Under construction.
Wretch
I created WRETCH in November of 2022, the sum of developing Ghost as a character over the course of one year. What arose was an exploration of a brand new simulated environment, one that I witnessed, lived, and breathed in as Ghost.I documented this world through his eyes: his memories, living life in the 2070s, moving to Night City, relationships, the experience of being in a band, and everything that came with it. While immersed in that exterior world, I could connect with Ghost's inner world, his functions, the way he might navigate certain situations, and the way he expresses himself.All these experiences were then compiled and compacted into a virtual diary that was consistently updated for 8 months, it focused largely on Ghost's experiences through his own subjective perspective.Most of the "virtual diary", or at least, the text entries, have been stashed away for now while I work on cleaning them up, but a portion of the visuals which accompanied these ramblings can still be found on the Instagram linked above. Although it's now a remnant of what it used to be, it still remains the largest part of this project.
Wretch (band)
Wretch is an American metal band from Night City, California, formed in 2070 by lead vocalist James Lee-Vedder and lead guitarist Jeremy Bassett-Stone, later joined by Razel Baptiste on rhythm guitar, and Julio Rivera on drums. The band is known for their gritty sound, lending from genres such as industrial metal and sludge metal.
2069-2071: Formation and early years
Founding member and frontman James Lee-Vedder gained his footing in the underground music scene performing as synth rock act Ad Nauseam, a solo project which he started in 2069. It wasn’t until he brought onboard lead guitarist Jeremy Bassett-Stone (better known simply as Ghost), who had worked for him as a roadie at the time[1], that the band rebranded themselves along with their new sound, as Wretch. When asked where they got their name, Vedder refers to an article critiquing his work with Ad Nauseam, quoting a line from the article, “Ad Nauseam succeeds at its namesake, that is, causing their listeners to violently retch.”[1]The then duo would spend 2071 and the first half of 2072 touring under other metal acts like Skinny, Archetyma, Slavedust, SONS, and Evil Mind[2]. During these months, Stone said they "were on stage almost every night, so we had to pen new material on the road, 'cause we wanted to put together a demo tape."[3] "We had bands approach us all the time saying 'you guys are fucking insane, we want you to open for us', and we were happy to do that."[3] Vedder and Stone would come to finalize their demo tape in 2071 and dubbed it The Ripperdoc Tapes, having recorded the four tracks in a makeshift studio within a ripperdoc clinic.[4]Aaron Young, lead singer of the doom metal band Bitch, took a liking to the band's unique sound and while touring with the band on Bitch's Dark Visions American Tour, handed over a copy of The Ripperdoc Tapes to music manager Nana Buckley[5], who also managed the California-based neo-thrash metal band Neurosik. Buckley would promptly pass the tape to Universal's A&R representative Tony Johnston, and the band would sign to Skop Records, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation, in 2071.
2072-2073: Plasticine and Hate
The label wanted to get Wretch into the studio as soon as possible, and in April 2072 Vedder and Stone began recording material for the promotional EP Plasticine as well as their debut album, Hate.The EP's lead single 'Plasticine' became a club hit and received regular airplay and screentime after its release and accompanying music video, which was directed by a well known XBD producer and featured controversial imagery. The use of this imagery is what propelled the band into the spotlight[6]. In an interview, Vedder states about the video, "[it’s] appealingly grotesque, it's just something you want to stop looking at but can't, I think that applies to a lot of the world around us right now".[6]Wretch released their debut album entitled Hate on 5th November, 2072, which sold 90,000 copies in its first week, and was certified Gold three weeks later.[7]In order to promote the 'Plasticine' music video being adapted to MVC format, the band would appear on the DMS Network for their first televised live performance which was recorded at Time Machine in Night City.[8]While on tour in 2073, the duo expanded into a four piece band, welcoming guitarist Razel Baptiste, a childhood friend of Stone's, and drummer Julio Rivera. Vedder would then take on the role of bassist for live sets in addition to providing lead vocals, although he is known to switch to rhythm guitar for a number of songs, in which case Baptiste would provide bass.After their Hate Tour, the band would continue to tour with The Cartesian Duelists as their opening act for the ULTRA North American and European Tours of 2074.
