Gerard A. Way

My Chemical Romance (http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/11/10/ chemical_romance_wideweb__470x382,0.jpg)

Some say that a hero is someone who has lived a long and powerful life. To me, a hero can be a newborn baby, or even a person who passed away 1000 years ago. Who you look up to, is for you to decide. Some of you may know the band, My Chemical Romance, and some of you may not. For those who don't, My Chemical Romance is a Punk Rock band from New Jersey. The members consist of: Gerard Arthur Way, Lead Singer; his brother, Michael James Way, Bassist; Raymond Manuel Toro-Ortiz, Guitarist; Frank Anthony Iero, Guitarist; Robert Bryar, Drummer, who replaced Matt Pelissier in 2004. They have 3 CDs out, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge and The Black Parade. The following paragraphs will be about Gerard Way, the Lead Singer. I feel people need to know his story and let it be known why he is my hero and will continue to be throughout my life.

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w110/ ELena_vampira/Gerard_Way--large-msg- 117608018658.jpg)

Gerard Arthur Way was born on April 9, 1977, in Newark, New Jersey. He began singing in 4th Grade, in the play Peter Pan. His Grandmother, Elena Lee Rush, taught Gerard how to sing, paint and perform. In 1995, he graduated from Belleview High School and attended the School of Visual Arts, in New York City, graduating with the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1999. He currently has a comic out called the Umbrella Academy and he submitted a T.V show to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim called The Breakfast Monkey, but it was turned down because it was too similar to a television show already out. In September of 2007, he married Lindsey Ann Ballato, bassist from Mindless Self Indulgence.

You may say, "Wow! Why would I see him as a hero? He is just a normal guy, but famous." And if you have not stopped reading this by now, I thank you because there is more to Gerard Way than what I have already stated. He is more than just a singer, he is a human who faced many problems. He was a drug and alcohol abuser.

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He suffered from depression and turned to drinking and doing drugs. He got drunk after many concerts and could've drunk himself to death. Those problems are very hard to face and give up. But Gerard did so. He overcame the drinking and the drugs, thanks to My Chemical Romance. He hasn't gone overboard on the booze or the pills lately and he is continuing to do what he does best, sing and get into the hearts of many young people. I know for sure that his music is touching, right in the heart, and sometimes can bring me to tears. This is what makes him my hero.

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/ 42511000/jpg/_42511605_nme_gerardmcr_getty.jpg)

"When we first started out I had a really big issue and a lot of my loved ones had a really big issue with the fact that I was totally in pain up there and there was a time when I tried to hurt myself off stage, but I got over that. Like, you should never want to hurt yourself. You should love yourself. Sometimes you have to kind of die inside in order to rise from your own ashes and believe in yourself and love yourself and become a new person and I think that that is going to be a lot of what the next record is about, not to plug it or anything. Like, it's going to talk about dying and coming back to become what you totally want to become. We are all becoming what we want to become." -Gerard Way