1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:05,480 Speaker 1: Too Much Information is a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 1: Hello everyone, and welcome to Too Much Information, the show 3 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: that brings you the secret histories and little known, fascinating 4 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: facts and figures behind your favorite movies, music, TV shows 5 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:21,639 Speaker 1: and more. We are your two Billie Joe's of the 6 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: bottom line, I'm Alex Hegel and I'm Jordan run Tug 7 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 1: and today Jordan's As you might have gleaned from that intro, 8 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:30,159 Speaker 1: we are talking about one of the defining pieces of 9 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: post media, a second win for one of the biggest 10 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 1: bands of the nineties, and a seemingly universally lauded work 11 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: that spans mediums. That's right, we're talking about Green Days 12 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: American Idiot. Uh. Green Day were one of my gateways 13 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 1: into punk music. International Super Hits was one of the 14 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: like five CDs that I bought as like a child, 15 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: but I kind of stopped checking in with them around 16 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: the time this came out, just because like I had 17 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,280 Speaker 1: already discovered like, quote unquote real punk, and by the 18 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: time this came out, I was like ignoring pop culture basically, 19 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 1: but god, it was hard to ignore this this record. 20 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: I still remember there was like a card dealership in 21 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: my area that had like clearly contacted some anonymous band 22 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: of studio musicians to just recreate an instrumental version of 23 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 1: American Idiot for their like fourth of July super weekend 24 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: of sales. And I was just like, even as a child, 25 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: like the cognitive dissonance struck me. But yeah, I was 26 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:31,960 Speaker 1: really pleasantly surprised. Like going back on it, I was like, 27 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 1: you know what, sure, sure, well yeah, yeah, yeah, what 28 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: about you? Yeah, it's funny. The same error when you 29 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: were getting into jazz was the same era where I 30 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: really didn't engage with anything that I couldn't find on 31 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: Nick at Night or Altast one or three point three. 32 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: So my initial reaction when you told me you wanted 33 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: to do this was I have nothing to say on this. 34 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: But after studying up on American Idiot, I realized I 35 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: knew way more Green Day songs than I realized Because 36 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: of my high school band, we were called Pitched to Johnny. 37 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: We were named after a line from the Rick Morani's 38 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: kids sports movie Little Giants, and we played a bunch 39 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: of Green Day songs, stuff like Minority and J A. R. 40 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: In basket Case. And for years I operated under the 41 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 1: mistaken assumption that our lead singer wrote most of thoks last, 42 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 1: So those were some of the These were some of 43 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: the first baselines I ever learned. Oh yeah, minority is 44 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 1: still like one of my one of my party pieces. Yeah, 45 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: And so I assumed that those were, like at least 46 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: a few of them were originals. Then years later I'd 47 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: hear him on the radio or something and my mind 48 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: would be blown. So I actually know a lot more 49 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 1: Green Day than I thought. So I do have a 50 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: soft spot for them. But my main memory of American 51 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:45,919 Speaker 1: Idiot specifically is from the September of my senior year 52 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: in high school back in two thousand five, and most 53 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:50,360 Speaker 1: of my best friends were in the grade above me, 54 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,919 Speaker 1: and we just had one of those amazing sandlots summers 55 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 1: where we were just goofing off every day and it 56 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 1: was incredible. And it was now September and they were 57 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: all gone there at college and I felt left behind 58 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 1: the loan and I was working my weekend job as 59 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 1: a dishwasher at a local restaurant and my shift was 60 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: about to wrap up around eleven o'clock at night. I 61 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: was running the trash out to the bins, and it 62 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: was like that first chilly night of the season, you know, 63 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: mid September. Summer's over, and this place served really exotic 64 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: food like wild boar and elk. So my smock was 65 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: covered with dishwasher and like the blood of wild game. 66 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 1: And so I was cold, I was smelly, I was tired. 67 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: It was Sunday night, I had school in the morning, 68 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: my best friends were all gone off to college. Nothing 69 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: was ever going to be the same. And just so 70 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: happened that the grandparents of a girl that I liked 71 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: happened to live next door to this restaurant, and we've 72 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: taken prom photos there just a few months earlier. Now 73 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: she was off with college men, and I was covered 74 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 1: in nailk blood, logging bags of rotting food to a dumpster. 75 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: I was I was in my feelings, let me put 76 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 1: it that way. And suddenly, from the nearby parking lot, 77 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: I hear one of the cars to start playing Summer's 78 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: Come and Pass. The Innocent can never last wake me 79 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: up when September ends. So if fans would like to 80 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: tweet at us about this episode, please use the hashtag cold, tired, 81 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: and covered in elk blood. Between that moment and nine eleven, 82 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,280 Speaker 1: this record really comes jam packed with traumatic teenage moments. 83 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:24,160 Speaker 1: It's an album about love and loss and paranoia and politics, 84 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 1: released after the wave of jingoistic post nine eleven patriotism 85 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 1: had given way to anxiety and cynicism and belise you. 86 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:33,600 Speaker 1: Armstrong told MTV in two thousand and five, a lot 87 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 1: of the record is about the confusion and what's going 88 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:39,479 Speaker 1: on today, the non reality of reality television meets what 89 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:42,240 Speaker 1: you can see on CNN, and what kind of fears 90 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 1: are being imposed on you as the watcher. So a 91 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:51,039 Speaker 1: rich text for a band whose breakthrough album was called Dookie, Dookie, Dookie, 92 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:54,600 Speaker 1: Dookie Dookie. I guess it's a variation. I've been thinking 93 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: about this a lot, because if I wrote this a 94 00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 1: few few days ago, there is a really annoying strain 95 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,239 Speaker 1: of liberal smarm from around this time that I feel 96 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: is actually exemplified by this record. Um, yeah, I do 97 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: you know. The two thousand election was kind of the 98 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 1: opening salvo and what would sort of become this country's 99 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 1: inexorable slide to like religious fascism, which is, you know 100 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 1: where we're at now, and the like response from the 101 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 1: democratic establishment and like bands like this were to just 102 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 1: like make fun of George Bush and feel like and 103 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:30,359 Speaker 1: look at Comedy Central and like that's my Bush and 104 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:32,919 Speaker 1: all that. Yeah, And it's like, you know, knowing what 105 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 1: like the Republicans have been up to in terms of 106 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 1: like and not like a judgment, just I'm saying the 107 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: quality of their machinations like court packing and redistricting and 108 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: suppressing voter rights and like all of this, and then 109 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 1: the liberals wing of this country was just so far behind, 110 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 1: like chess versus checkers, you know, they were like they 111 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 1: were like appointing. They were like appointing conservative justices who 112 00:05:57,240 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: are going to like help overturn Roe v. Wade and 113 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 1: live rules were like wearing George Bush masks and going 114 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 1: on yeah yeah, and like register to vote kids, like 115 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,920 Speaker 1: that'll fix it, like going back on it. It's like 116 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: especially Green Day two, it's like lauding this is some 117 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 1: kind of like big political work. I'm just like these 118 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: guys were millionaires. This made them richer and it did 119 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 1: not it helped, It helped nothing. I know they were 120 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,599 Speaker 1: involved in like Rock the Vote. But like it's weird 121 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:28,839 Speaker 1: to me because like I'm not you know, like I'm 122 00:06:28,839 --> 00:06:32,159 Speaker 1: not an activist man, but I am like peripherally aware. 