In honor of the 10-year anniversary (and deluxe reissue) of "The Black Parade" on September 23rd, I decided to share my experience with My Chemical Romance. From what I gather, it's a little out of the norm.
Before
you get too excited, sadly, I've never met any member of MCR, nor
have I seen them perform live, and I expect I never will (unless
Gerard is up to some wizard-level trickery with this consistent
uncertainty surrounding the re-release of "TBP"). The air on this
subject is so clouded, and so charged with angsty-teen emotions, that
I think continued speculation could be harmful. Personally, I'll just
be happily surprised if it is all a big prank and MCR does reunite. (Fingers crossed, my friends.)
My introduction to My Chemical Romance came through my ex-step-sister Sarah's writing when I was 12. Her main character sings the song “Teenagers” from "TBP" while walking through a hotel hallway in the middle of the night. Sarah actually introduced me to several of the bands I love today. For a little while, I listened to only "Teenagers" on repeat. I probably drove Sarah insane with how often I requested the song (we used to split the headphones connected to her iPod). Eventually, I widened my MCR intake to the entirety of "TBP," and I listened to that on repeat.
When I was 13, I would read and listen to music at night. At least, that's when this habit of mine started -- one book I read a few times, called "Midnight Predator" by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (yes, it's a vampire book, but it's different, I swear!). Whenever I re-read this book (once every few years or so), I hear "TBP" playing like a little record inside my head, and vice versa; when I listen to the music, my brain wants to take me to the world of that book. The association comes from reading the book the first time while listening to "TBP" on repeat at 13. I find it pretty amusing because it seems so rare, an association that strong, and the tones of both pieces match fairly well, so it doesn't seem too weird of a pairing for me. It's a quirk I like.
For years I didn't know any other music by MCR; I was content with my "Black Parade." It wasn't until recently, when I paid for the apple music membership this summer, that I downloaded MCR's other albums and actually took the time to listen to them. I hadn't intentionally ignored "Danger Days" or "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge," I just had never actively thought about buying their albums when the rare opportunity arose. I never had the chance to familiarize myself with the rest of the band's discography, until now.
I've
come to believe that, because of my unintentional waiting period,
I've approached the other albums without a sense of bias. Instead of
locking the band into a certain style in my head, I can appreciate
each album individually for their respective qualities. I've
met very few fans who also enjoy the "Danger Days" album, which released after "TBP." I love it for a couple reasons. 1.) My friend does an amazing impression sing-along performance to “Na
Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” and yes, that's really the
title. 2.) I love the energy that the album puts forward. Listening to "DD" is like watching a live electrical wire writhing and sparking,
making a general ruckus. I like to listen to it when I'm walking
places because it never fails to quicken my pace and put a bounce in
my step. Every album put out after a masterpiece is going to be a
disappointment to fans that wait with bated breath, and "The Black Parade" is nothing if not
MCR's masterpiece, with its dark and haunting theatrics and the deeply
cutting lyrics.
"Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge" is the album I'm most unfamiliar with, and yet, it's the one that I find most fans are attached to, if not "TBP." Of course I know the songs “I'm Not Okay (I Promise)” and “Helena,” but nothing more than the choruses, really. By this point, I've listened to the album about four or five times all the way through, and it's a beautiful, dark, and angsty album. However, because I've discovered it during my post-angstiness part of my life, it doesn't strike that critical chord in my chest, like it has for so many others. No,"The Black Parade" will always be MY era of My Chemical Romance.
Because of my love for "TBP," I've got a few mixed feelings about the deluxe reissue. Rumor has it that there's a good bit of new or never-before-released material packaged in with our touched-up 10-year-old. Which makes me wonder if the songs on the album are actually remixed and remade, or if there are just more songs added to the original 14. I don't know how I would react to a disfigured version of MCR's masterpiece. I would ask the question: Why "The Black Parade"? Why not remix "Danger Days" (even I'll admit that a few of the songs could use it), or even "I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love"? Surely the debut album could use more work than their most popular album. Though that in itself explains why they chose "TBP" -- popularity. Why fix something that's not broken? My answer: "The Black Parade" did the breaking. The amount of emotional and psychological trauma "TBP" inflicted on the band during and after the writing process makes that answer painfully clear. You try writing a masterpiece in two and a half months while living in the haunted Paramour hotel, barely escaping with your sanity intact, and then touring in support of that album for two years.
The band had to subject themselves to
an emotionally traumatic mind-space every time they performed "TBP" live, for the sake of their fans, and for their record label. This is
the reason behind the MCR split. I'd go more in depth, but that
article has already been written, and you can check it out in
Alternative Press' latest issue #339. And remember, if My Chemical
Romance isn't playing, it's for the sake of their mental health; it's
for a good reason. Our best bet is to wait patiently for them to
choose to play for us again.
Until then, I'll be happily listening to what music MCR has put out for all of us to hear, I'll be purchasing the deluxe reissue of "The Black Parade" come September 23rd, and I'll be grateful for it. So, my fellow Killjoys, make some noise, and let MCR forever be in our hearts. <3
