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My Chemical Romance Visits The GRAMMY Museum

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New Jersey-based quartet discusses their formation, musical influences and latest album
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

My Chemical Romance participated in an installment of the GRAMMY Museum's An Evening With series on Jan. 26. Before an audience of 200 at the Clive Davis Theater, the four-piece band discussed their latest album, Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, early musical influences and how Sept. 11 inspired their formation, among other topics.

"It was like watching a horror movie," said Gerard Way of Sept. 11. "I was doing something really irrelevant at the time that I didn't feel was important and I remember just thinking to myself, 'This is not a waste. I can't waste this.' And it was literally like two weeks later that we had our first rehearsal."

Formed in New Jersey, My Chemical Romance consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, bassist Mikey Way, and guitarists Frank Iero and Ray Toro. In 2002 the band released their debut album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, ripe with alternative rock and pop elements and dark, introspective lyrics. Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge followed in 2004 and netted the band their first Top 40 hit, "Helena." My Chemical Romance's third album, The Black Parade, was released in 2006 and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Conceptual in nature, the album centers around the story of a cancer patient in a hospital bed who reminisces on his life at the moment of his death. Certified platinum, The Black Parade spawned My Chemical Romance's highest-charting single to date, "Welcome To The Black Parade," which reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Gerard Way received a GRAMMY nomination in 2007 for Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package for his art direction for The Black Parade — Special Edition. Released on Nov. 22, 2010, the band's most recent album, Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, is a sci-fi-themed depiction of anti-corporate outlaws living in the year 2019.

Upcoming GRAMMY Museum events include An Evening With Booker T. Jones (May 12), From Vision To Vinyl: A Step-By-Step Look At Vinyl Production (May 18), and American Express Presents The Drop: Diane Schuur (June 9).

For more information on the GRAMMY Museum, visit www.grammymuseum.org.

Click on the "GRAMMY Museum events" tag below for links to other GRAMMY News stories in this series.

My Chemical Romance

My Chemical Romance on TRL in 2005

Photo: Stephen Lovekin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

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My Chemical Romance Reunion Set For L.A. In December

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The New Jersey emo greats will be performing together for the first time in seven years at the Shrine Expo Hall on Dec. 20
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Oct 31, 2019 - 3:38 pm

Today, Halloween got a little spookier, as My Chemical Romance resurrected themselves from the grave of our favorite emo CDs. The New Jersey emo greats announced they will be performing together for the first time in seven years at the Shrine Expo Hall on Dec. 20. Tickets for the show—only one date has been announced at this time—go on sale tomorrow, Nov. 1.

The news was posted to their website and to their no-longer-dormant Instagram account, the latter which included the message: "Like Phantoms Forever...," a nod to their first EP, 2002's Like Phantoms Forever. Their last new music was released back in 2010, with their fourth studio album, Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys.

Watch: It's Always Halloween For Daft Punk, KISS, CeeLo Green, Bootsy Collins & The Blue Man Group

Back in 2013, countless black-lined lids teared up when My Chemical Romance announced their breakup after 12 years of theatric punk-pop greatness. At the time, lead vocalist Gerard Way shared a lengthy, poetic letter about the decision:

"Since I am bad with goodbyes. I refuse to let this be one. But I will leave you with one last thing—My Chemical Romance is done. But it can never die. It is alive in me, in the guys, and it is alive inside all of you. I always knew that, and I think you did too. Because it is not a band—it is an idea," the note concluded.

Rumors of a MCR reunion first began bubbling this summer, when Joe Jonas, alongside the recently reunited Jonas Brothers, poured gasoline on the rumor mill during a June interview. "I've got some dirt. My Chemical Romance apparently were rehearsing next to us in New York recently… I thought they broke up, so I don't know."

Well, don't forget: My Chemical Romance is inside of you all of us. It can never die.

Tickets to the reunion show go on sale tomorrow, Fri., Nov. 1 at 12:00 p.m. PST.

A Halloween Riddle: What Makes A Song Scary?

