#proving his hidden mikey status

[sweeneydino]

Spikeangelo, Reference sheet... again, I think

Yes, this is a hint...maybe

[mad4turtles]

I can't remember where i read this but in rottmnt it was gonna be revealed that the boys had a sister Splinter failed to rescue or something and it'd be Big Mama's assistant we keep seeing? I guess she would've been Rise's version of Venus which considering how much the show got RIGHT with the boys i would be more than open to the idea!

But i kinda wanna write a short fic series where Splinter, only a few years after their mutation, just happens to find lil baby Venus (about four or five years old?? i dunno) wandering the sewers and he instantly takes her in. She's the boy's new baby sister, making Mikey an older brother, and they adore her.

She's 12, making her the literal baby of the family. Her nicknames woukd be: Teal, Vee, Milo, Vivi, Vivian (only the Twins call her that which she hates so she calls them Lol and Dee Dee which they hate) Ventus, D'Milo, etc. She uses two tessens, which she later trades for a huge mystic one that casts ice magic (in the finale she gets two again, her ninpo allowing her to alter the battlefield by freezing the ground, making pillars, boulders or blades of ice to launch at enemies).

She doesn't get to go on all the missions the boys do as she's still young, staying with Splinter at home (who is slightly more 'present' with one baby still mostly reliant on him, but not by much) which is part of her arc in coming into her own as a young kuniochi. She fights to prove herself as capable as her brothers and honorary big sister April, so she spends a lot of time training by herself when the boys are out (kinda tying into how she is in... Next Mutation😣).

She's still a pre-teen tho, so even as she takes her training as serious as Raph if not more, she still has her downtime and hobbies: she loves fashion history and loves making clothes, meaning most of what the boys wear are her creations, and she'd love to launch her own line one day. She experiments with Harajuku fashion once and never looks back 🤣

I also wanna play with the idea that she has Achromatopsia, which from what I've quickly researched is full color blindness: she sees the world in black, white and shades of grey, which is ironic considering she loves fashion and crafts. BUT i also like the idea that she'd have a kind of mystic synethesia when she awakens her ninpo accidentally as a child, meaning she sees the mystic energy flowing off her brothers, father and herself (obvs it's their signature colours). She loves the Hidden City because of this, because it's the only place she can truly experience colour. Nobody realizes it's ninpo until Karai explains it to them, and their minds are blown. Splinter is awed and ashamed he didn't see how truly talented his children are, especially his daughter.

She's an absolute sponge, picking up bad habits from her older brothers (ahemLeoahem) and often says the most horrifying/hilarious/confusing things with such an innocent expression that most can't decide if they feel disturbed or not. She thinks Jupiter Jim is mid and Lou Jitsu the greatest thing since pizza. She also highly respects Barbie, whereas Bratz can, in her words, "burn in the fiery pits of hell. I make their 'fashion' look like Donnie's forehead without his eyebrows." She's stubborn as a bull, often to her detriment which she learns the hard way can get her into serious trouble. She's also the biggest freaking snitch, and is not above using her Baby Sister status to get her way, something she learned from Mikey.

She also has a slight British twang, hinting at her origins with Big Mama before she ran away, and uses some of the same weird phrases like "turtley-boo!" and "dimblely-door" and "innit" 🤣

She and Leo are pretty close: Venus is his baby baby sibling, so he always goes above and beyond to look the coolest around her. She sees right through the bravado, but adores him anyway, his number one hypeman even when he's being a bit of a prick because she knows why he's doing it.

Her first real mission with the boys is the Evil League of Villains ep where she also blows up at Splinter for always keeping her home and babying her instead of training with her big brothers, so she sneaks out with them. She proves herself (to herself and her bros) that she's a capable fighter and from then on is an official member of the Mad Dogz.

She also has an arc with Big Mama, remembering the few good years they had together as mother and daughter before BM decided to try putting her in the Battle Nexus once she realized she had mystic potential--she was colorblind since birth, so her suddenly seeing in color one day after something happened (i dunno yet) was a clue to her awakening. She ultimately decides that she won't forgive or forget the betrayal, but will always love the mother she was before. She also helps Mikey with Draxum's rehab (younger sibling solidarity yo!) not because she likes him all that much but because she wants to learn more about her mystic potential and why Big Mama would sell her out for it. They end up bonding over it.

