Green Day

Green Day are just an amazing punk rock band that started in the mid-80s as Sweet Children with vocalist and guitarist, Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Al Sobrante (John Kiffmeyer). They changed their name to Green Day, and released 1,039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, then, with a new drummer by the name of Tre Cool, released Kerplunk! In 1993, they signed with Reprise records, after being bugged for so long. They chose Reprise because their soon-to-be producer, Rob Cavallo, was a musician himself, who spoke their language. Dookie was released in 1994, and went diamond. Thus causing a bunch of "hardcore punks", to start calling them "sellouts". Between Dookie to American Idiot, Green Day released Insomniac, Nimrod, Warning, International Superhits and Shenanigans. There has been marriage, children, divorce, girlfriends, music, fights, arrests, etc... In 2004, Green Day released the truly birlliant punk rock opera, American Idiot. It is an album that follows Green Day's signature themes of social problems, but with a more political ATMOSPHERE, simply to relate to the present times. It is more a story of all the member's journeys. Hints from previous records had indicated Green Day coming to this point in their career; the expiramenting; the use of more than three chords and different instruments... More rants about Green Day being "sell-outs" begin. The fact that Green Day are now attracting a much WIDER audience is a ridiculous reason to dislike them. The some of the same teens who are insulting them for kiddies liking them, are the same people who WHERE kiddies when THEY started liking Green Day. The eyeliner controversy is also silly. Green Day have worn eyeliner since early in their career! Check out old interviews for proof. It also hides unsightly dark circles and wrinkles under the eyes! They are not "gay" for wearing makeup. MANY of their influeneces wore makeup. Alice Cooper, Adam Ant, New York Dolls, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, etc.. As for the clothing-- you can't expect them to want to dress like stereoytpical punk idiots. They are also in their 30s now, and shouldn't be dressing like teens-- that's creepy. They have also worn that style of clothing before: during Dookie, Warning & after. John Lydon dissing them is because Lydon hates that Green Day have had so much success as punks. Glen Matlock is a fan, Iggy Pop, Elvis Costello, Bad Religion all like them. Even in an interview with the late Joe Strummer, about a year before he died, he said he likes them. John Lydon and Steve Diggle (who follows Lydon's words all the time)can go toot whatever horns they like. You people are completely confused as to what punk is about-- it makes me want to cry, really. Punk is an underground rock 'n' roll movement based around the DIY (Do it yourself) ethic, individualism, poverty & art. It started with bands like The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, The New York Dolls, etc.. ANY of the original punks from the mid to early 70's will tell you "punk doesn't exist" and "This is not punk" simply because they HATE that label-- it represents being confined to a specific CATEGORY. Although, for the sake of simplicity, punk is described as a movement, it was only ever a collective of individual free spirits. In fact, it is these individuals who make punk difficult to define: just when you have managed to encapsulate the ethos, these free spirits break away and make you think again. This is the essance of the movement... Green Day are free spirits; they didn't follow the stereotypes laid out by the macho "hardcore" punks of the 80s punk-revival scene. "Selling out refers to the compromising of one's integrity, morality and principles in exchange for money, 'success' or other personal gain. It is commonly associated with attempts to increase mass appeal or acceptability to mainstream society. A person who does this, as opposed to following the original path s/he laid (or claimed to lay) out for him/herself, is labeled a sellout and regarded with disgust and immediate loss of respect. Selling out is seen as gaining success at the cost of credibility." -Wikipedia Green Day have not done this. Therefore, there is no arguement, and they have not sold out, and they are more *punk* than other "punk" bands that stayed indie and/or calling Green Day "sell-outs" & "not punk" Also; Sum 41, Good Charlotte, Blink 182, My Chemical Romance, Billy Talent, Underoath, 30 Seconds to Mars, Senses Fail, Taking Back Sunday, Chiodos, The Academy Is, and all these other horrid bands you call "punk". Aren't. And they wouldn't be around if it weren't for Green Day by the way. They ALL (any rock band from 1994 on) recongnize as a MAJOR influence on them-- even as a reason they started a band in the first place. You don't realise it, but it's because of Green Day that you probably even HEARD of punk. Green Day are the reason the mainstream is accepting punk today, and if the mainstream didn't notice punk, than niether would you.