From The Editor's Floor: My Chemical Romance

[ofyourdeath.livejournal.com]

HOMELAND INSECURITY: THE DAY MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE'S FRANK IERO MET THE MEN IN BLACK

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE are putting the final touches to their follow-up of 2007's majestic The Black Parade. During a break in the studio, guitarist FRANK IERO recalls some of the great highs and lows he experienced during their break. Some of those experiences--good and bad--revolved around writing, recording and touring with his side-project, LEATHERMOUTH, whose debut album XO, appeared on Epitaph earlier this year. The good was that he honed his home-recording skills, did a lot of writing (which has helped inform MCR's next disc) and became a maniac frontman while Leathermouth were on tour with REGGIE AND THE FULL EFFECT during the summer of 2008.

The bad? Well, as the guitarist has made clear in interviews, Leathermouth are his vehicle for unfiltered ranting (i.e. "Sunsets Are For Muggings," "Your Friends Are Full Of Shit"). But it was track No. 4 on XO, "I Am Going To Kill The President Of The United States Of America" (about George W. Bush), which earned Iero a visit from the Secret Service. Wondering what happens next?

"The government comes to your house, searches everything and talks to your wife for hours," says Iero, adjusting the sleeves on his hoodie. "Then you have to get a real expensive attorney to keep you out of prison for five years. I had a long talk with the gentlemen of the Secret Service. [It was the] straight-up dark suits, sunglasses, Men In Black-vibe--I thought they were going to do the mind-erase thing [like in the movie].

"They said, 'Why did you write the song?' And I told them the truth. I was on tour [overseas] with My Chem at the time, and every time I turned around, there were Anti-American rallies. I wrote a song from the standpoint of the rest of the world. It wasn't from my personal point of view--it was just from someone who sees warmongering going on. I wrote the song, and the title is as blatant as humanly possible, because I wanted it to be that way. The Secret Service asked, 'Do you think someone is going to hear this song and kill the president?' And I said if they're going to kill the president, they're going to do it without listening to this song. That's like saying everyone who reads Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal is going to eat a baby. They didn't think that was too intelligent, so they said, 'Well, if you re-release the record with the song on it or perform the song live ever again, you'll be arrested."

What's really perplexing about the whole incident is how the agency even learned about the song in the first place. Iero says he's not sure who it was, but opines that it was a British writer who contacted the Office of Homeland Security looking for a comment. Clearly, Iero could've turned the whole thing into a massively public freedom-of-speech argument; now, he's just happy the whole thing is behind him. "I'm married and I want to have kids," he resigns. "I don't want to go to jail for five years." --Jason Pettigrew

source

Comments

[tempore.livejournal.com]

Writer fail: "resigns" should never ever, especially by a journalist, be used in that context.

Other that that, my response is inexpressible rage at the lack of freedom of speech and violation of rights.

[maryangel200.livejournal.com]

He wants to have kids! :D

[earlofcardigans.livejournal.com]

I love that that's what you pick up. Mostly because it bugs me, too.

[ciel-vert.livejournal.com]

Ha, yes.

And that too. >:(((

[maryangel200.livejournal.com]

HOLY SHIT FRANK.

My favorite part? "I'm married and I want to have kids," he resigns. "I don't want to go to jail for five years."

BE STILL MY HEART. KIIIDS.

[tempore.livejournal.com]

I guess that means he plans for kids in the next 5 years, then.

[ciel-vert.livejournal.com]

That's like saying everyone who reads Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal is going to eat a baby.

My heart just grew three sizes.

"I'm married and I want to have kids," he resigns. "I don't want to go to jail for five years."

And then five more.

[maryangel200.livejournal.com]

Yup. My heart grew three sizes at the exact same things. Oh Iero ♥

[tempore.livejournal.com]

My heart is the same 3 sizes bigger. Like, seriously? That man just paraphrased Jonathan SWIFT. :D

[bittersweetrick.livejournal.com]

And here I thought the USA were the land of freedom.

(no, srly. FAIL, US GOVERNMENT. MAJOR FAIL.)

[tempore.livejournal.com]

*snorts8

Yeah, that's what they'd like you to think.

[prairiedaun.livejournal.com]

Fraaaaaank.

[iamsupernova.livejournal.com]

Buuushh...

Obama...

Different presidents...

Also wow, way to free speech, America.

