My Chemical Romance: Dead To See Another Day

Posted by Rob Ortenzi on 06-Jun-08 @ 02:06 PM

AP editor in chief Jason Pettigrew recently had the chance to talk with MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE parade leader GERARD WAY, discussing, among other things, the future of his band in their present state. Read on for a snippet of the interview, and pick up AP 241 (on sale everywhere June 10) to get the full story.

My Chem played some of their best gigs ever during Projekt Rev. You came off arrogant and boisterous, yet you continued to put in the sweat equity that earned you the very right to come off cocky in the first place.
Exactly. We had to put in the sweat equity like you said, because we came out nightly with the attitude of "this is who the fuck we are," and then we had to show [the crowds] why. This is why we're at this festival, this is why we're here at that moment. But we had to back it up; if we didn't, we were dead. We weren't coming out with aggression per se, as much trying to prove something to ourselves. We walked away from Projekt Revolution very happy.

I could've stopped at the end of that tour. I should've, really. We had some really difficult runs [after Projekt Revolution ended]. We went back again to the U.K., we went to Vietnam and South America, back to Malaysia...

But that was part of the plan. In your last AP cover story (AP 221, Dec. 2006), you said the band were committed to The Black Parade for three years. Is this last run a victory lap?
Projekt Rev felt like what Warped Tour felt like during Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. We felt so much love from the bands and the crowds on Projekt Rev, it felt like a victory lap. We didn't expect it. This final swing is more about fan service. I'm too tired to take a victory lap. I can't run anymore. [Laughs.] This last run [was] a thank-you to the fans.

You also mentioned that after your touring commitments were fulfilled, the band were going to go back to being five individuals who love and respect each other, yet had to go live life to recharge creatively. Straight up: Are MCR going in cold storage for a few years?
Realistically, I think our next record will be out in 2009.

That soon? When you consider that nearly everyone in the band are either planning to be or are already married and have other projects they want to explore, is that really possible? Doesn't real life get in the way?
I could be wrong. Six months off to us is like a lifetime; we always have to be doing something or we'll kinda go crazy. But that doesn't mean put out a record and tour our ass off. We're definitely over touring; next time we go out, it will be half the amount we did this time.

Make sure to pick up AP 241, on sale everywhere June 10, for the full interview!


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