throughout the albums.
The concept of divine communication through unexpected channels (the radio) has parallels in mystical literature across cultures, where the divine often speaks through unconventional means to those who are receptive.
Legacy and Continuing Influence
Influence on Later SP Works
The themes, narrative approach, and sonic elements developed in Machina have continued to influence The Smashing Pumpkins' later works. Albums like "Oceania," "Monuments to an Elegy," "ATUM," and "Aghori Mhori Mei" carry forward elements of the Machina sound and thematic concerns.
The band's continued interest in concept albums and interconnected works reflects the ambitious approach pioneered with Machina, suggesting its lasting impact on Billy Corgan's artistic vision.
Influence on Other Artists
The Machina project's innovative approach to narrative, distribution (particularly Machina II), and multimedia storytelling has influenced subsequent generations of artists exploring concept albums and transmedia projects.
Its integration of visual art, narrative, and music as equal components of a unified artistic vision anticipated approaches that would become more common in the digital era.
A Continuing Story
The planned comprehensive reissue of the Machina albums in 2025 suggests that this chapter of The Smashing Pumpkins' story is not yet complete. The recontextualization of these works within the band's larger catalog continues to evolve, with new connections and interpretations emerging over time.
As Billy Corgan continues to expand the narrative universe he began with Mellon Collie and developed through Machina, ATUM, and now Aghori Mhori Mei, fans can look forward to new insights and revelations about this ambitious artistic project.
Connecting Threads
"Zero is the same character as Glass... it's the same person. Zero on Mellon Collie is this disaffected, disconnected person who's basically given up. Glass is what happens when that person finds God."
"I've always been interested in making albums that have a broader context than just a collection of songs. From Siamese Dream through Machina and beyond, I've tried to create works that have multiple layers of meaning and connection."
"ATUM is the third part of a trilogy. It's a sequel to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and Machina/The Machines of God."