rosiespark

While nostalgically browsing pictures of Paris, I was struck by the similarity of

( these two pictures )

Day 5- Favorite MCR music video

True to form, I'm going to cheat - just slightly - on this one. I can't separate the Na Na Na and Sing videos, nor would it make sense to do so when they're two installments (so far!) of the same story. It's funny - with TBP, I love the music but was distinctly underwhelmed by the videos. For Danger Days. it's completely the other way round, and I just wish they'd come up with a third video. I'm still hoping! Come on, Gerard - I know you're all being zipped into BLInd bodybags at the end of Sing, but surely a trivial technicality like being dead isn't going to stop you?





Bonus: download link for a 4-minute 'making of' video for Na Na Na. They're so clearly having a great time, messing around in the desert with costumes and props. And if you watch very very carefully, Gerard's extra short shorts make a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance...
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Day 3- Favorite song off of The Black Parade

So having waxed lyrical about Revenge yesterday, today it's TBP's turn. The Black Parade was the first MCR album I ever listened to, followed within a couple of weeks by Revenge and by Bullets shortly after that, all in the first few months of 2008. Perfect reverse order. And while I adore Bullets and can happily lose myself in its fantasy world of revenge, bullets and blood, TBP grabs me by the throat and says "THIS is it. THIS is what it's like". It's about being broken but defiant, acknowledging that life is fucked-up and then fucking CARRYING ON with courage and with wit and (black) humour. There's an honesty to it that bowls me over. So no, I don't find it depressing in the least and yes, I've never had the slightest difficulty in seeing TBP's positive message.

Heh, I'm using these "favourite song off of" posts to talk about the albums rather than attempting the impossible task of choosing a favourite track. And I think I'll treat the whole meme as an excuse to talk about MCR. Just the thing to get me posting again after so long. :)

Grandiose. Playful. Theatrical. Over the top. Musically, all things I love about TBP, and I do agree with the Queen comparisons. And Brian May himself said the nicest things about Gerard after performing with MCR recently at Reading. In particular: "Gerard as a front man is magnificent, of course - his honesty and vulnerability - along with the right kind of instinct for being a hero - connects instantly with the audience, reminding me quite a bit of a certain other great front man I worked with for many years." Awwww.

Favourites are probably The Sharpest Lives, Welcome to the Black Parade, House of Wolves, Mama and Sleep. But like with Bullets, the whole album works so perfectly as a coherent whole that I’ll rarely, if ever, just listen to individual tracks.

Love love LOVE the first line of The End. Used to be this journal's title: "So come one, come all to this tragic affair". It's an invitation to life! And then "You've got front row seats to the penitents' ball; When I grow up, I want to be NOTHING AT ALL". ::shivers::

Just the fact of having Dead! as a song title is a stroke of genius. With a cheery exclamation mark, no less! And "Have you heard the news that you're dead? No-one ever had much nice to say, I think they never liked you anyway". They sound so happy about it!

I always think the lyrics of The Sharpest Lives must be autobiographical, the first verses in particular... And I LOVE this bit:
"There's a place in the dark where the animals go
You can take off your skin in the cannibal glow
Juliet loves the beat and the lust it commands
Drop the dagger and lather the blood on your hands, Romeo"

Welcome to the Black Parade is the album's heart. The anthem of the broken, the beaten and the damned:
"Do or die, you'll never make me, because the world will never take my heart
Go and try, you'll never break me; we want it all, we want to play this part
I won't explain or say I'm sorry; I'm not unashamed, I'm gonna show my scar
Give a cheer for all the broken."

I love the drums in the intro to House of Wolves. And the lyrics. Too many lines to quote.

Mama is crazy and beautiful. I can remember sitting in my car in traffic soon after I got the album (no cd player so no music in my old car) and singing Mama to myself and being ecstatic when I could remember all the lyrics.

Sleep:
"Don't you breathe for me, undeserving of your sympathy
'Cos there ain't no way that I'm sorry for what I did"

Teenagers I like, but Disenchanted I never really got. I'm sorry I don't like it more because it's apparently one of Mikey's favourites.

Oh, and Blood makes me giggle. EVERY TIME. And sing along, of course.

One more thing I love about this album is how clearly Gerard's voice can be heard. I suppose it's a mixing choice during production, but it's one of the things I don't much like about Danger Days is that his vocal aren't clear. I want to hear Gerard singing, dammit!

