Finculture Interview

"My Chemical Romance is encouraging people to live no matter what they're facing.

One of todays most succesful bands of the bands included to "emo-genre", My Chemical Romance from New Jersey, has got a lots of dirt from international press and some of the famous names from music-industry. The Daily Mail has has claimed the band to be "a potential leader-figure of suicide-cult", Brandon Flowers from The Killers has described My Chemical Romance as dangerous, and Kasabian thinks it's dark and weird. It's been told by many directions, that with their lyrics and music My Chemical Romance is encouraging teenagers to hurt themselves or even commit suicide.

16 years old Joanna Tzortzis has had enough of this and the outcome is international WE'RE OKAY NOW -titled project. The idea of the project is to prove media wrong by collecting stories from the fans about how the band has helped to survive in the hard situations in life.
"The totality of the project has been somewhere in my mind for a long time so building the sites and collecting supportesrs didn't take that much time after all. Finally it started off really fast and I was really suprised about how much support I got from the other fans."

A good sign on a growing popularity is that theres almost a hundred stories published at the moment and there's a couple pages more waiting in Joanna's e-mail.

Lead-singer Gerard Way has suffered from depression and intoxicantissues himself, and Joanna thinks it's very frustrating that when the lead-singer is trying to get people to get help, the positive intentions are turned around as a total opposite.
"My Chem isn't depressing people, the people that are depressed find comfort from My Chem. That's how it goes. Specially when it's a band with a strong message like this. And I do think it's kind of weird that a band that particularly gives hope and is inciting their fans to live, is labeled as a 'suicidal cult'."
"Personally I see some lyrics as some sort of irony screaming 'hello, these are straight thoughts from your head and they don't make any sence'. That's the good and bad thing about My Chemical Romance's lyrics, they can be construed as so many ways."

Joanna has spread the word to many foreign publications too, though the response has been pretty bad so far. Joanna hasn't seen a reason to contact finnish media but will do so if she thinks she has to.

From finnish Warner Joanna has asked a interview with regard to 3rd of July concert in Helsinki. "So far all the interview-slots are full, but if more time will be available, the sitution might change" Joanna says with full of hope. "I'd really want their blessing to this project and stuff. At this moment I feel like speaking for them behind their back."

When asking future plans, Joanna mentions I Brought You My Misery, You saved My Life -booklet and Three Cheers For Saving Lives -documentary.

More information about the project in
mylivingromance.urli.net and myspace.com/mylivingromance"

By: Hanna Viitaniemi
Click here to read the interview at finculture.com (finnish) !

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