.

Ex-My Chemical Romance Drummer Tried to Frame Crew Member

Musician says he stole from the band to embarrass rival

September 6, 2011 5:45 PM ET
michael pedicone my chemical romance
Michael Pedicone, former drummer of My Chemical Romance
Felix Kunze/Getty Images

Michael Pedicone, the drummer who was fired from My Chemical Romance over the weekend for allegedly stealing from the band, has issued a statement regarding his dismissal, insisting that the circumstances of his departure have been "twisted and misinterpreted" thanks to rumors on the internet.

"Almost as soon as I began touring with MCR I ran into problems with a member of the band's crew who I'll not name. The problems were many, big and small, but some of them were large enough that they began to greatly impact me and, by extension, my family," Pedicone said in a statement to Kerrang. "I'd reached my wits' end, and I made what was certainly the poorest decision of my life. Rather than address the issues that I had with the crew member in an open and honest manner, I tried to make them look irresponsible. My intention was to make this person look incompetent."

Video: My Chemical Romance: "Our New Album is a Fight"

Pedicone says that he had "no intention of profiting whatsoever" from the theft, and went on to thank the members of the band, their crew and their fans for his mostly positive experience as their touring drummer.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

prev
Music Main Next

blog comments powered by Disqus
Daily Newsletter

Get the latest RS news in your inbox.

Sign up to receive the Rolling Stone newsletter and special offers from RS and its
marketing partners.

X

We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.

Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

More Song Stories entries »