And last thing I'm going to say: I am SOOOOO glad that Gerard has finally admitted that dissing his previous work is the way he lets go so he can move on to the next thing. I mean, I get that they wore themselves out touring with TBP and that they hated the negative reaction it got from some quarters, but I was sad when they seemed to not want to have anything to do with it any more. Because it will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart.
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Red Haired Killjoy Gee icon in honour of his changing back to black. Do I like it better? Yes? No? I really don't know what I think!

And in honour of a post from me after so long that I can't even remember how long it's been, here's an MCR meme that yekith is doing and that I thought looked fun:

Day 1- Favorite song off of Bullets

Without looking at the track list ('cos that'd be cheating!), I have to say Demolition Lovers. It's one of Gerard's "telling a story" songs - or maybe it would be better to say that it conjures up an atmosphere, because the story is largely left to the imagination... That's one of the things I absolutely love about their music, whether they call them concept albums or not, the worlds they evoke are fascinating. And Demolition Lovers sums up the star-crossed lovers on the run vibe of the whole album. Doomed to end their days "in a hail of bullets"... Here, have a listen.

Close second favourites are Our Lady of Sorrows and Headfirst for Halos. Can I have two second favourites? Of course I can!

I love this album. I'm a huge fan of the darkness of pre-Killjoys MCR.


( Rest of the questions for later... )

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1. Life on the Murder Scene, because, well, MCR! I can't survive without my regular fix. The video diary is what changed me from casual fan to head-over-heels crazy fangirl, and the other disc has the videos and "making of"s, so yes, it's an absolute must.

2. The English Patient. Still my favourite film of all time.

3. Slings & Arrows, all 3 seasons.

4. Doctor Who, series 1. Because I am spellbound by Christopher Eccleston as Nine and because the quality of the whole 13-episode run was just amazing.

5. Master and Commander, for its very fine acting by Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany, and for Peter Weir's compelling and lovingly detailed creation on screen of Aubrey and Maturin's world.

But I'm REALLY not satisfied with this list because it leaves out Due South, and the Lord of the Rings movies, and a host of other stuff that I love. So no desert islands for me, not even magical ones, thank you very much. I'll be perfectly happy sitting right here, marooned in my own living room with not a palm tree in sight.

I've started watching The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and I'm really enjoying it so far. Only the fact that I went to bed at an ungodly hour yesterday and suffered for it today is stopping me from watching episode 4. Not an obsession yet, but it's pretty compelling.

And tomorrow I get to collect Issue 3 of Dallas from the Post Office. At last. Yay for another 32 pages of inspired craziness from Gerard Way's lovely brain. Braaains! ::waves to glinda_north::

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I have to ask myself.

Is it because he's the one blogging about helpless cravings for weird pink sugary cereals while his wife's the one who's actually pregnant? Is it because it's evidence of how much his little brother loves him? Or maybe it's this glimpse of a Number Five action figure on his breakfast table?!

I just... IDEK.

♥Gerard♥

::flails::

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Meme from fajrdrako: When you see this, post your favorite poem in your journal.

( GOD'S GRANDEUR by Gerard Manly Hopkins )

I'm not religious, so this might seem like an odd choice, but I love the imagery, and language is glorious. It needs to be recited out loud for the full effect to be felt. And the glory of Creation, the damage humankind has done to it and the way we have cut ourselves off from nature, as well as the sense of hope and renewal at the end, are all things that resonate profoundly.

I used to recite this to myself when I was having trouble sleeping last year, at the time when it looked like keeping my job was going to be impossible. Lying in bed and letting the rhythm of the words wash over me was very soothing - and I found that it required just enough concentration to drag my thoughts off their well-worn tracks of helpless worrying and let my brain wind down enough to sleep.

A note on how I came across this poem: I was actually looking for Hopkins' The Windhover, post-Victoria's Secret, the Due South episode in which it's referenced. But I found I liked this one better.

From fajrdrako:

Ask me seven questions. Not just any seven questions though. No, to keep it interesting, use the seven questions as per below - just copy and paste the following, replace the blanks with something you want to know/ask (e.g. 3. Donkeys or sandcastles and why?), anything you want, personal, silly, surreal or deep, comment away and I'll answer honestly as I can!

1. What do you think of _____________ ?
2. When did you last ____________?
3. __________ or ___________ and why?
4. What did you ______________?
5. What is/are your favorite ______________?
6. How would you ______________?
7. Who would you most like to ________ ?

Have at it! *g*

From semyaza, whose own journal was rated a harmless "G". To my surprise:

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Sites

Based on the fact that I apparently said "hell" twice. How very shocking! And there's a single occurrence of "poop", which was most likely referring to the cats' litter tray. Unless I talked about being pooped... Hee.

I wish you all a happy, healthy and fulfilling New Year! ♥