In the movie, Venus is 14 and has grown exponentially as a kunoichi, tapping into her ninpo as easily as her brothers do with a unique affinity towards all things mystic--think Kagome from Inuyasha sensing sacred jewel shards. She's also kinda fed up with Leo's bs, understanding why but also just Done with the bickering. She also has more of an attitude (teenage years are the wooooooooorst😉), leaning more towards punk rock vibes with rings, bracelets and chokers, which breaks Splinter's heart that his baby girl is growing up 😭 but he supports her!

When Raph gets taken, Venus stays with April and Splinter to help destroy the key, though without her powers it's frustrating. She takes it the hardest as she's lived her whole life with it, and now it's as if she's truly blind again. She vents about it and how everything could have been avoided had Leo and Raph gotten their crap together sooner. She and April talk it out and Venus feels bad for pinning the blame entirely on Leo. She then flees the lair with Ape and Splinter and helps free Mikey and Don.

(Seeing Raph transformed and towering over her is the first time Venus has ever been terrified of her Big Brother Raphie. She has nightmares for weeks.)

She's with Donnie and Mikey on the ship, abd freaks out big time when Donnie 'becomes' the spaceship. She's captured and re-awakens her ninpo with the boys (she gets the "We Are-" part of the speech and is kneeling with her fans on either side next to Leo in the 'poster shot'.) She also creates Ice Wings with her fans to fly in the fight vs Krang, helps carry Raph through Leo's portal when Donnie and Mikey go flying, then makes a snowy cushion on Staten island for them to land on. Still gross tho.)

Also, Future!Venus is the Resistance second in command, Archmage De Milo. She's also field medic when Leo no longer has time to be anything but a leader, teacher and father to Casey. She also lost her sight completely, so relies heavily on mystic energy to get around and deal some devestating ice magic. She saves Leo initially from whatever gives him the wound at the start of the movie, getting Casey to take him to safety. She dies shortly after in a blaze of fire and ice.

(Meaning Leo outlives both of his baby siblings. Oof i just made myself sad 😭😭😭)

WOW this got away from me holy crap! Well, that's kinda my take on Venus De Milo if she were in Rise. What do you guys think?

[lucarioisinthevoid]

Heyooo! Does the gang ever have sleepovers or something! I imagine they play those creepy games, like ‘Light As Feathers Stiff As Board’ or ‘Bloody Mary! Oh! And they could do each other’s nails and makeup!

Hah, reminds me of a thing a friend told me, where they dreamed that they were Mike and having a sleepover with all the guards. Good times. Mike doesn’t get to put on nail polish. He’ll lick it off to attempt suicide. Jeremy doesn’t want any either, because he will gnaw it off. But he wants little bows and other fun hair stuff, he thinks that is fun! Polish Phone Guy’s head. It’ll last longer on there anyways and more space for cool patterns. They’ll have a lot of fun, except it will be incredibly stressful, because it’s like keeping five cats in a bag for a whole night. Mike never really sleeps, not with so many people around. The sleepover happens inside of the pizzeria, because Dave said either at HIS home or in the pizzeria and everyone agreed the pizzeria was safer- I mean, more spacious. They kept only the party lights on, and the animatronics locked up. At least until they managed to break out and a wild-goose chase started, including multiple last stands, declarations of wars and salt circles. At the end, the animatronic won the final battle of tic-tac-toe (incredibly work by Chica the mastermind) and now they were allowed inside of the sleepover too- Which meant no further swearing for everyone except Mike, who had the bitch-pass, like he always did. Ah, the benefit of being a virgin. You get to swear in front of ghosts! And capture unicorns, but we don’t let Mike near unicorns anymore after the last time resulted in the evacuation of the entire city. Back to the topic, you can rest assured that everyone WILL play the dumbest games, solely to keep Dave and Old Sport appeased. They do great things!

