All About Mikey
Girlfriend: Alicia Simmons (engaged to be married)
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 front man Gerard Way.
Biography
Mikey Way was born in Newark, New Jersey, USA, where he grew up. Mikey is the younger brother of My Chemical Romance front man, Gerard Way. 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. 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. Mikey had been working in the music section of the store, and had decided to take out the books to discuss with a coworker. Mikey also got his brother Gerard a job there working in books. Early on in My Chemical Romance'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 My Chemical Romance. He plays a Highway 1 Precision Bass, a Fender Standard Precision Bass, and a Fender J. Mikey Way had been known for his trademark glasses to correct his nearsightedness, but had Lasik eye surgery and no longer wears them. Mikey recently became engaged to guitar tech Alicia Simmons.
Music
Mikey, like the rest of the Band, is a huge Misfits fan and has heavily influenced by the punk rock scene in New Jersey. Like his older brother he was also heavily influenced by Iron Maiden. His bass lines, however, are particularly influenced by Britpop and post-punk bands such as Pulp, Blur, Suede,The Smiths and Radiohead, which gives his bass playing a distinctive groove feeling. This either gives the band a very pop edge or a jazz feel, particularly noteworthy in songs like "House Of Wolves", "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" and "I Don't Love You".
