Annotations for Breakup Letter

Lyric: Because it is not a band-
 It is an idea
Annotation:
Ideas are resilient. A single idea can create, rewrite and transform the world. Nothing has the power to destroy ideas; people die, but their ideas do not. The death in the band is also a beginning for people who can use it for inspiration. Hope is passed on knowing that their story and everything created by the band will live on in their fans. John F. Kennedy related this notion quite eloquently, A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. Ideas have endurance without death.”

Lyric: Now-
 There are many reasons My Chemical Romance ended. The triggerman is unimportant, as was always the messengers- but the message, again as always, is the important thing. But to reiterate, this is my account, my reasons and my feelings. And I can assure you there was no divorce, argument, failure, accident, villain, or knife in the back that caused this, again this was no one’s fault, and it had been quietly in the works, whether we knew it or not, long before any sensationalism, scandal, or rumor
Annotation:
Nothing  caused the split, and even if it did, it shouldn’t be the thing taken away from the event. The people who interpret the breakup are invalid, since no betrayal or disagreement lead to this event, it was everyone at once. Gerard described in  an interview that, [The band] was tough on all the guys. We scrapped records, spent millions of dollars, and we were touring on this record, and it didn’t feel like the world needed My Chem anymore.

Lyric: The first thing I notice take me by surprise is not the enormous amount of people in front of us but off to my left- the shore and the vastness of the ocean. Much more blue than I remembered as a boy. The sky is just as vibrant.
Annotation:
The show in New Jersey was huge. It was at Asbury Park, where the stage is next to the ocean. An aerial photo of the show can be seen below. https://imgur.com/NIZ2CZs The sky is also quite blue.

Lyric: (in their defense I was most likely dressed as an apocalyptic marching-band leader with a tear-away hospital gown and a face covered in expressionist paint, so fair enough)
Annotation:
Gerard’s apparel for  “The Black Parade” consisted of a death-themed outfit—accompanied by excessive makeup—so he’s being sympathetic of the situation.

Lyric: 90’s Fender Mexican Stratocaster, Lake Placid Blue
Annotation:
A fairly affordable guitar- made in a time where  Fender was creating more variations of  strats to keep the interest up in them. Below is a photo of a Mexican Standard Stratocaster in Lake Placid Blue.  The guitar can be interpreted for a simile as Gerard’s music career. He had abandoned singing way back before starting the band like he had with the guitar but picked it up again after writing  “Skylines and Turnstiles.” In his past, he had “beat it up,” showing some of the original paint or “the color it was meant to be.” This could be referring to who he changed into through his music career, for better or for worse. Below is a photo of Gerard Way from 2004 to 2014.

Lyric: There wasn’t even a blaze of glory in a hail of bullets…
Annotation:
This idea, of dying a glorious death in a firefight, has been constantly glorified in everyone of their albums. This is most explicit in  Demolition Lovers, the final song of their first album. It reappears in  Three Cheers, and in the ill-fated heroes of “ Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back.” It is ironic, then, that the end of the band came with such a lack of their usual drama.

Lyric: I made coffee
Annotation:
Gerard likes coffee a lot. It’s been the subject of  a variety  of tweets and  other musings. However, it only reinforces the surreal sense of the narration. Choosing coffee increases the emphasis on the fact that life, and all of its daily banalities, will go on.

Lyric: The bird began to fly into the glass, over and over and in all different directions
 Smack
 Smack
 Smack!
Annotation:
Comparing his situation to the bird’s – a helpless, repetitive cycle that he is trapped in and unable to break free from. He is also unable to move forward, constantly hitting a wall / being blocked.

Lyric: The clearest actions come from truth, not obligation.
Annotation:
Actions that are the most genuine come from truthful thoughts, rather than responsibilities and fading passions.

Lyric: I have always felt that the art I have made (alone or with friends) contains all of my intent when executed properly, and thus, no explanation required.
Annotation:
He feels like his creations will speak to you in the way it was intended to, without a lot of thinking required.

Lyric: I didn’t realize it, but I stopped being sad the minute that bird had come into my life, because there was something that needed doing, a small vessel to aid and an order to keep.
Annotation:
Depression often gets worse when you are sitting around and inactive, with nothing to do. The excitement of trying to catch the bird helped Gerard feel happier, because it was an event that required energy, and his whole family was involved.

Lyric: I feel love for you, for our crew, our team, and for every single human being I have shared the band and stage with-
Annotation:
A shout out, a thank you to those who were involved in the magic.

Lyric: My Chemical Romance is done. But it can never die
 It is alive in me, in the guys, and it is alive inside all of you
 I always knew that, and I think you did too
Annotation:
Though the band has broken up, the music is immortal because it spoke to the members of the band and their fans. This section is reminiscent of the lyric “oh how wrong we were to think immortality meant never dying,” from  “Our Lady Of Sorrows”, which appeared on  I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. MCR may have “died,” but they still live on in the hearts of their fans.

Lyric: My Chemical Romance: 2001-2013
Annotation:
My Chemical Romance was formed in 2001​ and stayed together until their split in 2013. They released four albums during their career and played sold out stadiums around the world.

Lyric: Tucker.
Annotation:
Drummer for the post-hardcore band  Thursday, and also the part-time drummer for The Don’t Tells. Tucker played drums for My Chemical Romance in place of Bob Bryar on the second part of their 2006/2007 World Tour in Kuala Lumpur, Australia, New Zealand and Singpore to promote the album  The Black Parade.

