Narrator: “This week, on Inside the Music: Slurry was the brainchild of enigmatic virtuoso guitarist Fitzwilliam Darcy, but it wasn’t until he teamed up with outgoing front man Charles Bingley that the group began their meteoric rise to fame. Tonight we will learn the story of one of the most successful rock bands on the road today. We will look at the band’s history, at the tragedies that spawned it, and the curious blend of personalities that make up the group.”
Cut to each band member in turn.
Charles Bingley (smiling happily): “This is better than any dream I have ever had. I have a great life. I get to do something I love, every day, and I’m getting paid to do it. It’s incredible.”
Richard Fitzwilliam (looking rumpled, like he just rolled out of bed): “Will’s gonna tell you it is all about the music, and he’s right, on one level. But you know, everyone has a story, and everyone has a song. It takes something more to be interesting, to be a success. I don’t know what it is, but we seem to have it.”
Fitzwilliam Darcy (staring at the camera): “You have this audience of millions of people and you want to ask me questions about my hair?”
Cue theme music.
Narrator: “The story of Slurry begins with the story of Fitzwilliam Darcy.”
Photo of Darcy, looking broody.
“In 1982, world-famous classical guitarist and artist Anne Fitzwilliam married business mogul Walter Darcy.”
Wedding picture.
Stephen Fitzwilliam, uncle: “When they got married, everyone believed it would never last. There was a general feeling that this relationship was doomed. They came from different worlds. Walter was very serious, very conservative, very committed to his work, and Anne was this wild free spirit and people said that she would never fit in.” He pauses. “And in a sense, she never did, but that didn’t matter to Walter. They loved each other so deeply that they felt the rest of the world, and the world’s opinion, didn’t matter.”
Narrator: “In March of 1983, the couple had their first child.”
Fitzwilliam Darcy (looking thoughtful): “My parents had a relationship of equals. They believed very firmly in this. It was the foundation of their marriage. This belief was so strong that they named me, a product of their joining, by joining their two names, Fitzwilliam and Darcy.”
Narrator: “Fitzwilliam Darcy had a golden childhood. He was raised in the family’s elegant SoHo apartment and was exposed to a wide range of cultures and people. However, not everything was perfect.”
Richard Fitzwilliam: “My aunt was very focused on her career for as long as I knew her. When Will was born, she continued to tour and record, relying on nannies to care for him. And his father, he was always gone. He was very, very committed to his work. I always felt that Will was very lonely as a child. We would spend summers together, he and me and George, but he was always a very solitary person.”
Narrator: “Things changed for the family in 1993, when the Darcys had their second child, a daughter named Georgiana.”
Stephen Fitzwilliam: “When Georgiana was born it was like a new beginning for the family. She was such a beautiful child, and indeed, she has become a beautiful woman, but back then everyone immediately fell in love with her, and Walter and Anne found a new focus. It was like a second marriage with each other.”
George Wickham: “Will has always been devoted to Georgie; we all are. But you can’t deny that it was when she was born that his folks suddenly became much more interested in being parents. I’m sure that hurt Will deeply.” He pauses, shrugging. “But he never blamed Georgie or took it out on her. They were always as close as they could be.”
Narrator: “With the birth of their daughter, the focus of the Darcy household changed. Anne Fitzwilliam drastically cut her touring schedule, and Walter reduced the time he was away from the family.”
Photo of the Darcy family with a baby Georgiana.
“In an effort to reestablish her relationship with her son, Anne began teaching him classical guitar at the age of ten. Darcy proved to have a natural talent for the instrument and quickly became a prodigy.”
Photo of an eleven-year-old Darcy holding a slightly oversized classical guitar.
Richard Fitzwilliam: “Oh, once Will began the guitar, that was it. He played all the time! Hours! Every day! That was all he wanted to do.”
Narrator: “Anne was extremely proud of her son’s talent, and the bond between them became closer through their music.”
Clip of Anne and a gawky thirteen-year-old Darcy in formal dress playing at a concert in 1996. Fitzwilliam has a huge smile on his face, as his mother embraces him. Freeze on that image.
Narrator: “Then, in the spring of 1997, tragedy stuck. Anne Fitzwilliam was diagnosed with cancer, which ravished her body and left her dead just seven weeks after it was discovered.”
