#they’re playing all of Dookie and American Idiot

[warriorsatthedisco]

Bobby Sox by Green Day… it’s a nice day to be bi

[headofocs-inklesspen]

Also, I’m absolutely not sorry for who I will become after the Green Day Savoirs tour. I’m warning you all now that August Will change me as a person

[thewayitalknj]

Green Day announced today they’re playing Dookie and American Idiot in their entirety on tour and I cried in front of everyone at work and they all just knew I was crying because of Green Day.

[shes-coming-clean]

Green Day Documentary Reviews Pt 2

The last one of these seemed to make people happy, and because my brain refuses to think about anything but this band right now, might as well do something productive with that. So here is part 2!

Today’s doc: Green Day: Born To Be (2016)

I decided to get this one over with because I didn’t remember liking it the first time, and wow, it’s even worse than I remember. So this review is going to be a lot more negative overall because oof this one pisses me off. Honestly, one of its strongest qualities is that its only 24 minutes, so at least you don’t have to suffer too long.

Pros

* It focuses on their lives from childhood up through American Idiot and includes a decent amount of detail.

* They don’t have any present day interviews recorded specifically for this documentary, which means they have to get really creative piecing old interviews together to tell a coherent story. And they do that well...about half the time (more on that later)

* There are Portuguese subtitles so that’s nice. We love accessibility in this house

* There is a mention of Two Dollar Bill! Love to see it. Unfortunately, they get the nickname wrong and call him Two Dollar Billie (How do you miss the play on words there?) but still, it’s a nice detail to include

* They actually discuss Billie and Mike’s childhoods in some detail. Tré does not get the same treatment but A for effort - 2 out of 3 aint bad.

And that’s it for pros. On to the cons. We’ll focus on the nitpicky stuff first

* This video only has audio in one ear if you’re using headphones, which is kinda unusual for this channel, so I wonder if there was some kind of mistake uploading it.

* They only seem to have footage from the Dookie era and onward so when they talk about stuff before that, they either use a mix of a couple of old photos of the band, generic stock footage, or more modern video clips. I understand that you have to work with what you have, but this is kind of distracting when you’re hearing the narrator talk about their informal audition for Lookout Records, but you’re hearing and seeing the Good Riddance music video. Like, I’d give it a pass if the song at least commented on or shared an emotion with that part of the story but it just feels random. They really don’t seem to have put too much thought into when they use certain clips, so the performances on screen aren’t always from the time period they’re taking about - even later on in the story. This, and the lack of a clear structure can make it hard to tell what year/era they’re talking about at any given moment.

* They have to rely on past interviews to do a lot of the story telling, but once again, they don’t always care too much about time period and will clip sections out of context. For example, they take a clip of Billie from roughly ‘95 talking about how the last few years have been crazy, and make it about their career downturn in the early 2000s, even though you can CLEARLY see he’s younger than in the other clips.

* There is a narrator who fills in the parts of the story not conveyed in clips which is a good choice...except that he’s really annoying. I can’t tell if it’s his voice or the script he’s been given, but either way, it’s not great.

* The narrator says that all three band members divorced or separated from their wives in the late 90s/early 2000s, except...that didn’t happen. Billie and Adrienne had a rough point, sure, but they didn’t separate or divorce.

So far, most of my critiques have not been massive. I still probably could’ve enjoyed a doc at least a bit even if it had those problems, a lot of which seem to be due to a lack of resources and having to make do with what they had. I can understand that. The same does not hold true for this next part, which is, how they framed the band’s jump to a major label and the years that followed.

Every band, actor, or public figure of any kind will usually have some kind of signature question or complaint that everyone either levies against them or debates. Green Day’s is basically “are they real punks or are they sellouts?” At this point, I think this question is pretty stupid and I have a lot of problems with the mindset behind it (I think it has a lot to do with classism and sexism, but that’s for another time), but it’s part of the band’s public persona at this point, so any documentary has to at least touch on it. Most docs tend to frame the backlash against the band after they sighed with Reprise as the petty complaints of jealous gatekeepers who were pissed that the band was inviting normies into their punk club. Basically, there was nothing Green Day could’ve done about it - it was going to happen either way.

But this doc takes it for granted that Green Day absolutely sold out, and not just that, they fundamentally changed and stopped being punk. Which, like, are we listening to the same album? The only real difference between Kerplunk (released before they signed with a major label) and Dookie (their major label debut) is that the second had an actual budget. The sound and subject matter is very very similar. They were never super “hard core” to begin with - in fact, it was their catchy melodies that made them stand out. Nothing in their style changed. Honestly, I would argue that Dookie has a lot more songs about being angry and punk than Kerplunk does. The only difference is its higher production quality. So, when this doc says things like they “lost their hard fought identity” I honestly don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. And this isn’t just me being a fan. The doc says they changed, it says they stopped being punk, but it doesn’t offer any evidence to substantiate that claim. We’re just supposed to hear the ominous music and the out-of-context clips (which were mostly self-deprecating jokes) and believe it.

When they do provide details, most of them are wrong, or at very least, misleading. For example, they claim that the backlash only happened after the band released the second and third singles off of Dookie, “Basket Case” and “When I Come Around” respectively. It claims that the first single, “Longview” was punk enough to make fans happy while the other songs weren’t, which...ok - I just don’t think you can claim “Longview” is any more punk than the other songs. Honestly, it’s kind of a departure from their normal sound into a more jazzy style. I don’t think you can argue that it’s any more punk than “Basket Case” unless you’re claiming that singing about masturbation makes something inherently punk. Like, what are we even defining as “punk” at this point? Also, the backlash started long LONG before any song off the album had ever been released. It started as soon as they signed with Reprise, so claiming it was because people didn’t like the music is just dishonest.

Overall, I really feel like this doc has a very strange tone, especially for a piece of media supposedly promoting their newest album (Revolution Radio). It pays lip service to how great and accomplished the band is, but takes every opportunity to trash them. Because it goes so hard on the “they sold out” narrative, it implies that the success of American Idiot is just because they got lucky that people liked the product of their lack of artistic integrity. I am more than ok with criticizing a band - even one I like, and I don’t mind when a doc does try to do more than just praise Green Day, but those criticisms have to be backed up. And the whole question of “selling out” is just so so stupid at this point. This doc came out in 2016 - was the most pressing issue that year really whether or not a band stopped being punk 25 years ago? 

So, thanks for coming to my ted talk. I hope you liked it and if there’s any other Green Day docs you want me to review next, please let me know. These have been a lot of fun to write and I’m so happy that people seem to like it.

[gayenerd]

These are “outtakes” from Billie Joe’s 2010 Out Magazine interview. The link is still up, but for some reason they took out his answers about masculinity and femininity????? And those are obviously the most interesting answers! Anyway, here’s the whole thing I had saved in a doc

March 19, 2010

Billie Joe Armstrong Tells All

Photo: Kurt Iswarienko

Our April Broadway issue features Green Day's front man Billie Joe Armstrong chatting about music, politics, and the new musical, <i>American Idiot,</i> based on the band's last two albums. The writer of the piece (and former Popnography editor) Shana Naomi Krochmal filed the following exclusive extras from her interview with Armstrong that didn't make it into the piece. In them, Billie Joe touches on masculinity, his queer influences, and meeting Lady Gaga:

ON MASCULINITY:

Out: Is masculinity important to you?

Billie Joe Armstrong: I think it can come in handy, if it’s used the right way.

What’s the right way?

I think you learn a lot from Little League baseball. Like how to be a good team player, what do you do in situations when you’re at bat and it’s just you and another person. When you lose, how do you deal with losing? When you win, are you a good winner? And a graceful winner? How do you contribute to a team situation selflessly? I think there’s a lot of leadership skills in that. I don’t know if that’s masculinity or just good leadership or just life lessons. I just used Little League baseball because it’s male dominated.

Do your kids play?

They did. My oldest is done now, and my youngest one does. It was a real good bonding experience. I think masculinity is a lot more feminine than people give it credit for. Or it can be. Jim Morrison seemed very masculine to me, but also completely feminine at the same time. That balance in between -- and it’s not those morons on the bus in Borat. That’s not masculinity, that’s insecurity at its worse. Masculinity is something that women can have.

What is feminine about you?

I’m not sure. Let me think. It’s all about being a well rounded a person. I think being a singer is very feminine. Being a singer is a very feminine thing -- performing is definitely. Women have a lot more courage I think than men do, in a lot of ways -- if you think about what Madonna does or Lady Gaga or Beyonce. Women have a much easier time of reinventing themselves than I think men do. Hmm, I think -- a little bit of eyeliner. [Laughs] But I think there’s a big difference between vanity and femininity. I think that feminine side has served me a lot more than my masculine side has in a lot of ways.

ON PERFORMING AT THE GRAMMYS:

That was such a great night. There’s a whole thing where you’re worried about the awards part of it, and it can make you kind of irritable, kind of stressed out. But the great thing is that we had a chance to play with the cast, which has never really been done before.