Lyric: Jarrod
Annotation:
In September, 2011, it was revealed through various sources that  Jarrod Alexander would be the new touring drummer for the remainder of the  Honda Civic tour. He also performed with them in late October at  Voodoo Experience and at their Australian and New Zealand shows at  Big Day Out in early 2012.

Lyric: Michael.
Annotation:
Michael Pedicone joined the band as a touring drummer late in 2010, replacing Bryar.

Lyric: Cortez.
Annotation:
In April 2007, it was announced that Mikey would be taking a break from touring to spend time with his wife, Alicia Simmons-Way, and he was briefly replaced by Matt Cortez, a friend of the band.

Lyric: James.
Annotation:
James Dewees, frontman of  Reggie and the Full Effect with whom the band had toured with earlier in their career, played keyboard and synth.

Lyric: Bob.
Annotation:
Bob Bryar is an American sound engineer and drummer. He is best known for being the drummer of My Chemical Romance, of which he was an official band member from 2004 to 2010.

Lyric: Matt.
Annotation:
Matt Pelissier is an American drummer and producer, and one of the co-founders of the rock band My Chemical Romance. He also founded Strong Arm Recording Studios, located in Harrison, New Jersey in 2006.

Lyric: Frank.
Annotation:
Frank Iero provided backing​ vocals and rhythm guitar to the band. He also fronts post-hardcore band  Leathermouth.

Lyric: Mikey.
Annotation:
Mikey Way was the band’s bassist and Gerard’s brother.

Lyric: Ray.
Annotation:
Raymond Toro is an American musician who served as lead guitarist and co-founder of My Chemical Romance.

Lyric: You should know it in your being, if you listen to the truth inside you. And voice inside became louder than the music
Annotation:
If you are truly in touch with your self, you will know when it is time to let something go. In Gerard’s case, the voice telling him it was over was louder than the continued commercial success My Chemical Romance.

Lyric: Again, this is to protect the idea for the benefit of the audience. Many a band have waited for external confirmation that it is time to hang it up, via ticket sales, chart positioning, boos and bottles of urine- input that holds no sway for us, and often too late when it comes anyway
Annotation:
They are ultimately breaking up for the sake of their fans. If their end is marked by a drop in sales, critic reviews, or even personal destruction (which happens too fast to even notice), their whole reputation as a musicians becomes smeared of it’s beauty and integrity. Rather than wait for a commercial ending, they decided to break up before they start making music that doesn’t truly conform with their original intentions.

Lyric: The opinion on whether or not it is in fact time does not transmit from the audience
Annotation:
The listeners aren’t the ones who dictate when it’s time for MCR to stop making music.

Lyric: Fiction. Friction. Creation. Destruction. Opposition. Aggression. Ambition. Heart. Hate. Courage. Spite. Beauty. Desperation. LOVE. Fear. Glamour. Weakness. Hope
Annotation:
The evolution of the band I presume. Fiction-The idea Friction- Making the moves to start a band Creation- The birth of the MCR Destruction- Failure Opposition- Haters and naysayers Aggression- Dealing with addiction Ambition- Setting goals and making them happen Heart- The bands' passion as well as the fans Courage- Knowing that everything is going to work out Spite- We’re gonna spit the hate back in your face Beauty- When love is the intent, beauty is often the result Desperation- Gerard can see the end is near Love- This is the goal. As Gerard says, Love “was always my intent.” Fear- Fearing the end Glamour- Basking in the fruit of their success Weakness- Becoming a victim of said success Hope- For a brighter day (after MCR breaks up)

Lyric: Skylines and Turnstiles
Annotation:
A song about 9/11 found on MCR’s  debut album. It is said to be the first song the band created.

Lyric: A Fender Princeton Amp from 1965, non reverb.
Annotation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej4qjuH2kA

Lyric: I gently sped down the 405 through the morning fog to a random parking lot in Palo Verde,
Annotation:
Interstate 405 and  Palo Verde; in California, of course!

Lyric: The show is… good. Not great, not bad, just good.
Annotation:
One fan described it as  “unforgettably amazing.” Blink-182 was supposed to play at Bamboozle, but was replaced by My Chemical Romance at the last minute. Venture Mag had this to say: MCR played with such passion that you completely forgot they were a “replacement.”

Lyric: I am backstage in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It is Saturday, May 19th, 2012 and I am pacing behind a massive black curtain that leads to the stage.
Annotation:
This performance was part of the Bamboozle Fest headlined by the  Foo Fighters. The Foo Fighters had to play on Saturday Night Live with Mick Jagger that night so they took a helicopter from Asbury Park, NJ to Manhattan.

Lyric: I heard another set of footsteps, Bandit’s,
Annotation:
Bandit Lee Way is Gerard and Lindsey’s daughter. She was born in California on May 27, 2009.

Lyric: I heard Lindsey’s footsteps
Annotation:
Lindsey Ann Way (Lyn-Z) is Gerard’s wife. She is also the bassist for the synthpunk band  Mindless Self Indulgence.

Lyric: My Chemical Romance had ended
Annotation:
The band formed in 2001 and officially announced it’s breakup on March 22, 2013. What a 12-year run it was.

Lyric: I woke up this morning still dreaming, or not fully aware of myself just yet.
Annotation:
In the classic  7 Stages of Grief model created by Dr. Kübler-Ross, the first thing to accompany a traumatic event is denial and disbelief. Way grew the band from the beginning, watching them develop and achieve fame organically. Slowly, however, the group shifted to obscurity. Now, “waking up” after breaking up the band, Way can only think it all to be a dream. The sting of loss has not yet hit.