Stephen Fitzwilliam: “The cancer, it was just devastating. It was so quick, it just stole her away.” He shakes his head, clearly still stricken. “That was thirteen years ago, but I can still remember it perfectly. It was like we got the diagnosis and the next day she was gone. It was that fast, and we were all, all devastated.”
Richard Fitzwilliam: “When Aunt Anne died, it destroyed Will. It was the one thing he could just not handle, and he retreated into himself.”
Narrator: “Darcy put his guitar away and entered the prestigious and demanding Phillips Academy Prep School. He channeled his grief over the loss of his mother into his studies, graduating at the top of his class in 2001.”
George Wickham: “Will retreated into himself and really cut himself off from his family. He would come home for holidays and summer, of course, but emotionally, he was never really there. I think he was still grieving over his mother.”
Narrator: “During the summer of ’01, Walter Darcy decided to focus on his children to try to improve his relationship with them. He took a leave of absence from his professional duties and took his family on a tour of Europe. The trip was a success. It was during that time that the Darcys were able to overcome their lingering grief and grow closer.”
Photo of a teenage Darcy with his family on a ship.
Richard Fitzwilliam: “Europe changed everything. That was the first time that I think my uncle and Will ever had a good relationship. When Will was a boy, his father was always working, and then, when my aunt died, they were both so depressed. It took them that long to really find each other and develop a relationship.”
Fitzwilliam Darcy (remembering, his face softening slightly): “That summer was critical to me and my development as a person. I am grateful I had that chance to really get to know my father as a person, not just a parent. That trip gave me some of my best memories, ever.”
Narrator: “Recharged from the trip abroad and secure in his improved family relationship, Darcy entered Brown University in the fall of 2001, immediately going to the top of his class. Along the way, he made an important friend: Charles Bingley.”
High school graduation picture of Charles Bingley.
“Bingley was studying business a year behind Darcy. The two soon became fast friends, despite their differences.
“Charles Bingley was born in 1984 to a prosperous family. He lived a carefree childhood in California, dividing his time between the sun and the shore.”
Pictures of Bingley rock climbing and surfing.
“While Darcy thrived on the academic challenge of Brown, Bingley faltered, eventually transferring to the Rhode Island School of Design, where he graduated with a degree in graphic arts. Despite being at different schools, Darcy and Bingley maintained their friendship.
“Then in November of 2004 tragedy struck again. Walter Darcy suffered a massive heart attack and died hours later. Darcy was once again devastated.”
George Wickham: “Oh man! That was a nightmare. I remember getting the phone call from my mom, and I just couldn’t believe it. It was impossible for me to accept it. Mr. Darcy had always been so strong and vital a person and just like that”—makes a gesture with his hand—“he was gone.” Shakes his head and looks away.
Richard Fitzwilliam: “I thought that was it for Will. I really didn’t think he would survive that. He had just found his father, had just connected with him, and then he lost him. It was his mother all over again.
“I really think it was Georgiana that kept him alive. I think if he hadn’t had the responsibility of caring for her, he would have been gone.”
Narrator: “With the loss of his father, Darcy threatened to once again retreat into depression. However, his twelve-year-old sister needed him, and he rallied for her.”
Photo of Darcy and Georgiana, both looking haunted.
“He focused himself on his remaining time at Brown, graduating in May of 2005 with dual degrees in business and literature. While he was completing his studies, Darcy turned back to the guitar that his mother had left him to try to express the grief he was feeling.”
Fitzwilliam Darcy (introspective): “I attempted to play the classical music my mother had taught me, but it wasn’t enough. I was hurting and angry and I needed to release that somehow. Then George suggested I let go of my mother’s music and try writing my own.”
Narrator: “That was the key. Unlike the sophisticated, elegant style of Anne Fitzwilliam, Darcy’s own music was anguished hard rock. In the spring of 2005, Darcy gathered together his childhood friend, George Wickham, and his cousin Richard Fitzwilliam to form a band he called Slurry.”
Richard Fitzwilliam: “I did it as a lark at first, really. I had nothing better to do with my time, and I said, ‘Hey, why not?’” Shrugging. “Plus my family wanted me to keep an eye on Will, so, you know, I figured it was good as anything else.”
