Interview with Frank Iero
We got to interview Frank Iero about his upcoming solo record, his bands, and more. Check it out below:
Firstly I’d like to thank you for taking the time to do this. What records and books have you recently been consuming?
It is my pleasure, thank you for taking the time to write the questions. i apologize profusely for this taking so long to get done…however life kept getting in my way. Currently I am reading Morrissey’s autobiography and finishing up Death at Seaworld at the same time. Usually I try and finish one before I start another but I got too excited when the Morrissey book came in the mail. That book has the bleakest first couple of pages I have ever seen start a book. It’s pretty incredible. As far as records go Climax by Beast Milk is still in heavy rotation and Transgender Dysphoria Blues by Against Me! might be my favorite record I’ve heard in the past like 5 or 10 years. it’s frightening how good that record is. It’s so fierce, in the best way possible it sounds like a band’s first record…and i guess in a way it is. I’ve been trying to think of another band that released a record like that in the middle of their career and i can’t think of another instance. For me a great record forces you go back through a bands back catalogue and rediscover things and fall in love all over again. TDB does that beautifully.
How do you feel about the shift in artist-fan relationships over the past decade with the invention of social media (Twitter, etc)?
I don’t know tell you truth, it think on paper it’s a really nice thing to be able to interact and have discussions with the people who enjoy what you create and vice versa. And for the most part i must say the interactions I’ve had have been really nice and mutually fulfilling… but it takes some time understanding how to navigate these interactions in order to have positive experiences. Let’s face it there are a lot of rude and unstable people in the world so you’re bound to get some off putting or irritating shit flung your way…so the benefits are definitely on a case by case basis. At times it can be difficult to not let the bad people ruin it for you and everyone else. That’s why its good to take a few days off every once in awhile. There seems to be an influx of younger people looking for attention, good or bad it doesn’t matter to them just as long as someone notices…and they tend to hide under the guise of being a fan but what they’re really after is just a reaction. So they make stuff up or say vile disgusting things to you or about the people you love in order to get noticed or get a rise out of you or others. And it’s really sad and disheartening to me…because at the core of it i know all they want is for one second someone to just notice them and that’s really sad, but they they go about it in such a terrible way that i have little sympathy and i see it confusing people more and more.
It is my pleasure, thank you for taking the time to write the questions. i apologize profusely for this taking so long to get done…however life kept getting in my way. Currently I am reading Morrissey’s autobiography and finishing up Death at Seaworld at the same time. Usually I try and finish one before I start another but I got too excited when the Morrissey book came in the mail. That book has the bleakest first couple of pages I have ever seen start a book. It’s pretty incredible. As far as records go Climax by Beast Milk is still in heavy rotation and Transgender Dysphoria Blues by Against Me! might be my favorite record I’ve heard in the past like 5 or 10 years. it’s frightening how good that record is. It’s so fierce, in the best way possible it sounds like a band’s first record…and i guess in a way it is. I’ve been trying to think of another band that released a record like that in the middle of their career and i can’t think of another instance. For me a great record forces you go back through a bands back catalogue and rediscover things and fall in love all over again. TDB does that beautifully.
How do you feel about the shift in artist-fan relationships over the past decade with the invention of social media (Twitter, etc)?
I don’t know tell you truth, it think on paper it’s a really nice thing to be able to interact and have discussions with the people who enjoy what you create and vice versa. And for the most part i must say the interactions I’ve had have been really nice and mutually fulfilling… but it takes some time understanding how to navigate these interactions in order to have positive experiences. Let’s face it there are a lot of rude and unstable people in the world so you’re bound to get some off putting or irritating shit flung your way…so the benefits are definitely on a case by case basis. At times it can be difficult to not let the bad people ruin it for you and everyone else. That’s why its good to take a few days off every once in awhile. There seems to be an influx of younger people looking for attention, good or bad it doesn’t matter to them just as long as someone notices…and they tend to hide under the guise of being a fan but what they’re really after is just a reaction. So they make stuff up or say vile disgusting things to you or about the people you love in order to get noticed or get a rise out of you or others. And it’s really sad and disheartening to me…because at the core of it i know all they want is for one second someone to just notice them and that’s really sad, but they they go about it in such a terrible way that i have little sympathy and i see it confusing people more and more.