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Nick Mason

Photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage.com

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A Walk On The Dark Side With Nick Mason

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Pink Floyd founding member discusses classic albums such as The Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall at the GRAMMY Museum
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

Pink Floyd founding member Nick Mason was the featured guest for a recent installment of the GRAMMY Museum's An Evening With series. In an intimate interview setting, Mason discussed Pink Floyd's unique sound, classic albums such as The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall, and EMI Music's recent Pink Floyd collectors' box set releases.

"We knew we'd made the best record, so far," said Mason regarding The Dark Side Of The Moon. "We were conscious of the fact that this was a step forward. It was much more sophisticated."

Formed in 1965 in London, Pink Floyd originally consisted of drummer Mason, lead guitarist/vocalist Syd Barrett, bassist Roger Waters, and Rick Wright. The band applied an experimental approach to their music, incorporating instrumental flurries, feedback and various sound effects within a psychedelic rock framework. Pink Floyd's debut album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, was released in 1967. Prior to their sophomore effort, 1968's A Saucerful Of Secrets, Barrett departed the band, with guitarist David Gilmour replacing him. Released in 1972, Obscured By Clouds was Pink Floyd's first album to crack the Top 50 on the Billboard 200. As the band continued to polish their sound, in 1973 they released an ambitious concept album, The Dark Side Of The Moon. The album addressed themes of conflict, death, time, and insanity, with each side of the album spanning a continuous piece of music. The Dark Side Of The Moon hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and ultimately remained on the chart for a record 741 weeks. Featuring the hit "Money," which reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, the album has sold more than 15 million copies in the United States.

The band's follow-up, 1975's Wish You Were Here, also topped the Billboard 200. Containing just five songs, the album's themes center around the corruption of the music industry and the mental illness of former bandmate Barrett. Following 1977's Animals, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, in 1979 Pink Floyd released their most commercially successful album of all time, The Wall. Produced by Bob Ezrin, the double album was masterminded by Waters and weaves themes of isolation and abandonment. The Wall became the band's third chart-topping album, was nominated for Album Of The Year at the 23rd GRAMMY Awards in 1980 and spawned the No. 1 hit "Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2." The Wall has sold more than 23 million copies in the United States.

Pink Floyd dissolved following 1983's The Final Cut, with band members pursuing solo projects. Gilmour, Mason and Wright convened to reform Pink Floyd, resulting in 1987's A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. The album was recorded without Waters, who had sought an injunction against the trio for utilizing the Pink Floyd name, but lost the case. Pink Floyd won the lone GRAMMY of their career in 1994 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Marooned," a song from their second studio album without Waters, the chart-topping The Division Bell. In 1995 Pink Floyd scored their fifth No. 1 album with Pulse, a double live album featuring The Dark Side Of The Moon performed in its entirety.

The Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall were inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 1999 and 2008, respectively. In July 2005 Waters teamed with Gilmour, Mason and Wright for a one-off Pink Floyd reunion at Live 8 in London. Barrett died in 2006, and Wright died in 2008. Waters has toured in recent years, featuring a new band playing Pink Floyd favorites. His most recent tour placed fourth on Billboard's list of top 2011 tours with gross revenue of nearly $150 million.

Pink Floyd ranks seventh on RIAA's list of top-selling artists, with 74.5 million albums sold. EMI Music recently released a Pink Floyd "Discovery" box set, a collection culling remastered versions of the band's original 14 studio albums, in addition to collectors' box sets for The Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here. A similar box set for The Wall is scheduled to be released in February.

Upcoming GRAMMY Museum events include Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration (Jan. 18).

For more information on the GRAMMY Museum, visit www.grammymuseum.org.

Click on the "GRAMMY Museum events" tag below for links to other GRAMMY News stories in this series.

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The Airborne Toxic Event's Los Angeles Wishing Well

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Indie rock quintet drops by the GRAMMY Museum
Crystal Larsen
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

On June 22 indie rock quintet the Airborne Toxic Event were the featured guests for an installment of Homegrown, the GRAMMY Museum's new spotlight series on Los Angeles-based artists. Before an intimate audience of 200 in the Museum's Clive Davis Theater, the band discussed their songwriting process and the sense of community that exists among Los Angeles-based artists. Following the discussion, the theater was turned into a live rock and roll show as the band took the stage to perform a few songs, including "Changing," "Strange Girl" and "Wishing Well."

