Mikey Way
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Michael James Way (born September 10, 1980), most commonly known as Mikey Way, is the bass guitarist for the alternative rock band My Chemical Romance and the younger brother of frontman Gerard Way.
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[edit] Early Life
Way was born in Newark, New Jersey, USA, where he grew up. He is of Scottish and Italian descent. He came up with the band's name, taken from the book Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance, by Irvine Welsh, while working at a Barnes and Noble bookstore in Clifton, New Jersey.
Early on in MCR's career, it was said that Way learned bass in order to be able to play in the band, which lacked a bassist at the time. But during interviews with Way in their DVD release Life on the Murder Scene, Mikey claims that he had been an amateur musician since he was young and was in bands as a bassist before MCR. He plays a Highway 1 Precision Bass, a Fender Standard Precision Bass and a Fender J.
[edit] Mental Illness
While recording The Black Parade, Mikey had a major emotional breakdown, which caused him to leave the band temporarily, and almost caused them to break-up completely. He said in an interview with Alternative Press, "I was either offing myself, or leaving the band. Those were my two options." In the December 2006 issue of Blender magazine, Mikey explained his anxiety about his ability to play. He said, "Here I was, I finally had everything I'd struggled for my whole life, and it wasn't fun anymore. I was standing on the stage looking out, and not enjoying it at all."
Mikey left the band to live with My Chemical Romance attorney and "band mom" Stacey Fass. He went through intense psychotherapy and saw a therapist four times a week. Mikey was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. After several weeks, he returned to the recording studio as a commuter, and is on the way to being himself again.
[edit] Trivia
- He and Gerard are maternal second cousins of Joe Rogan, host of the NBC game/stunt show Fear Factor and former cast member of the sitcom News Radio.
- Mikey, along with all the other members of My Chemical Romance, is good friends with Taking Back Sunday.
[edit] External links
| My Chemical Romance |
| Gerard Way | Mikey Way | Frank Iero | Ray Toro | Bob Bryar |
| Matt Pelissier |
|---|
| Discography |
| Albums: I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love | Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge | The Black Parade |
| Live album: Life on the Murder Scene |
| Singles |
| "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us" | "Vampires Will Never Hurt You" | "Headfirst for Halos" | "Our Lady of Sorrows" | "Thank You for the Venom" | "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" | "Helena" | "The Ghost of You" | "Welcome to the Black Parade" | "Famous Last Words" |
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