For instance I was having a conversation with a young lady the other day about a social media interaction I found troubling or rude and she said ‘but they’re a fan of your band?’ and my response was ‘but just cause they have good taste in music doesn’t mean they’re automatically a good person.’ Buying a record or attending a concert does not enter me into a binding contract where for the rest of my life I have to take a person’s shit no matter what they say or do to me. I may catch a ton of flack for this from people but i feel it needs to be said, just because you like a band or bought a band’s shirt or record at some point doesn’t mean you own that artist or that the artist owes you unquestionable loyalty no matter what you do or how you treat other people. Now this goes both ways mind you. Just because you like something a person created or continues to create doesn’t mean you automatically have to agree with every life decision that artist makes or everything that comes out of their mouths. I mean lets be honest most artists are real life assholes.
Basically my point is this, in 2012 it was reported that there were over 7 billion people, give or take, living on planet earth. (that’s a lot of people) ok so based on the state of the world we live in can we assume that what? at least 50% of those 7 billion are shitheads? No? ok fine maybe that’s a bit pessimistic, lets give humans the benefit of the doubt and say 40% are total shitheads. that’s saying 60% or over 4 billion people are pretty rad ok people. Now the rest of those people the 3 billion and change, a few of them have to overlap into the category of fans of good music or artists that make rad stuff right? I mean some of those motherfuckers gotta like radiohead right? see what im getting at?
So about this solo album…what can you tell us about it?
Well I can tell you that at times I’m really proud of it, and at other times I’m so incredibly disgusted with myself over it that i don’t know what to do. Which i suppose is the best way to feel about a record you’re so completely immersed in and haven’t really played for anyone.
Have you thought about how the songs are going to translate to a live environment?
This is actually something I’m currently in the midst of. When writing the record I gave absolutely no thought to the live aspect of the songs. I couldn’t really, I played everything on the record except for the drums so i was never able to perform them that way. For the most part it was just me thrashing and singing into a computer, bouncing ideas off of no one but myself. Which in one respect is the purest form of a song i can think of and makes me love that i did it that way, and upon second thought is incredibly frightening and probably very stupid of me.
I made this record on one condition with myself though, that for better or worse it would have to be pure.
If you tour the release, do you forecast playing instruments as well as singing or just vocals?
I think this is going to have to be decided on a song by song basis. there are certain songs I couldn’t imagine not playing guitar for and others where i just feel like having a guitar in front of me would get in the way of the song. The funny thing is most of the songs on this record i wrote on bass and electronic drums…guitars for the most part were an after thought.
You once said “an album can’t be just a collection of songs nowadays”, does this hold true for your record? Is there a common theme or vision through-out?
Hmm, did i say that? i don’t know if i truly believe that statement… because sometimes you just need a good mixtape. I don’t know if there are any rules on what makes a great album or at least there probably shouldn’t be. It’s hard though when you’re soul searching and killing yourself over and over again thinking ‘fuhk if i just had the perfect formula to make this great’…i think that’s might either the moment where things are going right or terribly wrong.
As far as the record having a common thread though i suppose there is a constant theme. To me the record is a lot about the feeling of belonging, and the lack there of. The sense that you might just be a stranger to everyone, even yourself, and the longing to feel safe and secure even in your worst insecurities.
Last year you described the songs you were working on as “maybe in the vein of This Song Is A Curse”, has this held true for later tracks or have they taken on a distinct personality of their own?
First i gotta say I despise having to describe music people haven’t heard yet. I’m really not trying to be difficult or pompous, I’m so bad at it. I find it so unbelievably impossible that I’d rather not do it… but what i meant by that statement was that on the spectrum of say LM or DS, it’s less like Leathermouth or Death Spells and more like Curse. But i don’t think any of the songs sound like curse really so haha.
Describe Death Spells in 3 words?
frustration, chaos, release.
You’ve got about 12 tracks or so? How’s the record progressing?
Ha I’d say it’s progressing very slowly. James and I both have a lot on our plates at the moment though, but I’d really like to see that record out like 4 months ago.
Death Spells’ lyrical content feels deep at times…in your opinion are these lyrics as personal as your solo music or do you think there’s a disconnect there in comparison?
