233. Hanif Abdurraqib on My Chemical Romance 'The Black Parade' (2006), grief, emo music and Springsteen

The brilliant poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib breaks the emo seal on this podcast and joins me to talk about My Chemical Romance's 2006 classic concept album 'The Black Parade'.

We talk about the twin influences of Pink Floyd and Queen on the record, how it deals with the afterlife, why it skirts the problematic gender politics of many emo albums, how to write about death and grief and whether Hanif is afraid of dying.

We also get the lowdown on Hanif's upcoming book about A Tribe Called Quest and discuss why Bruce Springsteen's audiences are so often dominated by white people.

My Favorite Album is a podcast on the impact great music has on our lives. Each episode features a guest on their favorite album of all time - why they love it, their history with the album and how it’s influenced them.

Jeremy Dylan is a filmmaker, journalist, concert promoter and photographer. He directed the the feature music documentary Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts (out now!) and the film Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins.

If you’ve got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at [email protected].