Gerard Way
Gerard Arthur Way (born
April 9,
1977) in
Newark, New Jersey is frontman and co-founder of the band
My Chemical Romance, in which his brother
Mikey Way plays
bass.
Childhood
Way first began singing in fourth grade, when he played the part of
Peter Pan in a school production of the play. His grandmother Elena Lee Rush, who also taught him to sing, was so excited about his role that she made him a costume that included green tights. After this Way 'turned his back' on singing, saying, "Well, I don't want to be this weird singer kid, [I'm] into other things like comics and
Iron Maiden". He then decided to pursue graphic arts. Way had always been interested in drawing and comics because his childhood house was a "dark and dingy gothic-looking" place in the crime-ridden town of
Belleville, New Jersey. Dead bodies were almost frequently found in the West Hudson River, which was located in a park where children went to play. Way says that as a child, you couldn't really go out and play, so what he did was make up imaginary worlds in his head, which led on to his love for artwork.
After graduating from
high school in
1995, he attended
School of Visual Arts in
New York City graduating with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts in
1999. In
2001, Way says he tried to sell an animated television series to
Cartoon Network called
The Breakfast Monkey. He maintains that Cartoon Network turned down the pitch because it was too similar to
Aqua Teen Hunger Force, then already in production..
The Formation of My Chemical Romance
When the
September 11th attacks occurred, Way was working in the comic industry in New York, and could see the horror occurring at the Twin Towers. This inspired him to "do something with his life", and he formed the band
My Chemical Romance. The song "Skylines and Turnstiles" is the first song ever written by
My Chemical Romance, and it was inspired by Way's experience with the 9/11 incident. The band's name, suggested by Mikey Way, came from a book written by
Irvine Welsh, entitled
Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance. Gerard brought together
Ray Toro,
Matt Pelissier (later replaced by
Bob Bryar),
Frank Iero, and his brother
Mikey to play gigs along the East Coast. The band soon released its first album
I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love in 2002 under the at that time obscure New Jersey label
Eyeball Records. Music turned out to be an effective means for Way to deal with his longtime battle against depression, alcoholism, and prescription drug abuse, leading to the creation of deeply personal songs such as "
Helena", written after the death of his grandmother, Elena Lee Rush.
Despite his success as a musician, Way has not left his drawing behind: He drew all of the art on the band's second album,
Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge and has designed merchandise for his and other similar bands. He also has made efforts in order to raise money through his art for causes such as the fight against breast cancer. Other charity funds include working with
The Used lead singer
Bert McCracken to release a cover of the
Queen and
David Bowie single "
Under Pressure", on
iTunes for Tsunami Relief charity.
Way was close friends and possibly lovers (however, Way has on more than one occasion stated this is not true) with
The Used singer,
Bert McCracken. The two recorded several songs together, including a cover of
Under Pressure and the My Chemical Romance song,
You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison, in which McCracken provides backup vocals. However, in recent months they have had a falling out. Fans suspect that the sudden feud has been caused by the amount of fame My Chemical Romance has had over the success of The Used, while others have said that it was because later productions of The Used's album contained the single "Under Pressure", which was originally intended to raise money for Tsunami victims. McCracken has said in an interview with VH1, "I'd prefer not to say anything about My Chemical Romance, except that we did have a falling out. We don't speak at all anymore. It's got nothing to do with their success. I'm completely comfortable with where our band is at. We used to be very close, but no more. We had a falling out. The rest of my band, they're still mates with all the guys in that band. But I'd prefer to say nothing more about My Chemical Romance.". Both Way and his brother have made statements since, indicating McCracken was only joking, confessing that they remain in contact with him and nothing has happened between them.
* Gerard has bleached his hair blond, causing quite a ruckus in the fan base. [
1]
* Gerard is afraid of needles.
#
Alternative Press Magazine Issue #197 (December 2004), pp. 129-138#
"Teen Titans" â€"
Rolling Stone (
2005-07-14)#
Breakfast Monkey concept clip#
Band biography from the
All Music Guide#
Vh1 interview with Bert McCracken - by James Montgomery (November 9, 2005)#
Gerard's Bio and other Info on imnotokay.net