Writing lyrics has always been a personal thing for me whether they are autobiographical or very far removed they all have a piece of you in them. The challenge I suppose is making the figurative lyrics hit home as hard as the literal ones. But long story short I’ll never tell what a song is fully about. I feel like that takes away from the beauty of a listener figuring out what a song means to them. I would never want to ruin that experience no matter how far off base from my original intention they get.
DS is a very audio-visual experience, it’s much more than just the music - was this always the goal when you first started making this noise while in LA?
No not intentionally, however it’s funny it ended up this way because the songs began in between James and I watching movies in our apartment together. so in a way i suppose it was always an audio/visual experience for us. But it definitely took time for the project to mutate into it’s current state.
Is there any bands/artists you’d like to collaborate with? It’s been a while since Black Duct Tape by The Banner which seems to be last….
ha. well I’ve done a few vocal appearances since then actually. I just did a verse on a Low Road song, and i did some stuff on Science’s new record, and of course the new Reggie record. I love collabs, I’m always down for that stuff it’s so much fun….I find a lot of joy working with others on music. The one I’m most excited for though is B.F.F. with Cherry and Lily… available everywhere digitally February 25th 2014! haha damn i feel like a rapper plugging release dates.
Which local acts (if any) are you currently excited for?
Jeez, there are so many great acts in the NY/NJ area right now. Well Science is a NJ based band that I’m really very fond of. They’re super talented and eclectic, I love the risks they take and they really go for shit. it’s nice to see bands really going for it. I think This Good Robot are a fantastic band from NY, crazy eclectic and talented as well. The Scandals from NJ are killing it right now…just getting better and better, can’t wait for their new stuff. Low Road from NJ are doing a new record, The Banner from NJ still fucking slays…Joey from the Banner just put out the Bloodnun tape. And then you got amazing NY based bands like the Gay Blades and States and Kingdoms. so many incredible local bands right now.
You performed at Skate & Surf last year, how did it feel being asked to play it’s first year back, after having done so way back in the beginning (with both Pencey/My Chem)? Did it feel like sort of coming full circle? (fun fact: only four people played both days, including you)
haha thank you for that fun fact! ok so me and James are 2 of those 4…who’s the other 2?!? If they do it again I’m gonna start another band and try and play 3 sets, gotta retain the title!
It was fun to play, the fest itself last year was a bit of a mess, no offense to anyone, but they had a lot of logistical problems with the venue change and the stages and stuff and the rain definitely didn’t help…but as far as the nostalgia of it and what the fest means to me and to NJ yea man it was definitely rad to do. I just wish it ran a bit smoother for everyone, but all in all i had a fun time.
Leathermouth played their first show in 4 years in 2013, was this a one off or do you think there’s now a possibility of that happening again now?
I’m not sure…i think it was just a one off, but who knows. it’s definitely fun to do, I like those guys and those songs… but we have no plans right now for anything else. then again we had no plan to do S&S until we were asked by our friend Chris. So who knows.
On a similar note, obviously you still talk to Hambone but what about the others members of Pencey…has the idea of a reunion just for fun ever come up?
Oh man, it’s funny I just saw Tim the drummer at a show in NYC the other night. No i don’t think that’s in the cards. Yes I’m still very good friends with Bone and Shaun, and it’s great when i run into Tim, but i think that chapter is closed. We did 3 i am a graveyard songs a few years back opening a NJ MCR show and that’s about it i think.
You’ve seen a pretty crazy response to your first release with B Calm Press, congratulations! Is this project designed to put out more than music? You seem to have an avid hand for writing poetry as seen on your website…
Thanks Martyn, yea that was nuts…damn this question i suppose is telling as to how long i have taken to finish this interview, again i apologize. Yes B.CALM is the entity under which i would like to house any and all projects i feel like putting out into the world, music/art/written whatever it may be. I’m not saying i will never release things anywhere else, but i wanted an umbrella under which i could be as crazy as i wanted and have absolutely no rules y’know? It’s whatever it want it to be at that moment for whatever i want to create or whatever pops into my head and steals my attention at the time. Labors of love and pains in my ass. Paper cuts and sleepless nights. A place i can call home.
Lastly the question that’s on everyone’s mind…how many dogs do you actually have nowadays?
Really? that’s the question that’s on everyone’s minds?! well unfortunately we had a pretty rough summer and we lost two of our beloved friends. But as of today we have six dogs, two fish, four cacti, one bonsai, three children and one imaginary kitten.
