Gerard Way

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Gerard Arthur Way
Way performing in Chicago, March 1st, 2007.
Way performing in Chicago, March 1st, 2007.
Background information
Birth name Gerard Arthur Way
Born April 9, 1977 (1977-04-09) (age 30)
Summit, New Jersey, United States
Genre(s) Mixed
Occupation(s) Singer, comic book writer, cartoonist
Instrument(s) Vocals

Gerard Arthur Way (born April 9, 1977) is an American musician who serves as the frontman, lead vocalist and co-founder of the band My Chemical Romance. He is the elder brother of the band's bass player, Mikey Way. Way currently resides in West New York, New Jersey.[1]

Contents

Background

Way was born in Summit, New Jersey[2] to Donald and Donna Lee Way. Raised in Belleville, New Jersey, he first began singing in fourth grade, when he played the part of Peter Pan in a school production of the play. His maternal grandmother, Elena Lee Rush, taught him to sing, paint, and perform and has referred to her in interviews saying 'she has taught me everything I know'.[3]

When Way was 15, he was held up at gun point. He stated in a Rolling Stones article: "When I was fifteen, I got held up with a .357 Magnum, had a gun pointed to my head and put on the floor, execution-style. No matter how ugly the world gets or how stupid it shows me it is, I always have faith." [4]

After graduating from Belleville High School in 1995,[5] he attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1999.[6][3]

On September 3, 2007 in Colorado after a show, Gerard married Mindless Self Indulgence bassist Lyn Z. The pair tied the knot following the final date of Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution tour. A member of tour promoter Live Nation's staff, who is also an ordained minister, performed the low-key ceremony. Gerard himself and MTV have confirmed it.[7]

The Umbrella Academy

Way recently began his established career as a comic-book writer, writing for the comic miniseries, The Umbrella Academy. The Umbrella Academy was first unleashed in the Dark Horse 2007 free comic book day issue on May 5th.[8] Since then, an eight-page story was put up on MySpace, entitled Safe & Sound[9] and the first official issue was released on September 19th 2007.[10] The first issue sold out and there will be a second printing on October 17th 2007.[11]

Music and My Chemical Romance

In 2001, Way was working in the comic industry in New York when the September 11 attacks occurred. This event changed Way dramatically; he told Spin magazine, "I literally said to myself, 'Fuck art. I’ve gotta get out of the basement. I’ve gotta see the world. I’ve gotta make a difference!'"[12] Soon after, he formed the band My Chemical Romance. The band's first song "Skylines and Turnstiles" was inspired by Way's experience on 9/11.[13]

Music turned out to be an effective means for Way to deal with his long-time battle against depression, alcoholism, prescription drug and illegal drug abuse, leading to the creation of deeply personal songs such as "Helena",[14] written after the death of his grandmother.

Discography

My Chemical Romance

Main article: My Chemical Romance discography

References

  1. ^ "Teen Titans" — Rolling Stone (2005-07-14)
  1. ^ Gerard Way photo, The New York Times Agency, October 19, 2007. Caption: "Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance, near his home in West New York, N.J., on Sept. 24, 2007."
  2. ^ Radio 1 Presents... My Chemical Romance. BBC Radio 1.From the radio interview
  3. ^ a b Gerard's Biography. I'mNotOK.net.
  4. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17168348/future_of_music_gerard_way
  5. ^ Geeks become No1 emo stars, The Sun, October 23, 2006. "His is taken from the 1995 yearbook for Belleville High School, New Jersey, when Gerard, then 18, posed for the camera alongside other students in his leaving year."
  6. ^ Gustines, George Gene. "Superhero Stylings From Stars of Pop", The New York Times, October 20, 2007. Accessed November 27, 2007. "For Mr. Way, “Umbrella Academy” was another way to be productive when he wasn’t recording with the band. It also used skills he developed as a student at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan."
  7. ^ MCR: Gerard ties the knot.
  8. ^ Free Comic Book Day 2007. darkhorse.com.
  9. ^ Dark Horse Presents. myspace.com.
  10. ^ Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1. darkhorse.com.
  11. ^ Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1 2nd printing. darkhorse.com.
  12. ^ SPIN Magazine Cover Stories My Chemical Romance, Spin magazine, May 31, 2005 “I literally said to myself, ‘Fuck art. I’ve gotta get out of the basement. I’ve gotta see the world. I’ve gotta make a difference!’”
  13. ^ My Chemical Romance Biography. Yahoo.com. Retrieved on February 10, 2007.
  14. ^ My Chemical Romance Biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on February 10, 2007.

See also

External links

v • d • e
My Chemical Romance
Gerard Way • Ray Toro • Frank Iero • Mikey Way • Bob Bryar
Matt Pelissier • Matt Cortez
Studio albums I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love • Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge • The Black Parade
Live album Life on the Murder Scene • Untitled second live DVD
EPs Like Phantoms, Forever • Warped Tour Bootleg Series • AOL Sessions • Live and Rare
Demos Dreams of Stabbing and/or Being Stabbed
Singles "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us" • "Vampires Will Never Hurt You" • "Headfirst for Halos" • "Our Lady of Sorrows" • "Thank You for the Venom" • "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" • "Helena" • "Under Pressure" (with The Used) • "The Ghost of You" • "Welcome to the Black Parade" • "Famous Last Words" • "I Don't Love You" • "Teenagers" • "Mama"
Related Discography • Pencey Prep • Leathermouth • The Umbrella Academy • The Black Parade World Tour • Eyeball Records • Reprise Records • Projekt Revolution
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Way"
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