When the Savior Is Damned
Nothing Goes Deeper
A year later, give or take a few days or weeks, Mikey saw the Black Parade come to life.
In the form of a CD released to stores everywhere, as My Chemical Romance’s epic third album.
But mostly, he just saw Gerard’s face, shining and happier than ever, even if the record they just made centered around the concept of death.
His near death, to be more precise.
As they were making it, somehow, they all knew what they were doing would be better than anything they’ve ever done before, that it would be good. Their rock-legend influences made them strive to improve their own music, Gerard’s lyrics were surprisingly uplifting but still retained that dark aura that was his signature, and they were trying out new, big things with their new producer, even getting a diva like Liza Minelli to guest-vocal on a track, and they knew however the world interpreted it that it would be their best work yet.
However, they didn’t expect it to be so good that their fans multiplied to such a great extent, that even Gerard going blonde would make headlines, that they’d be topping the charts and staying there for weeks, that they’d win public opinion awards, that their tour would be so bold, so exceptional, so big. There were critics saying they’d sold out, and some fans on the internet saying they wanted the old band back, but the overall reception was more than they’d bargained for.
My Chemical Romance was at the top, and they couldn’t be better; Mikey was just uneasy about how they got there, and what it would take for them to go anywhere else.
Mikey guesses that thinking deeply during a concert isn’t the best thing to do, but he can’t help it. He’s watching Gerard now, or the madman he becomes onstage, as they perform both he and Gerard’s favorite song of theirs, ‘Welcome To the Black Parade.’ He thinks it’s ironic, but the way Gerard sings as the crowd goes absolutely wild, ‘We’ll carry on, and though you’re dead and gone, believe me, your memory will carry on’ almost makes him believe it.
Almost.
Because after going through those five days in the hospital, it removed all doubts about if he’d be able to live without Gerard. The answer was that he couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t. He loved their parents, and Alicia so much more, but he and Gerard’s bond was unspeakable; too profound for both words and actions. He hadn’t realized how much he depended on his big brother, how much he needed him. He almost never showed it in front of cameras or to the general public, but he’d always been silent and withdrawn. Gerard had always been the more affectionate, expressive one, and they were opposites in some ways, but in all ways they were brothers, they were flesh and blood, and nothing goes deeper than that.
In the form of a CD released to stores everywhere, as My Chemical Romance’s epic third album.
But mostly, he just saw Gerard’s face, shining and happier than ever, even if the record they just made centered around the concept of death.
His near death, to be more precise.
As they were making it, somehow, they all knew what they were doing would be better than anything they’ve ever done before, that it would be good. Their rock-legend influences made them strive to improve their own music, Gerard’s lyrics were surprisingly uplifting but still retained that dark aura that was his signature, and they were trying out new, big things with their new producer, even getting a diva like Liza Minelli to guest-vocal on a track, and they knew however the world interpreted it that it would be their best work yet.
However, they didn’t expect it to be so good that their fans multiplied to such a great extent, that even Gerard going blonde would make headlines, that they’d be topping the charts and staying there for weeks, that they’d win public opinion awards, that their tour would be so bold, so exceptional, so big. There were critics saying they’d sold out, and some fans on the internet saying they wanted the old band back, but the overall reception was more than they’d bargained for.
My Chemical Romance was at the top, and they couldn’t be better; Mikey was just uneasy about how they got there, and what it would take for them to go anywhere else.
Mikey guesses that thinking deeply during a concert isn’t the best thing to do, but he can’t help it. He’s watching Gerard now, or the madman he becomes onstage, as they perform both he and Gerard’s favorite song of theirs, ‘Welcome To the Black Parade.’ He thinks it’s ironic, but the way Gerard sings as the crowd goes absolutely wild, ‘We’ll carry on, and though you’re dead and gone, believe me, your memory will carry on’ almost makes him believe it.
Almost.
Because after going through those five days in the hospital, it removed all doubts about if he’d be able to live without Gerard. The answer was that he couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t. He loved their parents, and Alicia so much more, but he and Gerard’s bond was unspeakable; too profound for both words and actions. He hadn’t realized how much he depended on his big brother, how much he needed him. He almost never showed it in front of cameras or to the general public, but he’d always been silent and withdrawn. Gerard had always been the more affectionate, expressive one, and they were opposites in some ways, but in all ways they were brothers, they were flesh and blood, and nothing goes deeper than that.