ON THE MOST EMOTIONAL PARTS OF THE SHOW:

When Rebecca [Naomi Jones] sings “Letterbomb,” that really blows me away. The scene where Tunny’s on the gurneys and they’re singing “Before the Lobotomy.” And “Last Night on Earth” is an amazing scene with the couple doing this heroin dance. Tony [Vincent] is singing the song -- the first verse while they’re slamming smack -- and then the next verse is Mary coming out with a baby that she’s had with a guy who turns out to be a loser father. I get chills thinking about it right now. The juxtaposition between the two scenes is like -- wow.

ON WRITING AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL:

I’d definitely be interested in it. I think we’re in a really rare situation where this is gaining momentum. I don’t want to screw it up by working on something else. I’d love to do something with Michael [Mayer]. I’ve always wanted to see what it would be like to score a film -- but this, this is even more special, I think.

ON KNOWING TOO MUCH:

When you start getting into politics, what I’ve realized is that if it seems to be black and white, it’s shooting off into so many different directions. You can’t really keep up with what’s happening in the House of Representatives. Things like Hurricane Katrina, Haiti, troops in Afghanistan, financial crisis -- even Tiger Woods. It seems to be one thing after the next.

ON HIS QUEER INFLUENCES:

My uncle. There were different punk singers, from a guy named Cretin Chaos in Social Unrest to guys like Morrissey. And also guys that would genderbend a little, like Bowie, or Mike Ness from Social Distortion wearing makeup. I’ve always liked music that was non-gender specific, like the Replacements song called “Androgynous.” It was just always those little things or people that were willing to make you think, whoa, that’s not what I’m hearing on the radio these days.

ON MEETING LADY GAGA AT THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS:

She had this outfit on -- she had so much shit on her when she walked by! She couldn’t move her arm because she was going on to do her performance, and it was like shaking hands with someone in a cast. She had this handler that was like, “Don’t touch the costume! Don’t touch the costume!” She said something about how she loved Dookie so much she used to lick the pages. I thought it was really cool. She’s influencing a lot of young people, and she’s doing it in a way that’s provocative. And a lot of people don’t realize that she’s an artist, and she’s been one for a really long time. She’s taking something that Bowie or Madonna did and taking it a step further.

ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE “PUNK ROCK”:

That’s like a 10 part answer. I think of it as something that you need to have of your own. For me it’s about community. I think it’s kind of spiritual in its own way, because people fight over it so much and the meaning of it. It’s a sense of self-discovery. But also a new set of ideas and a new poetry, a new music that you discover that you notice that no one else is really into, or goes against what other people are normally into. It’s like you’re free to be an individual and taking on new ideas and challenging old ideas. I think it has a lot to do with burning down the establishment to create something new. But at the same time, you find relationships within that too. It’s something that’s supposed to empower you. It’s about starting something new. Part of the problem with a lot of punk rock is that people believe that it’s supposed to be one thing. Everything for me starts off with punk rock when I’m writing songs -- it’s almost like I’m stripped down to the bare bones of music again. It’s kind of in my DNA in this point.

ON HIS WIFE, ADRIENNE:

She’s great. She’s beautiful. Without her, I don’t know what I’d do. She empowers me to challenge myself in a lot of ways. She inspired the song “American Idiot” by playing me this Midnight Oil song that she really loved. She runs a store called Atomic Garden, all about sustainable living. She’s really active in NRDC, politically. Sometimes I think she’s a hell of a lot more interesting and a cooler person than I am.

ON HIS “MISERABLE” HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE:

Academically you have to completely re-figure out how to prioritize your life. And suddenly you feel like the whole fucking world is against you because they’re prioritizing for you. And it’s forced on you. And if you don’t get it at that age, if you don’t catch it -- that’s what happened to me, I didn’t prioritize anything. I just got to a breaking point where it was like, by my later high school years, “You’re all full of shit anyway. Everyone’s full of shit. I know what I’m doing, and fuck school, and fuck schoolwork, and I’m not going to go to fucking college anyway, and I’m gonna play in a rock band, and you’re all gonna be sorry.” You get vengeful -- it’s a natural instinct, all those hormones going and shit.

ON BEING HAPPIER AT AGE 38:

I kind of feel like things are getting better. It goes in stages. I loved my early twenties. I hated my late twenties. I was a drunk. I was trying to figure out how to be a father, a husband, but I still wanted to live my life like a crazy punk rock rock star. You start noticing things about yourself. You have to change your health habits. But you don’t want to change. In your twenties, change is hitting you over the head whether you like it or not. Right when I got to about 30 I was like, thank God that’s over. But it gets complicated again.

[ohimtherebabey]

! all of the numbers of questions

first of all, i respect you so much. thank you. second of all, i have already answered 1, 5, 7, 11, 13, and 27 so i’m going to skip those here. 

2. Favourite band? my chemical fucking romance!!!! 

3. Any New Year's resolutions? ive been really trying to be like. outwardly emo and not be embarrassed by it. also, to go to more shows! which ive already achieved and its only march!

4. Favourite music video? helena or desolation row. king for a day is a contender.

6. Panic! At The Disco or Fall Out Boy? thats difficult. i would say fall out boy but they’re really close

8. Do you own a pair of fingerless gloves or skeleton gloves (or the combination)? no :(((( but i want some

9. Do you own any band merch? If so, from what bands? oh yea. ive got a metric fuckton of mcr merch. also concert shirts from panic! at the disco, bastille, the killers, and poppy

10. Got a jacket with pins? yes!!! 

12. Any hair dying or haircut plans for 2020? i’m shaving my head tomorrow!!!

14. Killjoy name? i dont have one. i don’t really like danger days and the whole universe kind of intimidates me

15. Are you into The Used? yes!!! bert mccracken has done more for me than the armed forces

16. Do you want any tattoos? Of what? YES!!!!! i have a lot of mcr designs (as of right now, i’ve got designs for our lady of sorrows, vampires will never hurt you, bullets in general, helena, mama, early sunsets, and welcome to the black parade). also i want a haunted house and some bats and a really stupid t-bone steak that says “tell your boyfriend” to commemorate DONTTRUSTME by 3OH!3

17. Can you play any instruments? Which? yes! but none of them are instruments that i want to play. i have 15 years of classical piano training and 6 years of saxophone from high school band/marching band

18. Favourite My Chemical Romance song? demolition lovers

19. Do you think Twenty One Pilots are emo? i dont think im educated enough to pass judgement. i dont listen to twenty one pilots and i havent heard a song of theirs in honestly 5 years. just from first impression, i would say theyre more generic alternative than specifically emo.

20. Are you into Taking Back Sunday? not really. i’ll listen if its on, but i won’t seek them out

21. Do you wear any make up? only the shittiest smudged eyeliner in the world

22. Do you have black painted nails? yes! i just painted them 2 hours ago (im not allowed to have painted nails at work but im on spring break this week so theres no work)

23. Have you got any band posters? Of what bands? i have a few mcr posters, a panic! at the disco poster, a fall out boy poster, and a pierce the veil poster

24. Do you want any piercings? yes!!!!!! i already have my septum and several ear piercings, but i want at least one lip piercing, a nostril piercing, more ear piercings, maybe an eyebrow, my nipples. i want to stretch my lobes, too.

25. What's your opinion on All Time Low? Sleeping With Sirens? Pierce The Veil? i FUCK with pierce the veil. my second favorite band of all time (im listening to a flair for the dramatic as i answer these questions). i dont like sleeping with sirens but i thank kellen quinn for his services on king for a day. i fuck with all time low (predictably my favorite atl song is a love like war because vic features)

26. Do you think it's just a phase or that you'll be emo/punk\scene forever? i take being emo too seriously for it not to be permanent. 

28. Are you into Black Veil Brides? not really, but i respect the fuck out of knives and pens

29. Do you like any newer emo/scene/punk bands? Which? i love love love destroy boys. also: currents.

30. What's your favourite music genre besides emo/punk\scene? either like. folksy alternative (hozier, florence + the machine) or old school country (johnny cash, dolly parton, marty robbins)

31. Are you into Mindless Self Indulgence? not really

32. Favourite Fall Out Boy song? golden

33. Are you mostly into the so-called "emo trinity" or "emo quartet" or do you listen to a lot of other bands too? most of my listening history is my chem + bands outside of the emo trinity/quartet. i dont really make a habit of listening to panic or fob, and never twenty one pilots. mostly its pierce the veil and bring me the horizon. a lot of evanescence, too.

34. What's your opinion on Waterparks? Palaye Royale? I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME? i only know one song by waterparks, so i dont really have an opinion on their music, but awsten annoys me so much. ive dont know anything by palaye royale, so i cant pass judgement. idkhow is pretty good. i dont know too much by them but i liked what i did know. i think dallon did a great job at bringing back the weird stuff that made panic! so good

35. Are you into Bring Me The Horizon? YES. ive been nonstop listening to count your blessings for two weeks now. 

36. Favourite solo project by a emo/scene\punk band member? i love all of frank’s solo projects (i go apeshit for leathermouth and death spells in particular). i love hesitant alien. also i’m really digging hayley william’s solo stuff so far

37. Are any of your friends IRL emo/scene\punk? no. and it makes me sad. 

38. Are you into drawing? If so, show some of your art! only kind of and none of it is good. this is something i did based on a fragment of sappho last summer.

and here’s a quick thing i did for its not a fashion statement, it’s a deathwish

39. Favourite colours and colour schemes? im too much of a revenge fucker to not say black/gray/dark red

40. What are some of your favourite lyrics? a LOT of them are from selfish machines, just a warning. “i’m wanna hold your hand so tight, im gonna break my wrist” “i’d steal you flowers from the cemetery” “there’s no room in this hell, there’s no room in the next” “another knife in my hands, another stain that wont come off the sheets, clean me off, im so dirty babe” “decapitate her and bring her head to athena, unlike her sisters she aint no deathless God” “holding on to cold hands and sunken eyes hasnt held the same charm as it once did”

41. The Black Parade or Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge? this is such a difficult question for me. the demo lovers are everything to me, but, as i have said in the past: the black parade is the best album ever written. that doesnt mean its my chemical romance’s best album though. i’m going to say three cheers (that answer will change a thousand times).