123 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:34,680 Speaker 1: And when you think about like this era, people were 124 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:38,080 Speaker 1: so asleep at the damn wheel. I mean, like this 125 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: constituted lefty art. I mean, I get that it's mainstream 126 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:45,200 Speaker 1: and so it's but but I'm like, you guys really 127 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: could have tried harder. You know, not that I need 128 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:51,119 Speaker 1: you to boy that I expected Billy Joe arm starting 129 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:53,479 Speaker 1: to like be bombing the Supreme Court or anything, but like, 130 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:56,520 Speaker 1: that's it, that that was what you had. Just goes 131 00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 1: to show art can't change things. Has been a production 132 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio Anyway, from the act of larceny 133 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 1: that precipitated the record to its debauched recording process. So 134 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: the strange second life of the album is a Broadway musical. 135 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 1: Here's everything you didn't know about Green Days American Idiot 136 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 1: in the Only two thousand's Green Day was at a 137 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: cross rights. One of the biggest success stories of the 138 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: UH nineties alternative culture becoming the mainstream. The band went 139 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: from a trio of Berkeley based punk's bashing out odes 140 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:37,960 Speaker 1: to Weed and Masturbation in the East Bays Hallow d I, 141 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 1: Y Venulman Street and co writing songs with Rancid, to 142 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 1: a world conquering force with February Dukie. You know, Rancid 143 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,280 Speaker 1: asked Billy Joe too have joined them. No, I didn't. Yeah, 144 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 1: he's been very open about how big of an influence. 145 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 1: Operation Ivy, which is the band to the guys in 146 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:58,160 Speaker 1: Rancid started when I in high school. They'd like a 147 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 1: huge influence on him. They cover Operation Ivy songs, one 148 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: of them in concert all the time. And Yeah, Rancid 149 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 1: asked him to join it, and he declined because he 150 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: was in Green Day. And then I think the year 151 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: before Ranci's big breakthrough Upcome the Wolves came out, Dukey 152 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 1: came out. Billy Jarmstrong has a co writing credit on 153 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 1: one of the best Love Francis songs Radio and he 154 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 1: is not related to Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong, despite having 155 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: the same name and growing up in the same geographical area. Anyway, 156 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: the bands we all somehow related to francisally vocalist Tim Armstrong. 157 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: God I wish the band's pre Dukey record for the 158 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:37,560 Speaker 1: Seminole East Bay label Lookout Records. Ker Plunk sold a 159 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: reported ten thousand copies on its first day of release, 160 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 1: and that's what got major labels sniffing around. Man between 161 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: Rancid and Jawbreaker in being in San Francisco, like the 162 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 1: East Bay was like really kind of second to Seattle 163 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:55,359 Speaker 1: at the time. I mean, people always forget that Metallico 164 00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: was from San Francisco at one point. You know, ker 165 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: Plunk is also supposedly Serena Williams favorite record I just 166 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: found out was found it on Twitter. She was just 167 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:08,960 Speaker 1: just they were like, what album can you listen to 168 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: over and over again without getting tired of? And Serena 169 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:15,199 Speaker 1: Williams like Green Day or Plunk incredible. I didn't realize 170 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 1: until recently that the band's name green Day was taken 171 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:21,040 Speaker 1: from an expression and I think an early song about 172 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: doing nothing all day but smoking weed. I think a 173 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 1: green Day. I guess I probably should have put that together. 174 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:28,440 Speaker 1: Have you made a pilgrimage to Gilman Street since you 175 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 1: moved out to Berkeley? I haven't yet. Someone told me 176 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 1: I was too old, too old because it's an all 177 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:37,880 Speaker 1: ages venue, and it's like, it's like, yeah, someone told 178 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 1: me I was too old. I really spat in their face. 179 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:48,240 Speaker 1: Yeah I am too ventures out And the hell my 180 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:51,640 Speaker 1: anti teeth grinding mouth guard I have to wear well. 181 00:09:51,679 --> 00:09:54,480 Speaker 1: I sleep U Dookie won the band of Grammy for 182 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: Best Alternative Album, and was eventually certified Diamond by the 183 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 1: r I Double A, selling close to twenty million copies worldwide. Consequently, 184 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: there is pretty much nowhere else to go but down 185 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:10,560 Speaker 1: for Green Day. Um. Their Moody or follow ups nim 186 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:13,760 Speaker 1: Rod and Insomniac sol nowhere near as well, although they 187 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: do have beloved Green Day songs like brain stew and 188 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:20,080 Speaker 1: Good Riddence, Time of Your Life a k a. The 189 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:24,240 Speaker 1: Graduates Graduating song, the song that they played during the 190 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 1: final Seinfeld episode really either immediately no, I'm not, either 191 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:33,760 Speaker 1: immediately before it or immediately after. They had a montage 192 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:37,080 Speaker 1: like a slow in my head at CPA. I don't 193 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: think it is, but like a slow mo montage to 194 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:43,640 Speaker 1: that look it up. I remember watching it live well. 195 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:45,920 Speaker 1: By their own admission, they were somewhat creatively spent by 196 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 1: the time of two thousand's Warning, which, despite having minority 197 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:51,960 Speaker 1: as you mentioned, that song does in fact whip that 198 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:55,040 Speaker 1: record did not sell anywhere is near as well. It 199 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:58,319 Speaker 1: uh rips off the Kinks picture book. It's one of 200 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:04,599 Speaker 1: those songs remember so yeah, Well live with that. It 201 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:09,680 Speaker 1: just steals picture book That Kinks baseline on picture Book 202 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 1: that was incredible. That riff is amazing. That's up there 203 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:14,760 Speaker 1: with like you really got me in terms of how 204 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:16,680 Speaker 1: much I love it, And I would argue in terms 205 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: of influence. I feel like a lot of songs of 206 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:22,559 Speaker 1: it that there's a I think a Mac DeMarco song 207 00:11:22,559 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 1: where he pretty much just steals one of the picture 208 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:28,719 Speaker 1: book melodies or hooks or something, and I'm just a 209 00:11:29,559 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: rich text anyway between Warning and American Idiots. So four years, 210 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:36,640 Speaker 1: the only things that the band would release would be 211 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 1: a Japan only live EP, the aforementioned International super Hits collection, 212 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 1: and a B sides and rarity comp And I think 213 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,200 Speaker 1: at least we're insomniac. They had instituted like the self 214 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 1: imposed press blackouts. They were very much tired of this 215 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: whole fame thing at this stage. Yeah. I mean when 216 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:56,960 Speaker 1: we were researching this, we were like, it's like Billy 217 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 1: Joel felt old, he had just turned thirty, and we're 218 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:01,920 Speaker 1: like to that, and four he was thirty no way, 219 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:03,960 Speaker 1: And then you realized that they got famous when they 220 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:08,719 Speaker 1: were like children. Yeah. Um, there's one important song on 221 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:11,320 Speaker 1: Warning that could be seen as a