Interview with Frankie Iero of My Chemical Romance

Phone Interview

January 14, 2005

 

Leah Weinberg: How did the tsunami relief show go the other night?
Frankie Iero: It was amazing. I mean, it was very rushed. We had to go right from the taping of Carson Daly and run down to the venue. We didn’t even know if we were gonna make it. We got a little lost on the way, got there and ran right on stage and played. It was amazing. The kids were great. It was one of the best shows I think we’ve ever played.
L.W.: What made you guys decide to get involved with that?
F.I.: Well, we were asked to do it. We were like well, it’s the least we could do. It was just a great cause and we weren’t doing anything that day. If we could do it, we wanted to do it.
L.W.: And how did the taping go with Carson Daly?
F.I.: It was fun. It was awkward. They always are, you know? My grandfather was there and my girlfriend, my dad, so that was really cool and I just kind of played to them. When there’s cameras around and there’s huge stages, it’s just weird.

L.W.: You guys are also playing TRL next week. Is that something you guys are excited to do or is it just good publicity?
F.I.: I think it’s hilarious. That’s all I can really say about it. From the inception of the band and when the band started doing really good, lots of people, including friends and bands were like, ‘Whatever you do, just promise you won’t do TRL.’ And I would just laugh because I never thought that would even be an option, you know? And now that it’s here, it’s still really, really funny.
L.W.: What was your reaction when you found out you were being asked to play? Did you just laugh pretty much?
F.I.: Pretty much, like, Are you kidding me? Why? I’m still speechless. Here’s the thing too, like I don’t have cable, so what I’m basing it on is maybe seeing a little bit of it one time like two years ago or hearing a lot about it. I’ve never actually seen a whole TRL show. And I’m not just saying that because I’m trying to be cool. I really have no clue.
L.W.: Yeah, but I think your reaction that it’s hilarious is pretty accurate. Is it kinda weird for you guys to be playing.
F.I.: It is, right? When did that happen? I never thought a band like mine would be asked do that or considered at that level? I don’t know. That’s like Britney Spears, right? I just think it’s really funny.

L.W.: So with TRL and magazine covers and everything, is this all happening too fast for you guys, or are you able to handle all of it pretty well?
F.I.: You know, here’s the thing: Everything’s happening so fast that I can’t even stop and realize what’s going on. Like we were supposed to have a month off for Christmas and New Year’s and just be home and relax with the family and stuff like that. And I was really psyched about it, and I thought maybe at that point, I’ll have some time off and just sit back and see and enjoy what we’ve accomplished so far. And that month turned into 10 days and that 10 days turned into 7 days.
L.W.: That sucks.
F.I.: No, it’s good to be busy. But at the same time, it’s like I have no time off whatsoever now. I still can’t even grasp what’s going on, so I think it’s good in that it keeps you very grounded because I really have no clue. More people are coming out to shows and that’s awesome, but I really don’t know why or how it’s happening. I don’t see a huge presence, but apparently it’s there.

L.W.: You guys have been asked by Kevin Lyman to play both the Taste of Chaos tour and the entire Warped Tour....you guys must be flattered.
F.I.: Oh definitely. That’s a huge deal. Ever since I was really little I always wanted to play Warped Tour and to be asked to do that the first year was just like, Wow, and to be asked to do the whole thing and have Kevin talk about us in interviews and stuff like that just really blew my mind. And then he asked us to do his winter thing and it’s the inception of that, so that’s crazy in it’s own right. It’s a huge, huge honor.
L.W.: And how was your Warped Tour experience last summer?
F.I.: It was really fun. It’s like a carnival. It’s like being a carnie. It’s one of those experiences that if you’ve never done it, you won’t get it. And it’s hard and it’s rough and it’s amazing and you meet people that become friends for life. It’s one of those things where all of my favorite bands were on the tour. Bands like Alkaline Trio and the Bouncing Souls, they really made you feel like you were apart of it and you were their equal. And that was a great, great thing. I flipped out, I really did. I couldn’t believe it.

L.W.: Is the plan for this year just to continue touring?
F.I.: Pretty much. It would be nice to have a little time off...a sliver of time off. But we’ll see.

L.W.: With all of the press you’ve been doing, do you guys enjoy doing photo shoots for magazines?
F.I.: We did one last night and the theme of it was “A Clockwork Orange,” and it was amazing. And I was so psyched about it. I got all dressed up and I was very into it. And then it went until 11 o’clock at night and different things changed about it. It’s fun until it gets to be too much. And then you’re like, ok. And then he’s like, Give me attitude. And you’re like, Ok, because I definitely have a lot of that for you right now.
L.W.: What magazine was it for?
F.I.: I think that one was for Maxim/Blender.

L.W.: A lot has been said about Gerard going clean and sober. How has that affected the band?
F.I.: It’s been amazing for the band. It’s brought us to a new level I think. That happened at the same time when we got our new drummer Bob and that took us over the edge. We’re now tighter than we’ve ever been and we’re more of a family. Gerard is so much better sober. It’s like day and night. You feel more comfortable up there. You know you’re all on the same wavelength and it’s more of a unit. It’s an amazing feeling, it really is. I’m very proud of him. He did a great job with it. There was no slipping up. There was no, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I really want to do this any more. I can’t handle it.’ He took it like a man and did it. He knew he had to do it. He did it cold turkey, and that’s a hard thing. I give him a lot of credit.
L.W.: Does he realize that’s he sort of becoming a role model in terms of that?
F.I.: We did talk about that a little bit, but you can’t really think of that too much. We talked about it in that he was deciding whether he should go public with it or not. And we talked about that and he had a good point. He was like, ‘I can come out with this and people can be like I really don’t give a shit or somebody could be like, I’m going through that too and if he can do it, I can do it.’ It’s hard to realize that you have a big platform. Sometimes it’s hard to realize that people are listening to you and looking at you as a role model. When you realize that and do it responsibly, I think that’s a great feat.

L.W.: What was life like for the band before he decided to make that change?
F.I.: Well, here’s the thing, we were all kind of in our own right a little crazy. When it’s all going down, you don’t really think about it too much. And then there was a few moments where it was like, Whoa, this is kind of getting out of hand. And we realized it. I definitely talked to Gerard a bunch and we took care of it. Some bands go through that and let it go, and it’s the downfall of the band and it’s a shame. And I’m just happy that we were lucky enough to catch it.

L.W.: What’s the next single going to be?
F.I.: The next single is gonna be “Helena.”
L.W.: And have you shot a video for it?
F.I.: We have. We actually just finished it. I haven’t seen it yet, but I imagine it’s going to be pretty cool.
L.W.: What’s the concept?
F.I.: The concept is, it’s a funeral yet celebration.

L.W.: 3 words that describe My Chemical Romance
F.I.: Beautiful, violent, pop.

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