42. What's your opinion on Paramore? Green Day? Blink-182? LOVE paramore. the riot! cd is a permanent fixture in my car. i fuck with older green day. like american idiot and dookie green day. i dont really care for blink-182

thank you again for the questions

[surveyjunkie]

Oct 2016 vs. today

The last time you were at a diner, what did you order? Does Steak N’ Shake count as a diner? If so, I ordered their Frisco Melt with fries, chicken fingers, and a chocolate banana shake.

So weird, I was at Steak N’ Shake last night and I ordered chicken fingers with fries and a birthday cake shake

Do you usually buy souvenirs when you go to amusement parks? 
Haha not unless it’s Disney World, souvenirs at theme parks are ridiculously expensive.

same? i literally haven’t been to an amusement park in 6 years

When you last watched a movie, did you watch it alone or with someone? 
I watched the Tim and Eric movie on Saturday with Josh, Joanna and Nick

Josh and I watched a movie together

Are you happy with your weight? I’m pretty satisfied with it.

It’s okay. I am gaining more weight now that I have a desk job again

What’s the dress code for your job? Do you like it?: Business casual, we have to wear nice blouses basically with slacks or pants that aren’t jeans (except on Fridays). I’m okay with it.

We have a choice of different uniform shirts + black cardigans with black slacks and tennis shoes. It’s pretty hideous.

Does your job allow piercings or tattoos? Nothing crazy I think. Like no facial piercings. And I think tattoos are fine as long as they’re covered at work <<

Pretty sure there’s no official rule about piercings and tattoos.

How often do you wash your hair? I pretty much have to every other day or else it gets greasy

Same

Do you want to get married? If so, what color will your dress be? Eventually, yes. It’d be white and lacey, with bell sleeves and an open back.

Same

Ever had a caricature done of yourself? How much was it, and were you satisfied with it? 
Yes, it was free because it was a party favor at my friend’s 16th birthday and I really liked it actually lol.

Same

Do you like peanut butter and fluff sandwiches? What is fluff? Like marshmallow fluff? That sounds like it would stay on the roof of my mouth forever lol.

Still have never had that

Last color you painted your nails? Purple/magenta. I reallyyyy need to re-do them though.

Oh god I can’t remember the last time I did my nails. Maybe I’ll do them tonight.

Last time you got a hair cut? I can’t even remember it’s been so long.

I wanna say it was back in October

When you want to buy coffee, where do you go? Dunkin! Love their coffee <<

Starbucks now lol

Did you try McDonald’s new smoothies? What do you think of them? I haven’t

I had a smoothie from McDonalds a few months ago and it was pretty good

What are some things you like fashion-wise that most people don’t? I don’t know…I’m not that adventurous of a dresser. Maybe graphic tees?

I've been really into boot-cut yoga pants lately and those aren’t really in style right now I think.

What are some trends you dislike that everyone seems to love? Mmm probably those tight cropped shirts with holes in the shoulders/elbows etc. I think those look so dumb and pointless.

I literally don’t even know what the trends are now

Ever been to Gaia Online? Do you have an account?: No

No

Where can you usually be found on a Friday night? At home or at a friend’s house. I rarely ever “go out” anymore.

At home, recording or hanging out with Josh 

What do you think of underage drinking?: I mean I did it, I started drinking at 17. It’s pretty inevitable, especially if you’re in college and live in the U.S. where the drinking age is 21. I don’t really have a problem with it as long as you’re not stupid about it.

I still feel the same - as long as you’re not stupid about it. 

What’s your relationship status? Are you happy with it? I’m in a long-distance relationship, it’s hard but I’m happy for the most part.

I’m in a relationship and I’m happy with it. We are no longer long distance and we live together now and it is still hard - because we went from seeing each other twice a month to seeing each other everyday so there’s been some adjustments and difficult moments - not to mention all of the other things going on in his life (and his crazy ass family) but I really think we have grown stronger together because of it.

If you got married and then got divorced, would you want to re-marry? Probably not.

Maybe

If you could dye your hair any color right now with absolutely no restrictions, what color would you dye it? Teal, definitely.

Magenta

What shoes do you usually wear in the summer?: 
Vans or flip flops. I wear vans all year round though lol.

Flip flops or toms

What’s your favorite amusement park? Kings Island, but it’s the only one I’ve ever really been to besides Disney World

Lol yeah I guess I don’t have a favorite

Do you like rollercoasters? I do, but not the super intense ones like I used to when I was younger.  

Honestly, I don’t think I would like them anymore

How old are your siblings? 
My brother is 20

My brother is 23! :0

Would you ever enlist in the army? No

Still no

Do you use pads, tampons, or the cup? Tampons. Part of me wants to try the cup but the idea kind of freaks me out, idk.

Tampons

Are you afraid of public restrooms? No

Not really

What perfume do you wear? Burberry Weekend

Lol I don’t wear perfume anymore, just whatever body mist I feel like putting on that day

How often do you use lotion? I use it way more in the fall/winter because my skin gets so dry. So like maybe every day <<

Every other day

Do you play video games? If so, what kind? I play all types but mostly simulation games, any Mario, and GTA.

The Sims, Stardew Valley and The Fallout series

How old is your oldest and youngest friend?: 
23 and 29

26 and 31

Do you donate your old stuff to Goodwill? I do all the time

Yeah

Would you buy used clothes? I have done that.

Yes

Do you wear jeans? 
Yes

Rarely 

How many hours do you usually work a week? 
40

40

How old were you in 1999?: 6 then 7

obviously my age in 1999 didn’t change

Last time you were at a job interview? How did it go? 2 months ago, for the job I have now, so obviously it went well lol.

8 months ago and it went well because it’s the job I have now

What’s one place you’d NEVER want to work at? 
McDonalds, probably

Wal-Mart

How many kids would you want? 0

Wow, my view on kids really changed lol now I want at least 1 but probably 2.

Do you wear lipstick? If so, what color? 
Rarely, but when I do, it’s dark red.

Matte pink

Do you use Tumblr? What do you normally post?: 
I’m assuming this survey was made for a different social media, so yes, I do, lol. I post surveys on here and on my other blog, I just reblog.

Surveys, and sometimes I post on my simmer blog but barely

How often do you wear skirts? Never

Never

Was your first Green Day album American Idiot? 
No, it was Dookie.

Dookie

Do you do your own laundry? 
Yes

Yes

Do you get paid weekly or bi-weekly? 
Bi-weekly. I wish it was weekly.

Still bi-weekly

Did you tease freshmen in high school? 
Yes….

When I was sophomore in high school yes

[oneweekoneband]

LIFE’S A BITCH AND SO AM I: The Post-Dookie Era

[note: this should have been posted this morning, after my intro for the day and before Alice’s Nimrod pieces. It was only after I got to work that I realized it hadn’t. I apologize for backloading the day somewhat as a result.]

I love the three Green Day albums that come between the stratospheric heights of Dookie and American Idiot. They’re strange, imperfect, awkward things, and with the exception of “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” - which in itself is a song with a strange success story - they don’t have the kind of of zeitgeist-tapping crossover-masterpiece songs the albums sandwiching them boast in multiple. 

But that awkwardness is exactly why I love them. In the progression from Insomniac to Warning you can see the development of a band finding their feet and re-figuring out their priorities after their entire worlds had been turned upside down. Their sound develops from straightforward, accessible bouncy pop punk to something more serious and melodic, and while Billie Joe has always tackled important and difficult topics in his lyrics, even on an album named after diarrhea, their themes as a whole developed as well. Billie Joe’s snide class clown persona changed into something more complex and reflective, and political themes began to enter into their songs.

A year after Dookie (the shortest break between albums Green Day have ever taken) came Insomniac, a much darker record both lyrically and aurally. It’s the closest that Green Day have ever gotten to the heavy, drudging sound that characterized grunge, the genre that some pundits hailed Green Day as being the inheritors of, at the same time as others acted like the band had put the nails in the Seattle sound’s coffins themselves. The songs deal with methamphetamine use, Mike Dirnt’s (as opposed to Billie Joe’s) panic attacks, and the band’s rejection by the Gilman Street scene. Despite the abrasiveness of the album, it still sold better than later releases, likely thanks to the popularity of Dookie, and the music video for “Walking Contradiction” was directed by Roman Coppola (son of Francis Ford Coppola, the man who made The Godfather and Apocalypse Now.)

The band went on a massive world tour in support of Insomniac, which they eventually cut short due to homesickness. As well as being away from their families so long, the members also had trouble adjusting to playing in arena-style venues and chafed against the scale of the shows.