precursor to American 222 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:13,960 Speaker 1: Idiot and that is the album's first single, The aforementioned 223 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:18,439 Speaker 1: minority Billy Joe said in this Mark Spitz book from 224 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 1: two thousand seven, Nobody Likes You Inside the Turbulent Lifetimes 225 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:24,400 Speaker 1: and Music of Green Day. Uh, he said, we were 226 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:26,120 Speaker 1: starting to think about how there was going to be 227 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 1: a changing of the guard from Clinton to somebody else. 228 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:31,000 Speaker 1: It didn't look good for al Gore. It was just 229 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:32,559 Speaker 1: a sort of feeling that I knew there was going 230 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:34,839 Speaker 1: to be someone really conservative who was going to come 231 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:37,560 Speaker 1: into office. And after he was elected, we watched the 232 00:12:37,559 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 1: culture sort of sway. Song was released August two thousands, 233 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:45,400 Speaker 1: So good on you, Billy um. But they were still 234 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:47,240 Speaker 1: kind of in a in an awkward place when that 235 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 1: record came out. You know, this is the era of 236 00:12:49,679 --> 00:12:52,319 Speaker 1: new metal, Limbiscuit and corn or kind of battling it 237 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 1: out for like number one and number two of that era. Um, 238 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:01,080 Speaker 1: they're both number two. Hey, that's a Green Day friendly 239 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:06,199 Speaker 1: joke right there. Yeah. The NYC rock renaissance was still 240 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:08,960 Speaker 1: like it was basically right around the corner. But did 241 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:14,320 Speaker 1: white blood Cells come out? And two thousand I thought 242 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:19,480 Speaker 1: that was a one Maybe that's elephant. Yeah, So either way, 243 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:21,920 Speaker 1: they were like old considered old, I guess because like 244 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:24,480 Speaker 1: Blink Wnity two was also the big pop punk band 245 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:28,240 Speaker 1: at the time, and Green Day were like elder Statesman. Anyway, Yeah, 246 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:32,840 Speaker 1: their personal lives and intro band dynamic had suffered from 247 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: both their diminishing sales and the roller coaster ride of fame. 248 00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:39,079 Speaker 1: So as you mentioned, by age twenty three, they were 249 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:42,439 Speaker 1: all millionaires and all married, and eventually, as it was 250 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 1: laid out in a two thousand five Rolling Stone profile, 251 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:50,800 Speaker 1: five kids and three divorces between them, uh Mike turned 252 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,560 Speaker 1: second wife told him that she was leaving him the 253 00:13:53,679 --> 00:13:57,360 Speaker 1: day they finished American Idiot. Why, he later said, when 254 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:00,120 Speaker 1: we mastered the record, I cried through the entire thing. 255 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,880 Speaker 1: But Bill Jo Armstrong has been married to his uh well, 256 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:06,680 Speaker 1: I think a high school sweetheart. They got married like 257 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 1: completely spurred the moment. In fact right adorable. But in 258 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:14,080 Speaker 1: two thousand one they put out, as you mentioned, the 259 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:15,960 Speaker 1: Greatest Hits album and went on the road for the 260 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 1: Pop Disaster Tour, co headlining with Blink one eight two 261 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:22,320 Speaker 1: and the Warped Tour. The fact that they released the 262 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 1: Greatest Hits album I think is very telling because it's 263 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: hard to imagine now, But in the lead up to 264 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:30,000 Speaker 1: American Idiot, Green Day very much seemed like a band 265 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,400 Speaker 1: that had just run its race and we're now past it. 266 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 1: And you know you mentioned they were now considered old. 267 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:39,200 Speaker 1: They were gasp in their thirties. And it's funny the 268 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:41,520 Speaker 1: Beatles had a similar thing happened to them just before 269 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:44,720 Speaker 1: Sergeant Pepper when they'd stopped touring and did solo stuff 270 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:47,680 Speaker 1: or individual stuff, I should say, for a few months. 271 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 1: But these very triumphant live dates on this Pop Disaster 272 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 1: tour were, as you say, a band aid on a 273 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 1: larger wound festering within the band. Billy Joe later said, 274 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 1: seeing a decade of your songs laid out like that 275 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 1: is an invitation to a midlife crisis. Suddenly we were 276 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:07,360 Speaker 1: asking why are we in this band, why do we 277 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:09,800 Speaker 1: want to keep doing this? And you know what might 278 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: happen if we challenged ourselves, and Mike Dirt added breaking 279 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:15,360 Speaker 1: up was an option. We were arguing a lot, and 280 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:19,240 Speaker 1: we were miserable. We needed to shift directions, and Billy 281 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 1: Joel had supposedly become distant from his bandmates, basically afraid 282 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:26,360 Speaker 1: to bring songs to them for fear of them being 283 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 1: too critical of them, and all three, by their own admission, 284 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:33,160 Speaker 1: we're drinking too much. Drake Cool, what have an awful 285 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:37,720 Speaker 1: name that's up there with the the edge Um. With 286 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:40,280 Speaker 1: this as the context, the band returned home from this 287 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:44,520 Speaker 1: stretch of tours in September two thousand and one, at 288 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:48,400 Speaker 1: which point the obvious occurred. UH. Talking to USA Today 289 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 1: three years later, Billy Joe said, I think after September eleventh, 290 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:54,360 Speaker 1: I took a step back. As an artist. You get 291 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 1: kind of like hesitant, thinking, I don't want to speak 292 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:58,800 Speaker 1: too soon. I know something's going to come out of it, 293 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:01,680 Speaker 1: but right now I don't have to process things because 294 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: it just seems so unreal. Obviously broad strokes. In the 295 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:09,120 Speaker 1: period following nine eleven, America swung to the right, with 296 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:16,280 Speaker 1: jingoism and hawkishness. Hawkishnessness the prevailing moods across the country. 297 00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:19,680 Speaker 1: Uh and Armstrong also turned thirty in two thousand two, 298 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:22,120 Speaker 1: as we mentioned, which put him in a reflective mood. 299 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:25,760 Speaker 1: But amidst all the personal and professional turmoil, Billie Joe 300 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:29,200 Speaker 1: decides that the camp to New York City, going right 301 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:32,400 Speaker 1: for the center of it all by himself for a 302 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:35,200 Speaker 1: month to try to break his writer's block, and he 303 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:38,840 Speaker 1: rented a small apartment downtown and spent a lot of 304 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 1: time drinking and partying in East Village bars like Niagara 305 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 1: and Black and White, both of which I think are 306 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 1: still there. Um, both of those bars are owned or 307 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:50,800 Speaker 1: at least worth the time by Ryan adams associate named 308 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 1: Johnny t. Yarrington. That sounds like a made up name. 309 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:56,240 Speaker 1: I think that sounds like something you put in there 310 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 1: just because you want to hear me saying. But sure, uh, 311 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:03,400 Speaker 1: And this Johnny t Yarrington guy rented a rehearsal space 312 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:07,120 Speaker 1: under a bar on Avenue, a hi Fi a kind 313 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:11,239 Speaker 1: of notorious early two thousands musicians hang out definitely like 314 00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:15,400 Speaker 1: meet me in the bathroom type spot, right, Yeah. Yeah, 315 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: So Billy Joll gets involved in this whole lower Reasside 316 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:21,119 Speaker 1: early two thousand's rock scene and ends up singing on 317 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:25,119 Speaker 1: Ryan adams album Rock and Roll, which I didn't realize. Yeah. 318 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: I mean, if there's a sure way to uh detonate 319 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 1: your personal life around this time, it's hanging out with 320 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:35,359 Speaker 1: Ryan Adams. Um. Uh. Jesse Mallen told Mark Spitz, I 321 00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:37,760 Speaker 1: don't really know what Armstrong's full experience was, but I 322 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:40,359 Speaker 1: know it didn't last too long here, and suddenly I 323 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,760 Speaker 1: didn't hear from him for a while. His wife Adrian 324 00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:46,679 Speaker 1: told Rolling Stone later, Billy Joe was really questioning what 325 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,080 Speaker 1: he was doing. It was scary because where he had 326 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:51,240 Speaker 1: to go to get this record wasn't a place I'm 327 00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:55,280 Speaker 1: sure I wanted him to beat. Oh uh. Photographer Bob 328 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:57,439 Speaker 1: grew In told Spits in the book. A lot of 329 00:17:57,480 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 1: people talk about that time, and probably some of the 330 00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 1: ideas for what became songs for American Idiot were germinating. 