Inside Gerard Way's Crusade to Change American Music

When he was fronting My Chemical Romance, Gerard Way was the driving force behind high-minded (and color-coordinated) concept albums like The Black Parade and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. But in the four years since the group's last proper record, Way lost his band, his patience with the industry and his desire to do rock & roll on a grand scale.

Still, he never lost sight of a simple goal he set while making his solo debut, Hesitant Alien (due September 30th): "I have all these amazing Britpop records, and I have shoegaze records, but I......