Good luck with the upcoming releases and with B Calm in general!
Thank you Martyn, and thank you to everyone else out there that makes it possible for me to do the things i do. it means the world.xofrnk
So about this solo album…what can you tell us about it?
Well I can tell you that at times I’m really proud of it, and at other times I’m so incredibly disgusted with myself over it that i don’t know what to do. Which i suppose is the best way to feel about a record you’re so completely immersed in and haven’t really played for anyone.
Have you thought about how the songs are going to translate to a live environment?
This is actually something I’m currently in the midst of. When writing the record I gave absolutely no thought to the live aspect of the songs. I couldn’t really, I played everything on the record except for the drums so i was never able to perform them that way. For the most part it was just me thrashing and singing into a computer, bouncing ideas off of no one but myself. Which in one respect is the purest form of a song i can think of and makes me love that i did it that way, and upon second thought is incredibly frightening and probably very stupid of me.
I made this record on one condition with myself though, that for better or worse it would have to be pure.
If you tour the release, do you forecast playing instruments as well as singing or just vocals?
I think this is going to have to be decided on a song by song basis. there are certain songs I couldn’t imagine not playing guitar for and others where i just feel like having a guitar in front of me would get in the way of the song. The funny thing is most of the songs on this record i wrote on bass and electronic drums…guitars for the most part were an after thought.
You once said “an album can’t be just a collection of songs nowadays”, does this hold true for your record? Is there a common theme or vision through-out?
Hmm, did i say that? i don’t know if i truly believe that statement… because sometimes you just need a good mixtape. I don’t know if there are any rules on what makes a great album or at least there probably shouldn’t be. It’s hard though when you’re soul searching and killing yourself over and over again thinking ‘fuhk if i just had the perfect formula to make this great’…i think that’s might either the moment where things are going right or terribly wrong.
As far as the record having a common thread though i suppose there is a constant theme. To me the record is a lot about the feeling of belonging, and the lack there of. The sense that you might just be a stranger to everyone, even yourself, and the longing to feel safe and secure even in your worst insecurities.
Last year you described the songs you were working on as “maybe in the vein of This Song Is A Curse”, has this held true for later tracks or have they taken on a distinct personality of their own?
First i gotta say I despise having to describe music people haven’t heard yet. I’m really not trying to be difficult or pompous, I’m so bad at it. I find it so unbelievably impossible that I’d rather not do it… but what i meant by that statement was that on the spectrum of say LM or DS, it’s less like Leathermouth or Death Spells and more like Curse. But i don’t think any of the songs sound like curse really so haha.
Describe Death Spells in 3 words?
frustration, chaos, release.
You’ve got about 12 tracks or so? How’s the record progressing?
Ha I’d say it’s progressing very slowly. James and I both have a lot on our plates at the moment though, but I’d really like to see that record out like 4 months ago.
Death Spells’ lyrical content feels deep at times…in your opinion are these lyrics as personal as your solo music or do you think there’s a disconnect there in comparison?
Writing lyrics has always been a personal thing for me whether they are autobiographical or very far removed they all have a piece of you in them. The challenge I suppose is making the figurative lyrics hit home as hard as the literal ones. But long story short I’ll never tell what a song is fully about. I feel like that takes away from the beauty of a listener figuring out what a song means to them. I would never want to ruin that experience no matter how far off base from my original intention they get.
DS is a very audio-visual experience, it’s much more than just the music - was this always the goal when you first started making this noise while in LA?
No not intentionally, however it’s funny it ended up this way because the songs began in between James and I watching movies in our apartment together. so in a way i suppose it was always an audio/visual experience for us. But it definitely took time for the project to mutate into it’s current state.
Is there any bands/artists you’d like to collaborate with? It’s been a while since Black Duct Tape by The Banner which seems to be last….
ha. well I’ve done a few vocal appearances since then actually. I just did a verse on a Low Road song, and i did some stuff on Science’s new record, and of course the new Reggie record. I love collabs, I’m always down for that stuff it’s so much fun….I find a lot of joy working with others on music. The one I’m most excited for though is B.F.F. with Cherry and Lily… available everywhere digitally February 25th 2014! haha damn i feel like a rapper plugging release dates.