… LIKE REALIZING EVERYONE IS WEARING VERY STUPID SLEEPING WEAR! “Where’s ya sleepin’ stuff, Mikey?! Come on, me ‘n Sportsy brought our matching bear-bunny onesies, and you have NOTHIN’?!” “Usually I sleep fucking naked.” Old Sport grinned. “… well then, we’re waiting-“ “I can fucking break you.” The verdict of both the psychopaths was in. “Sexy!” Jeremy was way too distracted to listen to them though. “THERE ARE FREDBEAR ONESIES!? CAN I HAVE ONE!? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE-“ Simon laid on the ground, staring at the ceiling, charging. He wouldn’t close his dial all night. “… they uh- were discontinued because the dye they used was tox-“ “WE’LL GET YA ONE, JERRY! DON’T ‘CHA WORRY!” … LIKE PLAYING SILLY PRANKS! “Phoney, help us bake! WE WANT A PIZZA!” “Uh- what do you need ME for?” “HOW NICE OF YA TO OFFER! First, please open that can of melt-cheese!” “… it’s warm.” “DON’T WORRY ABOUT THAT.” “I’m, uh- I’m not touching it. You probably have already molten the cheese inside, d-do you know how HARD it is to get that out of a phone?!” “WELP, TOO BAD, WE CARBONATED THE CHEESE BEFORE RESEALING WITH GLUE!” At that the thing exploded, coating everyone in cheese. “Worst night of my life…” Distraught Jeremy looked at them, while the other two were laughing. “O-oh man- sir, should I get I some water-“ Mike hissed. “No worries, I fucking got it.” “MIKE NO-“ With that he proceeded to touch the stove, putting it on fire and setting off the sprinklers, drenching everyone. … LIKE PLAYING STUPID GAMES! “Okay, everyfuckingone, listen up. I prepared a scavenger hunt. The reward is a fucking nifty thing, so you better work hard. It may or may not be a gun.” Excited Alice, who was gaining power with every miserable hour the guards spend, jumped around. Joining had been a good idea. Jeremy was concerned. “A- a gun…? Mike, you- you know that would be pretty dangerous-“ “DID I SAY “MAY OR MAY NOT” OR NOT?” “Geez, sorry.” “Great. So, everyone, the hints are hidden all around the restaurant and EVERYTHING could be a hint. If you tell me the right code- whatever that will be- I’ll give you a hint where the next one is. The first to find the X wins. First hint: Party hats. FUCKING READY, FUCKING SET, FUCKING GO!” Everyone rushed off, even the animatronics, leaving only Mike and Simon behind. “Did you, uh- did you really set that all up…?” “Nope.” Together they observed everyone rushing about. … AND WINNING STUPID PRICES! Everyone was cowering together in a corner, as the little Minireena pointed the dangerously dull plastic knife at them. In front of them Mike, looking like a feral animal. “YOU FUCKING CHEATED. THERE NEVER WAS AN X. THERE IS NO PRICE!” Alice tapped her chin, then giggled. Tired and confused Simon sighed. “What… what did she say…?” “That her price will be that we all design her a new dress, each of us one- or she will cut us into pieces.” “But that’s- that’s a plastic knife.” Slowly Alice’s head turned, creaking unnaturally loud for such a small machine. “… she says that’s the reason should make you way, WAY more afraid.” … LIKE WINNING THE DARWIN AWARD! Phone Guy had only left for ten minutes at most to get some ice and some non-descript carbon drink that you can’t prove is a brand name, so don’t even try to get me sued- He walked back into the main area, carefully watching his tablet so nothing would accidentally spill over, but when he looked up for a moment he almost dropped it all. Mike, Old Sport and Dave were standing together, roughly 500 rubberbands tied together, leading to two chairs that where weighted down by endo scraps. On the other side where all the animatronics, Freddy in front, Chica, Bonnie and Foxy right behind him in a line, with determined expressions on the faces. “WHAT THE EVERLOVING H-H-H-HECK IS GOING ON HERE!?” “SLINGSHOT BOWLING!” Old Sport screamed back, clearly excited. “MIKEY IS GOING TO CRUSH THESE ANIMATRONICS WITH HIS HEAD ALONE!” “ONE OF US IS GOING TO FUCKING DIE TONIGHT.” “M-MIKE! WHY DID YOU AGREE TO THIS- TO THIS- TO THIS- MADNESS!?!” “Madness…?” Old Sport started, but Mike shook his head and interrupted him. “FUCK YOU. IF I WANT TO GET SLINGSHOTTED AT MACH SPEED THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT I’LL DO IT. YOU’RE NOT MY FUCKING DAD!” “Don’t worry chief.” Freddy responded calmly, his eyes firmly on the other guard. “That hollow-headed guard won’t even put one scratch on us.” Frustrated that his meme had been interrupted, the Orange Man groaned. “… this is Sparta. Great. You guys ruined it.” Letting go of the slingshot, they propelled Mike forward with a speed that could kill multiple men. Depending on where they stood. … like learning how cruel and heartless war is and how nobody wins a war truly, the words of glory and bravery were lies that THEY used to capture young, innocent minds, to chew them up and spit them out without any pity for the lost and traumatized- Mike pressed his back against the wall, sweat running down his brow and his body breathing for oxygen- but he wouldn’t allow himself to pant, he couldn’t, they were listening- There were muffled sounds of pillows and flip-flops being thrown and the guard winced as he heard a cry. All he could do was pray, pray that their fort hadn’t been broken- No, he couldn’t hesitate any longer. Rushing back in, he dodged the projectiles instantly hurdled at him, before diving behind the protective walls of his pillow fort. “Status?” Hoarse he asked Phone Guy who was lying beside him, looking out of a little gap. “They’re getting more and more aggressive. Our walls will not long stand like this. Did you get the secret weapon?” Dropping a few bottles of carbonated juice and mentos, he grinned, manically. Yet still, part of Phoney’s heart hesitated. “… does it really have to come to this? Is that what is left of our humanity? We will never be able to forget this night, Mike. Neither you nor me. We will lay awake at night, thinking about this, thinking about the cries… do you want to add this to-“ With that he forcefully was grabbed by the collar and pulled closer, almost touching Mike’s nose. “You better fucking listen to me, Si. Out there-“ He pointed out. “You’ve been my boss. My chef. You told me what to do and what to say. You had some authority. But now? Now you’re a NOBODY. Now everything that matters is if you can DO what is necessary or NOT. BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT DECIDES THIS WAR, DO YOU HEAR ME?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO US? HOW MUCH LONGER DO YOU WANT THIS HELL TO GO ON!? UNTIL EVERYTHING OUT THERE IS A WASTELAND?! UNTIL NOTHING IS LEFT ASIDE FROM DISPLACED PILLOWS AND THE STENCH OF DEATH!? IF YOU WON’T GIVE YOUR FUCKING GO-AHEAD, FINE. I WILL DO IT ANWAYS, I WILL SAFE US- AT WHATEVER COST THAT MAY BE!” For a second it was silent, then Phone Guy finally slowly nodded. “… okay Mike. If we-“ Interrupted by a call from another ford both of them snapped up. Orange Guy’s evil tone was already bad enough, but his words were unbearable. “GIVE UP, YOU ALL HAVE LOST! WE WARLORDS HAVE AQUIRED THE ULTIMATE WEAPON- WE HAVE SODA AND WE HAVE MENTOS. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GIVE UP… OR THIS WILL BE YOUR END.” Instantly Mike’s eyes widened and he sat up, hatefully hissing. “NOT SO FUCKING FAST! WE TOO HAVE MENTOS AND SODA AND WE WILL RETALIATE WITH IT ALL! IF YOU USE THIS WEAPON, NOBODY WILL BE LEFT, I SWEAR TO GOD!” Dave cried out in hatred and anguish. “MIKE! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US! YOU WERE THE LAST PERSON I EXPECTED TO BE A FUCKING COMMIE, HOW DARE YOU BETRAY ME-“ “WHAT THE EVERLOVING FUCK DO YOU EVEN MEAN, I’M FUCKING SERIOUS, WHO DROPPED YOU AS A BABY AND WHY DIDN’T YOU STAY DEAD-“ The war was eventually won… but at what cost? Changed my mind, them having a sleepover is a terrible idea and is illegal from now on. Never again.