Narrator: “Richard Fitzwilliam was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1980.”
Stephen Fitzwilliam, father: “Oh Richard, his mother and I knew even when he was a baby, that boy would be trouble.” Laughing. “He was always fearless, wanting to try everything, and always getting his friends into trouble with him.”
Narrator: “Fitzwilliam grew up in a wealthy home and loving family. Blessed with a charming and easygoing manner, he had perused a number of interests, including college, but had never stuck with anything until Slurry. When Darcy was forming his band, he called on his cousin to play drums.”
Richard Fitzwilliam (laughing): “I was never a serious musician like Will. I had studied drums as a kid in school, mostly because it was a good way to meet girls.” Laughs some more. “And it’s still a good way to meet girls!”
Narrator: “For vocals, Darcy sought out his childhood friend George Wickham. Wickham’s father had been a close friend to Walter Darcy, and the two families had spent much of the boys’ childhood together.”
George Wickham: “Will was like a brother to me. I mean, for the longest time, we were practically brothers. Neither of us had any other siblings, and so we bonded.” He smiles brilliantly at the camera.
Fitzwilliam Darcy (in a light tone): “George and I were very close as children, until my sister was born. Then my family relocated and we spent less time together with the Wickhams, but we would still spend summers together. For most of my life, George was my closest friend.”
Narrator: “Slurry began humbly, as nothing more than an outlet for Darcy to express the music he was writing to deal with his grief. Eventually Wickham pressed for the group to begin performing publicly. The harsh, loud music and stark performance style struck a chord with audiences, and by the beginning of 2006, Slurry had a devoted following in Providence.
“Then Darcy made a life-changing decision.”
Fitzwilliam Darcy: “I realized that a part of me that I thought was long gone was still alive. I found that the music, which I had started as a hobby, had become more important to me than anything else I was considering doing, and I realized that this was what I wanted to.
“It was very hard for me to walk away from my father’s companies. All throughout college, I had planned on working with him. The plan had always been for me to take over when he retired.” He looks away and shrugs. “But that clearly wasn’t going to happen. I decided the band was what I had to do.”
Narrator: “Darcy moved the band to New York City, so he could be with his sister Georgiana. Soon the band had dates playing local clubs.”
Photo of the band, all looking very young, onstage.
“It was then that they were discovered by De Bourgh Records.”
Anne de Bourgh, A&R, De Bourgh Records: “I remember seeing them and knowing, right away, that this was a serious group and that they were going right o the top. These guys weren’t just fooling around. They were professionals.”
Narrator: “Their self-titled debut album was released in October of 2006, after several grueling months in the studio.”
Picture of the album cover.
Richard Fitzwilliam (remembering): “That was a really tough time, because Will wanted to go one way, and George wanted to go another way. And those ways were not the same. The album took much longer than it should have because George and Will could not agree on anything. That was when I started to realize we had trouble.”
Narrator: “The trouble did not stop once the album was released.”
John Willis, Spin magazine: “You can tell that the band was divided when you listen to that album. All the elements are there, all the pieces, but like a puzzle, it never comes together. There is a great drum section here and some really strong vocals there, but it never meshes into a whole. It was no surprise to anyone when the breakup came.”
Narrator: “Slurry had one moderate hit off their first album that made it to thirty-seven on the top forty, but it was becoming clear to Darcy the band had reached its limit, and he started to feel frustrated.”
Fitzwilliam Darcy: “I wanted to be doing more, but it was like we could just never come together. I had all these ideas, and I could hear, in my head, what I wanted. But we just couldn’t do it. It was a very difficult time.”
Narrator: “The band went on tour in late fall of 2006, leaving the comfort zone of their fan following in New York City to introduce themselves to new audiences. With every concert, the tension between Darcy and Wickham grew.”
Picture of an angry-looking Darcy standing next to a grinning Wickham.
Richard Fitzwilliam (angry, frowning): “That was the tour from hell. It was a beep-ing nightmare, and it was all George’s fault. It should have been a triumph, our first tour and all! And George turned it into a tragedy.” Hits his fist on the couch while looking away. “Bastard!”
