By Stacey McCool

I slept in today, and then I rushed around to get ready for a CMW conference that the record label I work for was a part of. I was tempted afterwards by drinks and food so, stayed at the hotel later than I probably should have. By the time my friend showed up to drive me to the Taste of Chaos show in Mississauga, I was half in the bag.

We got stuck in traffic for far too long. I kept calling Matt (who was patiently waiting with the other press at the venue) and saying, "Dude. We're so close. Seriously. We'll be there soon." Over an hour later, we pulled up at the venue. Since the label was also setting up a merch booth I dove out of the car, asked a parking attendant where the loading dock was and directed my friend towards it as I ran straight at the press area. I charged in the room, sweating, out of breath, still half drunk. So, I sit down and watch Gerard and Frank from My Chemical Romance take hauls of their American cigarettes just outside the window. I am salivating at the sight, having craved a cigarette for the entire excruciatingly long drive here. They eventually begin making their way inside. I'm sweating and nervous. This is my first interview and I have been listening to their new record, "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" repeatedly for the last two weeks. (Partially because I am too lazy to change the CD in the morning, in my often hung-over stupor, and partially because I dig the songs.)

So, the boys walk in and they look like normal dudes. Little to no makeup, jeans, t-shirts, hoodies. I calm a little as we shake hands and introduce ourselves. I try to explain the thesis of truth.explosion as they nod in agreement.

Truth.Explosion: Hey guys. Thanks for sitting down with us. Now that you understand what truth.explosion is about, what experience do you want to share?

My Chemical Romance: Well, we did a CMJ show in New York for our old label, Eyeball Records. And it just so happens that Keith Morris, who used to sing in Black Flag and Circle Jerks, was there. So, he came to the show and he came up to... I think it was you...

TE: He just walked up to you, randomly?

MCR: Well, we had heard that he was there. So onstage I think I kinda called him out. I was like, "I heard somebody from Black Flag was here tonight, this one's for you!" and, you know, that was a really good show and I remember I hurt my neck real bad, it was destroyed. and, (later) he walks up and we all immediately stand up and (Keith's) all like, "No, no, sit down." and we're like, "No, no dude." and he's like, "I'm Keith" and we're all just like, "Holy shit!" so, that was our first meeting and we hung out a little bit that night...

TE: Were you weirded out at all? Like, sitting there with a man who had so much to do with the music you grew up listening to?

MCR: It was so bad, I couldn't even talk to him, I was just like, "Uhhhh..."

TE: So, then what happened? Did you see him again?

MCR: Well, then we went to LA to make our record and one night we're at a convenience store buying cigarettes and Keith happened to be there.

TE: Another encounter...

MCR: Yeah, I was actually there with my girlfriend at the time and we were getting gas. I go in to pay and there's this little dude with long dreads and he's buying like, peanuts or something and he's going out the door, and I corner him and I was just like, "oh... uhh.. Keith!" and he's like, "uhh... what?" I was just like, "Dude, I really hope you remember me. I'm Frank, I'm in this band, My Chemical Romance, we're out here recording." and the only thing I remember getting out of my mouth was, "Would you please sing on our record?" and he was like, "Sure, look me up in the phone book."

TE: The phone book? That's weird...

MCR: I know, I felt like a creepy band guy.

TE: Oh you're not?

MCR: At the time, I don't even think he remembered meeting us. He was kind of in diabetic shock or something...

TE: Haha. Diabetic shock? Are you serious?

MCR: He was like, " I gotta go eat... so... " and, I was like, "Whoa, well, can I get your number?" and he was like, "I'm in the phone book." and I told him, "I don't have a phone book, so just write it down." so, he writes it down, I basically forced him to do it. And I call him the next week, and I'm like, "We're recording at this studio on 57th, it's not that far from where you live, um, you should come out and do some stuff." and he's like, alright fine. We set it up, he showed up. And, I remember lunch was coming soon and I was like, "Yo, whatever you wanna eat..." So we're sitting there and he orders one of everything on the menu. Every kind of Chinese food. That's what he wanted. He just wanted Chinese food. And we're like, "Alright..."

So we sat down, I was in the vocal booth with him, and I wrote down some stuff we wanted him to do, and he would do it, and I would just be sitting there with my eyes wide open and he would be like, "Yeah? Or no? Do you want me to do it again?" and I would just be like, "Oh, yeah, that's fine." I didn't want to be like, oh, no, do that again or whatever. So, finally we get into the swim of things I started being like, "Oh, yeah, do that again, do this more like this." and I couldn't believe I was like, coaching Keith Morris...

TE: So who was actually in control?

MCR: Well, I was in the control room and, literally, they had me pressing the buttons, like the call-back button and stuff. And it was like this huge deal. I mean, I don't even think they knew who he was. And we're like, freaking out, and they couldn't understand why we were freaking out. I'm hitting callback, like, "Uh...you might want to try that again Keith... sir."

TE: That's insane. I can't even imagine what that must have felt like.

MCR: (Laughing) Then he starts telling jokes.

TE: Tell me you recorded them?

MCR: Yeah, we started recording, and it was just fucking incredible.

TE: Did any of the jokes end up anywhere?

MCR: During one song he just told a story about him and his dad at a truck stop and that's actually in the song; underlying.

TE: I will listen for that.

MCR: So, then we just sat down and the Chinese food came. And, honestly, there was a table like the size of this room just full of Chinese food. And he's a small guy, he just opens all the containers, and says, "Everybody dig in."

TE: Just a complete dude...

MCR: He was just a dude. Like, a little dude. And he's eating little bits and then told us about his movie he's writing and so many great stories and it felt like we just learned so much for probably an hour. And that, that probably was one of the best experiences the band had. For the band, like as far as vans blowing up and shit, that doesn't happen as often. We are very lucky like that.

TE: Are you still touring in a van? Haven't you moved up in the world yet?

MCR: The last van we had died finally so now we're on a bus. And that's great but we still don't have any fucking room for some reason.

TE: Is it one of those hot buses with bunks and shit?

MCR: It has bunks but we have so many people now with us, and it's a family. It's not like, crew, it's just family members.

TE: I know exactly what you mean. The label I work for is the same sort of deal. We prefer to think of it as a family, not just a business.

MCR: I know that any new crew we hire, if they don't fit into the family, then it just doesn't work out. But, everybody we got now feels like family.

TE: What is the truth behind My Chemical Romance?

MCR: There are many truths behind My Chemical Romance. I think truth is the biggest aspect of My Chemical Romance. The truth behind it is its five, very normal or simple individuals that want to change the world by what they say in the songs, off stage, during, between songs, by how they perform.

TE: Anything else?

MCR: Oh, flattery. The truth is we like flattery and chocolate cake.