04/20/2011 mcr article & interview with daniel of bonedo.de
"Daniel during an interview with MCR (photo)
“[…] I am fascinated by the band’s unwavering commitment to breaking with everything they have stood for,” I wrote in a 2006 album review of “The Black Parade,” which still commands my utmost respect. My Chemical Romance’s comparison of a rock band to a “marching band” is as fitting as it is brilliant. “The Black Parade” shook my world; it was a revelation, both conceptually and musically. Four years later, I met up with the guys for Bonedo to interview them about their new album, “Danger Days.” Would the band win me over with their new work? Let me say this upfront: I wasn’t disappointed.
'My Chem', as the band is affectionately known by their fans, rose in record time from a local New Jersey newcomer to an international top act. Their 2002 debut album, "I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love," almost forgotten by the general public, is certainly a bit trashy compared to their later work, but it perfectly captured the feelings of an entire generation of adrift kids. Where fun-punk bands like Blink-182 or nu-metal groups like Limp Bizkit fall short, singer Gerard Way's lyrics, somewhere between sorrow, pain, and romance, struck a chord with the hearts of adolescents. A new music genre was born: emo/screamo began its triumphant march.
Following the extraordinary success of their debut album, which sold over 60,000 copies, the band signed a major label deal in 2003. Their 2004 album, "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge," sparked an incredible hype around the band. "I'm Not OK (I Promise)," the album's first single, achieved gold status and, along with the music video for the single "Helena," defined the look of the emo scene. The band toured the world for almost two years and, with over 1 million records sold in the US alone, was at the forefront of the movement.
When "The Black Parade" was released in 2006, the band initially shocked their fans: gone were the hair, gone was the polish! The band reinvented themselves from the ground up, but what at first seemed like the staged suicide of the most successful emo band on the planet became the band's greatest triumph to date, reaching the top of the charts in no fewer than 19 countries. The single "Welcome To The Black Parade" even debuted at #1 in the world's most important record markets, the American Billboard charts and the UK singles chart, becoming the band's biggest hit. This modern "Bohemian Rhapsody" in a new black and white aesthetic also captivated me, and "The Black Parade" remains one of only three albums that I still carry around in its entirety on my MP3 player.
Following the extraordinary success of their debut album, which sold over 60,000 copies, the band signed a major label deal in 2003. Their 2004 album, "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge," sparked an incredible hype around the band. "I'm Not OK (I Promise)," the album's first single, achieved gold status and, along with the music video for the single "Helena," defined the look of the emo scene. The band toured the world for almost two years and, with over 1 million records sold in the US alone, was at the forefront of the movement.
Four years later, I meet four cheerful and talkative guys at Hamburg's most prestigious address on the Reeperbahn, Große Freiheit 36. Even after a four-month press marathon, they still seem excited to talk about their new album, "Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys".
“You all look much fresher than I expected after such a long tour. Is this already the anticipation of being home?” I ask the band at the start of our conversation. “We basically spent the first few months doing constant press work. We flew back and forth a lot and were a bit burnt out by the end of the year. But we had a few days off around Christmas – and now, on the regular tour, everything is much more relaxed,” replies a surprisingly talkative Frank Iero – the guitarist is usually considered a rather quiet individual.
At the gig in Hamburg...
“Why did it actually take four years for you to release your new album? Up until now you've strictly adhered to the two-year cycle with your albums.” I ask.
“You mustn’t forget that we toured with The Black Parade for two years straight. After that, we took a longer break of six or seven months to rediscover what we enjoyed most about making music,” Frank explains. “Some of us got married or had children in the meantime—and we also needed a bit of distance from music. At the end of 2008, we were asked if we would contribute a track to the soundtrack of the film ‘Watchmen,’ and so we met up again in the studio to record a cover version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Desolation Row.’ Working in the studio rekindled our desire to make music together, and so we started working on a new album shortly afterward.”
“So you never released the first version of the album?” I ask Frank. “After a few months, we found ourselves in the middle of the mixing process and asked ourselves if this was the album we wanted to live with for the next two years – after all, we had played ‘The Black Parade’ every single night for two years, from beginning to end. The answer from everyone was an overwhelming ‘no.’” “What role did producer Rob Cavallo play in all this?” I want to know (Rob Cavallo also produced ‘The Black Parade’). “We took a break and went back to songwriting with Rob, who had finished other projects and was therefore available to us again. After four songs, we realized that each of them was significantly better than anything we had written for the album before,” Frank continues. “When we started again with Rob, we quickly realized that we all had a much clearer head and a more precise idea of what we wanted to achieve with our next album!” adds second guitarist Ray Toro.
"What influence did producer Rob have on the new songs?"
