Interview - Anni Smith

e-Mo Magazine chats to Anni Smith about the My Chemical Romance protest march

Anni Smith is a 16 year-old MCR fan from Hampshire, who has been a member of the MCR fansite for over a year and was one of the organisers for the recent My Chemical Romance march held on 31 May 2008.

e-Mo: How did you feel when you read the Daily Mail article about Hannah 
Bond's death, blaming it on "suicide cult rock bands"

Anni: There were a range of emotions. At first I was angry at them for accusing MCR, then I laughed at a few elements of the article (in particular the comment about how we supposedly believe that we'll go  to The Black Parade when we die). But I was also really, really disappointed.

I mean, Hannah aside because her death was absolutely tragic and I am so sad that it happened. The fact that they take something so serious and write such a careless 
article about it really disappointed me. I think that they exploited her death using shock-tactics and bad-research. They should have shown the situation more respect and looked into it further before publishing.

e-Mo: Why do you think the UK press has singled out My Chemical Romance as being a dangerous influence on teens?

Anni: I think that it is simply that MCR are an easy target. You can look at the band, take a couple elements and label them a 'suicide cult.'  Whereas, in reality, if you do your job and look a little further into the fanbase, you will quickly find stories of the band having saved 
fans lives and what an amazing effect they have on the kids following them.

e-Mo: What do you think about the Daily Mail's claims that all emos believe they go to the "Black Parade" when they die?

Anni: I find it laughable. Most people I've talked to do. It's ridiculous, I mean, we're fans of the band, not following a religion. If someone does believe that then power to them, that's great, but to say we all do is ridiculous. I've never met a single fan who believes that and 
I've talked to a lot of fans.

I myself am Christian so I believe in heaven and hell. I love The Black Parade as an album but there's no way I'm going there when I die. It's a concept album, a story; a beautiful one, but a story nonetheless.

e-Mo: Why did you decide to organise the protest march?

Anni: When I first heard the idea, I thought it was genius and the other organisers and I just ran with it straight away. We have always been taught by the band to fight for what we believe in and stand up for ourselves. We wanted to set the record straight, raise awareness on what the real issues are and make a difference. Depression is a serious medical issue and we want to remind people that it's just that, not a fashion trend or a teenage phase.

e-Mo: Have you received a lot of support for the march?

Anni: An immense amount, yes. Everyday I receive a good 40 or so emails from people; some directly helping us with aspects of the protest and some just saying how they think what we are doing is great. Everything helps, even if it's just a quick message to say that someone is so happy about what we're doing, it all counts and everytime I receive a 
message like that, it makes the whole thing worth it.

e-Mo: What do you hope to achieve with the protest?

Anni: We want to raise awareness on My Chemical Romance's true message, raise awareness on the seriousness of depression and suicide and help people realise how badly researched journalism is in danger of promoting irresponsible stereotyping and taking away from depression as a serious medical illness.

e-Mo: There's a lot of misinformation being spread by the popular press about what it means to be "emo" (ie self-harming, suicide cult worshipers). Lets put the record straight - in your opinion what does it mean to be "emo"?

Anni: I think that there isn't really a definition anymore. 'Emo' is three things, a music-genre that was popular decades ago, a fashion-movement and a stereotype. Because these three things cover between them such a broad range of elements, the definition of 'emo' has been lost. I don't really think you can 'be emo,' maybe unless you're a band. I also don't think it matters. 'Emo' is a label, and most often an insult, there's no use bothering about the word or thinking about it because it's not as important as the stigma attached to it.