Did you ever expect that MCR would take off to the point of headlining an arena tour?
Did I seriously think so? No. Did I maybe want to play since I was 9 years old, getting in front of the mirror and performing? Absolutely. It's one of those things where we'd joke about (becoming superstars). Then it comes true, and it's amazing, just an amazing, amazing feeling. I think we were very lucky and have been very fortunate in the past couple of years to be able to do what we've been doing. It's really very few and far between where people get to find something that they're passionate about.

Are you surprised at the success of The Black Parade?
Going into recording The Black Parade, there was definitely a fear that all right, and I actually said this, that people are going to hate this album. Even if it's Sgt. Pepper, one of the greatest of all time, it's our time to be hated. It's a funny thing to me, but it's so brutally true. For the first couple of months to a year, everyone loves you because you're the underdog. Everyone loves your band and tells you how talented you are. All of a sudden, because of that, people want to hate you. Nothing has changed because there's not even a new record yet, but all of a sudden, everyone wants to hate you.

How do you prepare for that kind of criticism?
We were prepared that it was not going to go that well, but all of a sudden, we started to listen to what we had done. We submerged ourselves so far into the record, into the story. We said, “you know what, we don't give a sh**  if people hate it.” It's like they're obligated to hate it. But in my eyes and the rest of our eyes, before it even came out, it was a success.

Could you describe the writing process of The Black Parade and the points you were trying to make?
We sat down to write a record that was very much a human record, a record about things that human beings have to go through on a daily basis. There were things that we were thinking about that really affected us in everyday life. Maybe it's just us, but we think about heaven and hell. We think about the end of all of this, where we'll go and how much time we have left. We decided to write a morality play.

What is the story depicted in The Black Parade?
We needed an everyman to go through (the certainty of death). The patient needs to know he's dying. This (album) takes place not in life but in almost limbo. I guess our living limbo is the (intensive care unit) in a hospital. That's where (the main character) begins his journey. We like to think that death comes for you. Whether it's a fast car you always wanted or maybe one of your first loves — it could be anything. For us, it may be playing a show. But for him, his earliest memory was the idea of a parade (which spawned the hit single, “Welcome to the Black Parade”). There's just tons of levels of imagery, this (character's) father taking him to the city to see a parade. This parade comes on his deathbed, like the reaper is coming for him, so he joins the parade. (This album) kind of shows his life before his eyes, and he starts to realize the decisions he made, the people he met along the way, the different people he joined, and telling their stories.

How was The Black Parade able to capture the interest of even the most cynical fan?
I've done a lot of interviews, and in maybe 50 percent of them, the first thing the person says is, “I didn't really want to like your band.” I'm glad to see people have an open mind. Going into this record, we felt like we took the bet of our fans being intelligent.

What are your favorite songs on The Black Parade?
FI: It runs the gamut. My favorite song is “Cancer.” The only reason for that, and I hope I don't sound pompous, but that's the most beautiful song I think I've ever heard. There's no guitar, so I don't even play on it.

Why does lead singer Gerard Way seem to be fascinated with death on a large portion of the songs?
The best way to answer that is that the death, the doom and gloom, I think we're all kind of obsessed with it. Turn on the news, man. Maybe we're not obsessed, but as the population of the human race, that's all we know. Unfortunately, it's a topic that's universal to everyone. The one thing we're trying to do with (the music) is not to exploit the doom and gloom but to find the beauty in it.

This band has weathered some adversity along the way. Do you see the future of MCR as long or perhaps ending in the foreseeable future?
I don't know. I think we're a band that enjoys adversity. I think it fuels us. I don't see our band ever just being comfortable where we are. I think we've had some rough times, especially things to go through while creating The Black Parade. Do I hope more things come up soon? No. We've had enough drama.

Clint Hale | 210SA