Frank Iero shares a tribute to late former bandmate Bob Bryar.
Longtime former My Chemical Romance drummer Bob Bryar was found dead in his Tennessee home on November 26th. Now his former bandmate is speaking out about it on Instagram.
With his words, guitarist Frank Iero paints a beautiful picture of his former bandmate Bob Bryar. The 43-year-old’s digital tribute includes a long text in which he speaks openly about his friendship with Bob Bryar. He also uploaded old photos of the two of them and the band.
A tribute to a strange friend
“It still doesn’t feel real… people your age, peers with whom you have shared so much time and experience, shouldn’t suddenly disappear from your life forever,” Iero begins his text. Before he goes into the character traits of his late friend, he creates clarity about the dynamic between the two. “He was my friend and my bandmate, but he was also a stranger to me for most of my life,” writes Iero, admitting that his relationship with Bryar was often limited to living together on the road and they were otherwise only here and there as a funny meme or photos of self-built Lego buildings were exchanged. He tells of often long radio silences between the two because contact simply broke off if one didn’t answer the other.
In his written tribute, Iero also lovingly describes Bryar’s characteristics that he particularly remembers: “Bob was incredibly talented, and he knew it. He was so confident in his abilities that he convinced us that he was the right drummer for our band without us ever hearing him play drums.”
In the text, Iero describes Bryar as eccentric, funny and, above all, a great animal lover. The lines perhaps also let a misanthropic side of the drummer shine through; Iero writes, for example, that Bryar would have had no problem if the earth had burned down as long as no dog or cat was harmed. “He could be so mean and hit you so hard that it would cut you in half, but if you ever really needed something, he was the first to give you what he had if it helped you in some way – or put a smile on your face.”
“I don’t think I could ever tell him I was sorry.”
The heartbreaking part is the one in which the musician writes about the end of the band with Bryar. A serious incident had removed Bryar from the group. “Once when we were working and living in LA, Bob and a few friends were scammed by a dog trainer and one of his dogs was killed. It was a really shady story and Bob was devastated. It took a lot out of him emotionally and I don’t think he was ever the same again,” recalls Iero, “After the incident he really went downhill, he just couldn’t hold himself together anymore, his sadness, anger and distrust were too high large … “
Eventually Iero had to tell Bryar that he was kicked out of the band. After that, the two hardly saw each other again. “I don’t think I could ever tell him I was sorry,” the musician said via Instagram.
With the words “I’m glad the universe introduced me to you for a while,” Frank Iero concludes his letter about his friend and bandmate Bob Bryar.