[meltiverse]

03-D Mel Profile

Remember that “Same as 00″ is referring to the Mel from the “Prime Universe”

Universe: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

General infos

Full Name: Melinda Delacroix

Nickname: Mel (by everyone), Wicked Witch (by Mikey), Piglet, Cupcake, Creampuff, Pastry (by Rupert, a.k.a. Meat Sweats)

Nationality: French

Languages: French, English and Latin

Birthday: Unknown. Being a witch, this Mel lived for many years and eventually forgot their birthday and their exact age. They look like they’re in their mid-20s

Sex: Female

Gender: Non-Binary Female

Pronouns: They/them, She/her

Sexual/romantic orientation: Grey-sexual and Gray-romantic

Physical Appearance

Height: Same as 00

Weight: Same as 00

Body shape: Same as 00

Skin: Similar to 00, but this Mel doesn’t have a scar on their throat, and they have various magic symbols tattooed on the nape of their neck.

Hair: Same as 00

Eyes: Same as 00

Clothing style: Glasses, oval-shaped, purple half-frames. Most of the time, they go for comfortable clothes, but will go for robes and witch’s hat from time to time, when they don’t have to hide the fact that they are a witch. They tend to favor black, purple and other dark colors, but always add a touch of a lighter color to their outfits.

Personality

Qualities: Smart, open-minded, strong willpower, quick thinker, charismatic, charming, independent, polite.

Defaults: Sarcastic, show-off, slightly sadistic, they have been alive for so long that they became slightly unhinged

Abilities: Charming peoples, mutants and Yokais to win their trust. Various magic powers but specialize in potions and food (especially sweets) with magical effects. While Mel can make charms and cast spells, they tend to lack in power, losing effect quickly.

