This New My Chemical Romance Video Smells A Little Bit Like “Teen Spirit” To Us

Above, the long-overdue video for My Chemical Romance’s “Teenagers,” a glammy stomp that, when all is said and done, should have been released as the second single from the band’s most recent album, The Black Parade. While the song is all T. Rex swagger, though, the accompanying video–which drops MCR into a high-school auditorium–kept conjuring up images in our (admittedly notalgia-damaged) heads that were from a certain clip released 16 years ago. (And we weren’t the only ones.) We’ll probably get to see more of similarities shine through when “Weird Al” gives the MCR video/song the inevitable Green Acres-themed treatment, but for now, here’s what we noticed:

Dreary High School Gathering Place MCR: Auditorium. Nirvana: Gym.

“Edgy” Accessory Flaunted By Cheerleaders MCR: Gas masks, gun-looking objects. Nirvana: Armpit hair, anarchy symbols.

Semi-Synchronized Gesture That Indicates Crowd Approval MCR: Saluting. Nirvana: Headbanging.

Crowd-Storming-Stage-Scene? MCR: Yes–and the cheerleaders look scared. Nirvana: Yes–and the cheerleaders hold their own, even though the possibility of crowd-surfers clocking them in the head with a steel-toed boot is high.

Solitary Figure At Clip’s End MCR: Hotline for “reaching out” if you’re feeling violent. (Wait, what about working out your aggressions in the pit?) Nirvana: Tied-up guy in a dunce cap–who, no doubt, would love to “reach out,” given the chance.

My Chemical Romance – Teenagers (real music video) [YouTube] Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit [YouTube] Here We Are Now: My Chemical Romance “Teenagers” [Obtusity]