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Posted: 1/10/06
Green Day in the New Year
Philosophical Green Day Reflection Moment
Remember when the first "American Idiot" single, American Idiot, came out in 2004, and it was all like, meh, that’s pretty crazy. And then Holiday came out, and it was like, holy shit, Green Day has pulled another awesome album from out their asses. Which was nuts because really, who’d have thought they’d have a killer comeback like this a few years ago?
When Warning! came out, nobody was into it, and then, a few years later when you’d swear they were probably flipping burgers somewhere, Green Day goes and makes one of the best albums ever. This was initially awesome for hardcore fans because even though the previous albums were good, this album is fucking amazing, right? But Green Day having another amazing albums meant that all of their long-time fans now had to share with the rest of the world, and that is not very punk-lickable.
And unlike the short, frantic bursts of energy that make up most punk music, "American Idiot," like the Jesus of Suburbia single, has just gone on and on and on. So it’s been a pretty intense couple of years, but things finally seem to be winding down in the New Yeah, which is almost a relief for many fans.
With every sort of Green Day merch imaginable, including Green Day underwear, being pumped down our throats, the result is that the vomitous words "sold out" begin to claw their way back up from our roiling stomachs. Buy hey, just because record companies are evil, money-grubbing monsters, it doesn’t mean the bands are, right? Right? Please somebody tell me Green Day is more than a pawn of corporate media giants! Ahhhhhh!
Alright, settle down, little one, and listen to this story: In the 1980s, Metallica totally revolutionized rock and roll by giving birth to thrash metal as we know it today. Fans knew the band was doing something important, and their concerts sold out like crazy, but their albums didn’t do that great. Then things changed. Today, when people are talking about what it means to "sell out," they often cite Metallica’s transition over the course of "…And Justice for All" to The Black Album, from producing ultra-long, complex metal epics, to short, radio-friendly songs for asshats.
The story of Metallica certainly puts an interesting lens on the whole "American Idiot" sell-out issue, since the album shows Green Day’s songs to have actually become longer and more complex than they’ve ever been. Jesus of Suburbia seems to offer proof that if your song is good enough, it will get on the radio, no matter how long it is.
On top of this, while those Metallica motherfuckers basically murdered Napster, Green Day liked the mash-up of American Idiot that flooded the Internet in December, even though Warner Bros., the company that owns their Reprise, put the kibosh on it. So sleep easy, like GDer, all is well in the land of Green. Sleep easy, and when you awake, there will be a new Green Day album under the tree, and ultimately, it’s the music we find on their next album that will answer the question of whether Green Day has sold out or not.
Awards
Much to the relief of jaded super fans, Green Day ONLY won one major award this month. On January 10th, at the People’s Choice Awards, Billie Joe and Mike accepted the award for Favorite Group. (Tre was in New York celebrating his daughter’s birthday). The guys were thrilled to be receiving an award from their real fans, instead of corporate zombies who love them because they made them rich.
But speaking of zombies, "American Idiot" is up for Record of the Year at the Grammy’s this February 8th in Los Angeles. That makes this the second year in a row that "American Idiot" has made it to the Grammy’s. Is that even legal? Well, if George Bush can win two elections in a row, then anything’s possible. Hooray for the American idiot in all of us!
End of an Era
On January 26th, Greenday.com officially announced the closing of the "American Idiot" odyssey. However, there are at least a few people who aren’t too thrilled to see the beast retreating into its lair. This group of disappointed fans includes all those who had tickets to see Green Day play in Paris last November 8th. GDers from all over Europe, who had plane tickets and hotel rooms booked and paid for, were subjected to some serious unhappiness in September when it was announced that the show had been postponed.
No matter, though, Greenday.com told fans that the show would probably be rescheduled for this coming April. In fact, the venue in Paris where the show was supposed to take place actually started selling tickets to the April gig. That is, they were selling tickets until it became all too clear that this spring tour was only happening in Fantasyland. In fact, in this special land, you can see Green Day anytime you like, especially if you’re paying in euros.
Sadly, for all those chained to Realityville, it has become apparent that Green Day has absolutely no intention of touring in the spring, and probably won’t be touring again until a new album comes out. Neither the guys nor their management ever came forward to explain why the Paris show was cancelled.
Life Must Go On
In other scandalous no-show news this month, the "Live Freaky, Die Freaky" premier on January 17th in Los Angeles went off unattended by any of the members of Green Day. The most notable absence was that of Billy Joe, since "Live Freaky, Die Freaky" has been repeatedly labeled by the media as "Billy Joe’s movie" and "that movie staring Billy Joe Armstrong from Green Day."
At the party after the premier, Rancid and John Doe of X performed an acoustic set. At the end of the set, Rancid frontman and "Live Freaky, Die Freaky" producer Tim Armstrong shouted, "Billy Joe, where are you?" into the crowd. But it doesn’t seem like anybody was that disappointed at not seeing Billy. Rancid gave the crowd an amazing acoustic performance, actually covering some Green Day songs, like Time of Your Life. All the coked-up, shit-faced Hollywood glitterati probably thought that Green Day actually WAS there.
WHY didn’t Billy Joe show up for "his own premier," as the tabloids are putting it? Maybe he didn’t want Green Day’s super fame to steal the spotlight from a brilliant film that needed to be appreciated based on its own merits, and not those of its all-star puppet cast. After all, you know how Billy Joe hates being the center of attention…ahem.
It’s Coming Up
On February 1st, Don Felder, (that dude from the Eagles), is putting together a Hurricane Katrina benefit show at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Cerritos, CA. The event is going to be hosted by Cheech Marin, and a ton of famouses are participating, including Alice Cooper, No Doubt, and our own dear little Tre Cool. It should be deeply, painfully interesting to see what happens when Cheech and Tre get on the same stage together.
No word yet if Green Day will actually be performing at the benefit. All sources advise fans politely but FIRMLY that GREEN DAY IS ON VACATION, HAVEN’T THEY DONE ENOUGH FOR YOU VULTURES????? (Ed.’s note – yeah, whatever). But Green Day have been big supporters of Hurricane Katrina victims thus far, so who knows, maybe they’ll show up and rock Cerritos til all the little old fundraising ladies beg for mercy.
Also coming up in the next month is Billy Joe’s 34th birthday on February 17th, so get your panties in the mail ASAP if you want them to make it to his house on time. Or if you want to be able to call the Armstrong residence to wish Billy Joe a happy old day in person, you can find his phone number in John Roecker’s blog on the "Live Freaky, Die Freaky" website.
Rumors, Wild Rumors, Wild, Unsubstantiated Rumors
The big uncorroborated, probably not true rumor of the month is that Billy Joe and Adrienne are pregnant! Most Green Day websites will not even mention this little tidbit because, "they’re human beings, for Crissakes, give them a little privacy and respect." Fortunately, this is not that kind of website. The word on the street is that the baby is due in the spring, and may be a girl…or a boy…but definitely, definitely one of those.
If this fake news really is true, it will be the third child for the couple. And hey, the time is ripe. It’s been a few years since their last child was born, and Green Day is coming off a major success fest. On top of all this, Adrienne was quoted as saying (affectionately) that the "American Idiot" experience pushed her and Billy Joe’s relationship to the limit. What better time than now to crown one’s proverbial glory with a new little bundle of joy?
Hmm, maybe if they’re not, in fact, having another baby, they should be.
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