My Chemical Romance : Saviors? [Speech]

This is a speech I wrote for Academic Decathlon competition.

____________________My Chemical Romance : Saviors?

_____Out of the ashes and rubble of September 11th emerged a band that has since risen to the peak of the music industry; a band called My Chemical Romance. With one of the most dedicated and loyal fan bases, My Chemical Romance has been said to save lives. On the other hand, various media sources have represented them as a cult band that encourages self-harm and suicide. Many can attest to either of these statements and their truth, but who is right? Who are My Chemical Romance? Are they really the inspirational saviors many fans make them out to be? Or are they pushing their followers into a downward-spiral of self-destruction?

_____After witnessing the collapse of the World Trade Center from a ferry, Gerard Way, lead singer and founder of My Chemical Romance, felt that he wasn’t making a big enough difference in the world when life can end so abruptly. By gathering up a few friends and his younger brother, Gerard set out to make a difference and leave a mark by way of music, thus forming My Chemical Romance. In fact, their first song, “Skylines and Turnstiles”, was about September 11th and included the lyrics, “You are not in this alone….” which to many conveys the hope that mankind can get through such hard times together despite their incessant images of drugs and death. Even from the very beginning, My Chemical Romance was a band looking to make a positive impact.

_____It is in the lyrics that many of the fans find their hope and strength to move on and something to relate to. Much of My Chemical Romance’s lyrics reveal the group’s fascinations with horror movies, mythical creatures, and death through songs about revenge and vampires. Such dark topics represent the inevitability of death, while other lyrics give the listener reassurance that there is always a way to deal with and get through such tragedies as death of a loved one. In fact, the first song on their second album is a tribute to the Way brothers’ grandmother, who died before the release of the album. In the video, she is transformed into a beautiful girl who dies in a car crash. The theme of untimely death becomes a trademark throughout their work.

_____Like “Helena,” My Chemical Romance’s third album, The Black Parade, is meant to be inspiring and helpful to fans who have lost a loved one. Woven into the album is the story of a cancer patient’s final days -going through the stages of grief in the process, from anger to depression and loneliness, and finally ending at acceptance and hope. Although it is sometimes misunderstood and thought to stand for a “place that emo kids go to die,” The Black Parade in fact portrays the way a patient envisions death coming for him. It refers to a parade he once saw as a boy with his father, and he clings to this pleasant memory to guide him through his eventual death. The final song on the album, “Famous Last Words,” has very empowering and hopeful lyrics, including, “I am not afraid to keep on living; I am not afraid to walk this world alone….” encouraging fans to not fear death but to live life to the fullest.

_____Aside from the music and lyrics themselves, My Chemical Romance has shown their opposition to self-harm and suicide in many other ways. At many of My Chemical Romance’s shows, Gerard has stopped in the middle of the show and announced the suicide hotline number and advised anyone who is dealing with depression or suicidal thoughts to contact the number and seek help. At the end of the video for their song “Teenagers,” which is about gun violence in schools, there is even a message that reads, “Violence is never the answer. If you feel like acting out, reach out,” along with a
website teens can visit to find alternatives to violence. Admittedly, My Chemical Romance portrays visions of violence, death, and self-loathing, but reaches out to offer that best alternative: hope.