Its spring, so there’s no surprise this season is the one with the most birthdays. April showers bring May flowers -more like April babies and more April babies (haha). Terrible incoherent pun aside, Gerard Arthur Way and was born on April 9, 1977. He may be thirty years older than me and married with his own family, but he holds the record for being the celebrity crush I was most obsessed with.
47-year-old Gerard Way was mainly known for being the frontman of My Chemical Romance, but he also had a solo career, and he writes comic books such as The Umbrella Academy. He is married to Lyn-z Way from the band Mindless Self Indulgence, and they have a daughter named Bandit Lee Way.
He was born in New Jersey to a Catholic family of Donna Way. His younger brother Michael “Mikey” James Way is the bassist to My Chemical Romance. He was very close to his grandmother, Elena, who sadly passed away due to cancer; he paid tribute to her with song, Helena, in his Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge album. Elena was the one who encouraged Way’s creativity and interest in the arts. Way was always an artistic child; he played Peter Pan in an elementary school play. He always loved to draw and originally planned to write comics and work on animated series.
Way was working in an animation studio in New York in 2001 and was struggling mentally from depression and addiction; it was one of the darkest periods of his life. On September 11th, on a train ride to work, Way witnessed the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, and like anyone else would, he started a band with his younger brother and a couple of friends. He christened his band, My Chemical Romance, the title inspired by a book about addiction by Irvine Welsh, “Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.” Way thought it would be a sick name with a deeper meaning behind it, symbolizing his own chemical romance. His band got bigger and bigger, with its music breaking barriers within the musical world. He fought past his addiction and depression and became a huge advocate for getting past bad mental health and rising from addiction.
My Chemical Romance consists of four main albums, each complete with their own individual but flowing sound and specific theme that correlates with the elaborate storyline each album follows. The costuming, makeup, music videos, cover art, and songs are a unique form of art. Check out this band on their next tour because although they broke up in 2013, they’re back together now!
The Umbrella Academy is a Dark Horse comic by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá and is now awaiting its 4th season on Netflix (check it out if you have Netflix). The comic and show were both very successful and follow a time-travelling dysfunctional family with superpowers trying to prevent the end of the world. It’s funny and action-packed, plus Way oversaw the soundtrack, which was phenomenal (I’m not glazing, I swear).
Gerard Way has millions of fans worldwide; just hit up your local emo kid or a 40-something year old dad who loves rock, and they’ll probably be more hardcore fans of him than I am. On top of being such an important figure in the music industry, fashion icon, and super cool artist/storyteller, he’s just an overall funny and chill dude. The evidence is in his twitter and concerts. However, he can also be serious when he needs to be; he’s an amazing performer and activist. It’s hard not to like him.
Happy 47th Gerard Way! Live forever rahhh !!
About the Contributor
Alma Aranda
Alma Aranda, Staff Writer
Alma Victoria Aranda is currently a (very tall) junior who wants to dye her hair again. She is always cold, so you can always find her in like seven hoodies and two jackets.