"We all follow one another's careers with great interest," said frontman Mikel Jollett on the community of Los Angeles artists. "We are kind of rooting for one another."

"When you're surrounded by people who are all really working [to make music] and really trying, it makes you reconsider what you're doing and [try to] raise the bar," added violinist Anna Bulbrook.

 

Formed in 2006 in the Los Angeles community of Silver Lake by Jollett and drummer Daren Taylor, the Airborne Toxic Event also includes classically trained violinist Bulbrook, guitarist Steven Chen and jazz bassist Noah Harmon. That same year the quintet played their first gig as the Airborne Toxic Event, a name that's derived from a section in Don DeLillo's White Noise novel, at the intimate East Los Angeles venue the Echo. After attracting the attention of indie labels and music magazines such as Rolling Stone, the band inked a record deal with Los Angeles-based indie label Majordomo Records and subsequently released their self-titled debut, which reached a modest position on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 108. The album featured the Billboard Alternative Songs hit "Sometime Around Midnight."

In 2009 the group scored a major label record deal with Island Def Jam, parent company of Island Records, which is home to the band's self-proclaimed inspiration U2. The group subsequently re-released their self-titled debut later that year. In 2010 the band released All I Ever Wanted — The Airborne Toxic Event Live From Walt Disney Concert Hall Featuring The Calder Quartet, a live DVD/CD digipack featuring the group's performance at the Los Angeles concert hall in December 2009. Their sophomore effort, 2011's All At Once, was released April 26 and shot to No. 17 on the Billboard 200. The album features the single "Changing," which peaked at No. 12 on Billboard's Rock Songs chart. The group is currently on tour throughout the United States and UK.

Upcoming GRAMMY Museum events include Icons Of The Music Industry: Chris Blackwell (Aug. 14), Reel To Reel: An Evening With Tyler Bates (Aug. 15), An Evening With Nick Lowe (Aug. 16), and An Evening With Christopher Cross (Aug. 17).

For more information on the GRAMMY Museum, visit www.grammymuseum.org.

Click on the "GRAMMY Museum events" tag below for links to other GRAMMY News stories in this series.

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Gerard Way

Photo: Ross Gilmore/WireImage.com

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Gerard Way Steps Out With Debut Solo Album

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Former My Chemical Romance frontman embraces self-realization and liberation on Hesitant Alien
Steve Baltin
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

In March 2013 My Chemical Romance announced their split after more than a decade of thoughtful and ambitious rock, which reached its peak with 2006's hit album The Black Parade. Since then, the band have released a greatest hits collection — 2014's May Death Never Stop You: The Greatest Hits 2001–2013 — and rhythm guitarist Frank Iero announced his new project, Frnkiero And The Cellabration, who released their debut album Stomachaches on Aug. 26.

While frontman Gerard Way has remained mostly out of the public and musical limelight since the band's split, he is set to return Sept. 30 with his debut solo effort, Hesistant Alien, an equally thoughtful and compelling album that ties together many of his influences, from David Bowie and T. Rex to Brian Eno and the Stone Roses. Produced by GRAMMY winner Doug McKean (Dave Matthews Band, Green Day), the album features 11 tracks written or co-written by Way, including the lead single "No Shows," which he co-wrote with Ian Fowles of the Aquabats.

Ahead of the album's release, Way participated in an exclusive GRAMMY.com interview, discussing going solo, his dream GRAMMY collaborator and being a musical "outsider."

What song made you realize you were writing for your debut solo album?
When I realized it was an album and when I realized it was a solo album are two different times. So when I realized it was an album was by the time I hit "No Shows." But after a lot of tracking, almost principle tracking for a lot of the songs, then I realized, "Wait, this is a solo album." I didn't know what it was going to be, I just knew I was compelled to keep making music. But it was probably "No Shows." That's when I realized, "Hey, this is an album and it's becoming more ambitious."