After a short break, the band began to record Nimrod, which I won’t write too much about because Alice will be covering it later today. The album shows a lot of the turmoil the band were feeling and the self-reflection they were doing at the time. Musically, it expands in style, beginning to incorporate influences outside of (pop) punk, and includes the softer-sounding acoustic ballad “Good Riddance.” While some people have criticized the song as being an attempt at a pop hit or something similar, the band have defended it since its release, with Mike Dirnt going as far as to say that “putting that song on the record was the most punk thing we could do.” This is a noticeably different stance than the one all three members have on the other move they made which caused them to be accused of selling out - signing with Reprise Records - which they remain ambivalent about to this day, claiming they have no idea what choice they would make if they had the chance to relive it.

Despite the lack of surety that may be intuited from the mixed genres and messages found on Nimrod, the tour in support of the album saw the band becoming more sure of themselves as rockstars. It was on this tour that the still-running tradition of inviting fans on stage to play “Knowledge” with them, for instance. It was this development of Green Day as a live band able to combine showmanship with intimacy, even in huge venues, that helped maintain the band’s status through their so-called “slump” between Dookie and American Idiot. In essence, Green Day’s career before American Idiot actually progressed backwards, starting with a massive career-making hit and then settling into college radio play and a solid, fan-maintained reputation as a live band.

In 2000, Warning, my favourite pre-American Idiot Green Day album was released to a lackluster response. It remains the lowest-selling Green Day album, likely for the reasons I love it so much: Warning has many more acoustic tracks than any other Green Day album, and is strongly influenced by the protest folk of mid-60s Bob Dylan as well as the blues-rock and harmonies of the same era, particularly in the gorgeous bass riffs. Thematically, the songs turn towards more explicitly political themes, and there’s a level of vulnerability and positivity that had previously not occurred much in Green Day’s music, incompatible as the two are with the snotty image the band first strove to portray.

That positive vulnerability is the reason why Warning is my favourite: it is an album that sounds like it has been made after walking through the fire. There is a deeper level of engagement present in it, and a political dissatisfaction, but there is also a calmness that wasn’t present before, aside from the hinting of its coming that was “Good Riddance.” People, I find, often come out of horrible experiences and actually become more open to and receptive of what’s around them, their focus moving outwards and their initial protective brittleness melting into something softer and warmer. Warning sounds like that process of moving on to me.

- Jacqui // @sandovers

[gzw1689]

My Top Music Artists

Day 1: Green Day

First album owned: American Idiot (September 2005) Favourite albums:

Dookie (October 2005)

American Idiot (September 2005)

Insomniac (October 2005)

Kerplunk (February 2006)

This band is going on the list mostly due to the impact they had on my life. If I hadn’t heard “American Idiot” on my dad’s 2005 Grammy Nominees compilation album, I’d likely be a very different person today. Green Day first got me interested in music and inspired me to play guitar (and later, bass), which later led to my decisions to join both school band and metal bands with my friends.

I still listen to Green Day every now and then these days, especially when they put out new music. In general, I think what draws me to their music are its simplicity and melodies. Many of their songs are based around power chords, rhythms, and counter-melodic basslines, which makes them really accessible and also perfect for beginner guitar players. Also, it’s hard to describe, but once I listen to most Green Day songs for the first time, I have a pretty easy time recalling them, and that doesn’t really happen with a lot of other music artists. I guess they sort of have a way of keeping things simple while still sounding distinct, if that makes sense. Or maybe for some intangible psychological reason, their music just happens to naturally resonate with me.

But I think a lot of it has to do with how they capture a feeling. When it comes to their pre- and post-American Idiot stuff, I’d say I like both for different reasons.

Albums like Dookie and Insomniac deal with everyday thoughts and anxieties with a sort of self-deprecating sense of humour, which really resonated with me during my teenage years (and sometimes now), yet each one is distinct in its overall tone and themes.

I’m not sure if I would necessarily describe their later stuff as “political”; I suppose there are political messages in their lyrics, though I find they’re not all that nuanced. I haven’t really thought about this in detail but, especially in the context of each album, I think they’re more about the state of mind and emotions brought about by the times.

Overall, even if I maybe don’t listen to them as much these days, Green Day is probably the most important band to include in this series.

[charmemepile]

Midnight Meming #6 {Parody Past PM #1}: American Idiot / Canadian Idiot

Early into Hutcheon's book "A Theory on Parody", she distinguishes that not all parody must critique the source text, nor must the ideology of the original and parody differ by much. Typically, when we think of parody, we often associate it with satire or at least derision. However, parody is a much more flexible tool than that. For a good example of this principle, let's examine (to get the obvious out of the way) Green Day's "American Idiot" and it's Weird Al parody "Canadian Idiot."

Firstly, let's talk a bit about Green Day. Green Day are a punk band that began (to most people's surprise) in the mid-80s in California. They rose to grand popularity in the 1990s, however, with their seminal work "Dookie" that codified the principles of what would be known as pop punk: a blend of pop techniques with the raw energy of punk. In 2004, they released one of their most popular albums, "American Idiot." The album was driven by a.) the loss of the masters to another proposed album, and b.) the Bush presidency. Lead-man Billie Joe Armstrong has made numerous comments on that time in his life, especially as it relates to the culture confusion and division related to the emerging Iraq War and the new direction of American ideals. Quote Armstrong, "Everybody just sorta feels like they don't know where their future is heading right now, ya know?"

The titular song and lead single "American Idiot" was the sharpest critique against the state of America on the album. Armstrong harshly attacked national pride in the era of mass surveillance, paranoia, and mass-media consumption. This sense of nationalism as it butted with disenfranchised groups like the LGBT community was also a sore point addressed in the song. Ultimately, the song acts as a sort of call-to-arms against this line of thinking. Hence from the chorus: "I don't want to be an American Idiot."

Enter one Alfred Matthew Yankovic, also known as Weird Al. A musical talent of now over 40 years, Weird Al releases albums upon albums of song parodies, typically of contemporary mainstream pop hits, such as "Bad" or "Fancy." Unlike some other parody aritsts, however, Yankovic has rarely been the one to deride the original work or artist. Yankovic's modus operandi centers on creating a jarring juxtaposition by faithfully recreating the sound and shape of the original with new content (he often also parodies the music video similarly if the song is a single). A famous example would be with "Smells Like Nirvana", which uses "Smell's Like Teen Spirit" as a diagram to playfully joke about grunge's often slurry vocal style. The music video is a delicate reconstruction and twisting of Nirvana's right down to some of the same extras.

On his 2006 album "Straight Outta Lynwood," Yankovic parodies "American Idiot" as "Canadian Idiot." The juxtaposition is initially played very straight. The sound and form is close to identical, and it begins by listing qualities of Canada he disagrees with, but instead of serious issues like overly patriotic devotion, he focuses on things like pronouncing z as "zed." However, as the song continues, the real intent becomes clear. In the first chorus, one of the traits mocked is that "they leave the house without packin' heat / never even bring their guns to the mall." The use of they and this specific grievance tells us that, unlike in American Idiot where the narrator is a disgruntled member of their target, the narrator here is an American taking pot-shots at a culturally different (and therefore horrible!) nation. In fact, the narrator has to admit to the positive features Canada has over the US, such as socialized health care, low crime rate, anti-polluting efforts, and their largely anti-interventionist approach to affairs. All this causes the narrator to conclude "they're up to something" and pre-emptively attack.

In the parody, Yankovic's target of the joke is amazingly clear: the Americans. Here, Yankovic has chosen to retain the basic concept of the original as well, in fact backing up Armstrong's claims by creating a straw-man that would definitely fit under being an American Idiot. He holds other nations up only to stereotypes, refuses to compromise, and pre-emptively attacks (also a jab at the Iraq War and it's use of "pre-emptive strike" on Iraq). Although "Canadian Idiot" is a biting satire, it choses to not attack the source of parody, but to join in the original with its target. Parody is a versatile tool, limited only by the creativity of the artists.

[greenlightmusicreviews2]

Father of All Motherfuckers - Green Day | Album Review • 4/10

Now Playing: Father of All Motherfuckers, the thirteenth outing from Oakland-based pop-punk legends Green Day.

“Everything that is happening in the world is right there on Twitter. It’s so confusing and it’s so depressing. I really wanted to create some kind of escape for people; I didn’t want to be so obvious.”

- Billie Joe Armstrong

If you’d like, go take a trip across town and check out the review I did of Green Day’s last record Revolution Radio on the old website.

My reappraisal of Revolution Radio is that it sucks, and - the three-part monster Uno! Dos! Tre! aside - it’s the band’s worst record. It was too clean, too safe and just utterly boring, though I guess I can’t fault the band for trying to play it safe after Uno! Dos! Tre! It does have the distinction of having one of my least favorite Green Day songs in “Still Alive,” a song so cookie-cutter, so rock radio safe, so full of platitudes that my brain just starts shutting down as soon as the jangly guitar riff begins. It’s singles were okay, “Revolution Radio” has that god-awful guitar riff that burrows its way into your brain like one of those larva from The Wrath of Khan; “Bang Bang” is pretty good and actually recaptures some of the energy found on American Idiot, or even 21st Century Breakdown.

