After two years, I am once again sat across from the band that is “Lunacy Fringe,” back to stay with their second album “Strike a Violent Pose.” Their first, “Methane Skies” was astonishingly successful, being nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2008. Since then, the band has sailed across stormy seas, in a world of deep depression, drugs, alcohol and much more. Here, we are to talk about what made them fall, and what made them get back up again.
The vocalist, stunning gothic-punk Brooklyn, looks across at me with wide blue eyes, patiently awaiting my questions. I go to begin, then Quinn asks for my name, in fear of sounding rude, bless him. “My name’s Constance. Starting with a simple question: who influenced you musically from an early age?”
This question is liked. The drummer, Luna, says “We all liked the same sort of music, but it was all really random. From when we were young, we’d listen to a lot of Nirvana, The Smiths, The Cure, Bob Dylan, but then we’d listen to a lot of Sex Pistols, Green Day... It wasn’t necessarily a specific genre.”
“Yeah, different music would just have different meaning to us.”
Brooklyn smiles, “Not forgetting more recent artists, like My Chemical Romance, The Used, A Day To Remember, 30 Seconds To Mars-”
Quinn laughed, “She’s obsessed. We all love them, her and Luna especially though... it’s cute.”
“Yeah, that’s true, we do. But it’s been that way since they formed... like, My Chemical Romance have been a band for nearly ten years, and me and Luna went to one of their first gigs. One of the best nights of my life.” I smile, getting the feeling they could talk about this question for a while, so I continue with my interview.
I smile and clear my throat, “The next question is mostly for you Brooklyn, one you may be expecting: I understand that you were hospitalised for depression and suicide attempts- when did it start to go downhill?” The band members have a newly-found fresh, mellow air about them; I don’t feel intruding. Brooklyn shifted, beginning “I’ve always been depressed. From when I was a little girl I was never fully happy, y’know? As a young teen I got into marijuana, cigarettes and begun to self-harm. These guys-” She gestures to her band mates “-and music kept me alive since I met them when I was 13 or 14- very young. I was a little happier… I think we all were. Then recently, I got back into all the shit again. I started to drink again and self-harm- not just cutting, I’d burn myself, wrist-bang, that sort of thing. It’s my entire fault really that-”
“It’s not.” This came from bassist Quinn, who had been listening silently as Brooklyn delved into her past. “Carry on, Quinn?”
“Well, as she said, we were all pretty much the same when we were younger, so we’ve always helped each other out. It’s not her fault that we went away for a while, I think we needed it. We were all in a bad place.”
I reply, “I see. So you think that this has just made you stronger; has this been put into your new album?”
Gerard says, “Oh yes, it’s really focussed on not just being in a horrible place, but being able to get out of it. We want people to understand that it’s alright to be fucked up, because we all were too and we got over it; they can overcome it, too.”
“We’ll be with them through it.”
“You’re certainly a very inspirational group of people. Thanks for that. So, what artists contributed to bringing you back from your depression?” I ask.
Brooklyn doesn’t hesitate to say, “My Chemical Romance. Mostly. They’ve always helped us. I think it’s a lot to do with how they’ve obviously all been through so much, now they are happier. Their lyrics touch me, make life feel worth it. Ah, why don’t you guys tell Constance what you all did for me?”
Quinn says, “Okay, well we cherish each and every My Chem album, so when Brooklyn was going through all of the shit we’d take turns-because we all live together- to write inspiring lyrics of theirs in lipstick on her bathroom mirror. For example, from their new album a lyric from the song, Sing is “Sing it out. Girl, you've got to be what tomorrow needs.” ”
“It was so sweet. It helped me a lot. I was drowning, and they pulled me out of the sea.”
A lot of respect has been built for this band and its members; I’m overwhelmed by their relationship alone. “That is truly just amazing, how inspiring! We’re on a push for time, I’m afraid, so last few questions. Simple question: how much are you looking forward to your tour?”
Their faces light up, Luna says, “We’re all incredibly excited- a world tour! This is such a massive thing for us as a band. We’re touring here in the UK first, and then we’re just all over the place. Quite a few shows are sold out, it’s unbelievable!”
“Even though you’re a big band now, do you still go to gigs yourselves?”
“Oh, yes! We love going to gigs and festivals! We’ve never been about the fame, so we just like to carry on doing things we’ve always done. We don’t want to suddenly become arrogant. In fact, we all went to A Day To Remember the other day with a few other friends. Fuck, it was incredible! ” This came from Gerard, who has been the most silent throughout.
I ask with hope, “You’re back to stay, yes?”
The answer came in unison: “Fuck yeah!”
