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Chemical Romance Community FAQ

Apr 14, 2008 14:53



Frequently Asked Questions

There are many benefits to having such a large community of MCR fans from all over the world able to congregate and communicate through this community, however because the community is so large and because it is so active, there is a lot of overlap on the information that people commonly want to know. This FAQ is here to answer the questions that get put to the community most often, as well as to help re-direct people to places where their questions or posts might be more relevant, if they have no place in this community.

If you’ve read the rules and checked to make sure what you want to ask isn’t covered in the FAQ, post away!

Members:

Bob Bryar (Drums):
Birthdate: December 31, 1979.
Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois.

  • Bob Bryar is not an original member of My Chemical Romance. He replaced the original drummer, Matt Pelissier, in 2004. The reason for Pelissier leaving the band is not clear.

  • Bob did not record the drums on Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004). This album was recorded before he joined the band. The first album that Bob's drumming is heard on is The Black Parade (2006).

  • Bob was injured during the filming of the video clip for Famous Last Words. His drumkit was located too close to the pyrotechnics, and he sustained serious burns to the back of his legs. The situation worsened when these burns became infected, which lead to Gangrene and a Staph Infection. Though the infection was potentially very dangerous, Bob made a full recovery.

  • While filming the video for 'Welcome to The Black Parade,' Bob made a joke about having a solo project (Which Frank entitled 'Gerardalopoly,'). A video of Bob singing his 'Solo Project' can be seen here. Additionally, there is an official website, a livejournal community (bobssoloproject), the project has won an award, and t-shirts have, at various times been available.

  • Early in November 2007, Bob Bryar took a break from touring. According to a message posted on mychemicalromance.com on the 9th of November, Bob had experienced, "many problems with [his] wrists over the last few years..." and that they had escalated to the point where he could no longer play and had, "a golf ball sized lump," in one of his wrists. (full message text here). As of the 29th of January, 2008, Bob has resumed touring and drumming with the band.

  • Bob plays:
    - C&C custom drums
    - Sabian cymals, specifically the Sabian Paragon series
    - Vic Firth American Classic Rock Drumsticks (with 'Victape').


Frank Iero (Guitar):
Birthdate: October 31, 1981.
Place of Birth: Belleville, New Jersey.

  • Frank's surname is pronounced: "Eye-ear-oh".

  • Frank was in a number of bands before he joined My Chemical Romance. Most notably he was the lead vocalist and guitarist of a band called Pencey Prep, who released an album called Heartbreak In Stereo (2001). Pencey Prep broke up in early 2002, shortly after which Frank became the fifth member of MCR. MP3 versions of 'Heartbreak in Stereo,' are available online, additionally Eyeball records re-released it early in 2007. Other bands that Frank was a member of include Hybrid, Sector 12, I am a Graveyard, and briefly, Give up the Ghost.

  • Frank is the vocalist of hardcore band Leathermouth, who are expected to release an album at some stage in 2008.

  • Frank has his own company, which is a record label, a clothing line, and a publishing company known collectively as Skeleton Crew.

  • Guitars Frank is known to have played:
    - Epiphone Les Paul Custom (ebony, alpine white)
    - Zakk Wylde Bullseye Les Paul Custom
    - Epiphone Les Paul Standard
    - Epiphone SG-G400.

Ray Toro (Guitar):
Birthdate: July 15, 1977.
Place of Birth: Belleville, New Jersey.

  • Ray Toro has awesome guitar skills.

  • Guitars Ray Toro favours:
    - Gibson Les Paul Standard
    - Epiphone Les Paul Standard/Standard Plus-Top (Ebony, Honey Burst, Heritage Cherry Sunburst, Vintage Sunburst)
    - Epiphone 1958 Korina Explorer.

Gerard Way (Vocalist):
Birthdate: April 9, 1977.
Place of Birth: Summit, New Jersey.

  • It was Gerard's experience during the 2001 Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Centres in New York City that prompted a re-evaluation of his life, and kick-started Gerard's desire to make music. Gerard had been working in NYC as an artist for the Cartoon Network, and on his way into work the morning of September 11, witnessed the attack. He wrote the song, 'Skylines and Turnstiles,' about this event.