Hobbies: Cooking, baking and potion-making. Watching tv shows about cooking and paranormal occurrences. Watching fantasy, horror and sci-fi movies and series. Spending quality time with their lover.

Favorite colors: Black and Purple

Favorite animals: Cats and pigs

Fears: Dying

Life

Status: In a relationship with Rupert Swaggart, a.k.a. Meat Sweats

Current living place: New York

Family: Unfortunately, Mel’s last relatives were killed by witch’s hunters a long time ago.

Friends: Mel is in pretty good terms with Big Mama. They also get along rather well with Mezmer-ron and knew him even before his mutation.

Pets: Not exactly a pet, but rather a Familiar, a smart black and orange tortie cat named Flamma. Flamma often bring rare ingredients to Mel.

Transportation: Mel either walk, ride with Rupert or use a potion that can create a portal to where they need to go

Home: An apartment on the second floor of her shop/workplace. The apartment have a big kitchen to allow Mel to make their potions and magic food they sell in their shop, a small living room, a big bathroom, a bedroom and a room where they store various accessories and books for magic, as well as ingredients, and potions that need to rest before being used.

Education: Mel was taught in the art of magic by their parents. Their parents also taught them all they needed to know, how to write, mathematics, sciences, etc.

Work: Mel own an occult shop as a front for their real, hidden business. The occult shop sells what you would expect, the usual useless charms and potions, stones and crystals, tarot cards, oils, occult books, etc. Their real business is in the “backstore” which is actually another part of the store where they sell their real magic potions and food with magic effects. This part of the shop can only be accessed with presentation of a card that Mel give to people they chose, usually Yokais, mutants, witches, warlocks, mystics, etc. In addition, there’s a magic market underground, once a month, where Mel can show their products and give the card to new potential customers.

Medical history: Nothing of note.

Marking moments: Parents were killed by witch’s hunters a long time ago. Moved to New York many years before the Turtles were even created. Met and became friend with Big Mama soon after moving to New York. Met and became friend with Mezmer-ron back when he was just a young fledgling magician. Met, became friend and eventually started to date Rupert some time after Shredder was revived.

Anything else?: Being a witch, Mel was always aware of the existence of Yokais and cryptids. Witches tend to get along more with Yokais since they don’t have to hide their magic from them, while history proved that humans fear witches to the point of hunting them.

[callmeblake]

Selections from Kerrang Issue #1642 (screencaps from pressreader)

Photo Credit: Paul Harries and Ashley Maile

Magazine Release Date: October 19th, 2016

Issue Label: October 22nd, 2016

I just LOVE Frank’s face in this

(you can read it, on presssreader, you just have to play around with the size of your screen to see it all)

OMG it has a an audio as WELL. It’s a computer voice! It calls Gerard “Jared”!

Transcript for selections below 

REJOIN THE BLACK PARADE

It’s the mcr album that changed your life. 10 years on, we retell its amazing story…

Kerrang! (UK)

19 Oct 2016

In the autumn of 2006, My Chemical Romance’s third album, The Black Parade, landed in the lap of this magazine. In Kerrang!’s world, the quintet from New Jersey were already stars, the band having graced our covers since the release of 2004’s Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. Two years on from the grief-stricken purge of their second album, MCR were ready for a leap into the great wide open of superstardom with a capital ‘S’. The Black Parade would serve as a down-payment on this new exalted status… The review that preceded the album’s release described MCR’S soon-to-be-blockbuster as having “flamboyance in abundance”, but also depth. “Beneath the surface is where to look on this album,” we wrote .“underneath the imagery and the concept is where you’ll find all sorts – hope, resignation, anger, defiance, self-loathing and a thousand more emotions aside. It’ll take a few listens, but when The Black Parade reveals its secrets to you, you’ll be dazzled by its brilliance.”

Turns outthe Black Parade revealed its secrets with such resonance that a decade on, we’re still talking about it.this week, the 13-song set (14 songs including hidden track, Blood) celebrates its 10th birthday.

“I remember reading an early interview with [frontman] Gerard Way where he said something that I think best sums up My Chemical Romance,” remembers former Kerrang! writer Catherineyates, who in August of 2006 spoke with the band in Camden Town for their first cover story in support ofthe Black Parade.“before he found success with the band, he was talking about how he was living in his parents’ basement, working a crappy retail job and was unhappy with his life. He thought,‘i’ve just got to get out of this basement.�� And he did. I think that serves as a powerful metaphor for anyone unhappy with their current situation. It’s a powerful metaphor for anyone.”

