D'arcy Wretzky
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| D'arcy Wretzky | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | D'arcy |
| Born | May 1, 1968 South Haven, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Bass Guitar, vocals |
| Associated acts | The Smashing Pumpkins Starchildren |
D'arcy Elizabeth Wretzky (born May 1, 1968 in South Haven, Michigan), also known simply as D'arcy, is a rock musician best known for her work as a bass player with the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins.
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[edit] Early life
Wretzky was born and raised in Michigan, where her mother, a musician, encouraged D'arcy and her sisters to perform music. Growing up, she played the violin and oboe, and performed in choirs.[1] She also performed gymnastics.[2] She would later refer to her father, a building contractor with a love of horseback riding, as "a very strange man."[2] The young Wretzky was a self-described "tomboy", and had a contentious relationship with her sister.[3] She attended South Haven's L.C. Mohr High School, where she grew interested in post-punk and played in cover bands. After high school, she moved to France to join a band, but the band had already disbanded upon her arrival, prompting her to return to the United States. She then moved to Chicago and spent the summer living with friends and attending concerts.[4]
[edit] Smashing Pumpkins
After a concert at a local rock club, Wretzky overheard Billy Corgan criticizing the band that had performed. An argument and discussion followed, and Corgan recruited her into his band, the nascent Smashing Pumpkins, which, at the time, was merely Corgan, James Iha, and a drum machine. Wretzky accepted, and Jimmy Chamberlin completed the lineup a few months later, after Joe Shanahan encouraged Corgan to add a live drummer.
Wretzky's time in the band was marked by alternating periods of happiness and discomfort. Corgan considered her the "mortal authority" and "moral conscience" of the band.[5] In the aftermath of the success of 1995's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Corgan said she began an "apparent slow descent into insanity and/or drugs (take your pick)."[6] Finally, in 1999, Wretzky left the band to pursue an acting career. Corgan later said she was "fired for being a mean spirited drug addict who refused to get help."[7] She was replaced with former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur.
Wretzky is the credited bassist on the Smashing Pumpkins' first five studio albums - Gish, Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Adore, and MACHINA/The Machines of God. It was confirmed by both Corgan and herself, however, that Corgan would often record the bass tracks for albums because he could complete them in far fewer takes.[8][9] Wretzky often contributed backing vocals in concert. She sang on four Smashing Pumpkins songs - "Daydream", from Gish, "Farewell and Goodnight" and "Beautiful", from Mellon Collie, and "Dreaming", from The Aeroplane Flies High. Wretzky also cowrote one Smashing Pumpkins song, "Daughter".
[edit] Personal life
Wretzky and bandmate James Iha dated for a time in the early 1990s, with their breakup adding considerable tension to the recording of Siamese Dream. Wretzky went on to marry Kerry Brown, the drummer of the band Catherine, in 1994. Her vocals were featured on the tracks "Four Leaf Clover" and "Punch Me Out" on the band's 1996 LP, Hot Saki and Bedtime Stories. She also appeared in the video for "Four Leaf Clover". The couple has since been divorced for several years. She is still friends with James Iha[citation needed]. Incidentally, Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin recorded Zeitgeist at Brown's home studio in 2006.[10] She can also be heard singing backup vocals on the Filter song "Cancer." She was rumored to have been involved with singer Richard Patrick at the time and the song "Miss Blue" is supposedly about her.
Wretzky was arrested January 25, 2000 in Chicago after she purchased three bags of crack cocaine. According to police, undercover officers observed Wretzky and a male companion enter a building on West Grand Avenue and then shortly afterwards returned to their car. The driver, identified as Tony Young, then drove off without his headlights on and proceeded to make two illegal U-turns before police stopped the car. When searched, the police found drugs in Young's pocket. The driver insisted they were not his, claiming that Wretzky "handed me some rocks to hold." Upon questioning, she admitted giving him the three plastic bags. She successfully completed a court-ordered drug education program, and the charges were dropped.
Wretzky has been living in Watervliet, Michigan since 2000. She owns a horse farm and three antique shops. One of her horses, "Jet Set Miss", was accepted into the Arabian Horse Pilot Program in August 2000 after passing inspection in Romeo, Michigan.[11]
She has remained almost entirely out of the public eye since 2000, and since 2006, she has been living in Austin, Texas.
[edit] References
- ^ Goldberg, Michael. "Smashing Pumpkin D'arcy Dares to be Happy." Addicted to Noise, December 1995. Retrieved on 2007/09/23.
- ^ a b Marks, Craig. "Zero Worship." Spin Magazine: June 1996.
- ^ "A Babe in Boyland." Mademoiselle, December 1995. Retrieved on 2007/09/23
- ^ Pullen, Doug. "Michigan Native D'arcy Ready For More Successes." The Flint Journal: 1996/06/26. Retrieved on 2007/09/23.
- ^ Blashill, Pat. "Out on a Limb", Details Magazine, October 1996.
- ^ Corgan, Billy. "Way Out in Outpost Canyon." The Confessions of Billy Corgan. 2005/04/13.
- ^ Billy Corgan's Personal Blog. Written February 17, 2004
- ^ Chamberlin, Jimmy; Corgan, Billy (interview subjects). Inside the Zeitgeist (Reprise Records, 2007).
- ^ Azzerrad, Michael. "Smashing Pumpkins' Sudden Impact". Rolling Stone. October 1993.
- ^ Chamberlin, Jimmy and Billy Corgan. (Interview subjects). (2007-10-30). Inside the Zeitgeist [DVD]. Reprise Records.
- ^ Crakehner Times Newsletter
[edit] External links
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Wretzky, D'arcy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1968-5-1 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | South Haven, Michigan, U.S. |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