  • Gerard Way is Mikey Way's older brother.

  • Gerard is a talented artist. He even went to art school. Yeah. He went to art school. Art school. Gerard went to it.

  • Gerard has authored a comic book entitled 'The Umbrella Academy,' which has been illustrated by Gabriel Ba and released with Darkhorse. Further information can be found at theumbrella_acd or at the Darkhorse Website.

  • Much controversy seems to stem from Gerard's hair. Though he pretends this bothers him, he secretely loves it. But don't post about it because nobody else does.

  • Gerard writes the lyrics. Mostly.

  • The Breakfast Monkey was an animation project that Gerard was working on prior to My Chem. It was pitched to Cartoon Network but rejected on the grounds that they already had one food related show (Aqua Teen Hunger Force,) and that another might be pushing the genre. A short film of The Breakfast Monkey is available here, there is a documentary about it here, and you can go here for even further information.

  • During the filming of the Music Video for 'Famous Last Words,' Frank tackled Gerard to the ground and caused some damage to his ankle, however he is now quite well.

  • Aside from The Breakfast Monkey and The Umbrella Academy, there are some examples of Gerard's artwork on the internet. Google would be a fantastic resource for you to try, since the previously brilliant gallery at mcrfan is now gone.


Mikey Way (Bass Guitar):
Birthdate: September 10, 1980.
Place of Birth: Newark, New Jersey.

  • Mikey Way came up with the band name, after seeing the phrase, "Three Tales of Chemical Romance," in the back of Ecstacy by Irvine Welsh.

  • Mikey was a musician before joining MCR, contrary to what is occasionally believed.

  • Mikey is down with kick-ball, and has been since the third grade.

  • Mikey Way is Gerard's younger brother, and according to him, Gerard has always been his older brother.

  • In April of 2007, the band announced that Mikey would be taking a short hiatus to spend time with his wife and establish himself as a married man. He was replaced by Matt Cortez. There was some speculation surrounding this, but it came to nothing and Mikey Way rejoined the band at the end of 2007 to finish the remainder of the tour.

  • Mikey plays:
    - A Highway One Precision Bass
    - Fender Standard Precision Bass

The Band:

Label:
Currently, My Chemical Romance is on Reprise, a label owned by the Warner Music Group and operated by Warner Bros. Records. Previously the band were on the independent New Jersey label Eyeball.

Managment:
The Band is managed by Brian Schechter, who can often be seen lingering around the edges of candid shots of the boys, as well as on the Life On the Murder Scene DVD.

People of Note:
Worm is an all time favourite. He's MCR's Bodyguard, however recently he has taken some time off to spend with his family.

Email can be sent to the band at:
write@mychemicalromance.com

Fan Mail can be sent to:
Warner Bros. Records
New Media
MCR Fan Mail
3300 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505.

I Want to Look Like MCR (Or dress up like them for Halloween):
Some items of clothing get repeatedly asked after:

  • Mikey's ZOMBIE Hoodie:
    Tour City, who were the company that made the hoodie, disbanded. If you're desperate, there are websites out there on which you can special order a word on a sweatshirt, or you could try Ebay.

  • Mikey's MIKEY Hoodie:
    Mikey has a number of custom made items of clothing, including the MIKEY hoodie and the "Don't Google Yourself" shirt. There are a number of websites on the internet that can supply you with the resources to order a t-shirt or sweat shirt with a custom phrase on it, so look around for a website that caters for your area, or get creative and stencil yourself one.

  • The dress that Tracy Phillips wears as 'Helena' in the music video:
    Through Hot Topic, Lip Service sells a dress called 'Helena,' here, which is now half the price it used to be - awesome. There is no specific pattern available for anybody wanting to make the dress themselves, but there is nothing especially extravagant in it, tweaking a basic pattern wouldn't be difficult.

  • Ray's 'Never Forgive, Never Forget,' Shirt:
    Though there aren't necessarily many requests for this anymore, it's still a pretty awesome shirt and it can be acquired at IndieMerch.com, here.