Narrator: “The tension had reached the breaking point when the band played the Ramsgate Festival on the Fourth of July weekend. While no one was willing to say exactly what happened”—Darcy glaring coldly at the camera—“that weekend was the end of the relationship between Fitzwilliam Darcy and George Wickham.”
Fitzwilliam Darcy (icily): “We had artistic differences that prevented us from being able to continue to work together.”
George Wickham: “What did Darcy say?” Listens for a moment to a voice off camera. “Artistic differences?” He smirks. “Yeah, I guess you could call it that.”
Narrator: “Darcy and Fitzwilliam returned to New York City following Ramsgate, while Wickham fled to Florida. For a while the future of the band seemed to be in question.”
Richard Fitzwilliam: “I thought we were done. Darcy was so angry and disgusted; I really thought we were just done.”
Narrator: “Then an old friend entered the picture. In September, Charles Bingley joined Darcy in New York City for a visit. Bingley was surprised to learn about the band’s existence, but he quickly auditioned for the role as lead singer.”
Fitzwilliam Darcy: “I knew Charles could sing, but I never realized he was so talented. What’s more, he could understand what I was trying to do and add to it. It was when Charles joined us that everything came together. I felt I was finally able to express what I wanted to artistically.”
Richard Fitzwilliam: “Oh, Bingley came in and just like that”—snaps fingers—“everything was better. It was like every difficulty, every stumbling block that we had had with Wickham never existed.”
Charles Bingley: “It was like love at first sight, you know?” Smiles. “As soon as Darcy told me about the band, I got really excited. I just knew I wanted to be a part of it, that it was where I belonged.”
Narrator: “Charles Bingley was the missing piece that the band needed. Like a phoenix, Slurry was reborn—a completely new band, and its potential was seemingly limitless.”
Anne de Bourgh: “As soon as I heard Charles singing with the band, I knew that this was what I had been waiting for. They were electric. They were on fire. It was like holding a lump of plutonium in your hand. You could feel the energy there, ready to be released. We threw out all the old material and sent them right into the studio.”
Narrator: “That proved to be a wise decision. In the studio Darcy took over writing all the songs, a task he had unsuccessfully shared with Wickham in the past. The result was a collection of twelve songs, recorded in a blistering five weeks. The CD was titled Crush, and when it was released in February of 2008, it debuted at number ten in the charts.”
Charles Bingley (smiling): “Yup. Right away we had a hit, and you know that felt great!”
Narrator: “‘Searching in the Dark,’ Darcy’s brooding song about uncertainly and self-direction, was the first single from the CD. It peaked at number one.”
John Willis: “It is amazing when you listen to Slurry and then compare it to Crush. You knew in Slurry that the talent was there, but it’s not until Crush that the band found its balance. As soon as I heard ‘Searching in the Dark,’ with that opening guitar riff”—humming—“I knew that these guys were going right to the top.”
Clip of the video for “Searching in the Dark.”
Narrator: “Slurry’s success came hard and fast. Three more number one hits followed, and the band supported the album with nine months of touring.
“But Charles Bingley brought more that his powerful vocals to Slurry; he also brought his twin sister, Caroline, who became the band’s tour manager.”
Caroline Bingley, tour manager: “Charles called me up and said, ‘Come out to New York; I need you.’ So I did and off we went.”
Narrator: “Caroline proved to be a quick study, taking the reins of the tour and leaving Darcy free to focus on his music. Another album, Polish, followed, which went platinum. The band supported these albums with tours, spending most of the last four years on the road. They continued to gain fans and number one singles.
“By the beginning of 2009 Slurry looked unstoppable. Their albums had sold over ten million copies, and their tour was selling out larger and larger venues. But trouble was just around the corner.”
Richard Fitzwilliam: “We were having a blast. We were rock stars, and we were everywhere. Everything was going our way. We were on TV, we were on the radio. Everyplace we went, there were girls screaming at us. It was a trip, and I was going to enjoy that party.”
Narrator: “But the party soon got out of control. Richard Fitzwilliam had always been a casual drug user, but while on tour he developed an addiction to alcohol.”
Picture of Fitzwilliam with a bottle.