On Father of All Motherfuckers, Green Day continues their “return to form” with their shortest album since their studio album debut. Butch Walker, alongside Chris Dugan and the boys in green themselves, helps with the production job. If you ever parsed through my writings before, then you’ll know that I actually really like Butch Walker, both as an artist and as a producer. The production on this record is very slick, very tight, and is doing its damnedest to sound pretty contemporary, despite what the somewhat cringeworthy promotional ads might suggest (more on that later). Not to say that it isn’t also trying to be an old school throw-back “uncut rock” record, because holy jeez there are ‘50s style rock & roll freak-outs on here.

A lot of what you hear, especially on songs like “Father of All...” is kind of reminiscent of the garage rock revival of the early 2000s from bands like the Vines, Arctic Monkeys, maybe a little White Stripes - but it’s also reminiscent of this third-wave alternative rock that was simmering on rock radio over the last few years, with artists coming to mind like Holy White Hounds, Glorious Sons and Dinosaur Pile-Up. Except Green Day is about four to five years a little too late catching up with the sound. HOWEVER, followers/fans of Green Day may take notice that it does line up with the sound found of Foxboro Hot Tubs, the garage rock side project of the boys in green, just updated for the late 2010s. The problem I think that this album suffers from primarily is that there just doesn’t feel like a whole lot of urgency the further you get through the record, despite this sense of rock & roll urgency and revivalism that underscores the theme of the album.

Tracks 3 through 5 (”Oh Yeah!,” “Meet Me on the Roof,” and “I Was a Teenage Teenager”) just suck the life from the album, so when it picks back up with “Stab You in the Heart,” it’s hard to regain that momentum. Not to mention, the three aforementioned duds feature some of the lamest parts of the album including embarrassing vocal lines, a total overuse of hand-claps by this point and rock tropes that just aren’t done with any gusto and drag along like a teenager walking to bus stop at 6:30 AM. Surprisingly, Green Day manages to do a spot-on Weezer impression on “I Was a Teenage Teenager,” which is a bizarre twist of fate. “Stab You in the Heart” is a goofy, self-aware send-up of old school rock & roll that I think works pretty well, and is miles better than the previous three songs. It doesn’t pretend to be anything except what it is, which is more than what you can say for a song like “Oh Yeah!” or even “Meet Me on the Roof,” a song that just gets way too far into itself and sounds like a parody.

Green Day does a well enough job adapting their sound to this palate. From the chunky rock riffs, to the compressed and acoustic-digital sound of the kit, to the piano and light-synth work, to the sing-along choruses, to the super bass heavy production sound... but those hand-claps, they are immensely overused. It's an album that doesn't advance Green Day's discography in any meaningful way. Although it's touted as this "100% pure uncut rock" album, it's really not as visceral or energetic as it's made out to be. Myself a struggling disciple of all things rock, this record has some great sounding ideas, riffs and transitions. A hint of what makes this sort of music cool, rebellious and lively is shown on songs like “Father of All..” and “Take the Money and Crawl" - the latter of which is actually pretty fucking badass and has the hallmarks of what makes this kind of music great. I actually hear Armstrong's punk snarl and vitriol, and the sonic manipulation on the vocals is kinda cool, but too often it just feels like these songs were taken out of the oven too soon. A song like "Meet Me on the Roof" is a slapped together piece of soda shop faux-nostalgia that is supposed to pay homage to rock's forefathers, but... just, no. No.

That said, the more I listened and spent time with it, the less the album as a whole appeared to be anything remarkable. It ends with "Graffitia," which, I mean, it's a song. It's so bland and sounds almost identical to the Toby Keith song "Beer For My Horses," which is a much better song. If you turn on any classic rock station in the United States, in between the Who, Led Zeppelin, ELO and the Police, you can now find Green Day - alongside aging alt rockers like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters and Soundgarden. The musical landscape has most certainly changed since Dookie dropped in 1994. Rock music, defined by its guitar-heavy focus and loud drum performances, is not the zeitgeist. Green Day’s infamous subway ad that boasted “no features...no trap beats” is remarkably telling of where rock music still remains.

As someone who grew up on rock music and still really likes guitar-heavy music, I can’t help but feel a bit of sympathy and solidarity with a band like Green Day when they posture in such a way that feels like they’re trying to lead a rock revival of sorts. Father Of All Motherfuckers misses the mark, despite myself really wanting to enjoy the entire record. It's not as bad as people make it out to be, but it is disappointing in a lot of places.

Though I enjoyed it more than Revolution Radio, there's not a lot of immediacy and a lot of mediocrity. It's stripped down to "the basics," but that's about all you get.

Father of All Motherfuckers: 5/10

Favorite Songs: "Father of All..." • "Stab You in the Heart" • "Sugar Youth" • "Take the Money and Crawl"

[ricardosousalemos]

Green Day: Dookie

When he was 10 years old, long before he sang about masturbation losing its fun, Billie Joe Armstrong lost himself in music. His father had just died of cancer, and in Rodeo, Calif., a smallish East Bay suburb next to an oil refinery, Armstrong retreated into MTV, the Beatles, Van Halen, and a Stratocaster knock-off he nicknamed Blue. He grew close to schoolmate Michael Pritchard, who had his own family grief and who introduced Armstrong to British heavy metal giants like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Pritchard later earned the sobriquet Mike Dirnt, for his constant dirnting on bass guitar.

In high school, Armstrong and Dirnt smoked pot and played in a band called Sweet Children, finding their tribe in a tiny clique of DIY punks. By 1988, Sweet Children had their first gig at 924 Gilman Street, the Berkeley punk mecca opened the previous year by Maximumrocknroll zine founder Tim Yohannan, and Armstrong told his waitress mother he wouldn’t be graduating. Sweet Children signed to Lookout Records!, changed their name to Green Day, and put out a pair of rough but promising EPs. They brought in Frank “Tré Cool” Wright, a drummer known equally for his musicianship and his mischievousness, and with their sharply improved LP Kerplunk!, Green Day arrived.

As Kerplunk! landed on shelves in December 1991, Nirvana’s Nevermind zoomed to the top of the album charts. A band with Green Day’s momentum and punk pedigree was obvious bait for the major labels. Still, it was Armstrong’s voice, sneering and congested, that initially put one A&R exec off of Green Day’s demo. Luckily, he passed it to his producing partner, Rob Cavallo, whose father had been Prince’s manager circa Purple Rain and who, despite signing respected L.A. pop-punks the Muffs, was sorely in need of a hit.

He found one. Co-produced by Cavallo and the band themselves, Green Day’s Dookie was released on February 1, 1994. To date, the band’s Warner/Reprise debut has sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. Most of those album buyers probably know nothing about its makers’ humble origins. But that story helps to explain the unique series of balances, between showmanship and disaffection, dogmatic punk ideals and romantic stadium dreams, sweetness and scatology, partying and pain, that have turned Dookie into one of the greatest teenage wasteland albums of any generation. Armstrong’s Dookie guitar? His childhood’s trusty old Blue.

What set Dookie apart from the grunge rock bellowers of its day was Armstrong’s voice, foggy and vaguely unplaceable. “I’m an American guy faking an English accent faking an American accent,” he teased at the time. Though Armstrong’s tone was bratty, his phrasing had that lackadaisical quality that left room for listeners to fill in their own interpretations. On Dookie, Armstrong channeled a lifetime of songcraft obsession into buzzing, hook-crammed tracks that acted like they didn’t give a shit—fashionably then, but also appealingly for the 12-year-old spirit within us all. Maybe they worked so well because, on a compositional and emotional level, they were actually gravely serious. Sometimes singing about the serious stuff in your life—desire, anxiety, identity—feels a lot more weightless done against the backdrop of a dogshit-bombarded illustration of your hometown by East Bay punk fixture Richie Bucher.

“Longview,” Dookie’s outstanding first single, smacks of the most extreme disengagement: a title taken from Longview, Washington, where it happened to be played live for the first time; a loping bass line supposedly concocted while Dirnt was tripping on acid; and a theme of shrugging boredom that placed it in the ne’er-do-well pantheon next to “Slack Motherfucker” to “Loser.” Adolescent interest may always be piqued by lyrical references to drugs and jerking off, the way a 5-year-old mainly laughs at the Calvin and Hobbes panels where Calvin is naked or calling Hobbes an “idiot.” But as beer-raising alt-rock goes, this is also exceptionally bleak, with the narrator’s couch-locked wank session transforming into a self-imposed prison where Armstrong semi-decipherably sings, per the liner notes, “You’re fucking breaking.” No motivation? For a high-school dropout hoping to succeed in music, that mental hell sounds like plenty of motivation.

The other singles mix Armstrong’s burgeoning songwriting chops with deceptively lighthearted takes on deeper topics. The opening line, “Do you have the time/To listen to me whine?” is endlessly quotable, but the self-mocking stoner paranoia of the irresistible “Basket Case” was inspired by Armstrong’s anxiety attacks. As late as 1992, Armstrong still had no fixed address, and “Welcome to Paradise” reaches back to those nights crashing at dodgy West Oakland warehouse spaces. It also brashly embodies punk’s trash-is-treasure aesthetic at its most American. But the closest Armstrong came to a pop standard, one that any guitarist who knows four power chords can play at a home and a more established star could likely have made an even bigger hit, was the midtempo “When I Come Around”—a smoldering devotion to the then-estranged lover who would become the mother of Armstrong’s two children. They’re still married.

