The band frontman also reveals that he hasn't been in a room with his former bandmate for 19 years.
- May 4, 2018
AceShowbiz - The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has revealed he abandoned plans to work with former bandmate D'arcy Wretzky when she started making demands about a planned reunion. The "Tonight,Tonight" singer regrouped with James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain earlier this year, sparking a nasty war of words with the bassist, who was locked out of the get together, and now Corgan insists the reunion would not have worked if Wretzky was involved.
Telling Metallica star Lars Ulrich he hasn't been in a room with his former bandmate for 19 years during an appearance on the heavy rocker's Beats 1 radio show, Corgan said, "I spent two years repairing my relationship with her (Wretzky)," adding their initial phone conversations were pleasant, but things changed.
"It became obvious that it wasn't the way she wanted it to be (and) it turned into this thing that turned very reminiscent of the past," he explained, adding, "If you're really not passionate about what you do and you’re not passionate about providing that passion to fans by extension and saying, 'Look, we really love what we do and we want to share this with you.' If that relationship is not at the heart of what you do, then what are you doing?"
Corgan admitted he has a very different relationship with Iha and Chamberlain. "Being in a band is like being in a family," He explained. "We've had such intense experiences together... The thing that keeps you on the rudder is the music and the fact that somehow when the three of us come together, this magical thing happens that's bigger than me, and I have no problem admitting to that."
New Order star Peter Hook's son Jack Bates has been recruited to replace Wretzky in Smashing Pumpkins for a series of upcoming live shows.