2074-2076: Nil and hiatus
Now joined by Baptiste and Rivera, the band would return to the studio to begin writing material for their second album. The band chose to work with well known producer Larry Strong for the album.[9]Sony Music Entertainment would take over the band's contract. The label commissioned a brand new studio for the band to record in, but due to a stockpile of permits and other complications, construction took longer than initially expected, and the band was forced to make use of the unfinished space in order to save time. Vedder openly criticized the label and its corporate executives, calling it "extremely unprofessional"[10] in an interview. "There were so many things that could've been done to speed up the process, get our studio done in time, but they didn't. They just didn't care enough. They wanted to stick us in an unfinished studio and hope we'd get shit done so they could profit off it."[10] Stone also voiced his frustrations on the incomplete studio, but also stated that the band "did what we could to make it our own."[10] "Razel painted Vevè symbols on the bare walls, we put a bunch of rugs all over the place and moved some old furniture in. It actually looked pretty cool like that."[10]Due to the inadequate recording space, the band experienced numerous delays and many wasted days trying to get the record done. Construction on the studio completed in June 2074 and the band was able to wrap up recording by July 2074. The album cost €$800,000 and had to be remixed twice.[10]Upon completion, Sony asked the band to christen the studio, having been the first ones to use the space. Members of the band would come up with suggestions, such as the name 'Whiplash', a poke at Vedder's constant neck pain complaints during their time at the studio.[10] Stone shared in an issue of Hammer magazine that year, "Early on when we were working there we couldn't get much done. Recording anything in that big empty space, it just sounded fucking horrible. We spent most of our time writing material, recording song demos, and fucking around on the scaffolding they still had up at the time. We'd climb up on those things, plug into some amplifiers, and pretend we were a speed metal band. After a week of that James comes into the studio and tells us he's got whiplash. We were in tears laughing."[10]Ultimately, the band decided to name the studio The Jackal, a reference to the large Anubis statue Vedder had commissioned to place at the entrance of the studio. The Jackal has since served numerous bands, including Tinnitus, and many have confirmed that the original Vevè paintings done by Baptiste are still on the walls in the studio.[9]Wretch released their second studio album, entitled Nil, on September 22nd, 2074. Within the first month of its release the album sold 650,000 copies[11] and subsequently won Best Metal Album of the Year.[13] The album would be certified Double Platinum in December 2074.[18]On November 9th, 2074, only two weeks after the album’s release and a week into the anNIHILate Tour's North American leg, the band and its road crew members were involved in an accident after encountering terrorists from a nomad clan en route to their next show along Indianapolis to Detroit.[14] Although all four band members survived, sustaining only minor injuries, one of the three tour buses travelling with the band burst into flames after being repeatedly fired at, killing all thirty-six crew members on board. Another fourteen crew members were shot and killed during the altercation. Despite the incident, the band continued with the remaining dates almost immediately after tour coordinators quickly acquired equipment and crew replacements within twenty-four hours.[15]"We were in our bunks when it happened, Jeremy was sleeping, I think Razel and Julio were too. I was still up writing a song that'd been stuck in my head the entire day. Could feel the bus coming to a stop, so I thought our driver was just going to take a leak. That's when I heard the gunfire. Looked out towards the front and saw him slumped over the wheel. […] On the road we're always armed, you gotta be when you're travelling these roads. I just pulled out the weapon case tucked underneath the bunk, grabbed my rifle and woke the guys up. These men with guns just kept piling up into our bus, and we just kept shooting at 'em until they were all dead. We killed them all. […] We finally got out, and it was just fiery carnage. […] I remember Jeremy turning around to just stare at me before he broke down, all I could do was hold him. We were looking at the bodies of our friends, members of our family scattered along the road. That image stuck with me for awhile, felt like some kind of sick, twisted warning." describes Vedder, detailing the gruesome event during an interview in 2075.[19]The band continued the anNIHILate Tour with additional European dates following the financial success of the North American tour.