Elsewhere, the bouncy, brief “Coming Clean” is from the perspective of a confused 17-year-old, uncovering secrets about manhood that his parents can’t fathom; Armstrong has forthrightly related the song to his own youthful questions about bisexuality. “Seventeen and coming clean for the first time/I finally figured out myself for the time,” he declares, in one particularly sublime bit of wordcraft. Teenage angst pays off well: Now he was bored and almost 22. Likewise, the rest of the album tracks often further showed what an accomplished songwriter Armstrong had become. “I declare I don’t care no more,” from breakneck slacker anthem “Burnout,” would be a classic first opener on any album, even though by now we know it contains an element of false bravado. The contrasts that made up the band’s identity also helped elevate Dookie above its shitty name, couching anti-social childishness in whip-smart melodic and lyrical turns. When, on the last proper track, the nuke-invoking “F.O.D.” (short for “fuck off and die”), Armstrong vents, “It’s real and it’s been fun/But was it all real fun,” it’s his Dookie-era way of saying he hopes you had the time of your life.   

Critics have been kind to Dookie, but not overwhelmingly so. It’s tempting to wonder how many of these lyrics could’ve been influenced by Robert Christgau’s two-word, two-star Village Voice review of Kerplunk!: “Beats masturbation.” Still, he gave Dookie an A-, and the album made it onto the Voice’s 1994 Pazz & Jop year-end critics’ poll at No. 12. But the backlash against Green Day in the pages of Maximumrocknroll was real and visceral. The June 1994 cover showed a man holding a gun in his mouth with the words, “Major labels: some of your friends are already this fucked,” with Yohannan sniffing inside, “I thought it was oh so touching that MTV decided to interrupt playing Green Day videos to overwhelm us with Nirvana videos on the day of Kobain’s [sic] death.” At Gilman, where major label acts were banned, graffiti on the wall proclaimed, “Billie Joe must die.” So it’s an album many people adore, but like loving the Beatles, proclaiming your adoration for it doesn’t necessarily win you any special recognition. Oh, you were in seventh grade and learned every word of a Green Day album? Duh.

Time has worked on Dookie in strange ways. Most blatantly, the post-grunge alt boom allowed an album like this to exist in the first place. Green Day were masters at pulling stoner humor out of malaise, and that is what the so-called alternative nation needed. One of Dookie’s great light-hearted touches, the image of Ernie from “Sesame Street” on the back cover, has been airbrushed away from later physical editions, ostensibly due to legal concerns. Among the many things streaming has ruined was the old ’90s trick of including hidden tracks on the album buried without notice at the end of the CD, so all digital releases treat Tré Cool’s novelty goof “All By Myself” as its own proper track. The unfortunate “Having a Blast,” about wanting to lash out with a suicide bombing, is understandably absent from most recent Green Day setlists.

Then again, so many of the fights that Dookie started have happily become moot. In 2015, Green Day played their first show at Gilman in 22 years. Whichever Maximumrocknroll readers were mad at Green Day for trying to make it out of their working-class suburban beginnings probably have more adult worries today (the zine, however, hasn’t forgotten). Though Green Day never quite embraced the term pop-punk and certainly didn’t invent it, they were pegged as its popularizers; you could hear their echoes several years ago in records like Wavves’ King of the Beach, but younger pop-punk torchbearers like Joyce Manor, Modern Baseball, or You Blew It! have been more likely to name-check the more tightly genre-fitting Blink-182. In interviews, Armstrong still claims the “punk” mantle, but over the years Green Day emerged as a classic arena-rock band, noted for their pyrotechnics.

These days, Armstrong knows how to fire up crowds by promising them they’ll have a good time. Fans are brought up on stage every night to take their instruments and play a song. A T-shirt cannon is somehow involved. Green Day have matured in all the ways the biggest bands usually mature, and that’s their right. Immature but crafty, punk but pop, American pretending to be English pretending to be, well, whatever, Dookie-era Green Day were, for a time, in a class alone. Call them pathetic, call them what you will. They were all by themselves, and everyone was looking.

[allcheatscodes]

green day rock band xbox 360

http://allcheatscodes.com/green-day-rock-band-xbox-360/

green day rock band xbox 360

Green Day: Rock Band cheats & more for Xbox 360 (X360)

Cheats

Unlockables

Hints

Easter Eggs

Glitches

Guides

Achievements

Get the updated and latest Green Day: Rock Band cheats, unlockables, codes, hints, Easter eggs, glitches, tricks, tips, hacks, downloads, achievements, guides, FAQs, walkthroughs, and more for Xbox 360 (X360). AllCheatsCodes.com has all the codes you need to win every game you play!

Use the links above or scroll down to see all the Xbox 360 cheats we have available for Green Day: Rock Band.

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Genre: Simulation, Musical Instrument / Band Sim

Developer: Harmonix Music Systems

Publisher: MTV Games

ESRB Rating: Teen

Release Date: June 8, 2010

Hints

Currently we have no tips for Green Day: Rock Band yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Cheats

Currently we have no cheats or codes for Green Day: Rock Band yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Unlockables

Currently we have no unlockables for Green Day: Rock Band yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Easter eggs

Currently we have no easter eggs for Green Day: Rock Band yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Glitches

Currently we have no glitches for Green Day: Rock Band yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Guides

Currently we have no guides or FAQs for Green Day: Rock Band yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Achievements

Achievement List

You Had the Time of Your Life — Five-star every song in Green Day: Rock Bandwith any instrument. 50G

We’ve Come So Far — Earn at least 3 stars on all songs in Green Day: Rock Bandwith any instrument. 25G

It All Keeps Adding Up — Score 1,000,000 points in a single song. 20G

I Threw My Crutches in the River — Earn at least 3 stars on any song in Expertdifficulty. 15G

Hysteria, Mass Hysteria! — Get a Unison Bonus on the listed songs with 2 ormore players. 20G

Scream at Me Until My Ears Bleed — Use Overdrive 100 times as a vocalist. 20G

In Good Health and Good Time — Earn at least 3 stars on all songs in GreenDay: Rock Band as a bassist. 20G

Won’t Make It for Dinner — Start a new Career and reach the credits within 12hours as part of a 4-player band. 40G

Feel Like They’re Gonna Bleed — Play through a setlist of 20 songs withoutfailing. 25G

Louder Than Bombs and Eternity — Hit 100% of the drum kick notes for “BrainStew / Jaded” on Expert. 30G

We’re on a Roll, No Self Control — Get an 8x Band Multiplier. 10G

What’s Left of My Mind — Finish any song with Lefty Mode turned on, hitting atleast 50% of the notes. 10G

American Unity — Get all unison bonuses in the song “American Idiot” with 2 ormore players. 15G

Freaky Monkey — Complete Dookie Album Challenge with any instrument. 20G

Award-Winning Idiot — Five-star every song on the American Idiot album. 25G

Mud Fight — Complete the listed songs without the crowd meter going red. 15G

Trés Cool — Hit 40 notes in one drum fill. 15G

The World Around — Play a Setlist made up of songs in every venue. 10G

Pacemaker — Earn at least 3 stars on “Peacemaker” on Expert Bass. 15G

Not Growing Up, Just Burning Out — Earn at least 3 stars on the listed songson Expert Vocals. 20G

Twiddle My Thumbs Just for a Bit — Earn at least 3 stars on “F.O.D.” with eachinstrument in Solo play. 15G

St. Jimmy — Get Gold stars on the listed songs. 35G

I Got a Rock ‘n Roll Girlfriend — Get Gold stars on the listed songs. 35G

Your Burning Light — Hit 100% of the notes in the solo of “Whatsername” onHard or Expert Guitar. 10G

Past the Point of Delirium – Hit 100% of the notes in the solo of “Hitchin’ aRide” on Expert Guitar. 30G

Ability to Operate Machinery — 100% the Guitar Solo in “Jesus Of Suburbia”using only finger tapping on Hard or Expert. 20G

Blue — Get a 95-note streak playing “Last Night On Earth” with the guitar.15G

Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe — Hit 100% of the notes on “Welcome To Paradise” onmedium or higher difficulty bass. 20G

Warning: Burning Drums — Hit 100% of the drum notes on one of the listedsongs. 15G

It’s Fun Until Someone Gets Hurt — Play “Longview” on Hard or Expert Bass,playing all hammer-ons and pull-offs without strumming. 25G

Make the Best of This Test — Finish all Challenges (Career owner only). 35G

Stage Dive — Complete a Challenge in The Warehouse venue. 10G

On a Mission — Complete a Challenge in the Milton Keynes venue. 10G

Stereo in the Static Age — Complete a Challenge in The Fox Theater – OaklandVenue. 10G

This Is How the West Was Won — Earn at least 3 stars on all songs in TheWarehouse. 20G

Billboard on the Rise — Earn at least 3 stars on all songs in Milton Keynes.20G

Another Turning Point — Earn at least 3 stars on all songs in The Fox Theater– Oakland. 20G

Live Freaky, Die Freaky — Complete any Challenge with both of the following:100% a Guitar solo; 100% a Harmony part. 25G

I Walk a Lonely Road — Earn at least 3 stars on “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”with each instrument in Solo play. 15G

On My Own… Here We Go — Score 400,000 points in a single song in solo mode.35G

A Very Troubled Youngster — Complete all of Tré’s Greatest Hits. 35G

Frank Edwin Wright III — Complete all the Drum Lessons. 20G

Step Up to the Mike & Billie Joe — Hit All Double Harmonies on any song. 10G

Misleading the Choir — Hit All Triple Harmonies on any song. 15G

Strong Arm, Billie Joe – Earn a Guitar Career score of 1,000,000. 20G

Dirnt Dirnt Dirnt Dirnt — Earn a Bass Career score of 1,000,000. 20G

Sweet Children — Earn a Vocal Harmony Career score of 1,000,000. 20G

I Play the !@#% Out the Drums — Earn a Drum Career score of 1,000,000. 20G

[gayenerd]

I just realized I didn’t post that 2007 Rolling Stone article I posted about here. 