The vocalist, stunning gothic-punk Brooklyn, looks across at me with wide blue eyes, patiently awaiting my questions. I go to begin, then Quinn asks for my name, in fear of sounding rude, bless him. “My name’s Constance. Starting with a simple question: who influenced you musically from an early age?”
This question is liked. The drummer, Luna, says “We all liked the same sort of music, but it was all really random. From when we were young, we’d listen to a lot of Nirvana, The Smiths, The Cure, Bob Dylan, but then we’d listen to a lot of Sex Pistols, Green Day... It wasn’t necessarily a specific genre.”
“Yeah, different music would just have different meaning to us.”
Brooklyn smiles, “Not forgetting more recent artists, like My Chemical Romance, The Used, A Day To Remember, 30 Seconds To Mars-”
Quinn laughed, “She’s obsessed. We all love them, her and Luna especially though... it’s cute.”
“Yeah, that’s true, we do. But it’s been that way since they formed... like, My Chemical Romance have been a band for nearly ten years, and me and Luna went to one of their first gigs. One of the best nights of my life.” I smile, getting the feeling they could talk about this question for a while, so I continue with my interview.
I smile and clear my throat, “The next question is mostly for you Brooklyn, one you may be expecting: I understand that you were hospitalised for depression and suicide attempts- when did it start to go downhill?” The band members have a newly-found fresh, mellow air about them; I don’t feel intruding. Brooklyn shifted, beginning “I’ve always been depressed. From when I was a little girl I was never fully happy, y’know? As a young teen I got into marijuana, cigarettes and begun to self-harm. These guys-” She gestures to her band mates “-and music kept me alive since I met them when I was 13 or 14- very young. I was a little happier… I think we all were. Then recently, I got back into all the shit again. I started to drink again and self-harm- not just cutting, I’d burn myself, wrist-bang, that sort of thing. It’s my entire fault really that-”
“It’s not.” This came from bassist Quinn, who had been listening silently as Brooklyn delved into her past. “Carry on, Quinn?”
“Well, as she said, we were all pretty much the same when we were younger, so we’ve always helped each other out. It’s not her fault that we went away for a while, I think we needed it. We were all in a bad place.”
I reply, “I see. So you think that this has just made you stronger; has this been put into your new album?”
Gerard says, “Oh yes, it’s really focussed on not just being in a horrible place, but being able to get out of it. We want people to understand that it’s alright to be fucked up, because we all were too and we got over it; they can overcome it, too.”
“We’ll be with them through it.”
“You’re certainly a very inspirational group of people. Thanks for that. So, what artists contributed to bringing you back from your depression?” I ask.
Brooklyn doesn’t hesitate to say, “My Chemical Romance. Mostly. They’ve always helped us. I think it’s a lot to do with how they’ve obviously all been through so much, now they are happier. Their lyrics touch me, make life feel worth it. Ah, why don’t you guys tell Constance what you all did for me?”
Quinn says, “Okay, well we cherish each and every My Chem album, so when Brooklyn was going through all of the shit we’d take turns-because we all live together- to write inspiring lyrics of theirs in lipstick on her bathroom mirror. For example, from their new album a lyric from the song, Sing is “Sing it out. Girl, you've got to be what tomorrow needs.” ”
“It was so sweet. It helped me a lot. I was drowning, and they pulled me out of the sea.”
A lot of respect has been built for this band and its members; I’m overwhelmed by their relationship alone. “That is truly just amazing, how inspiring! We’re on a push for time, I’m afraid, so last few questions. Simple question: how much are you looking forward to your tour?”
Their faces light up, Luna says, “We’re all incredibly excited- a world tour! This is such a massive thing for us as a band. We’re touring here in the UK first, and then we’re just all over the place. Quite a few shows are sold out, it’s unbelievable!”
“Even though you’re a big band now, do you still go to gigs yourselves?”
“Oh, yes! We love going to gigs and festivals! We’ve never been about the fame, so we just like to carry on doing things we’ve always done. We don’t want to suddenly become arrogant. In fact, we all went to A Day To Remember the other day with a few other friends. Fuck, it was incredible! ” This came from Gerard, who has been the most silent throughout.
I ask with hope, “You’re back to stay, yes?”
The answer came in unison: “Fuck yeah!”
Ella. This is a different style of interview to many. You've gone for the interviewer as star route. Look into Hunter S Thompson's work, he pretty much invented gonzo journalism, they turned one of his novels into a film
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm7r491n-8o
but his written word is what made him so influential. The three band members come across well, they seem distinct and individual. The swearing is appropriate. My knowledge of My Chemical Romance and this whole genre is somewhat limited, I assume self harm is part of it and you do well not to glamourise or romanticise it.