331 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:06,880 Speaker 1: During that period. Brian was drinking a lot. I don't 332 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:09,000 Speaker 1: think Billy had come to New York to be that drunk, 333 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:11,480 Speaker 1: and so he went home. I don't think it was 334 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 1: the inspiration he was looking for, and so he went 335 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:17,040 Speaker 1: home within a couple of weeks. I love that Bob 336 00:18:17,119 --> 00:18:20,040 Speaker 1: Gruin shows up in the story. I love him. He's 337 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:22,720 Speaker 1: the guy who shot all these really famous photos of 338 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:25,200 Speaker 1: John Lennon in the seventies, in his New York era, 339 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: like on the roof of that apartment building, in the 340 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:29,800 Speaker 1: New York T shirt with the sleeves cut off, and 341 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:31,720 Speaker 1: the one where he's given the peace sign about the 342 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:34,160 Speaker 1: Statue of Liberty. I sat next to him at Ronnie 343 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:38,840 Speaker 1: Spector's funeral. H I love him. Yeah. Uh, I think 344 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:42,200 Speaker 1: Billy Joe was also robbed at gunpoint in New York 345 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:48,680 Speaker 1: during this period. Uh, it was by Ryan Adams. Ryan 346 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:51,000 Speaker 1: Adams is like the villain of Meet Me in the 347 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:53,200 Speaker 1: path Throom. Oh, he very much is. Yeah, I mean 348 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:57,119 Speaker 1: he got They basically blame him for giving Albert Hammond Jr. 349 00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:59,920 Speaker 1: Heroin Abbot and that was written before all the cree 350 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:04,879 Speaker 1: be phoebe Bridgish came out. Yeah. Overall, it's interesting Billie 351 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:08,720 Speaker 1: Joe's aversions of violence played into this album American Idiot 352 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,080 Speaker 1: in a small way. His two sons were starting to 353 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:14,320 Speaker 1: get old enough where they were asking questions about the world, 354 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:16,240 Speaker 1: and he went out of his way to try to 355 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:19,320 Speaker 1: shield them from nine eleven coverage and said that he 356 00:19:19,359 --> 00:19:22,640 Speaker 1: forbade them from playing violent video games. You see kind 357 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:26,760 Speaker 1: of an awakening of this more politicized consciousness, or at 358 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:31,160 Speaker 1: least overtly so around this time. I mean it's obviously 359 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 1: not eleven politicized the whole generation of people, but um, 360 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:39,399 Speaker 1: you start to see little elements that would influence American Idiots. 361 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:42,240 Speaker 1: So with all of this in the background. The band 362 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:45,679 Speaker 1: had been working on their seventh record, tentatively titled Cigarettes 363 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:49,159 Speaker 1: and Valentine's at Studio eight eighty in Oakland, and one 364 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,399 Speaker 1: day they showed up in November of two thousand two 365 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:54,320 Speaker 1: and found that the master tapes for the record had disappeared. 366 00:19:54,680 --> 00:20:03,080 Speaker 1: Albums are gasp, Yeah, you have to make that. Yeah, 367 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:06,200 Speaker 1: albums are kept on tiny discs these days, Armstrong told 368 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 1: Time magazine, and someone walked off with ours. Uh. Spits 369 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:12,520 Speaker 1: obviously asked everyone in the band's orbit about the possibly 370 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:16,119 Speaker 1: purloined material for the book, and most people clam up 371 00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:19,439 Speaker 1: about it, like like weirdly, like we can't talk about 372 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:23,120 Speaker 1: this kind of stuff. Uh like n d a style. UH. 373 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:28,000 Speaker 1: Studio owner John Lucassie said emphatically, though it was not 374 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:31,520 Speaker 1: taken from here. Everybody's been writing that it was taken 375 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:34,159 Speaker 1: from here. It was not. I mean they took their 376 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:36,600 Speaker 1: drives with them at the time. There was nothing that 377 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:41,280 Speaker 1: was ever stolen from here. There are safe everything, surveillance safe, 378 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:44,679 Speaker 1: multiple steel doors you would have to go through. UM. 379 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:46,879 Speaker 1: I guess the band has since recovered these and may 380 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 1: release them in the future. The title track has been 381 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:54,240 Speaker 1: heard on a live record I find this all really suspicious. 382 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:57,320 Speaker 1: I mean the fact that it didn't get leaked, It 383 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:00,200 Speaker 1: wasn't like help for ransom or anything. I mean, those 384 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:02,439 Speaker 1: are like the only two reasons why you would steal 385 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:04,440 Speaker 1: tapes is to either leak them or hold them from 386 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:06,400 Speaker 1: ransom get money for it. Do we think the Green 387 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:10,080 Speaker 1: Day made this whole thing up and for either did 388 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:15,440 Speaker 1: it themselves or because it makes for a better story. Yes, yeah, 389 00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:19,080 Speaker 1: I mean maybe it's just very bad. Maybe it was 390 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 1: just a really bad album. I guess the prime their 391 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:26,400 Speaker 1: creative pump in this period at the beginning of these sessions, 392 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,719 Speaker 1: they were recording like polka songs and dirty Christmas songs 393 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:32,520 Speaker 1: and salsa numbers and stuff. So I'm gonna go with 394 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,040 Speaker 1: it probably sucked and maybe it was an inside job 395 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:38,240 Speaker 1: and they stole it themselves. Is there like insurance on 396 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:40,640 Speaker 1: that kind of thing, like if something goes wrong with 397 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:43,360 Speaker 1: your masters during a recording session, Like I've never heard 398 00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:46,200 Speaker 1: of that, but but you know what I know just 399 00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:48,560 Speaker 1: came to my mind that could explain why this guy 400 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:50,520 Speaker 1: is so piste off in the in the book, is 401 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:52,560 Speaker 1: that maybe they used it as an excuse to get 402 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: out of recording at that studio. Oh, maybe somebody a 403 00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:02,800 Speaker 1: bad reputation too. Yeah, it's m let's let's we're gonna 404 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 1: spawn these nine eleven style conspiracy theories about the lost 405 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,440 Speaker 1: Green Day album that I don't give you about. It's 406 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:10,920 Speaker 1: kind of brilliant, Like, we made a bad album, what 407 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:14,320 Speaker 1: do we do? We pretend to gut stolen. If there's 408 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:16,679 Speaker 1: some kind of weird insurance thing or financial thing that 409 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:18,840 Speaker 1: we can get out of it. Great, and then twenty 410 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:22,200 Speaker 1: years we mysteriously find it and suddenly it has this 411 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:24,879 Speaker 1: mythology around it and we sell it. Then that's how 412 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:27,440 Speaker 1: you make a good album, bad or bad album good. 413 00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:31,000 Speaker 1: It's true. Well, whatever the case, it was an opportunity 414 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:32,840 Speaker 1: for the band to take a beat, and, aided by 415 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:36,439 Speaker 1: their longtime producer Rob Cavallo, they decided this lost record 416 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,160 Speaker 1: was not irreplaceable, hunkered down for a heart to heart 417 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:42,919 Speaker 1: with each other that was apparently mediated by Cavallo, and 418 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:45,880 Speaker 1: decided to start from fresh um. He was a music 419 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:48,760 Speaker 1: industry vet when his work on Dukie with the band 420 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:52,080 Speaker 1: catapulted him into the mainstream. He would stick with Green Day, 421 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:53,800 Speaker 1: but then go on to have a hand in multiple 422 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:59,879 Speaker 1: hits from other bands, including Google, Dolls, Omnipresent Iris I, 423 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:04,119 Speaker 1: and also multiple cuts from Phil Collins Tarzan soundtrack. I 424 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:07,680 Speaker 1: Can't Deal with Iris. That's a song that I subconsciously 425 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:11,600 Speaker 1: plagiarized in a love letter I wrote in ninth grade. 