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Posted: 4/18/06
2006 First Annual G--D Green Day Website Review
We all know that www.green--day.com is the ONLY place on the internet where you can get ALL the best Green Day news, reviews, and general dirt, but did you know that there are actually a couple of other websites out there in fantasy land that have Green Day news, too?
I know, I know, it's hard to believe. After all, on G--D, you get all the most up-to-date news, all the gossip, serious behind-the-scenes truth, plus a ton of insights into the band's history and future that you NEVER see anywhere else. Why would any other website need to exist, on any subject, ever?
But the reality of the whole online Green Day scene is that diversity is the key to a just and open society, therefore, there are a lot of other GD sites out there. They just don't get as deep, don't have as many details, and can't bring you as close to the real Green Day as we do here at G--D.
However, there are a few sites out there that gots some of the real gangsta shit. Therefore welcome, one and all, to the 2006 First Annual G--D Green Day Website Review. The thrills! The chills! The less-than-impressive spills, we got the dirty right here, with a handy-dandy rating system (the Green Day Grade Point Average) so that you can see how they measure up.
Here's where you need to go to get your Green Day fix:
www.greenday.com
GD GPA: 3.5 out of 4.5 (B+, that's a nice, safe mark, nothing to be ashamed of)
This is the band's official website. The main page is okay. There's a solid database of all the Green Day videos that is always working, and a fairly comprehensive list of all their albums and tour dates (as of 1997). There's also the official Green Day store, which has tons of Green Day crap for all those who just can't wait to parade their love to the world.
The only other thing worth checking out here is the "community" page, which links to fan sites the world over. For all you poor northern European superfans out there, despair no more, there is a Polish Green Day site. These sites can be great because they often have weird GD news that you can't find anywhere else, just so long as you speak Dutch or Italian or whatever else. Some of these sites are more well-maintained than others. Some look like they haven't been updated since "Insomniac." Hmm, seems like the official Green Day links page could use some updating as well…
The homepage also has news on it, but surprisingly, it doesn't get updated that often, and doesn't come anywhere close to reporting all the Green Day news out there. On greenday.com, the real action happens in the Idiot Club. You have to pay twenty bucks for a yearly membership, which seems worthwhile sometimes, and at other times seems like a huge rip-off.
The Idiot Club is advertised as having all this super-exclusive material (more bang for your buck, as it were), which it does, but it's hardly what you'd call a treasure-trove of insights. There's a photo vault, which is added to by Idiot Club members, and definitely has some rare and interesting pics, which ARE updated daily.
However, under the "Exclusives" section, there's not much more than a handful of short videos that haven't been updated in months, and that don't work that well most of the time. If you're hoping to plunder the true depths of Green Day's wisdom and hilary, look elsewhere.
The one reasonably sweet plum in the Idiot Club is the Q&A section. This section has videos of the guys answering Idiot Club member questions. The whole gimmick started out strong, with new entries every month, but then slowed down with no new material for months and months. Recently, there's been a new posting, but not with videos, just the guys answering emails.
Of course, the site admins admonish fans for being impatient. "The guys are taking a much-deserved break," they repeat over and over. To which we reply over and over, "yeah, yeah, whatever." The stuff in the Q&A is great to read, so great in fact that the infrequency of updates is disappointing. I want my Green Day and I want it now, bitches!
The Green Day Idiot forum is extensive and generally fairly interesting. Just keep an eye out for those moderators. They are some hard-asses. They act like they know everything about Green Day, and they slam down rumors and speculations, as well as topics that they consider lame, with a iron fist. So enjoy the Idiot forum, but use your best non-idiot etiquette, or you will get told!
www.greendayauthority.com
GD GPA: 3.9 out of 4.5 (A, almost an A+, but not quite)
GDA is the biggest Green Day fan site on the Internet, and definitely the most content-filled Green Day site, period. You want it, you got it at GDA, almost to a fault. They have super-detailed daily news updates, as well as tons of band history. The only thing this site tends to suffer from is a near content-overload. They've got so much stuff, that it often tends to be incomplete and superficial (like their song-meanings section, and their concert review section - not very fat and luscious).
GDA also boasts a huge amount of fan power. You will learn as much here about the average Green Day fan as you will about the band. They've got all kinds of fan art and music, as well as fan tattoos, look-alike contests, and tons of quizzes and polls. These sections keep GDA going through those new-less dry spells, but can unfortunately tend to get a little dry themselves (like, picture your Sunday school teacher, or a clam that got washed on the beach, and has been laying in the sun all day).
Of course, if you're not just a Green Day fan, but a fan OF Green Day fans, you'll love this website. No, that's not fair, ANYBODY would love this website, just with that kind of mixed-up, angry love, that makes you feel confused about whether you should hit or hug the object of your affections…no daddy, no, I just wanted to stay up a bit late to watch Green Day on SNL. Not the belt, daddy, nooooooo!
Ahem.