By the time of The Black Parade, Gerard Way had left behind not just his parents’ basement, but also the My Chemical Romance music that had preceded it.

For the latter part of the 20th century and the first years of the 21st century, the terms ‘concept album’ and – Shock! Horror! – ‘rock opera’ were about as appealing as being run over by a car.with the release of American Idiot, in 2004 Green Day changed all that. Suddenly, thematic ideas splayed upon vast canvases were as artistically acceptable as they had been in the 1970s.

It is testament to MCR’S moxie that while clearly influenced by Green Day’s magnum opus – as well as utilising the services of that album’s talented producer, Rob Cavallo – the only debt The Black Parade owes to the 2004 smash is the notion of an album as a thematic concern, and a sense of fearlessness in its blue-sky thinking. Recorded between April and August of 2006 at Eldorado Recording Studios Recording Studios in Burbank, California, the album encompassed themes of death, life, disease, childhood recollections and the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The songs Welcome To The Black Parade, Famous Last Words, I Don’t Loveyou andteenagers were picked as singles. In the spirit of the ‘surrogate band’ in Pink Floyd’s The Wall and David Bowie’s alter ego Ziggy Stardust from the The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars set, on the tour in support of their third album the group appeared under the nom de plume The Black Parade.all the while they were dressed in black marching uniforms that resembled a monochromatic incarnation of the clothes sported by The Beatles on the front cover of their 1967 classic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Released on October 23, 2006,The Black Parade debuted on the U.S. Billboard album chart at Number Two and in the same position in the UK. In their home country, the album would go on to sell some 1.6 million copies. worldwide, the collection would find its way into the homes of no fewer than three million people. Success, though, came at a cost.the recording of The Black Parade and the mammoth tour undertaken in its name – which included a sold-out date at London’s O2 Arena on November 15, 2007 – would take its toll on this sensitive band.at various times on the road, bassist Mikey Way and guitarist Frank Iero would absent themselves from the line-up, vacancies that were filled by stand-in musicians; it would also be the last time drummer Bob Bryar recorded with the group. The album would also prove to be MCR’S creative and commercial high-water mark.as of 2013, as you will know, the band are no more.

“The Black Parade is significant not just for its music, but for the fact that it was probably the last rock album to become really popular before the internet took over,” believes Catherine Yates. “These days it would be really hard for a band to establish themselves with such a strong visual ethic because there’s so much music competing for people’s attention.”

With The Black Parade, MCR defined their legacy in musical form. It is a testament to what was, and what will always be.

IT'S NOT A FASHION STATEMENT...

Andy BIERSACK TALKS us THROUGH The FASHION OF The BLACK PARADE…

Kerrang! (UK)

19 Oct 2016

■ “My Chemical Romance coming back with The Black Parade and the look that went with it was like someone planting a flag and saying that, in 2006,‘This is how we – the weirdos and the outcasts – look, and this is how we feel.’ It’s a fantastic aesthetic, and there’s an incredibly talented costume designer at Warner Brothers [Colleen Atwood] who designed it with Gerard, and that collaboration resulted in this incredible visual style that you can’t ignore. At the time, I didn’t know Gerard was such a comic book enthusiast, and there’s definitely a costumed hero vibe readily noticeable in those outfits now. One of the things that makes me smile is that if you asked the average person to draw the costumes, I’d bet they’d draw the same jacket for every member. But the reality is that each member’s outfit was nuanced enough that they retained their individuality. while I’ve never taken explicit influence from their actual aesthetic, when I designed the costumes for the Wretched And Divine I specifically drew each member’s outfit the way I thought it should be, and then worked with them individually to give each that personality, and that was hugely influenced by The Black Parade. For me, it’s never been just about the music.the whole package is what provides that escapism, the music is the soundtrack to the feeling, and that feeling is one of being disenfranchised. Sometimes you want to show your differences from others, and the aesthetic of The Black Parade empowered so many people to do so.”

THE FIRST GIG AND WE WERE THERE!