426 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:19,560 Speaker 1: It's a good song. What's it's a good song? Really? Yeah? Okay, 427 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:25,920 Speaker 1: intense sidebar? You know John Man, Yeah, Brooklyn band guy 428 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:29,639 Speaker 1: about town, John Mann one of my groomsmen. Uh. I 429 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:32,160 Speaker 1: call him Guy Patterson because he looks like and it's 430 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:35,239 Speaker 1: just as sweet as uh, the Guy Patterson character from 431 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:37,199 Speaker 1: that thing you do the drummer. Yeah, he looks like 432 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:40,240 Speaker 1: Tom Everett too. He loves early Google dolls when they 433 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:43,439 Speaker 1: were like really influenced by the Replacements, and we're like 434 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:48,960 Speaker 1: closer to Jawbreaker than than Iris. And he told me 435 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:52,880 Speaker 1: this like heartwrenching story about like Johnny Resnick growing up 436 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:56,360 Speaker 1: in Buffalo, New York and being like forced to take 437 00:23:56,400 --> 00:24:01,520 Speaker 1: accordion lessons and having to lug this accordion from like 438 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:03,760 Speaker 1: the B side of Buffalo where he grew up to 439 00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:08,480 Speaker 1: take these lessons. Um, I don't know, just really humanized 440 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:11,560 Speaker 1: Google dolls for me. I bear them. No quarrel I 441 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:13,800 Speaker 1: played a charity as a little kid and tried to 442 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:15,879 Speaker 1: impress a little girl who lived down the street for 443 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 1: me when I was like eight, by playing accordion marching 444 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,080 Speaker 1: back and forth outside of her house. Oh yeah, you've 445 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:24,200 Speaker 1: told me that before. Super weird. When that that didn't work, 446 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:27,000 Speaker 1: I didn't know her mom came out and told me 447 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:32,000 Speaker 1: to go home because she wasn't there. Well. At some point, 448 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,680 Speaker 1: Armstrong was driving along and did not hear the sound 449 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: of a young lovelorn man playing accordion in the street. 450 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:43,280 Speaker 1: He heard a song by Leonard skinnerd called That's how 451 00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:46,040 Speaker 1: I like it. It's even worse than me playing accordion 452 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:50,320 Speaker 1: at age seven. Yeah, nothing like three guitars and Confederate 453 00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:55,200 Speaker 1: apology sympathists. Um I don't I I like a lot 454 00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:59,400 Speaker 1: of leon skinnered Um. But but this song I didn't 455 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:02,359 Speaker 1: know this song at contains the lyrics. It reads like 456 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:04,960 Speaker 1: a parody. It reads like like are you ready for 457 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:09,560 Speaker 1: some football? Kind of Vanzanti. It probably is their state 458 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 1: fair I call their state fair years. Oh oh yeah, 459 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:20,879 Speaker 1: it's from two thousand three, which explains why these lyrics 460 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,399 Speaker 1: are so awful. Like my women hot and my beer 461 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:28,439 Speaker 1: ice cold, real fast car and my whiskey old. I 462 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:31,720 Speaker 1: can slow drive down an old dirt road, That's how 463 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,359 Speaker 1: I like it. I can turn my music way up loud. 464 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 1: Ain't nothing better than the sound of a crowd American flag. 465 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:41,199 Speaker 1: It makes me proud, That's how I like it. And 466 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:44,679 Speaker 1: Armstrong was so cheesed off, justifiably so, that he that 467 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:49,359 Speaker 1: was the genesis of American Idiot, But apparently the notion 468 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:51,760 Speaker 1: of a punk rock opera had been kicking around his 469 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:56,200 Speaker 1: head for years. There's a profile in CMJ from that 470 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:59,639 Speaker 1: mentions um the notion of such a thing, along with 471 00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 1: a two CD concept album, as among the wild ideas 472 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:07,840 Speaker 1: that Billy Joe was kicking around in those days. Yeah, 473 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:09,879 Speaker 1: even in the early days they talked about wanting to 474 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:12,439 Speaker 1: have a Beatle like arc to their creative life, and 475 00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:15,560 Speaker 1: now they were getting into their more experimental era, and 476 00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:19,160 Speaker 1: Billy Joel later described the ambition by saying, we decided 477 00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:21,199 Speaker 1: we were going to be the biggest best band in 478 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: the world or fall flat on our faces. And hilariously, 479 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:28,919 Speaker 1: there was a review of American Idiot in Slant magazine 480 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:32,760 Speaker 1: that opens with this tremendous lead. Of all the negative 481 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:35,639 Speaker 1: effects the Bush administration has had on the world, the 482 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:38,399 Speaker 1: most unlikely bit of collateral damage has to be the 483 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:44,160 Speaker 1: return of the rock opera. As you meditate on that, 484 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:47,160 Speaker 1: We'll be right back with more too much information. After 485 00:26:47,240 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: these messages, the songs for the record started to take 486 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:05,920 Speaker 1: shape during these demo sessions in Oakland. The opening suite 487 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 1: for the record, Homecoming, came together out of necessity. Mike 488 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:12,280 Speaker 1: Dirt was left alone in the studio after Armstrong was 489 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:15,399 Speaker 1: summoned to community service stemming from a d u I 490 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:19,440 Speaker 1: and Trey Cool was meeting with divorce lawyers, which is 491 00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:23,080 Speaker 1: a grim, grim couple of reasons to miss band practice. 492 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:26,320 Speaker 1: Dirt came up with a thirty second song and sent 493 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:27,760 Speaker 1: it to the other two and they kind of took 494 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:30,560 Speaker 1: it as a challenge to develop their own. And that, folks, 495 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:33,000 Speaker 1: is how you get a mini suite. UM. You know, 496 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:35,440 Speaker 1: the big obvious touchstones for this are like those who 497 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:40,040 Speaker 1: records you know, quick one while he's away, the biggest one. UM. 498 00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:42,040 Speaker 1: They demo these students in Oakland, but then they split 499 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:46,680 Speaker 1: for l A and uh, those sessions did not start auspiciously. 500 00:27:47,359 --> 00:27:51,439 Speaker 1: They arrived at Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood on April 501 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,880 Speaker 1: two thousand three, and the studio caught fire. So they 502 00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:58,280 Speaker 1: went I have dinna say, I feel like Trey Cool 503 00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:02,960 Speaker 1: has something to do with this. Well, yeah, with what 504 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,840 Speaker 1: I'm about to say, wouldn't shock me. Uh. They got 505 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:09,160 Speaker 1: back to their hotel and, according to him, went and partied. 506 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:12,399 Speaker 1: Um despite the fact that this was a major I mean, 507 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:15,440 Speaker 1: they could still pull budgets. We wrapped up this stuff 508 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:19,359 Speaker 1: at Capital Studios. Trade Cool brought something like seventy five 509 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:23,680 Speaker 1: snare drums of varying vintages to these sessions. This whole, 510 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:26,160 Speaker 1: the whole tracking phase seems like a very bizarre mix 511 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:32,240 Speaker 1: of unrepentant hedonism and slowly maturing as people, which I 512 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:35,400 Speaker 1: guess is a lot of people's early thirties. Maybe they 513 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:38,240 Speaker 1: just didn't want to make this album. Okay, first time around, 514 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:39,760 Speaker 1: all right, how do we get out of recording at 515 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:43,040 Speaker 1: the studio? Somebody steal our masters? Okay, second time around, 516 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:48,000 Speaker 1: how do we get recording it? Burn it to the ground? Alright. So, 517 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:51,400 Speaker 1: but things did start to fall into place once you know, 518 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:56,520 Speaker 1: the studio blaze subsided. Tray Cool later said that he 519 00:28:56,560 --> 00:28:59,520 Speaker 1: remembered thinking, Wow, we're nailing it. There was just such 520 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:02,600 Speaker 1: energy to it. I felt like Frank Sinatra was in 521 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:06,320 Speaker 1: the Room with Us, which is a surprising choice of studio. 