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Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Tonight! My Chemical Romance - Tonight (and Tomorrow)
Posted by on Tue, Apr 8 at 9:34 AM
I love My Chemical Romance.
I know, I know, instead of slumming it with hoards of mall emo kids from the ‘burbs, I should be listening to nothing but Trout Mask Replica while I pack my overnight bags for a trip to music critic fat camp. But I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t admit my admiration for MCR’s tempered hysterics, their bombastic Queen (and showtunes) obsession, and the over the top dramatics of frontman (and occasional Portland resident) Gerard Way.
Of course, there’s more to being a MCR fan than being ridiculed by my peers. There is much debate if their single “Helena” kicked off the fucked-up you break my heart, I break your neck emo trend of using dead women as visual icons (I disagree, since Glassjaw was lyrically offing—or just hurting—women years before MCR applied that initial coat of guyliner in their suburban Jersey homes). In fact, the band is surprisingly self effacing, and unafraid to lay into their target demographic (“Teenagers scare the living shit out of me”) from time to time. Also, being a MCR supporter means coming to terms with the fact that, at their shows, I look like an undercover drug narc staking out a Hot Topic (Any of you Emos want to sell me some illicit narcotics?).
But as long as they continue to make videos like this, and songs like the one posted below, I’m on board the good ship My Chemical Romance.
That is, until they make a mature, grown up, record. Once that happens, I am done.
MP3:
My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
My Chemical Romance perform tonight, and tomorrow night, at the Crystal Ballroom.
Comments
I don't think the debate is over whether or not MCR started the "you break my heart, I break your neck" vein in emo: that was around while Gerard was probably in middle school listening to third-wave ska. No, I think the bigger issue is that they were pretty much the first to normalize the whole "dead girl as backdrop" visual, especially with that "Helena" video. Emo had started shifting from being vaguely misogynistic towards dead girl rock, and I feel like that video was the final nail in the coffin, not even trying to hide it. Hell, the whole thing is a funeral, with the apex coming when Helena dies.
I could be way off here, as I am no emo expert, but I feel like the success of this video had way more of an impact on teenage boys than Glassjaw ever did. Seeing Helena die fifteen times a day on MTV basically validated the fact that it really is okay to kill women, and the emo landscape post-"Helena" looked a whole of a lot different than it did before.
I'm still excited for this show though.
Rob, you are right... you are "no emo expert" and unless you shut up now, I will kill you deader than Gerard did Helena.
In all seriousness (for a conversation about My Chem), there was a fair amount of imagery in that video, but I doubt it launched the misogynistic wave of "dead girl" emo. Nothing in the video suggests that she was killed by Gerard, or anyone.
She was just dead. Then she danced!
I assume she kicked off from heartbreak when she found out that he married that one girl from Mindless Self Indulgence.
Plus, wasn't Tom Petty dancing with a corpse in "Mary Jane's Last Dance"?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdTYcnUBADw
Tom killed Kim Basinger!
OMG! You are brave. My Chemical Romance sucks and you LOVE them. This band sounds to me like GUK's Four Minute Mile on a sugar high. That shit came out over 10 years ago, and bands are still biting that shit like they pulled emo out of their butts. My Chemical Romance is about as impressive as Good Charlotte is punk rock.
My vote goes to Alkaline Trio for helping start the proliferation of dead girl imagery.
And Jet sucks too.
You didn't mention the video for "November Rain," which is probably for the best, but my preferred "dead teen" songs of choice are the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack" and "Last Kiss" by the Cavaliers. Both from the early '60s.
Murder ballads are as old as time itself. See: "Stagger Lee," "Little Sadie," "Frankie and Johnny." Also, rock interpretations like "Hey Joe" by Leaves/Byrds/Hendrix/others and "Down By the River" by Neil "Godfather of Emo" Young.
Yet further proof that emo is unoriginal. And vinyl still works. And text messaging scares me. Mmmaaarrrrhhh! Whippersnappers.
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WHAT?