Billy Corgan to Open Tea House in Chicago's Highland Park Neighborhood

Billy Corgan is scheduled to open a tea house in Highland Park.

Eric Charbonneau/WireImage

Billy Corgan is getting into the foodie game.

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman recently opened up to Eater about his plans to launch a 1930s Chinese-style tea house in Chicago's upscale Highland Park neighborhood. He hopes to open the still-unnamed salon in March or April 2012 and has already signed the lease, and has begun planning a modest menu of exotic teas, vegan sweets and coffee.

"It has a whimsical feel to it... It'll feel like you're stepping back in time in terms of space, but what we put into the space will change," Corgan said. "My dream number is changing it 15 to 20 times a month where you're inviting people to talk about film or have an open mic night."

However, if patrons swing by the tea house to see the owner, Corgan doesn't sound accommodating. "If people come in to stalk me I won't hang out because I don't want to disrupt the customers," he says.

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Song Stories

“Tonight's the Night”

The Shirelles | 1960

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."

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