522 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 1: Ghost was the King of He was the King of 523 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:12,920 Speaker 1: Student of Capital Studios though, I guess. But but I'd 524 00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 1: like to talk a bit more about the hedonism element, 525 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:18,280 Speaker 1: if I may. I think this was at their previous studio, 526 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 1: Studio eight eighty in Oakland, so maybe this is when 527 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:23,720 Speaker 1: they were making their lost prior album. But I guess 528 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: they set up a pirate radio station in the studio 529 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:31,040 Speaker 1: and broadcast their work in progress and various jam sessions 530 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 1: just out across the Bay area. Um and also considering 531 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:36,720 Speaker 1: that the show Cranky Anchors was at the peak of 532 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:39,480 Speaker 1: its popularity. They would also make prank phone calls and 533 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:44,080 Speaker 1: broadcast those, and Trey Cool apparently would do stuff like 534 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:47,719 Speaker 1: call an animal crematorium in Hawaii and claim that they 535 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:52,320 Speaker 1: lost his monkey. They're just yeah, I guess he had 536 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:58,680 Speaker 1: to be there. They're the Verily Brothers of punk rock. Um. Yeah. 537 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:02,760 Speaker 1: They also did this our side project, The Network. They 538 00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:05,520 Speaker 1: wrote an entire album in a Day of the Strange, 539 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:08,680 Speaker 1: like fake New Wavy thing, and they released it under 540 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:12,480 Speaker 1: the title Money Money in two thousand three, and they 541 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:15,440 Speaker 1: pretended to be this fake band The Network and they 542 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: were just masked characters with names like the Snow and 543 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:22,160 Speaker 1: Captain Underpants, And for years they would pretend like they 544 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:24,360 Speaker 1: had no idea who these people were, They had nothing 545 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:26,080 Speaker 1: to do with them. It was always just like wink 546 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:28,560 Speaker 1: wink thing whenever they were being interviewed and asked about 547 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:31,040 Speaker 1: the network, they had always I've never actually seen them 548 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:33,520 Speaker 1: in person before, I've heard about them, and they were 549 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:36,240 Speaker 1: all like pretending that it wasn't actually them, but it 550 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:39,360 Speaker 1: obviously was so clearly they had a lot of steam 551 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:44,160 Speaker 1: to blow off during sessions for American Idiot Um. Anyway, 552 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:47,880 Speaker 1: now that we've discussed the slightly more sophomore excited green day, 553 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:50,680 Speaker 1: HI tell us about all the ways they matured during 554 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:53,480 Speaker 1: these sessions. I guess, Uh, you know, being in a 555 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:55,880 Speaker 1: band with a bunch of guys who you're bonding things 556 00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:59,520 Speaker 1: were smoking weed and masturbating. Uh, and then you've just 557 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:01,320 Speaker 1: been friends with them for like thirty years and been 558 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:04,080 Speaker 1: in a band. It doesn't lead to the best band 559 00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 1: bonded differently, it doesn't lead to the best communication practices. Yeah, 560 00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:12,960 Speaker 1: I guess they started Armstrong pitched essentially like weekly touch 561 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:17,880 Speaker 1: base and touch Bases slash Heart to hearts within the band. Yeah, 562 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:22,800 Speaker 1: you never did that. No, and I never will. Uh, 563 00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:28,680 Speaker 1: this is not you wouldn't therapy go elsewhere. As reported 564 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:31,720 Speaker 1: in Rolling Stone, we bared our souls to one another, 565 00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:34,520 Speaker 1: Mike Dern said, Admitting that we cared for each other 566 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:37,920 Speaker 1: was a big thing. Trey Cool added, we didn't hold 567 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:40,680 Speaker 1: anything back. He said, before Billy would write a song 568 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:43,880 Speaker 1: get stuck and say get the imaginary Mike and Trey 569 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:47,080 Speaker 1: and his head would say that song sucks, don't waste 570 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:49,440 Speaker 1: your time on it. He stopped doing that and became 571 00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:53,040 Speaker 1: totally fearless around me and Mike. Bullie Joe later told 572 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:55,520 Speaker 1: the Alternative Press there was a lot of talking going 573 00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:57,680 Speaker 1: on with this record, and a lot of the growing 574 00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:00,440 Speaker 1: up process for us was like, dude, even saying the 575 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:02,720 Speaker 1: same thing to me since you were fifteen, and I've 576 00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:05,920 Speaker 1: been hating it for fifteen years. We just let it 577 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:08,800 Speaker 1: all out and declared our places and then felt comfortable 578 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:11,000 Speaker 1: in our places, and it was a very big deal 579 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:13,520 Speaker 1: because now the weird thing is we feel younger and 580 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:16,880 Speaker 1: more revitalized, and we're having more fun than we ever had, 581 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:20,200 Speaker 1: hence the prank phone calls, and of course on the 582 00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:24,880 Speaker 1: other side, of that was all the drinking that they did. Uh. 583 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:27,400 Speaker 1: Talking to Spin in two thousand four, Armstrong said, as 584 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,240 Speaker 1: a songwriter, I get so deep into what I'm writing about. 585 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:32,640 Speaker 1: It's almost like I have to stir up to write 586 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:34,840 Speaker 1: about it. And I think when we were in l 587 00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:37,160 Speaker 1: A recording the record, we were also living it out. 588 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:40,200 Speaker 1: I'm not going to lie to you. Got weird, Mike 589 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:44,240 Speaker 1: Dern told them Armstrong apparently had to schedule vocal recording 590 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:48,680 Speaker 1: sessions around his hangovers, oh, saying that the time period 591 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:51,480 Speaker 1: involved kind of a conscious effort to have a lack 592 00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:57,000 Speaker 1: of conscience. Uh, there's this great anecdote from alternative press 593 00:32:57,080 --> 00:33:00,440 Speaker 1: that comes out of this this Hollywood period. Uh what 594 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:04,520 Speaker 1: that magazine deemed the drummer of a respected British band 595 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:08,040 Speaker 1: was staying next door to Cool and burst into his 596 00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:11,480 Speaker 1: room yelling, turned down the music. I've got a gig tomorrow. 597 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:14,680 Speaker 1: So I hear from a hotel security the next day 598 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:17,160 Speaker 1: that one of this band's guys got locked in his 599 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:20,680 Speaker 1: room during the night. Mike during explained somebody apparently tied 600 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:22,960 Speaker 1: a rope around his door handle, then tied it to 601 00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:27,480 Speaker 1: a nearby handrail. At this point, Trey Cool weighs in, saying, see, 602 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:29,440 Speaker 1: you just do a slip knot on the door knob, 603 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:31,760 Speaker 1: then you pull it really tight against the handrail and 604 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:34,680 Speaker 1: do a good sailing knot. I've got a boat and stuff, 605 00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 1: so I'd know how to tie a knot like that 606 00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:41,200 Speaker 1: really good. Without admitting it, he says, I would know how. Uh, 607 00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:42,600 Speaker 1: And then for the rest of the night, I guess 608 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:45,880 Speaker 1: Trey Cool apparently just kept playing that band's music through 609 00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:48,360 Speaker 1: the room so that this guy was tormented by his 610 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:51,200 Speaker 1: own music and unable to get out of his hotel room. 611 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 1: Who do you think that is? Do we think it? 612 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:56,040 Speaker 1: I'm gonna guess Radiohead. I would like to think it 613 00:33:56,120 --> 00:34:00,160 Speaker 1: was not Radiohead because Phil Selway seems like a cool guy. Um, 614 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:03,360 Speaker 1: well yeah, but I mean everybody's gonna sleep. I would, 615 00:34:03,440 --> 00:34:06,120 Speaker 1: I bet you, Tray Cool, I'm just annoying as hell 616 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:09,520 Speaker 1: the middle of the night. Yeah, i'd say cold Play. 617 00:34:10,200 --> 00:34:13,000 Speaker 1: You know, I was thinking cold Play. But yeah, I 618 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:17,880 Speaker 1: guess it is around clock Sarah. Yeah, and they do 619 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:23,239 Speaker 1: seem ripe for him to be Yeah. Um, Tray Cool 620 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:27,600 Speaker 1: is a ridiculous person. Multi instrumentalist Josh Freese, who plays 621 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:30,960 Speaker 1: on American Idiot, recalled to spits that he showed up 622 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:34,160 Speaker 1: to record, and quote, Tray comes down, runs up to 623 00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:36,760 Speaker 1: me and goes, hey, if you and I were camping 624 00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:38,920 Speaker 1: and you woke up with my junior ass, would you 625 00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:43,040 Speaker 1: tell anybody? And I said, uh no, and he goes, 626 00:34:43,160 --> 00:34:45,880 Speaker 1: you want to go camping? Those were his first words 627 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:51,759 Speaker 1: to me. So, yeah, the medium funny bits of some 628 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:54,959 Speaker 1: kid in your gym class in seventh grade is also 629 00:34:55,000 --> 00:35:00,400 Speaker 1: a millionaire drummer, and that's Tray cool, very aggressively competent drummer. 