MCR ANNOUNCED THE BLACK PARADE IN TYPICALLY ENIGMATIC FASHION IN LONDON ON AUGUST 22, 2006. OUR EDITOR, JAMES MCMAHON,WAS THERE…

Kerrang! (UK)

19 Oct 2016

“I’ll be honest, for me, I didn’t quite realise the significance at the time. I went to the show because I liked MCR, but I didn’t understand the sheer gravity of what I’d just witnessed until much later.‘due to unforeseen circumstances, My Chemical Romance are unable to perform this evening…’ boomed the venue’s PA. I remember the boos.the detritus being thrown at the stage. I remember the pregnant pause. ‘However… My Chemical Romance’s good friends The Black Parade have kindly stepped in as a replacement…’ I remember the confusion.the realisation The Black Parade and MCR were one and the same.the euphoria.and then I remember one of the greatest gigs I’ve ever had the good fortune to be present at. I Don’t Love you, House Of wolves, Cancer… all songs being played live for the first time. I remember thinking,‘this could be to emo what American Idiot was to punk…’ and I think I nailed that one from the off. I have to say, that Hammersmith Palais was one of the greatest venues. So yeah, I didn’t realise the significance at the time, but now, I’m aware I was in the presence of a legend being forged.”

[crockerdance89-blog]

Album Review: Weezer Pacific Daydream

For the life of me, I've never been able to tell if Rivers Cuomo grew up too soon or was some kind of late bloomer. It shouldn't matter, but Weezer have always been a band that necessitated a backstory, at least since the turn of the century. In fact, you all know the tale. To purists, the beloved sons of '90s alternative/geek rock put out two of the decade's most beloved albums - one was love at first listen and the other eventually blossomed into feverish true love (and has since become a cornerstone of music critic apologies) - and then they disappeared.

The mythical rumors that swallowed the band were as intriguing as they were plentiful. When I saw Weezer at Warped Tour in 2000, it felt as much like a pilgrimage as it did a Salinger book signing. A year later, Weezer released their Green Album with Mikey instead of Matt, and it was the only time in my youth I knew kids to welcome detention because they ditched school to scoop a record. In study hall, however, one of the dudes with a small, hidden boombox turned to the rest of us, only a few songs in, past the initial stronghold of catchy tunes, and muttered in a squint, I can't tell if I like it. And, to me, that's been Weezer's fanbase of yore ever since. But it's not like Weezer was ever a secret. Hell, their self-titled debut - aka The Blue Album, and from here on out we'll just do 'em by color - went platinum within the year (while misunderstood sophomore effort Pinkerton took 20 years).

Like any good, mysterious sci-fi disappearance, upon the band's return, a question lingered: Is this who I fell in love with all those years ago? Since then, the band's legacy has been a stirring two-parter, with such a fine line separating Weezer from itself. Longtime fans could go full conspiracy theory about whether Weezer is writing songs for themselves, their fans, or radio DJs these days. It's hard to gauge (or admit that it's pointless and self-serving), with all of us left curious about what happened when four men came back from the wilderness.

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Sincerity shouldn't be subjective, but that's what often seems to keep older fans from wholeheartedly embracing new Weezer. They assume singles like Beverly Hills and Pork and Beans reflect shallow and gimmicky mainstream hopes, not the band's heart on full goofy display. They don't think the same guy who evaluated a person's worth via self-loathing sexual encounters on Tired of Sex could be the same guy who wrote I'm Your Daddy, a song immediately followed by The Girl Got Hot. But people change. Weezer changed. The old fans didn't.

Yet, here we are, more than a decade and half after Weezer returned from the outer world of rock music mythos and Pacific Daydream might be the album that finally convinces me the sincerity never left in those missing years that gave birth to Homie, The Rentals, The Special Goodness, and (rebirth of) Space Twins. Instead, the big eyes of The Blue Album and the broken heart of Pinkerton gave way to a charming yet prosaic can-do attitude that sometimes ventures into curious mania. Age and experience will do that. When the world comes at you enough, it can be hard to keep acting surprised. Pacific Daydream is the band at their most self-assured, and for it to come after two well-received records feels like the sunshine-hit-machine direction is a choice, not a test.

This album finds Cuomo at the beach in retrospective young adulthood, reliving a spirited west coast adolescence he didn't have, exploring that strange era of California youth, where you bounce between bonfires and concerts (and pawn shops and pharmacies just to kill time before curfew). All your memories take on a rich sunset as backdrop and your crushes move in slow motion, and you somehow recall spending most of your time on drives along Pacific Coast Highway. It's an overwhelming age of wonder and melancholy, where a good conversation out of your comfort zone can feel downright life-saving.

(Read: Weezer's California Dream: A Love Letter in 10 Songs)

But those memories don't exactly make for songs of depth. Instead, they work as source material for music videos of people turning to each other at beach parties and laughing. This wouldn't be the interpretation of a band's debut, mind you. But we're already profoundly aware that Weezer is able to put out affecting songs about longing (the yearning-heart-sink anthem of Pinkerton's Across the Sea) and stir up a fire (the blasting Blue Album kitchen demo Paperface). Most frustrating, though, is that we know the band can still evolve and floor us, proven for good with The Red Album's legitimate screwball masterpiece The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn).

