Thursday's Geoff Rickly spoke to Gerard Way about the My Chem reunion, and why it had to happen now
Last month – on Halloween, no less – My Chemical Romance stunned the world of rock by announcing their reformation. Six years after they called it a day, the New Jersey boys are back and it we can barely contain our excitement – so much so that we dedicated an entire issue of Kerrang! to their legacy.
But who did we get to introduce our career retrospective of MCR? Thursday vocalist Geoff Rickly – not only a longtime friend of the band, but also the producer of their 2002 debut album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love – who knew that now was the time for The Black Parade to come rolling into town.
“I spoke to Gerard [Way, vocalist] about the reunion a little bit recently and he said it felt like it was the right time," Geoff told Kerrang!. "One of the things he said was, ‘I don’t know if it would have happened if it wasn’t now.’ And I got what he meant by that. At some point it just becomes too long, like, ‘I don’t think I can get back there, personally. It’s just too distant and too weird.’ So I’m glad that they’re doing it. I think it’s amazing. And no matter what, I’m going.”
READ THIS: 10 moments that made My Chemical Romance superstars
Geoff's not only going, he's also supporting My Chemical Romance with Thursday at their comeback show in Los Angeles on December 20. Which, when you consider their history, is a no-brainer. Geoff spoke to Kerrang! about the time Thursday supported My Chem in the UK back in 2006, and how Gerard's fame was already blowing up.
“When Thursday did the first tour in England for [2006 album] The Black Parade, that was fucked up," says Geoff. "That was beyond anything I’d ever imagined for My Chem. It was beyond the scope of what I thought bands could do. I’m a ’90s kid, so I thought Smashing Pumpkins playing a 3,000-seater was as big as a band could get. So seeing MCR play two sold-out nights at Wembley – and when we walked down the street, every single shop on the high street had a marching band outfit in the window. When kids spotted Gerard on the street, even with security, it was Beatles-like with everybody running around following him. That was fucking weird.
“It was the thing that worried me most for Gerard. Because when I met him he was isolating himself doing comic books, instead of going to parties. When he became a frontman and he started going out and being social it was cool to see that side of him come out. Then suddenly he became so famous that he had to isolate again – not by choice – because people were driving him inside himself. It’s a weird thing to watch, when somebody becomes bigger than a human being should probably get. I think that’s part of why My Chem broke up, honestly. At that level it’s just so taxing on a person."
Alongside their show in LA later this year, MCR have also announced dates in Australia, New Zealand and Japan for 2020. Surely there's more to come? Keep your eyes on Kerrang! for the latest updates.