630 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:04,440 Speaker 1: He's fine. I really like Mike Dirnt. I think, oh, 631 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:08,120 Speaker 1: he's amazing bass player. Yeah. Yeah, I didn't realize that 632 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:10,839 Speaker 1: Dirt wasn't his real name. His real name is Mike 633 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:14,000 Speaker 1: Pritchard and Dirt is from the South. He used to 634 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:18,800 Speaker 1: play air Base all the time. Yeah he is. I 635 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:24,439 Speaker 1: cannot stress enough how how great the base on those 636 00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:28,840 Speaker 1: records is, especially like stuff like Dukie and and um yeah, 637 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:31,360 Speaker 1: even even up to a warning. It's kind of annoying 638 00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:35,080 Speaker 1: to me how they dumbed down his stuff on American 639 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:37,840 Speaker 1: Idiot because I remember watching all these live performances and 640 00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:41,600 Speaker 1: Billy joels like, gentlemen, Mike Dirt the greatest bass player 641 00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:44,839 Speaker 1: in the world and he's just going dung ding ding dung, 642 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:47,279 Speaker 1: ding dung du dung dung dung. And I'm like, man, 643 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 1: you had a lot cooler bass lines boy back in 644 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:52,799 Speaker 1: the day. I mean minority. Yeah, that's like, I mean, 645 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:57,600 Speaker 1: like the most psycho bazing the the Yeah. He said 646 00:35:57,600 --> 00:36:01,320 Speaker 1: he came up with it on acid up. His family 647 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:04,439 Speaker 1: situation is nuts. This is from the two thousand five 648 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:08,120 Speaker 1: Rolling Stone profile. I guess Mike Durn's adopted parents divorced 649 00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:11,640 Speaker 1: when he was seven years old and basically made him 650 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:15,920 Speaker 1: choose between his rich father, who was this white computer programmer, 651 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:18,960 Speaker 1: and his financially struggling mother, who was a Native American 652 00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:21,560 Speaker 1: who this is a quote from the Rolling Stone piece 653 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:25,160 Speaker 1: didn't hide her racial animosity. And Mike said, I grew 654 00:36:25,239 --> 00:36:29,879 Speaker 1: up with my mom hating the white man and loving me, which, yes, 655 00:36:30,239 --> 00:36:35,200 Speaker 1: that's rough. Um, that is intense. Anyway, Mike Dirnt has 656 00:36:35,239 --> 00:36:37,839 Speaker 1: a great way of summing up his band. He said, 657 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:41,040 Speaker 1: Green Day is like sex. When we're good, we're really good. 658 00:36:41,120 --> 00:36:46,080 Speaker 1: When we're bad, we're still pretty damps. I mean they 659 00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:50,000 Speaker 1: are they are a tight band. I mean, you gotta 660 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:52,520 Speaker 1: really like watching some of the I watched some of 661 00:36:52,560 --> 00:36:55,200 Speaker 1: that bullet in the Bible, that live thing, and like 662 00:36:56,200 --> 00:37:00,200 Speaker 1: they are tight. There's not a ramshackle punk experience. Man 663 00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:05,279 Speaker 1: really on the money live anyway. Outside of the explicitly 664 00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:08,480 Speaker 1: political numbers on the record, the title track and Holiday 665 00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:13,400 Speaker 1: probably the most too strident, uh and these ambitious multipart suites. 666 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:16,880 Speaker 1: There are two deeply personal songs on American Idiot from Armstrong, 667 00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:21,240 Speaker 1: one with very well known source materials. I speak, of course, 668 00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:24,760 Speaker 1: of Boulevard of Broken Dreams, one of my least favorite 669 00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:29,799 Speaker 1: turns of phrase ever. Well look lovely that God. I 670 00:37:29,840 --> 00:37:33,080 Speaker 1: hate that song. It's not one of my favorites. One here, 671 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:35,200 Speaker 1: which just like looks like something that I would have 672 00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:38,120 Speaker 1: written on a trapper keeper in seventh grade. Anyway. He 673 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:41,640 Speaker 1: was written about his lost month in New York, inspired 674 00:37:41,719 --> 00:37:49,440 Speaker 1: by the Gottfried Heilwin Heinwin Gottfried Helen wyin Um. That 675 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:52,480 Speaker 1: painting of James Dean, Humphrey Bogert, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis 676 00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:55,680 Speaker 1: Presley sitting in an all night diner, a fixture on 677 00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:59,879 Speaker 1: the dorm room walls of people without imagination. I mean, 678 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:03,279 Speaker 1: it's it's the hopper painting, It's nighthawks, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, 679 00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:08,480 Speaker 1: but it's got like ed gy, like tragic pope culture figures. 680 00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:14,840 Speaker 1: They they all died before, certainly before they were sixty, 681 00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:17,680 Speaker 1: possibly even fifty. They did although young. That is interesting. 682 00:38:18,480 --> 00:38:21,400 Speaker 1: There was a whole mystery about what real life bar, 683 00:38:21,719 --> 00:38:24,759 Speaker 1: the Nighthawks Bar was based on. Like they're all these 684 00:38:25,040 --> 00:38:27,600 Speaker 1: architecture blogs and stuff. They're trying to figure out like 685 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:30,360 Speaker 1: where that bar is in New York because Hopper painted 686 00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:32,799 Speaker 1: it after a real place, like a census is that it' 687 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:36,360 Speaker 1: saw on granw Chavan seventh in the West Village. M 688 00:38:38,360 --> 00:38:43,520 Speaker 1: little something special for all you art fans out there anyway. 689 00:38:43,560 --> 00:38:46,839 Speaker 1: In the two tho VH one Storytellers program for Green Day, 690 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:49,480 Speaker 1: Billy Joe stated that the title of the song was 691 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:54,719 Speaker 1: nicked from a painting of James Dean walking alone. That's 692 00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:56,399 Speaker 1: funny you said it was a painting. I was thinking 693 00:38:56,400 --> 00:38:58,960 Speaker 1: of that famous picture of him walking through Times Square 694 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,960 Speaker 1: at dusk, but it's all foggy and he's by himself 695 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:03,920 Speaker 1: and looks all dejected, Like that's kind of what I 696 00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:06,719 Speaker 1: always thought it was based on. Maybe he confused a 697 00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:13,040 Speaker 1: painting with a photo, wouldn't surprise me, Yeah, that will 698 00:39:13,080 --> 00:39:16,280 Speaker 1: happen one person who believes that this song was nicked 699 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:19,160 Speaker 1: from them is No gallaghery of Oasis, never one to 700 00:39:19,239 --> 00:39:23,000 Speaker 1: shy away from saying things that would get a non 701 00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:27,000 Speaker 1: celebrities teeth pushed in ah. He criticized this song in 702 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:29,960 Speaker 1: two thousand six based on having the same chord progression 703 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:34,840 Speaker 1: as Wonder Wall, which is faking rich of him, yes, 704 00:39:35,239 --> 00:39:37,920 Speaker 1: saying they should have the decency to wait until I 705 00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:41,439 Speaker 1: am dead before stealing my songs. I at least pay 706 00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:44,799 Speaker 1: the people I steal from that courtesy. He did not 707 00:39:45,680 --> 00:39:49,000 Speaker 1: narrator voice, Well, what's the isn't don't look back an anger? 708 00:39:49,120 --> 00:39:52,439 Speaker 1: Basically imagine and then he also he's admitted the ripping 709 00:39:52,440 --> 00:39:54,840 Speaker 1: off Burt back or act too. But yeah, my favorite 710 00:39:54,920 --> 00:39:58,480 Speaker 1: is uh Liam Gallagher's feud with George Harrison imag a 711 00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:01,239 Speaker 1: feuding with George Harris, and I mean, I guess he 712 00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:04,160 Speaker 1: does have some spy I mean, this is the opposite 713 00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:07,239 Speaker 1: of the George Harrison Mike Myer's story we told in 714 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:11,240 Speaker 1: the Awesome Powers episode. George was pretty open when asked 715 00:40:11,239 --> 00:40:13,480 Speaker 1: about Oasis ripping off the Beatles, and he said in 716 00:40:14,719 --> 00:40:17,880 Speaker 1: their music lacks depth and the singer Liam is a pain. 717 00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:21,320 Speaker 1: The rest of the band don't need him. He apparently 718 00:40:21,400 --> 00:40:25,160 Speaker 1: was a big fan of Oasis. Is h MTV unplugged 719 00:40:25,160 --> 00:40:28,800 Speaker 1: gig where Noel handled all the vocal duties. Uh. Liam 720 00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:31,719 Speaker 1: responded to this in the sane and measured way that 721 00:40:31,760 --> 00:40:34,960 Speaker 1: one would expect. He told MTV if any of them 722 00:40:35,040 --> 00:40:37,560 Speaker 1: old farts have got a problem with me, then they 723 00:40:37,560 --> 00:40:40,719 Speaker 1: should leave their zimmer frames walkers the British term for 724 00:40:40,760 --> 00:40:43,359 Speaker 1: a walker at home, and I'll hold them up with 725 00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:47,239 Speaker 1: a good right hook. They're jealous and their senile. If 726 00:40:47,239 --> 00:40:50,880 Speaker 1: they want to fight, I'll beat them up. This Liam Gallagher, 727 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:54,440 Speaker 1: one of the foremost Beatles fans on the planet, threatening 728 00:40:54,480 --> 00:41:00,160 Speaker 1: to beat up George Harrison. Uh I still love the Beatles, 729 00:41:00,239 --> 00:41:02,640 Speaker 1: and I still love George Harrison as a songwriter in 730 00:41:02,680 --> 00:41:07,000 Speaker 1: the Beatles, but as a person. He calls him a nipple, 731 00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:10,960 Speaker 1: which is an expression I don't think that exists. I 732 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:14,160 Speaker 1: think that's just like when Liam called Nola thetation. I 733 00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:17,440 Speaker 1: think it just sounds good. Um. Yeah, this doesn't have 734 00:41:17,480 --> 00:41:19,520 Speaker 1: to do with Green Day. But when there's a Beatle 735 00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:21,320 Speaker 1: or in a way suce anecdote to be shared, I 736 00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:24,080 Speaker 1: try to take the opportunity. I just want to interject 737 00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:28,480 Speaker 1: taking Morning Glory, what's the story? Morning Glory has two 738 00:41:28,680 --> 00:41:33,720 Speaker 1: songwriting lawsuits connected to it. Shaker Maker wound up