https://www.instagram.com/p/Be0fOWGjk7f/
As the Smashing Pumpkins reunion soldiers on, Billy Corgan has taken a liking to using his Instagram page as a diary for whatever’s on his mind, sharing photos accompanied by lengthy captions. In one of his latest, he shares a photo of a Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness-inspired tattoo and talks about playing bass. In discussing Smashing Pumpkins co-founder James Iha’s history with the bass, he takes an opportunity to throw shade at former band member D’Arcy Wretzky, who he hints didn’t contribute much to the band’s 2000 album Machina/The Machines Of God, writing:
“[James Iha] on the other hand, well, I haven’t seen him pick up a bass since Machina (which he played a fair share on, despite reports claiming a certain ‘flaxen Saxxon’ did; and as you know with much that is written is patently f-a-l-s-e).”
There seems to be truth behind Corgan’s claim: She left the band in 1999 while they were recording the album, and even if she had been around for that entire process, Corgan has re-recorded her bass parts in the past, such as on Siamese Dream. That said, it feels like the intent behind Corgan’s statement was less to clarify the historical record and more to take a jab at Wretzky, who previously said that she’s been left in the dark about the band’s reunion:
“My apologies to all of the Smashing Pumpkins fans out there who are excited about this oncoming reunion tour of the original members of the band. I know this is a huge disappointment for me, as well, but it’s not going to happen [with me]. I only just found about yesterday that the band has decided to go with a different bass player.”
