Billy Corgan has debuted a new song together with Wizzo The Wizard, a character from Chicago’s Bozo The Clown television series, on NBC Chicago’s New Year’s Eve broadcast.
On New Year’s Eve (December 31), Madame Zuzu’s – the tea shop Corgan started with his wife Chloe Mendel in Highland Park – was featured as a satellite venue on NBC Chicago’s New Year’s Eve countdown programme.
The venue staged performances backed by a jazz band, including the debut of a new song Corgan penned about Wizzo The Wizard, a side character from WGN-TV’s The Bozo Show.
The variety series, which ran from 1960 to 2001, starred Bozo The Clown as its main personality, and occasionally featured Wizzo The Wizard, who was played by the late Marshall Brodien. During the New Year’s Eve programme, Brodien’s son filled in as the character, miming along with a tuxedoed Corgan for the quirky number.
Following the broadcast, various fans took to social media to express their confusion over Corgan’s new song and performance. “Ladies and gentlemen, this just happened,” wrote one user on X, in a post featuring a brief clip of the performance. “What is Billy Corgan doing here,” commented another.
Ladies and gentlemen, this just happened. Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan singing about Bozo sidekick Wizzo the Wizard alongside a Wizzo lookalike pic.twitter.com/a0n9ukYdqO
— Mark Guess (@markguess) January 1, 2024
What is Billy Corgan doing here lol pic.twitter.com/0V6ezmHGiE
— Martinelli PR Dept. (@skamrade) January 1, 2024
Watching Billy Corgan singing the Wizzo the Clown theme is kind of surreal pic.twitter.com/7pOQThMaJk
— TikiHymnologist https://www.threads.net/@tgilkison (@TikiHymnologist) January 1, 2024
Hopefully Billy Corgan doesn’t start the show with his lounge act. pic.twitter.com/DpU8GY2wCb
— Ryan Patrick (@RyanPat7726) January 1, 2024
Elsewhere in the broadcast, Corgan also performed a cover of ‘Summertime’, from George Gershwin’s 1935 opera Porgy And Bess, despite it being winter in Chicago. At the conclusion of the programme, Corgan wished the television audience a happy new year, before quipping: “I don’t think they’ll invite us again next year”.
Corgan’s performance of ‘Wizzo’ marks the second time Corgan made a bemusing appearance on a primetime television programme during the 2023 holiday season. In November, he joined The Smashing Pumpkins for a stripped-back rendition of ‘Silver Bells’ for Disney’s holiday special on ABC. In a promotional interview ahead of the event, Corgan also admitted to being a collector of Disney memorabilia.
In September 2023, the Smashing Pumpkins commemorated the 30th anniversary of ‘Siamese Dream’ with a concert at Madame Zuzu’s, which replicated their Tower Records release show following the album’s release. Earlier in the year, Corgan released a collaborative single with Code Orange entitled ‘Take Shape’.