As much as there's been a case of ups and downs, whether from song to song or album to album, the band eventually found their footing. 2014's Everything Will Be Alright in the End is easily their best album of the 21st Century, filled with an energy impossible not to love, and then came 2016's solid White Album. A year later, if your hope was for the foursome to dig deeper into the beach, you got it. Pacific Daydream's opener (and best song on the album), Mexican Fender, starts off at a guitar shop on Santa Monica and 7th, and the album doesn't stray too far from beach camp after that.

Yet, on the very aptly named Pacific Daydream, that west coast fantasy goes a little too far, with Cuomo living vicariously through his own coastal jams. To be sure, Cuomo has what may be fractions of a thousand-plus unfinished pop melodies ricocheting off the walls of his skull. The guy can craft a hit. Here, it's just missing his wily spirit and feverish heart, which reads weird because of Cuomo's inability to change the shirt sleeve his heart's so dang stuck on. The man is undeniably a romantic, whether strictly within the confines of an in-song will-they-won't-they relationship or his general outlook in interviews. As he confidently strolls through the world he's created and curated on Pacific Daydream, each tune a diligently shaped puzzle piece, it becomes clear that, aside from blips like the breathy '60s drums of Weekend Woman and hand-clappy intro of Any Friend of Diane's, the songs aren't all that discernable from each other. In fact, the songs aren't much without the others. The album works extraordinarily well together, but the tracks wouldn't work as, say, singular pulls for a personal mix. You can take or leave the album. It's good enough. But the songs don't stay with you.

(Cover Story: Weezer: Everything's Alright)

Every chorus - save for Sweet Mary, which more or less rolls through - seems almost scientifically constructed to be radio-hit catchy. The production level is immaculate, and the band have never sounded tighter. But it's a safe, unsurprising record. To hear it, after everyone's long history with the band, is like noticing a beautifully polished, expensive statue in the home of one of your geekiest friends. It seems out of place, though it somehow makes sense (because anything would somehow make sense at this point). You just don't know if they bought the art piece for themselves, their guests, or simply because they think that's what's expected of them at this age. With Pacific Daydream, Bell, Shriner, and Wilson helped Cuomo put out a side project solo album. So if you're looking for the dynamic Weezer album you hoped would follow the last two, this likely isn't it.

There's no standout song that churns and chugs like Maladroit's Possibilities or even The Green Album's Don't Let Go, and there's nothing on Pacific Daydream that intrigues you like Everything Will Be Alright in the End's three Futurescope songs. It's a strong album, but it's not a strong Weezer album. Still, if the post-return Weezer debate must rage on, Pacific Daydream may be the best case for either side, arguing emotional honesty against technical skill. Holistically, there forever remains a razor-fine divide between Weezer's most enchanting work and its most humdrum output, a kind of Weezer-specific horseshoe theory where a praising description of their finest record doesn't sound all that different from a critique of their least interesting.

But if you ever wanted to hear Weezer at their professionally sharpest, this is surely it. It's no surprise that Cuomo is a fan of pop smashes like Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe, as Pacific Daydream might be more Train than Ozma. Cuomo doesn't owe anything to the alternative scene, if such a thing can even exist anymore in the era of everything all the time everywhere. After two albums of chumps like me exaggerating sighs of relief, churning out self-satisfied think-pieces of oh, thank goodness, the boys have finally come home, it might be that Cuomo gave us the damn records we wanted, so he could just go back to writing fun pop songs about summer. I doubt it, though. Given the two-step, this might be the record that definitively proves there's simply a duality to Weezer that's long been mistaken as before and after. This is who Cuomo and crew have always been, and it's not their fault we decided to make them gods of the garage.

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In truth, this might be the beginning of a Beck-like career, where it's less windy road and more bursts of interest - specific explorations unbeholden to what Weezer is supposed to be. Still, we're always going to root for them to lean more toward Blue Album and Pinkerton than Raditude or Hurley, because Weezer seemingly bounces between being a damn good band and one that could be. Pacific Daydream just happens to be very shiny middle ground, reminding us that somewhere in Rivers Cuomo, there's still an East Coast kid listening to the radio and fantasizing about life in Los Angeles. For the band to be at its full potential, though, the songwriter needs to reflect more on the takeaways of experiences rather than the moments themselves.

Essential Tracks: Mexican Fender, Happy Hour, and La Mancha Screwjob