[thisquietcity.livejournal.com]

Way to Amanda Palmer it up there.

[strobelighted.livejournal.com]

LOLOLOLOLOLOL oh Frank.

[jezrana.livejournal.com]

He's a rebel!

A rebel who doesn't want to go to prison because he wants to have kids!

[lovesongwriter.livejournal.com]

Good thing he didn't go to prison. He'd be somebody's girlfriend before he got through processing.

He has an awfully pretty mouth.

[ciel-vert.livejournal.com]

You know what they do to guys like him in prison...

[spuzz.livejournal.com]

That's actually really interesting, I knew he wasn't performing it anymore for that reason but his response in how he handled it was a lot more reasoned than I think I would have been. Plus the Jonathan Swift comment is pretty hilarious.

And then the babies comment, way to think ahead Iero.

[strobelighted.livejournal.com]

He's a smart cookie!

[strobelighted.livejournal.com]

Also, The Black Parade was released in 2006. Fail, AP dude.

[thebiologicshow.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, they also said that the MCRmy just finished their fourth album in that blurb on the website. They're just full of mistakes lately.

[anoneknewmoose.livejournal.com]

a) LOL MEN IN BLACK AT HIS HOUSE.

b) he wants to have kiiiiids! :D!

c) On a srs bzns note: the censorship is crap, but I don't think we have the right to get up in arms over it when it's pretty obvious Frank wants to drop it and move the fuck on.

[lovesongwriter.livejournal.com]

You make sense. I love you. o_o

[mcrnut.livejournal.com]

Oh my heart. Kids *___* They'll be so tiny. and rebellious.

[heartsdesire456.livejournal.com]

i'm big on freedom of speech too.... but this doesnt seem offensive to me. I mean... people are crazy. It is a bit much they made him stop performing it, BUT the fact they freaked out isn't that wierd. There are watchgroups looking out for the safety of government officials.

If you find out someone wrote a song about you mom "I'm going to kill (insert mother's title/name here)" you'd be a little concerned as well, wouldn't you?

I see more of a censorship gray area as for making him stop playing it, because one one hand it IS censorship, BUT that's serious business. I mean... not to call him of sub-par intelligence, but you can't really put out a song with that title and NOT expect FBI to track your ass down! It's not so much the fact they stopped him i agree with, its more that the face he thought they WOULDN'T that is a little odd to me.

Its like at school... in every school i went to from elementary to highschool, and probably at college too, idk really if my college has the same kinda policies, if a teacher hears a student treaten to 'kill' someone, they have to report it and kids as little as 6 or 7 can be expelled from school for it.

By the time you get to highschool (hopefully)you know better than to even say it because you know its gonna come back and bite you in the ass.

[rosesablaze.livejournal.com]

Freedom of speech fail, but not really surprising IMO.

[yekith.livejournal.com]

For a while I'd been left with the doubt about how much of this was true and what had exactly happened, good to finally know. Well, 'good' is just a saying...only good thing is he didn't go to jail!

LOL, I guess I'm the only one who doesn't squeals or awwws at the mention of them wanting to have kids or having them. I mean...when they do, ok, but I have no personal interest in that as to go: YES PLEASE HAVE BABIES SOON. :P

[thisquietcity.livejournal.com]

I am happy Frank did not get memory wiped and shit by the FBI, but still. I am with the people mentioning, "Um, yeah, no shit that is going to get people upset."

Points on the Jonathan Swift reference.

[f-lexi-ble.livejournal.com]

After all that grilling I bet the secret service guys left with their black suits covered in a tonne of dog fur. That makes me happy.

[theviciouskill.livejournal.com]

I'm terribly upset about this D: It just so happens that 'I Am Going To Kill The President Of The United States Of America' is one of my favorite songs on the album and I really ache to see it live (Thats if Leathermouth ever came to Australia). I wonder if he'll be arrested if he plays it in a different country? Hmmm.

Iero is right about those Anti American rallies being everywhere. I remember when I was younger, I had this american bandana and mum took it off me cause she was afraid I would get attacked by people who, well, just hated America.

[vendettaxviolin.livejournal.com]

Honestly, this is kinda funny. Not that Frank was almost arrested, but that he kind of got his wish. When the record came out, he basically said he wanted the secret service to come to his house.

[ciel-vert.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha that's right, he did! Oh Frankie, he should have known better that in his life, wishes DO come true.