My Chemical Romance have reported that they've fired their drummer, Michael Pedicone, for theft.
While you'd think that drumming with one of the biggest arena-punk bands in the land would be reward enough, apparently the percussionist felt he was entitled to more than his fair share and ended up stealing from his bandmates. His plans went sour sometime last Thursday (September 1), though, when the band caught him with his hand in the cookie jar.
"The relationship between My Chemical Romance and Michael Pedicone is over," the group posted on their website. "He was caught red handed stealing from the band and confessed to police after our show last night in Auburn, Washington. We are heartbroken and sick to our stomachs over this entire situation."
It's unclear what exactly Pedicone lifted from his buddies, be it cash or goods. Gerard Way and co. are willing to turn the other cheek on the matter, so long as dude stays the hell away from them from now on. Sounds like a deal for the drummer.
"The band has no intention of pressing charges or taking this matter any further than we have to. We just want him out of our lives," the statement reads. "The people who play in this band are a family, and family should not take advantage of each other like he did."
Despite being down a full-time member, it seems the group managed to find a fill-in for the rest of their tour with Blink-182. Whether they've been showing more joy than they did in Vancouver last week is up for debate.
UPDATE: Via Kerrang!, Pedicone has now issued the following statement:
To the media, my colleagues in the music industry, and, most importantly, the fans of My Chemical Romance.
As many of you have heard by now, on Thursday evening I was let go as the touring drummer for MCR. The ensuing hours have been difficult for many reasons, but particularly because the actions that led to my dismissal have been twisted and misinterpreted via rumour mongering on the internet. With this, I'd like to put the rumours to rest.
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. 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. I had no intention of profiting whatsoever. Again, I cannot overstate how poor my judgment was in this situation; it was a tremendous mistake, and it's one I'll regret for years to come.
I would have liked an opportunity to share my side of the story with MCR, an opportunity to express my remorse. I was never given one.
I'd like to thank MCR's members, crew, and supporters for giving me some of the best musical experiences of my life in the past several months. However brief our partnership, it was an honour and a dream come true to play with such a talented bunch of individuals. I wish MCR the best of luck in the future, and I'm looking forward to my next endeavour.
Thank you, Michael Pedicone.
While you'd think that drumming with one of the biggest arena-punk bands in the land would be reward enough, apparently the percussionist felt he was entitled to more than his fair share and ended up stealing from his bandmates. His plans went sour sometime last Thursday (September 1), though, when the band caught him with his hand in the cookie jar.
"The relationship between My Chemical Romance and Michael Pedicone is over," the group posted on their website. "He was caught red handed stealing from the band and confessed to police after our show last night in Auburn, Washington. We are heartbroken and sick to our stomachs over this entire situation."
It's unclear what exactly Pedicone lifted from his buddies, be it cash or goods. Gerard Way and co. are willing to turn the other cheek on the matter, so long as dude stays the hell away from them from now on. Sounds like a deal for the drummer.
"The band has no intention of pressing charges or taking this matter any further than we have to. We just want him out of our lives," the statement reads. "The people who play in this band are a family, and family should not take advantage of each other like he did."
Despite being down a full-time member, it seems the group managed to find a fill-in for the rest of their tour with Blink-182. Whether they've been showing more joy than they did in Vancouver last week is up for debate.
UPDATE: Via Kerrang!, Pedicone has now issued the following statement:
To the media, my colleagues in the music industry, and, most importantly, the fans of My Chemical Romance.
As many of you have heard by now, on Thursday evening I was let go as the touring drummer for MCR. The ensuing hours have been difficult for many reasons, but particularly because the actions that led to my dismissal have been twisted and misinterpreted via rumour mongering on the internet. With this, I'd like to put the rumours to rest.
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. 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. I had no intention of profiting whatsoever. Again, I cannot overstate how poor my judgment was in this situation; it was a tremendous mistake, and it's one I'll regret for years to come.
I would have liked an opportunity to share my side of the story with MCR, an opportunity to express my remorse. I was never given one.
I'd like to thank MCR's members, crew, and supporters for giving me some of the best musical experiences of my life in the past several months. However brief our partnership, it was an honour and a dream come true to play with such a talented bunch of individuals. I wish MCR the best of luck in the future, and I'm looking forward to my next endeavour.
Thank you, Michael Pedicone.