The crowning jewel of GDA is most definitely the video download section. Watch out, this is not their regular video section, but the Green Day Community (GDA's forum) video download section. This is without a doubt the most complete Green Day video collection you will ever see. It has every interview, every public appearance, as well as a shitload of full concerts that you can download in their entirely, or as individual songs. Try reading our Top Ten Green Day Concert Moments and matching them up with videos on GDA. This can take some of the sting away if you didn't actually see the concerts live, which you probably didn't, but that's okay, because you can reduce your sucking quotient by watching the videos!
GDA's Green Day Community is pretty good, much more extensive and laid back than the Idiot forum, but also less well-organized. Because GDA is so dedicated to the fans, you are more likely to be reading about Jimmy's bad day at school, or Tara's awful parents, then any actual Green Day insights or chitchat. However, as you can imagine, this is a great place to connect with other superfans on a more intimate level.
www.greenday.net
GD GPA: 3.1 out of 4.5 (B, I think you could do better if you just applied yourself)
This is supposedly the official Green Day fansite. Too bad they don't hold a candle to GDA. This site is not updated very regularly, meaning that it has some good old junk that you can't find anywhere else, but the operative word is definitely old, and even dated, at times. For example, the big headline news at greenday.net is that, holy fucking shit, Green Day won some MTV music awards! No fucking way! That only happened six million years ago.
In its favor, greenday.net does update the Green Day newspage regularly, and has some good info and pics that you can't find on GDA. Plus, this is one fan site that's not cluttered up with a bunch of boring fan crap, which makes the actual news stories a lot easier to pick out and read.
In fact, until recently there was very little actual fan action on greenday.net, but things are getting going now that they have a myspace account, as every good little Green Day fan must. This myspace account definitely sees more action that the message board, which is poorly attended at best. However, this message board is a lot less gushy than most, so if you're tired of moaning over Billie Joe's newest hairstyle, and feel like talking some shit about the band selling out or becoming too popular, this is the message board for you.
Besides the G--D message board, of course, which is the all around hotness.
www.geekstinkbreath.net
GD GPA: 3.8 out of 4.5 (A, not quite GDA, but really, really excellent regardless)
GSB is a solid fan website. It's got regular news updates, and a format that is super easy to navigate. The coolest thing about GSB is that most of the content is contributed by fans, and not just any fans, but fans who actually like to talk about Green Day more than about themselves. Holy shit! What a concept for a Green Day site!
GSB has got tones of awesome concert reviews, and a lyric interpretation section that is a lot like www.songmeanings.net, where you get to read a bunch of different opinions and voice your own loud, boring theories. Almost every section of GSB can be commented on by fans, so there's a lot of feedback, and the conversations always going on.
As you might imagine, GSB has a sweet online community. Everybody talks about all kinds of shit, but the focus stays with the band remarkably well, and there are some amazingly knowledgeable music gurus on there for those who like to get down to nuts and bolts.
Another cool thing about GSB is that people talk about a lot of different bands there. And since all Green Day fans like the same music (ha ha ha), it's easy to find a band you like to talk about when the GD well of gossip is getting a bit shallow.
There's also plenty of Green Day fan fiction to be had on GSB for all those who love to while away an afternoon casually masturbating to the Green Day fantasies of others. But be warned, this shit is addictive, and there is INSANE amounts of it. Many GSBers are writing super long stories that have new chapters out every week. So abandon all hope of getting anything done with your life, ye who enter here.
www.greendayvideos.com
GD GPA: 1.7 out of 4.5 (C-, don't make us fail you next time!)
Watch out for this website. It sucks. Like a vampire. That's suck. Your will to live. Strangely, everywhere you go, even Green Day's official site, recommends GDV, but it's got virtually no content and is rarely updated. Boo-urns. When this kooky little site comes up first on your search for Green Day videos, do yourself a favor and waste not your time clicking.
www.greenday.org
GD GPA: 2.2 out of 5 (C, when's the last time you actually came to class?)
What is up with this site? It's like aliens are trying to communicate with Green Day fans here on earth but aren't quite sure how to pull it off. Greenday.org was off to a semi-strong start a few years ago, but now they seem to be permanently under construction. There's some action in the forums, but nothing overly impressive. AND they edit explicit content - ever lame!
The only thing that really makes greenday.org worth noting is that they posted a news story in their forum on April Fool's Day, claiming that the band had broken up because Tre quit. The story actually ran on CNN, causing a bigass scandalous scandal. You might have hoped that this meant that the site was planning on actually getting in the game. Sadly no, there hasn't been a peep out of them since.
http://greenday.smigit.com
GD GPA: 3.0 out of 4.5 (low B, but with lots of room for improvement)
Warning: A Green Day Site is a small but stylish little corner of the web that has a good focus on the Brit scene. They've got a bit of fun news you don't hear anywhere else, and a decent message board that won't necessarily bring shame down on the entire family.
Warning has also got some fun sections, like a Green Day dictionary full of fun facts and hilariously inaccurate information because anyone can submit anything! (i.e. - Billie Joe's wife is named Christine!) Who knew?
One thing Warning does have seriously going for it is a tour archive section where you can review and rate all Green Day concerts going back to 1997. Although there aren't a lot of entries yet, it's definitely the most complete Green Day concert history on the intar wubs.
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