[16] Upon returning from Europe, Vedder exiled himself from the spotlight, he would not make a single public appearance between 2075 and 2077[22], with the exception of a radio interview conducted by Vexelstrom for Stone and Baptiste[22], where Vedder called up the station to join in on the interview unexpectedly. The band's management chose to state that the band members were "taking time off to recover from health issues and to be around family."[19] A photo of Vedder surfaced in 2076 in which he looked as though he was not in good health and had lost several pounds, which added to the rumors of drug abuse[23]. Vedder's bandmates, as well as the label, would deny drug abuse as the cause of the apparent deterioration in Vedder's physical appearance.[23]During this time, Stone would not speak much about Vedder's self-imposed exile whenever asked, however, he often alluded to his bandmate's condition in various interviews, confirming that he would visit Vedder's residence frequently. Allegedly, Stone would be the only person Vedder allowed into his home throughout this period.Vedder's last public appearance in 2075 was an intimate interview conducted within his private residence outside of Night City, where he expressed his regret for the casualties of the incident that occurred while on tour, stating, "I should have said no. We should have told those corporate pricks to fuck off, cancel the rest of the tour, and gone home, that's what we should have done."[17]
2076-present: Scorpio, death of Julio Rivera and disappearance of Jeremy Bassett-Stone
Following the brief hiatus and a tensed relationship with their label[20], Vedder re-emerged from isolation in 2076[25], and it was announced that the band had begun writing and recording new material for their much anticipated third studio album. 'Venom' and 'Fuck You' were released as singles in August and September 2077, and revealed that the band would adopt a much darker sound than their previous work.[26]On October 3rd, 2077, only three weeks before the album’s release, Julio Rivera was found dead as a result of falling victim to gang related gun violence in Santo Domingo.[28] His death was announced on the same night, and an informal memorial was held in the streets of Vista Del Rey and was attended by hundreds of fans. The three remaining band members, as well as friends and family, were also present at the memorial.Despite the loss, the band were still contractually obligated to make all previously scheduled public appearances in relevance to the upcoming album release, as well as embark on the meticulously planned 2077 Venom World Tour.[28] When asked, the band refused to comment about going forward without cancellation of the tour, however, in an interview, Vedder speaks briefly about it, saying “it’s what [Julio] would have wanted, for us to keep going.” Fans would note that Vedder was unlike himself during this interview, some saying that it looked and played out like a script. Speculations would arise that the corporation backing the label forced the band to go on tour, essentially pulling the strings behind everything they said and did.[33]On October 13th, 2077, the band released their second EP entitled 'J', a collection of songs written and performed for their late drummer, Rivera, featuring a mix of unreleased demo tracks as well as newly recorded material written within the span of ten days.[28]Scorpio was released on October 30th, 2077. On the day of release, the band performed a special one-time show at Night City's McCartney Stadium to celebrate its release. In place of Rivera, the band utilized an AI drummer for the entirety of the set. Vedder's physical appearance had noticeably improved, Metalforce stated in an article covering the performance, "[Vedder] looked just like he did five years ago, and the two year hiatus certainly did not take away from the band's sound".[27]The Venom World Tour was set to extend through 2078, though unknown complications would soon plague the dates and the tour was axed before it took off.[29]On November 11th, 2077, after failing to quell rumors and theories, and desperate to subdue furious fans, Sony greenlit the decision from the band's then manager, Alice Lainey Sinclair, to officially announce that they had not seen or heard from Wretch since the release of Scorpio.[30] Later on, it would be revealed that both Vedder and Stone were reportedly last seen arguing along the side of a busy suspension bridge after the night they performed for the album's release. The pair were supposed to appear at a party in Corpo Plaza, but neither Vedder or Stone were seen at the party.