Started by Gerard Way, Matt Pelissier (former drummer), and Ray
Toro in 2001 after Gerard witnessed the September 11th World
Trade Center terrorist attacks. Gerard wrote the song "Skylines
and Turnstiles" about the incident as he saw people jumping out
of the towers and landing on the ground trying to escape a long
tortuous death.
The name for the band came from Gerard's
little brother, Mikey who at the time was working in a Barnes
and Noble and came upon Irving Welsh's "Ecstasy: Three Tales of
Chemical Romance" and thought that My Chemical Romance would be
a good band name. Soon after Mikey joined the band as their
bassist and the line up was nearly completed.
After playing local clubs and befriending
fellow Jersey band, Pencey Prep, they asked the now defunct
Prep's guitarist, Frank Iero to join their band as rhythm
guitarist. Iero jumped at the chance to join one of his
favourite bands and My Chemical Romance was ready to take on the
world.
Eventually they signed with Eyeball Records
and recorded their 2002 debut album, "I Brought You My Bullets,
You Brought Me Your Love" which included the tracks, "Skylines
and Turnstiles" (written about the WTC terrorist attacks),
"Cubicles", "Vampires Will Never Hurt You" and "Headfirst for
Halos" (about committing suicide and thinking happy thoughts).
After the album release they slowly started an underground
following of fans who related to the music and lyrics and the
band. They toured the United States in a mini-van and pulling a
trailer full of their instruments behind them, some days barely
making it to the venue or the next gas station even.
After successfully establishing themselves as
a band, and after having large record companies following them
with record contracts, they decided it was time to go back to
the studio and signed with Reprise Records a subsidiary of
Warner Bros. This time they went into the studio and came out
with the 2004 release, "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge". Once
again back on the road promoting their new album, with the smash
hits "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" (a true teen anthem), "Helena"
(a tribute to Gerard and Mikey's grandmother, Elena who had
passed prior to the recording of Three Cheers) and "The Ghost of
You" (a song about loss of a loved one). In 2004 they dumped
their drummer, Matt Pelissier and asked the sound engineer for
The Used, Bob Bryar to join them on the rest of their tour.
In March 2006 they released the 2DVD/1CD box
set titled "Life on the Murder Scene", a documentary/behind the
scenes on the road to fame for the four guys from New Jersey
(and the one from Chicago).
October 23, 2006 marked the re-emergence of
the fandom, when My Chemical Romance pulled a David Bowie and
went Ziggy Stardust on the world with their alter ego, The Black
Parade (which was also the name of their newest record). There
was much secrecy around the internet and posters being put up by
the street team regarding this new band that the guys supported.
With the new album came a new look for the band, Gerard dyed his
hair white blonde to imitate the look of being dead and become
the new character of the album, The Patient.
