Jesse Andersen

Jesse Andersen
Instruments	Tambourine, vocals
Associated acts	The Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan

Jesse Andersen is Billy Corgan's autistic half-brother and the subject of the song "Spaceboy". He has joined The Smashing Pumpkins on stage a number of times over the years, typically playing tambourine or providing vocals. Corgan told Feelnumb.com of him:

“ He’s an interesting character. It’s kind of about how he’s different. He has physical handicap, it’s hard to explain. He has a rare chromosomal disorder, it gives him a some what different genetic make up. He has different physical and mental problems and yet somehow by all accounts, I’m physically and mentally OK. But I feel our lives are the similar. (Similar in the way that we are both) Freaks of nature, freaks of society, I always keep going back to something by Henry Miller. No matter how much he smiled, told jokes, shook hands, patted people on the back. People still looked at him funny, they still sensed something wasn’t right. I’ve always felt that way, that no matter how normal I appear, I was treated differently. ” — Billy Corgan, Feelnumb.com

Personal life

Andersen suffers from cerebral palsy and Tourette syndrome. When he was born, there was belief he wouldn't be able to walk or talk. Corgan, who essentially took a lead role in raising his brother, blasted the doctors at the time who called him a "vegetable." Through a lot of work, Corgan and his family were able to provide a loving home and provide a normal life for him. Corgan would be very protective of Andersen at school. In an interview with the HuffPost, Corgan explained how he would treat him just like his other brother at home, but acknowledged he grew differently than others, influencing him to write "Spaceboy" as Andersen is "kind of kid who comes from some other planet and he's had to figure it out for himself as he's gotten to be a man."

Since the late 90s, he's worked at the Hyatt Corporation, requiring him to take Chicago public transit.

Mugging incident

On June 9, 2011, a gang of thieves mugged and attacked Andersen while riding the Chicago subway system. He was listening to Nelly Furtado when a woman stole his iPad, and after he pursued her, he was struck in the face by three other men. Corgan wrote on Twitter of the incident: "My little brother Jesse was attacked and robbed by three men. The bad guys picked the wrong kid to fuck with. He’s OK, but if you want to send him some love." Andersen was interviewed by several local news networks regarding the robbery.

A year later, in retrospect, Corgan told the HuffPost he was not pleased with the "negative" attention he got by the press, but was proud of the show of support from Corgan's fans. "He wants to be in the world. You know, he doesn't want to live on the edges of our society, he wants to be squarely in the middle and have a very real experience and I've seen a transformation in him in the past year," Corgan told the news outlet in an interview.

Wrestling

In 2012, Corgan included Andersen in a script for a Resistance Pro Wrestling (Corgan's older wrestling company endeavor before). Corgan said that Andersen, who had watched wrestling with Corgan since childhood, had really wanted to be a "bad guy" on the show. Andersen reportedly thoroughly enjoyed his involvement, with Corgan stating "He hit every note that he had to hit and even improvised a bit."

Interview with Johngy's Beat about Resistance Pro Wrestling

Touring stats

• Total shows: 6 shows
• First performance: The Smashing Pumpkins 1992-07-23 at Metro, Chicago, IL, US
• Last performance: Billy Corgan 2014-08-30 at Ravinia Pavilion, Highland Park, IL, US