  • Gerard and Mikey's 1/2 Ribcage 'Wishbone' Shirt:
    From the IronFist store, along with various other shirts, here for residents in the US, and here for people in the UK.

  • Gerard's Skeleton Pajamas:
    These are hard to come by. The official website place that sells them only ships to Japan, so if you can find somebody from Japan willing to ship you out a pair, fantastic. This is here
    Additionally, though the Ebay place that sold them as pajamas for $40 US, a search on Ebay for 'Skeleton Pajamas' shows up 63 vaguely passable looking things, check it out.

  • Frank's Skeleton Gloves:
    Sometimes found in weird $2 shops, sometimes in target, sometimes as Misfits merchandise, there is much to be said of these little black gloves. For UK Residents, try here. For people who go to Hot Topic, they occasionally stock them, and for everybody else wait till halloween.

  • If the piece of clothing you're after isn't here, request information on the item at mcr_request.

What About the Boy's Personal lives, wives, girlfriends, pets, current housing arrangements, and medical histories:

To an extent, some information about the Boy's private lives makes it's way into this community. This is inevitable, as many people in this community and in the wider fan community care deeply about the band and their wellbeing. There is a line, however, and for this reason information on the private details of the Boy's relationships is not going to be included in this FAQ. Briefly:

Bob Bryar is in a relationship, the woman's name is unknown.
Frank Iero is married to Jamia Nestor, the wedding was mid-march, 2008.
Ray Toro is in engaged to a woman named Krista.
Gerard Way is married to Lindsay Ballato-Way (Lyn-Z) as of September 30, 2007.
Mikey Way is married to Alicia Way as of March 7, 2007.

for further information, you're better off trying mcrumorcontrol.

Discography:

Albums, EPs, Demos:

  • Dreams of Stabbing and/or Being Stabbed ('The Attic Demos'), 2001:

    These were the first Demos ever recorded by the band, and were tracked late in 2001. The Track-Listing and the songs that evolved from these early recordings are debated, however it is certain that early version of "Skylines and Turnstiles," ("Turnstiles"), "Our Lady of Sorrows," ("Bring More Knives"), and "Vampires Will Never Hurt You," ("Stabbing") appeared.

  • I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, 2002:

    My Chemical Romance's Debut Studio album, 'I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love' was recorded between the 15th of May and the 25th of May, 2002. It was produced by Geoff Rickley of the band Thursday, and released on Eyeball Records on July 23rd, 2002.

  • Like Phantoms, Forever, 2002:

    An EP distributed for free during 2002, which consisted of "Vampires Will Never Hurt You," and, "This is the Best Day Ever," as well as a live cover of Morrisey's "Jack the Ripper."

  • Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, 2004:

    Arguably the album that launched My Chemical Romance to commercial success, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge was recorded over a period of three months (from October 2003, till January 2004), and released on Reprise records on June 8, 2004. Produced by Howard Benson, Gerard Way has suggested the album is a 'loose concept album,' that is mainly centred around the idea of death and loss.

  • Life On the Murder Scene (Compilation Album), 2006:

    This is predominately a live album, however it also showcased demo versions of "I Never Told You What I Do for a Living," and "Bury Me in Black," as well as the previously unreleased "Desert Song." It was sold along with two DVDs, one of which was a sort of semi-biographical road-diary, and the other a compilation of live footage, videos, 'Making the Video' specials, and the band's AOL sessions.

  • The Black Parade, 2006:

    The band's third studio album, The Black Parade is an epic concept album, in 'Rock Opera' format, that centres on a journey from illness, through death, and to the afterlife as experienced by a character known as 'The Patient'. It was recorded between April and August of 2006, and became the band's second album released on Reprise on October 24 of the same year. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo, notable in the small sub-genre of Rock Operas for producing Green Day's 'American Idiot'.

DVDs:

  • Life on the Murder Scene, 2006:

    Life on the Murder Scene refers to a box-set which contained two DVDs and one CD. The CD was predominately live recordings, with a few Demos and one previously unreleased track on the end. Disc One of the DVDs takes the form of a road dairy which encompasses stories of the lives of the members from before the band, through to the origins of the band up to just as they are reaching the end of touring for the 2004 release Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. DVD Two contains live footage, an MTV $2 Bill performance, the AOL sessions, and four music videos that had been released to that point, as well as three 'Making the Video' specials.

