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ARCHIVE - 6/7/07:
May - The Month of the Working Class Hero
This month started out with a bang - or maybe that's an inappropriate metaphor for describing the release of an anti-war song by Green Day? Anyway, by now you've all heard it - the cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero," recorded by Green Day in support of ending the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
I've been hearing some music critics talking about the cover being kind of long and boring. Weirdly enough, I've also heard critics saying that they're not digging the "punked up" version of the song. My question: how can the cover be simultaneously punk, and long and boring?
Clearly, those critics are idiots. Green Day's cover of "Working Class Hero" is intense while managing to not be over the top. It also comes at a perfect time to remind people about Lennon's lyrics. Zee world, she eez in need of a wake-up call!
If you want to find out more about "Working Class Hero," check back with us for a brand new song meaning to be posted soon!
American Idiot, er…Idol?
The "Working Class Hero" saga continued this month when Green Day made a surprise appearance on the season finale of - sigh - American Idol. This was, I believe, their first public performance of "Working Class Hero." The whole thing was pretty fucking bizarre. I mean, isn't the term "American Idiot" kind of a play on "American Idol?" How does the anti -idol then become the star of the show?
One comment I've been hearing repeatedly about the incident is "Oh man, if this wasn't for a good cause…" and I guess that's what we all have to remember. It IS for a good cause. If stopping the genocide in Darfur means Green Day has to compromise their punk integrity even further by going on a show that is clearly the hollow, commercial product of the absolute worst of corporate America, then so be it. You might even say that their willingness to sacrifice themselves to the gods of the military-industrial complex is downright heroic. You might say that.
Admittedly, the performance was awesome. Very understated and all that classy shit, with none of the embarrassing broadway-esque shenanigans so common to American Idol. If you haven't seen the video yet, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_93XKmZwdY
Watch the Video, Buy the T-Shirt
Finally, to end the month on a high note, Green Day released the video for "Working Class Hero," directed by Sam Bayer. You can read a short interview with Bayer about making the video here: http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2007/05/on_the_scene_gr.html
Basically, Bayer talks about wanting to make the video a tribute to John Lennon and to the people of Darfur. The video features Darfur refugees talking about what's happening there. Bayer says speakint with and filming the people who had lived through Darfur was one of the most moving moments in his career.
He finishes the interview by asserting, in typical Sam Bayer fashion, that this will be his last video, as it would be impossible to top it. That's Bayer for you, always so modest.
The video and the song are available to download on iTunes, with all proceeds going to Amnesty International, and to view on MTV and VH1, if you're a cheap bastard, like myself.
You Know You're Famous When…
All this "Working Class Hero" craziness was only the tip of the iceberg this month. When not fighting to save the world, Green Day can be found guest starring in the Simpsons moving, which was just confirmed by Matt Groening himself:
"I will publicly acknowledge that Green Day are in the movie," Groening said. "They're really good sports and I think we both honor them and 'Simpson'-ize them. You can take that however you want. They're really nice guys."
Which means they probably get a pretty serious mocking in the movie - but hey, that's how you know you're famous, they make fun of you on the Simpsons. Hank Azaria, who does a bunch of voices on the Simpsons, also let on that in the movie, Green Day gets called out by Moe the bartender, and that the whole crowd eventually turns on them when they're performing.
Despite this razzing, the guys were still good humored enough to agree to redo the Simpsons theme for the movie. Apparently, the track will be available for download online and on the movie soundtrack as of July 24th. Which in Green Day time means September 2nd, right?
Notes & Other News
- Mike Dirnt celebrated his 35th birthday on May 4th! Dirnt, Dirnt, Dirnt, Dirnt!
- On May 7th, Tre Cool could be found golfing with Alice Cooper and other wacky folks in a celebrity gold tournament. The tournament was held to raise funds for a youth center called "The Rock" being built by Cooper. Who would have thought the guy was such a philanthropist? On the other hand, who would have thought Tre liked to spend his time off wearing plaid shorts and a knit vest?
- Rolling Stone named "American Idiot" the greatest comeback album of all time. Pretty impressive, especially considering the rest of the names of the list:
- Green Day - "American Idiot"
- Elvis - "From Elvis In Memphis"
- Meatloaf - "Bat Out of Hell II - Back Into Hell"
- Neil Young - "Freedom"
- Paul Simon - "Graceland"
- Johnny Cash - "American Recordings"
- Bob Dylan - "Time Out of Mind"
- George Harrison - "Cloud 9"
- Tina Turner - "Private Dancer"
- Aerosmith - "Permanent Vacation"
- For a very insightful look into Billie Joe's history, you can check out this interview: http://www.contracostatimes.com/entertainment/ci_5887636 with none other than Ollie Armstrong, Billie Joe's awesome mom! She's 75 and she still works as a waitress at a diner! Best quote from the article:
"All these stories about (Billie Joe) coming from a dysfunctional family, that he was from a broken home" she said, frowning at two books on a nearby table. "How do you stop someone from dying?" (Referring to the death of Billie's father.)
And with those words, from a true working class hero, I leave you, dear friends, with this question: "What, exactly, is a working class hero?" It's not just "something to be," is it? Can you think of someone in your life that you would call a working class hero? Let us know about it, or better yet, let them know about it!
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