“Darcy and Bingley were only starting to become aware of the problem when, on January 28 of 2009, Fitzwilliam was arrested for DWI.”
Picture of Fitzwilliam in handcuffs being led away by police.
Caroline Bingley: “I had my suspicions that something was up with Richard, but he never got ugly. Yes, he always had a beer in his hand, or later on, a bottle, but it’s not like he was getting into fights or passing out or messing up shows. And he was always so happy, I never thought he could be having a problem.”
Ronaldo Faust, lighting engineer, Polish Tour: “I was working with the band during the fall leg of that tour. I remember watching Fitzwilliam, and every day he just looked a little more tired and a little less in control. He always had a drink in his hands, always: before the show, during, and after.”
Fitzwilliam Darcy (troubled): “It was my fault. I blame myself. I was so obsessed by what was going on with the music and the details of the tour, I lost sight of what really mattered. I lost sight of my cousin and my friend.”
Charles Bingley (looking surprised): “I had no idea he was in trouble. He never said anything. It completely caught me off guard.”
Caroline Bingley: “Once Darcy became aware of what was going on, when Richard was arrested, he stopped everything. He brought us all together, the band and the staff, and he told us that nothing was as important as the people here. So that night the tour ended. There was never any talk about getting a replacement drummer. It was over.”
Narrator: “Fitzwilliam was ordered by the courts to enter a rehab program as part of his sentence, and Bingley and Darcy joined him there.”
Richard Fitzwilliam (in a matter-of-fact tone): “It was the oldest story in the book. I told myself I could handle it, and I couldn’t. I was stupid and I had lost control of it.” Shrugs. “But I was lucky. I was damned lucky the night I got arrested, because I couldn’t hide from it anymore. And I got help.”
Charles Bingley: “Will and I decided that we were going to hang together on this. We are like brothers, the three of us, and what we have together is too important to let die. So we fought for it and for Richard.”
Narrator: “When Fitzwilliam was released in May of 2009, the band went back into the studio. Inspired by their experience, lightning struck again and their next album was recorded in less than eight weeks.”
Richard Fitzwilliam (laughing self-deprecatingly): “We seem to thrive on abuse. Hit us again and we will just swing back harder.”
Narrator: “On their fourth CD, Grind, Slurry expanded their talents. Bingley and Darcy collaborated on several of the songs, and the tone shifted from dark and brooding to a wider expression of emotions. The CD was released in September of 2009 in the top five, and it continues to rank in the top twenty, five months later.
“The first single from the CD, ‘Bound,’ released August of 2009, went straight to number one and remained there for three weeks. It was followed by ‘Lost Myself’ and ‘Feel Me,’ which both hit number one.”
Clips of the respective videos.
“The band toured in Europe and Asia during the second half of 2009 to record crowds. Now they are preparing for the North American leg of their tour, scheduled to begin in March.”
Footage of the band onstage.
“Although critics have viewed the album as a success, the band is still trying to overcome their reputation for trouble on tour.”
John Willis: “The band is good, no doubt about it. I’ve seen the show, and it’s brilliant, but… the fact remains, of the four tours they’ve started, they’ve only completed”—holds up one finger—“one. The question is, are the fans and De Bourgh going to support them if they have any more problems? After all, there’s a lot of money invested in this.”
Narrator: “Through adversity, Slurry has managed to not only keep its edge but come back even stronger. The band has so far achieved startling success, and on the eve of their next tour, they show no signs of slowing down.”
Charles Bingley (grinning confidently): “People keep asking me, ‘Are you ready for this? It’s a big show.’ Let me tell you: We are ready to go. Let us out there!”
Richard Fitzwilliam (winning smile): “Do I know where we are going? Hell no! I’m here for the ride, baby. But it’s a good ride, and it’s not going to be stopping for a long time.” Laughs.
Fitzwilliam Darcy (thoughtful): “I hope the band will continue to expand our style and our talents. For me, it is all about the music. That is why I’m here. My job is to make music, and the rest of it—the fans and the videos and the money—they’re nice, but they’re not what matters.
“Ten years from now I want us to be able to look back and be proud of our work and not say, ‘Oh, that was just a phase or a trend.’ I want our work to have lasting value. That is what I am trying to do.”
Closing credits.