Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan Shares Powerful Video Featuring D’arcy

5
101

Smashing Pumpkins members Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin recently shared a clip of the band’s “Siva” video which prominently features original bass player D’arcy Wretzky. This is the first time Corgan and Chamberlin have uploaded a video featuring D’arcy since it was revealed she would be excluded from the band’s reunion. Corgan though did not mention D’arcy in the post about the video, instead tagging her replacement Jack Bates.

“In many ways, the song that started it all #siva #smashingpumpkins @smashingpumpkins @jamesihaofficial @chamberdrums @jjjschroeder @jackbass89.”

In Chamberlin’s post about the video he wrote, “Strangers in a strange world were we. Thrift store clothes and rock and roll dreams! @smashingpumpkins #shinyandohsobrightour2018 #gish #chicago #thriftstorefinds.”

Jack Bates was part of an infamous quote from D’arcy’s account of one of her final conversations with Billy Corgan in January. She described the conversation with Alternative Nation during our interview last month.

“The last time I spoke to him when I made him tell me, I said: ‘Do I have a shot at being the bass player?’ Because he still wanted me involved ‘in anyway I wanted to be, as much as little as I wanted to be involved. Right?’

‘Well, I can’t speak for James and Jimmy.’

‘I’m not asking you to speak for James and Jimmy. You, just you, would you let me play bass for the tour, to be the bass player for the whole tour?’

‘Well, we’ve got Jack Bates.’

‘I don’t know who that is.’

‘Well he’s a really great bass player.’

‘That’s besides the point, if I did everything more than perfectly, if I crushed it?’

He’s like, ‘Haha, you think you can play bass better than Jack Bates?’

I’m like, ‘Just for argument’s sake, let’s say I did.’

I ignored that slag. ‘Would you let me play, is there a chance?’

Finally he said, ‘No.’

I got him to say it, and I also got him to say who the bass player was, and I also said: ‘Okay, thank you now for giving me some information, so I can make an informed decision about whether or not I will participate in it, and my answer is no. I will tell you my terms, if you change your mind, I will participate in the tour, but I have to be the bass player for the whole tour. Do you understand?’

He said, ‘Yeah, okay, I understand.’

I said, ‘No, no. I want you to tell me now, in your words, your understanding, because you never understand anything I say, and you tell me how you don’t understand what I say, and I’ve been working really hard, you know I have to make sure that I am communicating with people what I’m trying to communicate. I want to know that you understand.’

So he’s like, ‘You’ll be the bass player if you could play-‘

‘No, no, tell me.’

I made him try three or four times, and he finally said: ‘Okay, so your terms are you’ll do the tour if you can be the bass player for the whole tour, and be involved in what everybody else is going to be involved in.’

I’m like, ‘Yes, that is correct.’ I said, ‘Now, just out of curiosity, if I were to come out and play some of these shows that you want me to play, how much would I be paid?’

He said, ‘I’m not willing to discuss that.’ He thought I should feel grateful, and that it was a privilege to do that. He was holding out this thing was like a carrot, but it was never going to happen. He’s always done that, we work ours asses off, and we don’t get shit. It’s as much Jimmy and James’ fault as it is Billy, because they won’t fight him.”