“Rob simply brings out the best in us,” singer Gerard chimes in. “Rob always demands the best, but in a way that’s never negative. From album to album, he constantly pushes us to explore new avenues, to dare things we wouldn’t have dared to do before. But it’s precisely those daring songs like ‘Planetary’ or ‘Sing’ that elicit the best reactions from the fans live.” “What’s special about a producer like Rob is that he has a very precise sense of when to intervene and when not to,” Ray adds. “Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference. For example, he might ask a question about a lyric—but then leave it up to us to find the answer ourselves.”
“Looking at your tour schedule, you don’t seem to take many breaks. Do you have a secret to staying together for such a long time?” I continued. “We all have good days and bad days, but we’re there for each other,” Gerard replied. “If one of us isn’t feeling well, we take care of them or give them more space—whatever is right at the time!” (A murmur of agreement from the entire band confirmed this statement.)
"A big part of the secret, however, is that we simply have a really nice job. We enjoy every day, and if something uncool comes up, we've learned to say 'no' and protect ourselves in the process."
The album “Danger Days” transports the listener to a virtual California of 2019. It describes the struggle of the musicians – aka the “Killjoys” and the pirate radio station DJ 'Dr. Death Defying' – against the all-powerful global corporation “Better Living Industries”, whose motto “Aftermath is secondary” could have come from our own time.
“How are things going with your work on band concepts? You’ve come up with a lot of conceptual things for ‘Danger Days’ again, such as the enemy image in the form of the ‘Better Living Industries’ corporation,” I ask the band.
“We don’t really see the album as a concept album. We simply enjoy coming up with a story in addition to the music,” explains Gerard, who worked as a comic book artist before becoming the singer of My Chem. “The album’s story is framed by the tale of the pirate radio station fighting against this mega-corporation. However, while making the album, we realized that we, as a band, could also be this mega-corporation. It’s not about good guys versus bad guys.”
"And yet, with every album, you seem to completely reinvent yourselves. Dare to take the step of leaving all the successes of the previous album behind and creating something completely new."
“When we first emerged, the emo scene had a completely different look, but at some point, our look suddenly seemed to define emo. We tried again to do something completely different from everyone else, but now it's already, ‘Oh, so emo is dyed hair and American hot rod muscle cars’ – but for us, it's fundamentally important to constantly redefine ourselves. After all, we plan to spend two years of our lives with this concept,” Gerard explains regarding the band's repeated reinvention. “We see our characters as an extension of our real selves and our art,” Frank adds. “We really are these people – and that's why we all feel comfortable in these roles!”
Check out the workshop: Frank and Ray also showed us a few licks!
The final song on the album, 'Vampire Money', holds a special place. Not only does it follow the main narrative – the concept ends with the preceding track – but it still seems to fit the overall concept. It describes the band's conscious decision to decline participation in the 'Twilight' film soundtrack. They resisted the lure of the big corporation and the allure of "vampire money." "Vampire Money" initially had nothing to do with the album," recalls Gerard, "but in the end, it was everything: 'Danger Days' is our raised middle finger. The song gave us back a feeling of freedom. We felt like kids again. We just went into the studio and rocked out live." "Yeah, even the second take we recorded ended up on the album," adds bassist Mikey Way.
“That makes me wonder how much influence you can – or even want to – have on your own promotional activities?” The whole band laughs, glancing at their label manager, who is following the interview in the background. “We’re lucky enough to have been working with the same people for a very long time, people we can trust implicitly. We all know by now exactly what we enjoy and when we need a break," Gerard continues.
Ray adds: “We like to have a say in all decisions whenever we can, so we’re heavily involved in all visual aspects like merchandising and music videos. Sometimes it’s something seemingly insignificant, like a slight color change in a T-shirt print, but ultimately it means we’re working together to make a better product. Take our special edition of the album, for example, which was supposed to include the laser guns from the artwork and music video. The initial samples simply weren’t good enough in terms of quality. We had them reworked, which took a few months longer, but resulted in a better product for the fans.”
“What does the phrase ‘Art Is The Weapon’ mean to you?” —an expression that appears in both the first video trailer for the album and on the merchandise. “Music is our weapon, our asset that must be protected,” Frank replies. “Art, and what we do as musicians, can change the world and bring things down. That’s why it was so important for us to improve this album even further. Art has to remain the most important thing in our work, because if we start compromising in our art, everything else we do becomes less meaningful.”
A beautiful closing sentence to a very inspiring and insightful interview. Even behind the facade of these crazy rock stars lies the unwavering will to create something meaningful. The profound message I thought I'd already discerned in "The Black Parade" was confirmed and further solidified that day – and the subsequent concert rounded off a fantastic day. I believe that the band, although they've already reached the pinnacle of their genre, are far from having reached the peak of their career. And I truly recommend that everyone give the band a listen – I think you won't regret it!"
