Why I Love My Chemical Romance
I get a lot of flack for loving My Chemical Romance. As a 37-year-old woman who runs with a decidedly indie-rock-snob crowd, there is no end to the taunts when someone spots The Black Parade in between the Mudhoney and New Pornographers CDs. Not for nothing is there little mention of MCR on PopMatters, and not even the release that broke them worldwide, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, rates a review. “Real” music fans simply do not acknowledge such adolescent pablum, and rarely will they even deign to ridicule it. Mall-rock, they call it. Any band with bags full of Warner Brothers’ money behind it, that can fill stadiums with teenagers the world over and sell T-shirts hand over fist at Hot Topic, forfeits any right to serious appraisal. Even my hairstylist calls them My Chemical Tightpants.
So what happened to me? I heard “Helena” on the radio back when it was released in 2004, and found the chorus stuck in my head at all hours of the day and night. Later on, a friend, whose indie rock cred is airtight in my book, divulged (gasp!) that she was a fan. I bought the aforementioned Three Cheers, and that was all she wrote. I bought a car over a year ago that’s never seen another disc in slot #3 of it’s stereo. I have to wrestle with my nine-year-old son and my four-year-old daughter over who gets to wear which My Chem shirt on any given day.
What can I say? I am just a sucker for hyper-literate nerd-boys whose idea of the ultimate band is the Misfits fronted by Morrissey. Boys who don’t have a cynical bone in their collective body, and who wear their (great) influences on their sleeves, along with a deadly earnest and sincere desire to save people’s lives with their unabashed message of hope. Singer Gerard Way’s well-publicized triumph over depression, alcoholism and addiction does more for his legion of fans steering clear of drugs than a thousand “Just Say No” campaigns ever could.
Add to this an effortless ability to construct perfect pop choruses and guitar chops to choke a horse, a penchant for way-over-the-top theatricality, and a guest appearance by LIZA MINNELLI (on The Black Parade track “Mama”)... and you will know what has reduced me to a puddle of fangirl on the floor. I await their forthcoming CD, as yet untitled but tentatively scheduled for release in early 2010, with great anticipation and frequent visits to the band’s website for progress reports. Something tells me I won’t have to fight any fellow PopMatters contributors for dibs on that review.
So yeah, I drank the Kool-Aid. I went and became a rabid Alkaline Trio fan not long after discovering My Chem. Taking Back Sunday, too. Hopeless!
However, I am listening to the new Deer Tick CD as I write this, so all is not lost.
Comments
I LUV MY CHEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by jj — August 27, 2009 @ 3:06 pm
Literate? Obviously you haven’t been reading the band members’ twitters. Not only are they ridiculously boring, they’ve proven themselves to be vulgar, obnoxious and rude. Furthermore, none of them can spell.
From things they’ve said in recent months, it seems to me that they’ve dropped their “deadly earnest and sincere desire to save people’s lives.” I’m not so sure it was ever really sincere, but more likely just a calculated move to reel in the angsty teen market and deprive them of Mom and Dad’s money.
If I sound cynical it’s because I am. I used to believe this band stood for something, but not anymore.
Comment by Karen — August 27, 2009 @ 11:13 pm
I didn’t realize loving My Chemical Romance was a guilty pleasure, LOL. I fell in love with them the first time I heard “I’m Not Okay”, which all these years later still remains one of my all-time favorite songs. The Black Parade was one of the best CDs I’ve ever heard (I bought extra copies to give as Christmas presents), and I will be buying their new CD the day it goes on sale. So if loving Chem is wrong, Jennifer, you are not alone. :-)
Comment by Tommy Marx from Greensboro NC — August 27, 2009 @ 11:34 pm
My Chem is my all time favorite band and I check their site everyday too to check for updates. I fell in love with them when I first seen the video for “Helena”. I appreciate them for all they do. Long live My Chemical Romance! :D
Comment by Erin from Cincinnati,OH — August 28, 2009 @ 5:22 pm
I enjoyed this article as whenever I admit to someone I am a massive My Chem fan I am immediatedly made fun of (lighhearted or not.) The one thing I love about My Chem has been their constantly changing and evolving sound, and the fact they take those risks and constantly work to produce a better sound. For example, no one can deny that Gerards vocals have improved in live performances over the years, and while The Black Parade was dissed upon release, it remains one of my favourite albums due to the diversity within it, and the risk the band took with it. My Chemical Romance has been the one band that I have always loved year in year out, without fail.
Comment by Tahlia from OZ — September 6, 2009 @ 8:58 pm