Bert McCracken

In the first half of 2006 the band took a break from touring and settled down to write their new record. During this time Bert, whose naturally ginger-blonde hair he had dyed jet black since first joining The Used at age 19, dyed it back to blonde. The previous year, he had moved from Orem, Utah to Los Angeles, California, soon moving in with his Australian fianceé Alison. The city, he found, fascinated and disgusted him at the same time. "I met the most fake people I had ever come across on the whole planet," McCracken recalled. "They’re all just liars, and they're so used to doing it, half the time I don’t think they even know they’re lying. Being in that environment had a direct effect on the tone of this new record, which is a little more vicious, but in a strange way, also more loving and caring." Such an environment invoked many songwriting ideas for the lyricist, inspiring songs such as "Pretty Handsome Awkward" and "Liar Liar (Burn In Hell)." Read Less