http://ofyourdeath.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] ofyourdeath.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] tothetune2009-12-01 04:13 pm

My Chemical Romance Slam Fame-Hungry Musicians on New Album

Photobucket

After going the concept route -- or at least making a linear work on 'The Black Parade' -- My Chemical Romance are going in another direction on their forthcoming album, due early next year. Spinner visited the group in their L.A. studio to get an early preview and we were left suitably blown away by the nine very disparate songs we got to hear. The tracks ranged from the atmospheric 'Light Before Your Eyes,' a song frontman Gerard Way describes as Pink Floyd-ish, to the '80s-flavored 'Trans Am' and the punk/dance party tune, 'Death Before Disco,' which starts off with a Judas Priest 'Living After Midnight' vibe and turns into a lyrical salute to the Stooges, Velvet Underground and MC5.

Way tells Spinner the as-yet-untitled album is a definite answer to 'The Black Parade.' "Every single record we make is a response to the last," he says. "But sometimes it's not only a response to the last record -- it's a response to the opinion of that record or a response to the world at the time of that record."

What he sees and documents on the new album is a lot of rockers who are in music for the wrong reason. "There's a definite undercurrent of fame versus working class, people having stuff handed to them with zero talent versus working class kids that start a band," he says. "Rock 'n' roll is not red carpets and MySpace friends -- rock 'n' roll is dangerous and rock 'n' roll should piss people off. Right now, there's not a lot of that happening. What it is is a lot of people trying to be famous. That seems to be the goal."

In Way's opinion, that desire to be famous is messing up the sanctity of rock ''n roll. "It's bled into rock. It came from other places, but it's bled into rock 'n' roll and kind of tainted it a bit," Way says. "This record is really a response to that as well."

MCR certainly have the resources and notoriety to bask in that fame as well, so how do they resist that temptation? "Instead of us panicking and trying to see where we can grab the money or grab the opportunity, we just wrote music instead," Way says. "We tried to write a great record; that was our response to things. I think that writing a great record will sell records these days, as opposed to doing every other f---ing thing that people seem to be doing to sell a record."

Source

[identity profile] spuzz.livejournal.com 2009-12-01 05:30 pm (UTC)(link)
I know there's like text and shit but I am really distracted by that picture. *_________________*

[identity profile] tuesdaysgone.livejournal.com 2009-12-01 05:33 pm (UTC)(link)
It's the crazy fingers.

*nods*

[identity profile] spuzz.livejournal.com 2009-12-01 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
For me it's Frank. And Gerard gesturing at Frank.

[identity profile] tuesdaysgone.livejournal.com 2009-12-01 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Also very distracting *__*

[identity profile] ciel-vert.livejournal.com 2009-12-01 05:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Pretty much. ♥_____♥

[identity profile] exsequar.livejournal.com 2009-12-01 06:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Gerard's explainy-hands! ♥___♥

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/rayla_/ 2009-12-01 06:52 pm (UTC)(link)
people having stuff handed to them with zero talent versus working class kids that start a band

NAME NAMES, GARRY.

[identity profile] spuzz.livejournal.com 2009-12-01 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
They traveled in a van for quite some time and while they were pursued by a record company and representatives at least one time early on, that doesn't mean that they were hugely popular and were swimming in money. They chose, purposefully, to go a different route and do their own thing which was, living in a van, struggling etc. His point I believe is that they DIDN'T get a huge bonus, they didn't have a bus (that was a huge deal for them at the time) and the grew steadily going from small venues to large ones. They didn't start playing in stadiums, they did play in dives, bars, small dinky clubs etc etc. and they built their fan base organically.

So in my opinion, they did struggle and worked quite hard for what they have.
Edited 2009-12-01 19:10 (UTC)

[identity profile] lupilups.livejournal.com 2009-12-01 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)


Ok, now to actually read the article.

[identity profile] lupilups.livejournal.com 2009-12-01 07:13 pm (UTC)(link)
THIS. OH GOD, THIS.

[identity profile] strobelighted.livejournal.com 2009-12-01 07:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, they did.

[identity profile] strobelighted.livejournal.com 2009-12-01 07:17 pm (UTC)(link)
I want more photos from that studio. >:(

(Anonymous) 2009-12-01 07:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Considering Brian spent all his savings in order to pay for their European tour, and Bob worked that tour for free, I doubt they were rolling in money. They worked hard to get to where they are. Especially compared to shitty bands like Brokencyde.

(Anonymous) 2009-12-01 07:29 pm (UTC)(link)
You're wrong.

(Anonymous) 2009-12-01 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
NAH

(Anonymous) 2009-12-01 07:41 pm (UTC)(link)
LOL N00B TO MCR

[identity profile] lovesongwriter.livejournal.com 2009-12-01 07:44 pm (UTC)(link)
I agree with [livejournal.com profile] spuzz. They purposely chose to build their fanbase through hard work rather than going the real easy way and taking the record deal.

To say they didn't struggle is dismissing the work they did with their constant touring.

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/rayla_/ 2009-12-01 07:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I think he means Trace Cyrus. WHAT A HATER.

(Anonymous) 2009-12-01 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
I too, agree. They did struggle, they worked incredibly hard. Comparing them to other bands is kind of odd to me. Comparing struggles and hardships and then grading them against each other, that doesn't seem logical. They went through their own hard work and "struggle" (which could mean personal issues, money issues, health issues, touring issues etc etc) to get where they are at and (what Gerard is saying here), they DIDN'T have these things handed to them.

We're talking here not about bands that are still working for recognition, who I'm assuming Gerard is not talking about either, but about bands that didn't tour constantly, DIDN'T travel in a band which is a thing to consider and take into account because it's difficult on you (traveling for months at a time with no real home in a confined space with boxes, equipment and people) but instead went from forming > fame. Whereas MCR went from formation > touring/no recognition for some time > signing > still touring, still working > recognition.

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/rayla_/ 2009-12-01 07:53 pm (UTC)(link)
I love how people always log out to respond when someone says something they don't agree with.

(Anonymous) 2009-12-01 07:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Or possibly they don't have journals. But I could also be a cowardly asshole I guess.

(Anonymous) 2009-12-01 07:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Exactly. Even now they have recognition, they still work really hard. You just have to look at how much they toured after TBP was released. They work their asses off.

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/rayla_/ 2009-12-01 07:58 pm (UTC)(link)
But no one ever comments anon here usually.

(Anonymous) 2009-12-01 08:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh really? Lets suppose that is true (which it's not btw, because I have commented here logged out several times), so how do you account for those (politely disagreeing btw) logged in? Or are we just ignoring those now?

[identity profile] lovesongwriter.livejournal.com 2009-12-01 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Exactly. He's talking about acts that do that or just are dickish thinking the number of people they friended on myspace means anything.

Page 1 of 5