Billie Joe Armstrong

The Green Day leader talks Bush, Britney and being a middle-aged punk for our 40th anniversary.

DAVID FRICKE

Posted Nov 01, 2007 8:19 AM

You have two young sons. What kind of America will they inherit?

This war has to finish before something new blossoms. There's no draft — that's why none of the kids give a shit. They'd rather watch videos on YouTube. It's hard to tell what's next — there is so much information out there with no power to it. Everything is in transition, including our government. Next year, it's someone else in the White House. There's no way to define anything. It's Generation Zero. But you gotta start at zero to get to something.

Is there anyone now running for president who gives you hope for the future?

Barack Obama, but it's a bit early to tell if this is the guy I like. I get sick of the religious-figure thing. People don't question their rulers, these political figures, just as they don't question their ministers and priests. They're not going to question George Bush, especially if he goes around talking about God — "I'm going to let God decide this for me. He's going to give me the answer." The fear of God keeps people silent.

When did you first vote in a presidential election?

In 1992. I was twenty. I voted for Clinton.

Did you feel like you made a difference?

Yeah. The Eighties sucked. There was so much bullshit that went along with that decade. I felt like Clinton was a fresh face with fresh ideas. There were times when he was dropping bombs, and I'm thinking, "What the fuck are you doing?" But he became a target. We have this puritanical vision of what a leader is supposed to be, and that's what makes us the biggest hypocrites in the world. We got so inside this guy's sexual habits. Now we have a president going around, killing in the name of what? In the name of nothing.

What did you accomplish with your 2004 anti-Bush album, "American Idiot"? He was re-elected anyway, and the war in Iraq is still going on.

I found a voice. There may have been people disenfranchised by it. People have a hard time with that kind of writing: "Why are you preaching to me?" It does sound preachy, a bit. I'm a musician, and I want to say positive things. If it's about self-indulgent depression or overthrowing the government, it's gotta come from my heart. And when you say "Fuck George W. Bush" in a packed arena in Texas, that's an accomplishment, because you're saying it to the unconverted.

Do you think selling nearly 6 million copies of that album might have an effect on the 2008 election? A kid who bought it at fifteen will be voting age next year.

I hope so. I made it to give people a reason to think for themselves. It was supposed to be a catalyst. Maybe that's one reason why it's difficult for me to write about politics now. A lot of things on that record are still relevant. It's like we have this monarchy in politics — the passing of the baton between the Clintons and the Bushes. That's frightening. What needs to happen is a complete change, a person coming from the outside with a new perspective on all the fucked-up problems we have.

How would you describe the state of pop culture?

People want blood. They want to see other people thrown to the lions. Do audiences want rock stars? I can't tell. You have information coming at you from so many areas — YouTube, the Internet, tabloids. Watching Britney Spears the other night [on the MTV Video Music Awards] was like watching a public execution. How could the people at MTV, the people around her, not know this girl was fucked up? People came in expecting a train wreck, and they got more than they bargained for.

She was a willing conspirator. She didn't say no.

She is a manufactured child. She has come up through this Disney perspective, thinking that all life is about is to be the most ridiculous star you could be. But it's also about what we look at as entertainment — watching somebody go through that.

How do you decide what your children can see on TV or the Internet? As a dad, even a punk-rock dad, that can make you conservative in your choices.

I want to protect them from garbage. It's not necessarily the sex and drugs. It's bad drugs and bad sex, the violence you see on television and in the news. I want to protect them from being desensitized. I want them to realize this is real life, not a video game.

The main thing I want them to have is a good education, because that's something I never had. Get smart. Educate yourself as much as you can, and get as much out of it, even if the teacher is an asshole.

Do you regret dropping out of high school?

Life in high school sucks. I bucked the system. I also got lucky. My wife has a degree in sociology, and there are conversations she has — I don't have a fucking clue what they're talking about. College — I could have learned from that.

But I was the last of six kids. At that point, my mother was fifty-eight, and she threw up her hands — "I'm through with this parenting thing." Also, I could not handle authority figures. But I wouldn't say I'm an authority figure for my kids. I provide guidelines, not rules.

What is it like being a middle-aged punk? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?

It's about the energy you bring with you, the pulse inside your head. I want to get older. I don't want to be twenty-one again. Screw that. My twenties were a difficult time — where my band was at, getting married, having a child. I remember walking out of a gig in Chicago, past these screaming kids. There were these punks, real ones, sitting outside our tour bus. One girl had a forty-ouncer, and she goes, "Billie Joe, come drink with us." I said, "I can't, I've got my family on the bus." She goes, "Well, fuck you then." I get on the bus, and my wife says, "Did that bitch just tell you to fuck off? I'm gonna kick her ass right now." I'm holding her back, while my child is naked, jumping on the couch: "Hi, Daddy!" That was my whole life right there — screaming kids, punks telling me to fuck off, my wife getting pissed, my naked son waiting to get into his pajamas.

There's nothing wrong with being twenty-one. It's the lessons you learn. At thirty, you think, "Why did I worry so much about this shit?" When I hit forty, I'll say the same thing: "Why did I worry about this shit in my thirties?"

What have you learned about yourself?

There is more to life than trying to find your way through self-destruction or throwing yourself into the fire all the time. Nihilism in punk rock can be a cliché. I need to give myself more room to breathe, to allow my thoughts to catch up with the rest of me.

Before Dookie, I wasn't married and I didn't have kids. I had a guitar, a bag of clothes and a four-track recorder. There are ways you don't want to change. You don't want to lose your spark. But I need silence more than I did before. I need to get away from the static and noise, whereas before, I thrived on it.

Are you ready for the end of the music business? The technology and its effect on sales have changed dramatically since Green Days' debut EP — on vinyl — in 1989.

Technology now and the way people put out records — everything comes at you so fast, you don't know what you're investigating. You can't identify with it — at least I can't. With American Idiot, we made a conscious effort to give people an experience they could remember for the rest of their lives. It wasn't just the content. It was the artwork, the three acts — the way you could read it all like someone's story.

Is music simply not important to young people now the way it was to you as a kid?

People get addicted to garbage they don't need. At shows, they gotta talk on their phones to their friend who's in the next aisle. I was watching this documentary on Jeff Tweedy of Wilco [Sunken Treasure]. He was playing acoustic, and he ends up screaming at the audience: "Your fucking conversation can wait. I'm up here singing a song — get involved." He wasn't being an asshole. He was like, "Leave your bullshit behind. Let's celebrate what's happening now."

We need music, and we need it good. I took it very seriously. There's a side of me where music will always send chills up my spine, make me cry, make me want to get up and do Pete Townshend windmills. In a lot of ways, I was in a minority when I was young. There are people who go, "Oh, that's a snappy tune." I listen to it and go, "That's the greatest fucking song ever. That is the song I want played at my funeral."

Now that you've brought it up, what song do you want played at your funeral?

It keeps changing. "Life on Mars?" by David Bowie. "In My Life," by the Beatles. "Love," by John Lennon.

Those are all reflective ballads, not punk.

I disagree. They are all honest in their reflection. The punk bands I liked were the ones who didn't fall into clichés — the Clash, the Ramones. The Ramones wrote beautiful love songs. They also invented punk rock. I'd have to add "Blitzkrieg Bop" to the list.

What is the future of punk rock? Will it still be a voice of rebellion in twenty years?

It's categorized in so many different ways. You've got the MySpace punks. But there is always the subculture of it — the rats in the walls, pounding the pavement and booking their own live shows. It comes down to the people who are willing to do something different from everybody else.

You are in a different, platinum-album world now. What makes you so sure that spirit survives?

I'm going on faith — because I was there. Gilman Street [the Berkeley, California, club where Green Day played early shows] is still around. And that's a hard task, because there is no bar — it's a nonprofit cooperative. It's like a commune — this feeling of bucking the system together, surviving and thriving on art. Punk, as an underground, pushes for the generation gap. As soon as you're twenty-five years old, there's a group of sixteen-year-olds coming to kick your ass. And you have to pass the torch on. It's a trip to have seen it happen so many times. It gives me goose bumps — punk is something that survives on its own.