Which local acts (if any) are you currently excited for?
Jeez, there are so many great acts in the NY/NJ area right now. Well Science is a NJ based band that I’m really very fond of. They’re super talented and eclectic, I love the risks they take and they really go for shit. it’s nice to see bands really going for it. I think This Good Robot are a fantastic band from NY, crazy eclectic and talented as well. The Scandals from NJ are killing it right now…just getting better and better, can’t wait for their new stuff. Low Road from NJ are doing a new record, The Banner from NJ still fucking slays…Joey from the Banner just put out the Bloodnun tape. And then you got amazing NY based bands like the Gay Blades and States and Kingdoms. so many incredible local bands right now.
You performed at Skate & Surf last year, how did it feel being asked to play it’s first year back, after having done so way back in the beginning (with both Pencey/My Chem)? Did it feel like sort of coming full circle? (fun fact: only four people played both days, including you)
haha thank you for that fun fact! ok so me and James are 2 of those 4…who’s the other 2?!? If they do it again I’m gonna start another band and try and play 3 sets, gotta retain the title!
It was fun to play, the fest itself last year was a bit of a mess, no offense to anyone, but they had a lot of logistical problems with the venue change and the stages and stuff and the rain definitely didn’t help…but as far as the nostalgia of it and what the fest means to me and to NJ yea man it was definitely rad to do. I just wish it ran a bit smoother for everyone, but all in all i had a fun time.
Leathermouth played their first show in 4 years in 2013, was this a one off or do you think there’s now a possibility of that happening again now?
I’m not sure…i think it was just a one off, but who knows. it’s definitely fun to do, I like those guys and those songs… but we have no plans right now for anything else. then again we had no plan to do S&S until we were asked by our friend Chris. So who knows.
On a similar note, obviously you still talk to Hambone but what about the others members of Pencey…has the idea of a reunion just for fun ever come up?
Oh man, it’s funny I just saw Tim the drummer at a show in NYC the other night. No i don’t think that’s in the cards. Yes I’m still very good friends with Bone and Shaun, and it’s great when i run into Tim, but i think that chapter is closed. We did 3 i am a graveyard songs a few years back opening a NJ MCR show and that’s about it i think.
You’ve seen a pretty crazy response to your first release with B Calm Press, congratulations! Is this project designed to put out more than music? You seem to have an avid hand for writing poetry as seen on your website…
Thanks Martyn, yea that was nuts…damn this question i suppose is telling as to how long i have taken to finish this interview, again i apologize. Yes B.CALM is the entity under which i would like to house any and all projects i feel like putting out into the world, music/art/written whatever it may be. I’m not saying i will never release things anywhere else, but i wanted an umbrella under which i could be as crazy as i wanted and have absolutely no rules y’know? It’s whatever it want it to be at that moment for whatever i want to create or whatever pops into my head and steals my attention at the time. Labors of love and pains in my ass. Paper cuts and sleepless nights. A place i can call home.
Lastly the question that’s on everyone’s mind…how many dogs do you actually have nowadays?
Really? that’s the question that’s on everyone’s minds?! well unfortunately we had a pretty rough summer and we lost two of our beloved friends. But as of today we have six dogs, two fish, four cacti, one bonsai, three children and one imaginary kitten.
Good luck with the upcoming releases and with B Calm in general!
Thank you Martyn, and thank you to everyone else out there that makes it possible for me to do the things i do. it means the world.xofrnk
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New single “B.F.F." by Frank, Lily and Cherry Iero is available digitally on February 25th. "2.5mg just ain’t enough for me" is out the same day as part of the Fadeaway Records release, pre-order that on vinyl here.
Pick up “Fake Your Death" by My Chem digitally Feb 17th.
Check out Frank’s official website and the bcalm site to buy merch and further updates on his other projects.
New single “B.F.F." by Frank, Lily and Cherry Iero is available digitally on February 25th. "2.5mg just ain’t enough for me" is out the same day as part of the Fadeaway Records release, pre-order that on vinyl here.
Pick up “Fake Your Death" by My Chem digitally Feb 17th.
Check out Frank’s official website and the bcalm site to buy merch and further updates on his other projects.
xo-
~ My Chemical Romance is done. But it can never die. Because it is not a band- it is an idea. ~
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