[30]Vedder and Stone would officially be listed as missing persons, and a formal investigation conducted by the NCPD would begin on December 1st, 2077. This story would be covered exhaustively, making national headlines, and would be one of the few occurrences in recent history that involved vigilante groups joining in on the search, many of these groups formed by fans of the band.On December 3rd, 2077, police officials recovered a sunken vehicle in the waters of Del Coronado Bay after receiving an anonymous tip informing them of a vehicle that had been seen allegedly driving off a promenade and into Coronado Bay. The vehicle in question was a black Quadra Type-66, a car model Stone had been known to own. The vehicle's serial number confirmed that it was Stone's car. The NCPD would put out their leading theory that Stone likely drove his car into Coronado Bay under the influence of alcohol or illicit substances. This theory has been widely ridiculed by those close to Stone, as it was generally known that Stone had been clean since 2076. The theory was further disproved when the vehicle was taken in as evidence. Investigators found a cyberdeck in the front passenger's seat, belonging to a Vaanya Faraj, who was also reportedly missing at the same time. It is unknown what relationship Faraj and Stone shared, though several accounts state that they were often seen together at the Northside establishment, Totentanz.Cyrus Merritt, lead investigator of the case at the time, shared at a press conference regarding the new findings, "There were no bodies found inside the vehicle, damage on the vehicle's left door by brute force could indicate that [Stone] might have managed to let himself out. Further forensic examination of the car revealed that the brakes were not tampered with, and there were no signs of foul play involved. We are currently looking into all persons considered close to either Stone or Faraj for possible suspects. As such, we are still unable to rule out an attempted homicide at this time."The FIA would take over the case on December 7th, 2077. It is unknown as to why the FIA took interest in this case, but it is generally theorized that the FIA had been looking into the disappearance of Vaanya Faraj at the time.Officials working on the case received reports from police informants on December 15th, 2077, stating that Vedder was seen at a gas station just two miles from the Southern California border. Vedder would be taken into custody on the morning of December 17th, 2077 on the grounds of being a prime suspect in the disappearance and possible attempted homicide of Faraj and Stone. Vedder was kept inside the room they held the interrogation in for over forty two hours, despite officials having no physical evidence against him, and was only released from custody after a legal representative from Sony Corporation stepped in."[Vedder] had already been questioned for over forty hours when I arrived. He was exhibiting clear signs of dissociative behavior. He would not speak, he barely moved, and appeared to be disheveled. It just seemed like he wasn't even there." Youssef Elliot, the attorney Sony had sent for Vedder, describes the state the musician was in, adding, "You could clearly see the bruises on both of his arms and his neck, there was also a large cut that swelled up his lower lip, and he had a black eye." Elliot confronted the agents that were in the room, to which he was told that Vedder had arrived to the precinct in that state. "[The agents] were lying. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that some form of misconduct was taking place here." After their departure from the precinct, Elliot would come to learn that Vedder sustained a multitude of injuries, stating, "there were marks and bruises all over his body."Sony Corporation would file a lawsuit against the NCPD precinct that kept Vedder in custody for "grievous damage to company property and/or assets", which would later be settled out of court. Vedder was not informed of the suit nor was he involved, and did not receive a settlement.Vedder would seemingly drop out of the spotlight and public eye all at once, denying to speak publicly about the incident, his bandmates, or the band itself. However, in 2078, a small group of reporters waiting at the gates of his residence would unknowingly seize a rare occasion in which Vedder actually acknowledged their questions. A reporter from the Night City Journal asked if he believed the rumors that Stone had "pulled a stunt to leave Night City and start a new life", to which Vedder bluntly responded, "No, he wouldn't do that to me."
Discography
Hate
Released 22nd November 2072Tracklist:
1. Take It
2. Do You?
3. Plasticine
4. Worse Than That
5. Crawl
6. Maggot
7. I'm Starting To Scare Myself
8. From Inside
9. Cut Here
10. Headless
11. What It Sounds Like
12. Warm
Nil
Released 10th September 2074Tracklist:
1. Gehenna
2. The Fall
3. Severe
4. Eden
5. Serpentine
6. Help Us We're In Hell
7. The Darkest Light
8. Phosphor
9. The Ninth Circle
10. Nihil
11. I Am Nothing
12. An End To It All
13. Pretty
14. Serpentine (Skin Remix)
Scorpio
Released 30th October 2077Tracklist:
1. Zero
2. Fuck You
3. Type 2
4. Venom
5. Watch You Sleep
6. Swallow
7. Something You Can't See
8. Bloodlust
9. Maybe Not
10. Scorpion
11. Suck
12. Far Away (And Into The Deep)
13. Wish You Were Broken Again
14. Daydream
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