[gayenerd]

This interview was the cover story for the 17th issue of Jaded In Chicago. It was conducted in September of 2004, several weeks prior to the release of American Idiot. It was a fitting end to the fanzine that was named after the band, as “Jaded In Chicago” references Green Day’s 1994 MTV concert special. To come full circle by interviewing the band that inspired the zine’s moniker was somewhat surreal.

With the release of American Idiot, Green Day has transcended punk rock. By crafting the first punk rock opera and fashioning what is likely the first tasteful concept album of the new millennium, they’ve provided pop punk bands everywhere with a blueprint for how to mature gracefully. Additionally, as much as American Idiot is about innovation, it’s also a return to the fundamentals of punk rock. The album sears with dissent, takes aim between the eyes of the Bush administration and contains a dangerous sense of unpredictability. It’s been ten years since Green Day was the most popular band in the world and with any luck American Idiot will allow them to recapture that title in no time. (Interview with drummer Tré Cool).

Bill – Before we talk about American Idiot, I wanted to discuss the infamous “lost” album first. About a year and a half ago, you guys recorded what was to be the follow-up to Warning, but reportedly the master tapes were stolen. What can you tell me about what happened?

Tré – We just knew that if it ever came out, we couldn’t do any of those same songs on the actual record. If somebody puts it out, like crappier versions of the songs, it’s going to totally ruin it. Plus, it happened right around the same time that Billie wrote the song “American Idiot” and most of “Holiday.” We were in the middle of working on those songs, so we just decided not to look back and we kept going forward.

Bill – I’ve read that you feel American Idiot is “maximum Green Day.” Why exactly do you feel this way?

Tré – Well, because we’re firing on all cylinders, ya know? Everything about even just being in the band now feels so right. Everything from the recording process to the live shows to our ambitions. This might sound kind of dumb, but even the clothes we’re wearing during photo shoots. It’s more together like a band.

Bill – People are certainly expecting this record to be political, but I think they’re going to be surprised when they hear how you really go for the throat with some of the lyrics. Examples of this would of course be the title track and also the breakdown section of “Holiday.” What are some of the main reasons why you’re so pissed off with this country?

Tré – It’s more like confused and jaded, if you will, (laughs). The bombardment of bullshit, fake news, like Fox News and CNN. All the reality-based shit that’s on television, stuff like Fear Factor that the government is using to keep everybody like good little sheep and not asking too many questions. It’s like how if a cop hears you use the word “terror” it basically means he can take any normal American citizen’s rights away from them. A cop can do that at his or her discretion if they think you might be a terrorist or whatnot. The whole Patriot Act. It’s like do we actually have any rights after all? We don’t have the right to a proper election, we already found that out. The fabric of our government right now is basically just made out of one hundred dollar bills that are drenched in oil. As far as this upcoming election goes, I know that John Kerry is extremely conservative and he’s nowhere near the liberal we need in the White House to clean up the mess. However, he’s not George Bush. Kerry’s money is in ketchup. Bush’s money is in oil and blood. I’d choose ketchup over that, (laughs).

Bill – How do you hope people react to these songs?

Tré – I hope they can look past the strong language and go into the meaning of it. I hope they realize there’s a bit of sarcasm. I hope they don’t feel that we’re telling them what to do. We’re just sort of pointing the fingers at ourselves, saying like “I don’t want to be an American idiot or I don’t want to be a part of this bullshit.”

Bill – Talk about the character called “Jesus of Suburbia.” What sort of journey does he embark on throughout these songs and what made you choose this type of format for your songwriting?

Tré – The album is sort of like a timeline of his life. Depending on where you’re at with your life, you probably fit somewhere on that timeline yourself. Whether it’s the “Holiday” party stage, or the “Give Me Novacaine” drug stage or the “Extraordinary Girl” being in love stage; all these different stages in life show that what paths you choose will inevitably lead you somewhere. It’s not necessarily the happiest ending in the world, but it’s pretty realistic.

Bill – Are you at all worried about some of your fans possibly being alienated by the two nine-minute rock operas found on the album?

Tré – I don’t think they’ll even notice they’re nine-minute songs. They’ll think they’re a bunch of short songs put together. It’s definitely short attention span theater. It’s not like Wilco, where they have a ten-minute song with the same drumbeat and the same chord progression. Not saying anything bad about Wilco, they’re a fine band. They’re great to relax to and drink iced tea to, (laughs). I think we’d get bored doing that. We just sort of get to the point, say what we want to say and move on to the next part of the song. The way the energy flows in the songs is sort of like the way America is now too, just so scattered. There’s a big misrepresentation of how we feel in this bullshit climate right now.

Bill – One of the most important topics you address on this record is the American media. Specifically, how it perpetuates fear amongst the public and does little to question the President’s follow-through on his promises. Do you think the average American is aware of how the wool is being pulled over their eyes?

Tré – No, not at all. Say you see some guy driving down the street with a Bush/Cheney sticker on his Chevy S-10, beat-up truck with a pair of flip-flops hanging off the back. I want to ask him, “Why the fuck are you a Republican? What’s in it for you, dude?” Bush isn’t doing a thing for those people. He’s not helping them get a better truck or put food on the table. He’s not going to give them a tax break. Republicans don’t care about you. They’re not going to try and help you in any way. They just want to use you and get your dead peasants insurance once you’re gone.

Bill – Tell me about the upcoming club dates that you have scheduled where you plan to perform American Idiot in its entirety. Who came up with the idea and what are you looking forward to most about it?

Tré – I’d credit Pete Townshend with the idea. We’ve always admired The Who and their lack of inhibition as far as going for whatever crazy idea they had. As crazy as something like Tommy was when it was just a small idea, compared to what it’s become now, it’s pretty insane. They did A Quick One, where they played that live. That was a quick one, but ours is an hour. Basically, we just want to kick The Who’s ass. I listened to Who’s Next yesterday, which a lot of people are comparing American Idiot to. We totally got them beat. I’ve always aspired to be as good of a drummer as Keith Moon and I think I’ve fuckin’ passed by him on this record.

Bill – Roughly ten years ago, Dookie was released and went on to sell over ten million copies and become one of the most notable albums of the ‘90s. A decade later, I think you’ve constructed in American Idiot what is arguably your strongest record yet. Is there anything specific that you hope American Idiot accomplishes?

Tré – Yeah, I think it’s about time that people think of Green Day in a different light. We’re not snot-nosed kids anymore, we’re men now. I want people to think of us more as one of the mainstay supergroups of today. I’m not asking for too much, (laughs). We’re superheroes in our own minds. We think we’re really cool, why doesn’t everybody else?

Bill – What was the weirdest thing about being the biggest band in America in 1994?

Tré – I don’t think we really had time to enjoy it when it was happening. We were just trying to pay our rent and be able to make records for the rest of our lives. We didn’t know anything like that was ever going to happen. It sort of freaked us out a bit, but at the same time I was kind of busy just moving and doing it. We didn’t have time to look back since we were doing so much. By the time we had taken a break to make Insomniac it was like, “Do you guys know what you just did?” We were like, “Oh…shit.”

Bill – Earlier this year, Thick Records released the Out of Focus DVD, which featured live Green Day footage circa 1992. What are some of your favorite memories from playing at McGregor’s in Elmhurst, Illinois?

Tré – Demetri. Demetri was this male stripper that came onstage for some girl’s birthday at McGregor’s one night. They had her sit in this chair and the stripper did his thing for her. It was fuckin’ hilarious. In the middle of our show too. We took a timeout and let her get her strip on. I think that was the last time we played McGregor’s actually. I remember seeing State Street and I remember taking acid in Chicago. I remember going to the lake and wondering why all the fish were dead. I was inside Buckingham Fountain too. It was real hot out and I got in there during the Blues Fest. There were like a million people down there, but just one in the fountain. Of course this cop was like, “Get the fuck out of there! What are you thinking?” I was like, “I don’t know. I’m fried, dude.”

Bill – Do you have any comments regarding the rumors connecting members of Green Day to the mysterious band known as The Network?

Tré – The only connection is that their record was on Adeline, which is a label run by Billie Joe’s wife. That’s a few degrees of separation if you ask me. I think they’re getting a lot of mileage out of telling people they’re Green Day or pretending to be Green Day. The Network is not Green Day. Bastards.

Bill – Growing up I know that bands like the Ramones and The Who were very influential for you. What’s it like to now be one of the biggest influences on an entire generation of punk bands?

Tré – It’s kind of wild. Especially when younger bands meet you and they’re all nervous and stuff. You sort of get a little paternal with it, like “Ah…my children.” I feel like Michael Landon from Little House on the Prairie.

Bill – What has been the hardest part about achieving all the success you’ve attained?

Tré – I think you can pretty much choose what you want to deal with. You can choose for it to be difficult or you can enjoy it. It’s kind of up to the person.

Bill – After seven albums, what aspects of punk rock are still fresh and exciting to you?

Tré – I like seeing new bands. Bands that aren’t carbon-copied pop punk bands. Bands like Dillinger Four fuckin’ excite me. I think the Rock Against Bush compilation is a pretty damn good CD. There are some older bands on there that are still going strong and some younger bands that are real fresh and exciting too.

Bill – What does the future hold for Green Day?

Tré – I think whatever we put out next has got to be really fuckin’ good. After American Idiot we set the bar so high. It’s kind of like, “Now what are we going to do?”