Are there songs on this album that involve topics you didn't realize you were thinking about at the time?
Yeah, a lot of them because I just wrote them down immediately and sang them immediately, so I wasn't thinking too much about what they meant. And then later on I looked back and I was like, "Yeah, a lot of this was about self-realization and liberation and a lot of it was in fact about ending a big part of [my] life, some of it directly about ending the band." So it all crept in while it was going on, and that is usually what happens.

Were there any particular songs that stood out to you?
The thing about "No Shows" and why I chose it to be the first single is it's also the song [on which] I realized things about myself. It was the song where I realized, "You don't need any structure to fit in, you don't need a show, you don't need a band, you don't need any of that stuff. The most important thing is the connection to other human beings." That's the most important thing, and you don't need all of the fanfare that goes with performing to have that. You can have connections with human beings in many different ways. But I look back at stuff like "Millions" and it's very obviously about leaving a big machine. "Get The Gang Together" … felt like it was about the business. It felt like it was about a group of friends that you knew in your 20s and what happened to everybody by the time they got to their 30s. And "Bureau" is directly about my experience in the business and [what] I didn't realize while I was doing it.

Is there one recurring theme on the album?
I think the record is largely about celebrating my own differences and not only accepting [them], but really embracing [them]. I always struggled to figure out where I fit in a musical landscape and I think I finally realized I fit in by not fitting in and people [who] don't fit into that are just as vital — people [who] are trying different things and taking certain kinds of risks. … There are more people than me, there are other people [who] fit in that way too. You have your Nick Caves and your Tom Waits and they're legendary, and Morrissey and Bowie and they fit in by not fitting in.

Is this album reflective of where you are today musically than where you would've been with My Chemical Romance?Absolutely. It was very of the moment, of the entire year and a half. It had gotten to a point in My Chemical Romance where I felt that certain things were expected of me, and thus certain things were expected of that band, almost like people could count on it or rely on it to sound a certain way. And it just wasn't where I was anymore. I just couldn't make the kind of music that we were going to make anymore. So [Hesitant Alien is] very representative of who I was during that year and a half, during that tough time.

Are there any artists you admire who have made the transition from band to solo act?
I look to Morrissey a lot. I look to him a lot because … he's not dependent on radio, he's not dependent on hits. What he's dependent on is his audience and giving his audience the best and truest art he can. And the funny thing about [him] is when you [went] to a Morrissey concert I don't think anybody came to that show to [hear the] Smiths' songs. He'll play one occasionally in an encore, but that was never the highlight of the show. The highlight of the show was really [that] there were so many Morrissey songs that were your favorites, you wanted to hear those. It didn't seem like the excitement was any greater for the Smiths songs than like "Suedehead." It seemed like the same type of enthusiasm.

Were you surprised by the fervor and dedication of My Chemical Romance fans?
Yeah, I think there's a lot of people who feel they don't fit in as well. … There are a number of different ways you don't fit in; being an outsider is a more aggressive stance, it's more combative and I think that really resonated with a lot of teenagers because at that age you're feeling that kind of angst and aggression toward being an outsider. Later on, as I got older, I felt like I was coming from a different place; I did feel more like an alien. So there's something in it that's a lot softer and it's not aggressive and you just realize you're coming from somewhere different. So it's interesting to see how fans of My Chemical Romance respond if they come along for the ride, because it is different. It's not an army thing, it's not a call to arms, it's very much accepting yourself as different and being really cool and happy with that.

Who would be your dream GRAMMY collaborator?
Probably Bowie, that would be it. There's a lot of glam [on] this record, too. … There's that Berlin period that Bowie had, and he's my biggest influence. And I think that would be pretty incredible if this record got to a point where it made enough of noise to warrant a nomination or [GRAMMY] performance. That would be the dream for me, to perform with Bowie.

(Steve Baltin has written about music for Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, MOJO, Chicago Tribune, AOL, LA Weekly, Philadelphia Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, and dozens more publications.)