  • The Black Parade is Dead:

    Slated for release in April of 2008, 'The Black Parade is Dead,' supposedly features one of My Chemical Romance's final full 'The Black Parade' stage shows, as filmed on the 7th of October 2007 at the Palacio De Los Deportes in Mexico City.

Singles:

  • I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love:
    - 'Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us,' July 23rd, 2002.
    - 'Vampires Will Never Hurt You,' Sometime in 2002.

  • Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge:
    - 'I'm not Okay,' December 7th, 2004.
    - 'Helena,' March 3rd, 2005.
    - 'The Ghost of You,' August 30th, 2005.

  • The Black Parade:
    - 'Welcome to The Black Parade,' October 9th, 2006.
    - 'Famous Last Words,' January 22nd, 2007.
    - 'I Don't Love You,' April 2nd, 2007.
    - 'Teenagers,' July 9th, 2007.


Music Videos:


B-sides and Rarities:

  • 'All I want for Christmas Is You,' Mariah Carey Cover, Kevin and Bean's Christmastime 909.
  • 'Astro Zombies,' Misfits Cover, "Tony Hawk's American Wasteland," compilation.
  • 'Desert Song,' Unreleased recording from Three Cheers, Life on the Murder Scene.
  • 'Heaven Help Us,' Welcome to the Black Parade, B-side.
  • 'Jack the Ripper,' Live Morrisey Cover, Phantoms, forever EP.
  • 'Kill All Your Friends,' Famous Last Words' Single b-side.
  • 'My Way Home is Through You,''Famous Last Words' Single B-side.
  • 'Song Two,' Blur Cover.
  • 'Under Pressure,' Queen and David Bowie cover, performed and recorded with The Used.

Links:

Chemicalromance is primarily a place for fans to access news, discuss Chem events, and share their experiences of the band with other fans, however not all content is relevant to the community. This is by no means a comprehensive list of every good or notable MCR website or Livejournal community, but here are some other places you can go to fill your chemneeds.

The Band's Official Website:

My Chemical Romance.Com - as good a place as any to find out information on the band, as well as official tour dates and merchandise.

The MCRmy Website:

MCRmy - The official street teem.

For specific pieces of media, including live performances, b-sides and rarities, cover songs, interviews and full sized images:

The Immortality Project - A fansite full of information, that has an excellent interview section.
full_size_mcr
mychemicalmedia
http://theydrewblood.blogspot.com

For discussion, information, and excited flailing about the Umbrella Academy comic books, authored by Gerard Way:

theumbrella_acd
DarkHorse - The Darkhorse website, less flailing and discussion but just as much information.

For discussion and information about Leathermouth, the band in which Frank Iero is the vocalist:

leathermouth
Leathermouth on Purevolume
Leathermouth Fans - The Leathermouth Fansite.

Frank's clothing line and record company, company, Skeleton Crew is online:
Skeleton Crew Online - The official website.
Skeleton Crew Official Myspace

Though Bob Bryar's Solo Project doesn't really exist:
bobssoloproject
Bob Bryar's Solo Project - The official Website.

If your looking for an item of clothing you've seen one of the boys wear try:
mcr_request
MCR Style - The archive site of mcr_request, with a few more commonly enquired after items.

If you're looking for MCR themed layouts or Icons, you're probably not going to struggle on Livejournal, but a good selection can be found at:

mcr_army
mcr_layouts
mcr_icons
good_mcricons

For MCR rumours (because they happen, whether you like them or not):

mcrumorcontrol

Sometimes the boys are funny, inspiring, or just plain odd. For quotes:

chemicalquotes

For reviews of MCR shows visit:

mcr_tourdiary

Song Lyrics:

PLyrics - My Chemical Romance on PLyrics, fairly reliable and up-to-date.

Information about the MCR video game:
click here

A positive website to talk about how MCR has helped you:

faq

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