There’s always a lot of egos swirling in a rock band. Every person has their own perspective on how the music should and shouldn’t go. Sometimes, that aligns, but a lot of times, the band leader tends to clash with the rest of their crew. This is especially the case for Billy Corgan when he was beefing with his ex-bassist D’Arcy Wretzky for the Smashing Pumpkins. D’Arcy was on board with the band until the year 2000, when they released Machina II/The Friends & Enemies Of Modern Music.
Ever since that time, Corgan and Wretzky have jabbed back and forth at each other. In 2018, the former said reuniting with the bassist would be like a “sh***y reality show.” Moreover, he said that the bridges that were burned would never be mended. Meanwhile, D’Arcy called Billy Corgan “insufferable” and that he had a “brain tumor,” something he said was predictably cruel and untrue.
Now, though, Corgan proves that it’s not impossible to say nice things about someone you’ve butted heads with.
Billy Corgan Praises Former Band Member Despite Previous Feud
Recently, the Smashing Pumpkins singer spoke positively on his Substack about his old bandmate D’Arcy. Rather than bring up past barbs, he explains that he owes a lot to her and the rest of the band for their success together. “You know, I don’t often speak on D’Arcy’s contribution, because obviously what went down a few years ago didn’t leave either one of us in the best light,” Billy Corgan says. “But, I’ve said it before, and I have no problem saying it again. D’Arcy had a way of kind of letting it be known – stuff that she thought was moving the band forward, or moving the band laterally, or moving the band backwards. And probably, of the four of us, her opinion about those types of things carried more weight.”
“So her contribution, kind of spiritually, emotionally, I think had a lot to do with the success of the band,” Billy Corgan adds. “So again, I would never take that away from her. I really did respect her musical opinion.”
Additionally, Corgan notes that it was the music that kept them together for so long. Despite their issues personally, it’s the art he holds the closest. “I mean, two of the three records turned out to be very important records. So that’s something I always hold [dear]. It’s a shame there wasn’t more of it, and we certainly did try again in ’99, but I mean, I guess in a musician’s life, nothing is truly linear,” Billy Corgan says.
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