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Gerard Way

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Gerard Way

Gerard Arthur Way (born April 9 1977 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American musician who serves as the frontman, lead vocalist and co-founder of the band My Chemical Romance.

Background

Way was born in Newark, New Jersey[1] 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, was a great creative influence and it was she who taught him to sing, paint, and perform. He has referred to her in interviews, saying such things as "she has taught me everything I know".[2]

When he was 15, Gerard was held up at gun point. He stated in a Rolling Stones article: "I got held up with a .357 Magnum, [I] had a gun pointed to my head and [was] put on the floor, execution-style." The incident did not, however, impinge on his views of the world. He went on to say that "no matter how ugly the world gets or how stupid it shows me it is, I always have faith."[3]

After graduating from Belleville High School in 1995,[4] he attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1999.[5][2]

Personal life

On September 3, 2007 after a show in Colorado, Gerard married Lyn-Z of Mindless Self Indulgence.[6] 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. The event was confirmed by Gerard himself as well as MTV.[7]

Career and Music

Way was working in the comic-book industry in New York in September 2001. The events that month changed Way's views on his life 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!'"[8] Soon after, he formed the band My Chemical Romance. The band's song "Skylines and Turnstiles" was inspired by Way's experience on and around September 11.[9]

Music has turned out to be an effective means for Way to deal with his long-time battles against depression, alcoholism and prescription and illegal drug use. This cathartic effect of music on Way has lead to his creation of deeply personal songs such as "Helena",[10], which was written after the death of his grandmother.

Way has recently established himself as 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 5.[11] Since then, an eight-page story has been published on MySpace, entitled "Safe & Sound"[12] and the first official issue was released on September 19, 2007.[13] The first issue sold out and there was a second printing on October 17, 2007.[14]

Discography

With My Chemical Romance

Main article: My Chemical Romance discography

References

  1. ^ "Teen Titans" — Rolling Stone (2005-07-14)

Notes

  1. ^ "Radio 1 Presents... My Chemical Romance". BBC Radio 1.From the radio interview
  2. ^ a b "Gerard's Biography". I'mNotOK.net. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthdate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Future of Music: Gerard Way". rollingstone.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthdate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ 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."
  5. ^ 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."
  6. ^ 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."
  7. ^ "MCR: Gerard ties the knot". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthdate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ SPIN Magazine Cover Stories My Chemical Romance, Spin magazine, May 312005 “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!’”
  9. ^ "My Chemical Romance Biography". Yahoo.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "My Chemical Romance Biography". All Music Guide. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Free Comic Book Day 2007". darkhorse.com.
  12. ^ "Dark Horse Presents". myspace.com.
  13. ^ "Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1". darkhorse.com.
  14. ^ "Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1 2nd printing". darkhorse.com.

See also

Template:Seealsosection

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