costing 739 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:37,000 Speaker 1: them five hundred thousand dollars because of the similarity to 740 00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:39,680 Speaker 1: I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing by the 741 00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:44,160 Speaker 1: New Seekers, and they lost ten of their royalties to 742 00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:49,279 Speaker 1: Stevie wonder based on the tracks out sounding similar to 743 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:54,040 Speaker 1: Uptight Everything's all Right, Stevie Wonderer was worth noting very 744 00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:57,960 Speaker 1: much alive, Yeah, oh my god. Um. Speaking of bands 745 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:01,040 Speaker 1: that ripped off the Beatles, Green Day wanted to end 746 00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:04,440 Speaker 1: the song Boulevard of Broken Dreams with a nod to 747 00:42:04,480 --> 00:42:07,080 Speaker 1: the Sergeant Pepper closer A Day and a Life, but 748 00:42:07,480 --> 00:42:10,080 Speaker 1: producer Rob Cavallo talked them out of it. He later said, 749 00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:12,799 Speaker 1: originally the band wanted the outro to be something like 750 00:42:12,840 --> 00:42:14,840 Speaker 1: the huge crescendo at the end of the Beatles of 751 00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:17,319 Speaker 1: Day and of Life. Then they thought they'd maybe try 752 00:42:17,360 --> 00:42:20,560 Speaker 1: it with Calliope's and Circus music and craziness like that. 753 00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:22,920 Speaker 1: I told them, look, you're a rock band, let's just 754 00:42:22,920 --> 00:42:26,240 Speaker 1: do it with guitars. My favorite anecdote about the Boulevard 755 00:42:26,280 --> 00:42:27,880 Speaker 1: of Broken Dreams, though, is that they used it in 756 00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:31,120 Speaker 1: the office Dwight and Andy singing at the holiday party 757 00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:34,919 Speaker 1: one in one episode, and apparently Billy Joe literally didn't 758 00:42:34,960 --> 00:42:37,360 Speaker 1: get the memo, or maybe it was during his drinking 759 00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:39,520 Speaker 1: years because he had no idea that it was used 760 00:42:39,520 --> 00:42:41,840 Speaker 1: in the office. And then a few years ago he 761 00:42:41,920 --> 00:42:45,200 Speaker 1: was binging the series like ten years after it aired, 762 00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:47,319 Speaker 1: and he was shocked to just find one of his 763 00:42:47,440 --> 00:42:51,480 Speaker 1: songs in one of these episodes, which is great, that's 764 00:42:51,520 --> 00:42:55,720 Speaker 1: kind of adorable. Wake me Up when September Ends Meanwhile, 765 00:42:55,920 --> 00:42:59,160 Speaker 1: was written about the death of Armstrong's father from esophagal 766 00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:03,319 Speaker 1: cancer he was just ten. Apparently the title comes from 767 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:06,080 Speaker 1: something that Billy Joe actually said, I guess following his 768 00:43:06,200 --> 00:43:08,760 Speaker 1: dad's funeral, he locked himself in his room and said, 769 00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:12,719 Speaker 1: wake me up when September ends. His dad died in September. Yeah. 770 00:43:12,760 --> 00:43:15,000 Speaker 1: He and his five siblings were raised by their mother, 771 00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:18,160 Speaker 1: who worked as a waitress at a twenty four hour 772 00:43:18,320 --> 00:43:22,319 Speaker 1: restaurant called Rod's Hickory Pit. Uh. She worked a lot 773 00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:25,319 Speaker 1: of graveyard shifts. He said, my brothers and sisters were 774 00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:26,920 Speaker 1: put in a position where they had to grow up 775 00:43:26,960 --> 00:43:30,840 Speaker 1: really fast and become parents to me. If there's a 776 00:43:30,920 --> 00:43:34,080 Speaker 1: song on American Idiot that veers away from the story 777 00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:37,120 Speaker 1: for the album. It's that one. He This is on Storytellers. 778 00:43:37,160 --> 00:43:40,040 Speaker 1: He said, it's a personal thing. I've never tackled an 779 00:43:40,040 --> 00:43:43,319 Speaker 1: issue about that, About singing about my father. It's hard 780 00:43:43,360 --> 00:43:46,279 Speaker 1: to sing, but definitely therapeutic because it deals with the 781 00:43:46,320 --> 00:43:50,400 Speaker 1: passing of someone you love. The seven years have gone 782 00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:54,440 Speaker 1: so fast line is thought to maybe deal with the 783 00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:58,000 Speaker 1: gap between when his father died in nine and green 784 00:43:58,080 --> 00:44:04,120 Speaker 1: Day's first DP in nineteen. It's just a theory, and 785 00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:07,600 Speaker 1: the twenty years has gone so fast line as the 786 00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:10,880 Speaker 1: period between when his dad died and when Billy wrote 787 00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:13,360 Speaker 1: the song in two thousand too, So it's sort of 788 00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:15,879 Speaker 1: like the theory of American Pie being written about Don 789 00:44:15,960 --> 00:44:18,560 Speaker 1: McLean's dad. You know, for ten years we've been on 790 00:44:18,600 --> 00:44:22,759 Speaker 1: our own um. Perhaps unfortunately for him though, Despite this 791 00:44:22,880 --> 00:44:27,200 Speaker 1: song's also heavy handed Iraq War themed video, this song 792 00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:31,640 Speaker 1: is popularly remembered for neither his father nor the Iraq 793 00:44:31,719 --> 00:44:34,640 Speaker 1: War because it came out in June two thousand five, 794 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:39,439 Speaker 1: and then when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans two months later, 795 00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:43,080 Speaker 1: this song became associated with that which you can trace 796 00:44:43,120 --> 00:44:46,240 Speaker 1: back to a single blogger by the name of Karma 797 00:44:46,280 --> 00:44:50,759 Speaker 1: Girl a K s Z eight. She posted an edit 798 00:44:50,880 --> 00:44:53,879 Speaker 1: of this song paired with TV coverage of Katrina and 799 00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:58,080 Speaker 1: put it up on her website, which is still you 800 00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:02,320 Speaker 1: could smash face dot com slash vlog. I don't know. 801 00:45:02,320 --> 00:45:04,640 Speaker 1: I just got that from Wikipedia and it went viral. 802 00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:06,720 Speaker 1: Oh no, I got that from the New York Times 803 00:45:06,760 --> 00:45:09,759 Speaker 1: of all places. Surely the first time smash phase dot 804 00:45:09,760 --> 00:45:13,239 Speaker 1: com slash flog appeared in the August pages of The 805 00:45:13,239 --> 00:45:18,120 Speaker 1: Gray Lady. Um. Yeah, I guess it went viral and 806 00:45:18,640 --> 00:45:21,600 Speaker 1: became like a sort of anthem for the recovery following 807 00:45:21,640 --> 00:45:25,720 Speaker 1: that disaster. Um. They performed the song days after Hurricane 808 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:29,040 Speaker 1: Katrina on React Now Music and Relief, which was a 809 00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:32,080 Speaker 1: benefit concert broadcast and MTV, and a live version of 810 00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:35,360 Speaker 1: the song recorded in September was released soon after, dedicated 811 00:45:35,360 --> 00:45:38,400 Speaker 1: to the hurricanes victims. I read dedicated. I wonder if 812 00:45:38,440 --> 00:45:41,600 Speaker 1: proceeds went to them or they just said this is 813 00:45:41,640 --> 00:45:45,239 Speaker 1: dedicated to you and kept the money they had they 814 00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:48,800 Speaker 1: have donated something. They also performed it for some reason 815 00:45:48,880 --> 00:45:52,319 Speaker 1: with the Edge at the first game played in the 816 00:45:52,320 --> 00:45:55,279 Speaker 1: super Dome in New Orleans after the hurricane I mean 817 00:45:55,400 --> 00:45:57,880 Speaker 1: statistically proven that if you have a charity single and 818 00:45:58,000 --> 00:46:01,280 Speaker 1: you loop in any members of you too, it's gonna 819 00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:03,200 Speaker 1: do better. I Mean there's something about the presence of 820 00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:05,520 Speaker 1: YouTube that just provokes guilt and makes you want to 821 00:46:05,560 --> 00:46:09,960 Speaker 1: fork over cash. So yeah, I'm just thinking about like 822 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:12,480 Speaker 1: a lesser disaster and they're like all sitting and like 823 00:46:12,800 --> 00:46:15,080 Speaker 1: Clayton I was gonna say, yeah, they're all sitting around 824 00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:16,799 Speaker 1: and they're like, all right, we can't get onto the edge, 825 00:46:16,800 --> 00:46:21,560 Speaker 1: but we can get Larry or at them to play 826 00:46:21,680 --> 00:46:26,000 Speaker 1: really anonymous space guitar and drums that could easily have 827 00:46:26,120 --> 00:46:30,239 Speaker 1: just been programmed by literally anyone in the world. I 828 00:46:30,280 --> 00:46:33,440 Speaker 1: just love these bands where it's like Black Keys or someone, 829 00:46:33,480 --> 00:46:36,880 Speaker 1: where it's like half the band is clearly doing the work, 830 00:46:37,200 --> 00:46:40,120 Speaker 1: the other half is just kind of there. You do 831 00:46:40,440 --> 00:46:43,560 Speaker 1: such a perfect example of that, Just like you've got 832 00:46:43,600 --> 00:46:45,879 Speaker 1: the guy with the big voice and the and who 833 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:48,360 Speaker 1: just clearly will put his own face in front of everything, 834 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,319 Speaker 1: and then you've got the guy who lucked into one 835 00:46:51,360 --> 00:46:54,800 Speaker 1: of the most identifiable guitar sounds of the past fifty years, 836 00:46:55,360 --> 00:47:03,839 Speaker 1: and the other two and the aristocrats. Anyway, the other 837 00:47:03,840 --> 00:47:05,759 Speaker 1: big thing about Wake Me up when September ends. Is 838 00:47:05,760 --> 00:47:09,359 Speaker 1: that has become a meme online starting in September, with 839 00:47:09,440 --> 00:47:13,400 Speaker 1: people bothering and tagging Billy Joe about it enough that 840 00:47:13,440 --> 00:47:15,839 Speaker 1: he mentioned to Vulture at one point it's like, when 841 00:47:15,920 --> 00:47:19,560 Speaker 1: Jesus was born on December, people go, hey, it's Christmas 842 00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:24,520 Speaker 1: time went okay. When the Easter bunny comes, people go hey, 843 00:47:24,520 --> 00:47:27,880 Speaker 1: it's Easter. When September comes, people go hey, it's that 844 00:47:27,920 --> 00:47:29,959 Speaker 1: guy in Green Day. And he joked that he wanted 845 00:47:29,960 --> 00:47:32,760 Speaker 1: to write a song called shut Up when October Begins, 846 00:47:33,239 --> 00:47:36,319 Speaker 1: which is medium funny. Yeah. I think of that whole 847 00:47:36,320 --> 00:47:39,000 Speaker 1: phenomenon as being like the seasonal book end to the 848 00:47:39,360 --> 00:47:46,520 Speaker 1: It's gonna be May justin timber like man, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 849 00:47:46,600 --> 00:47:48,560 Speaker 1: We're going to take a quick break, but we'll be 850 00:47:48,680 --> 00:47:51,480 Speaker 1: right back with more too much information and just a moment. 851 00:48:01,719 --> 00:48:05,160 Speaker 1: Jesus of Suburbia is the I guess one of the 852 00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:06,919 Speaker 1: only parts of this that gives it. It's like quote 853 00:48:06,960 --> 00:48:09,560 Speaker 1: unquote rock opera thing. I don't know, do you he's 854 00:48:09,560 --> 00:48:11,239 Speaker 1: a big question. Do you think this counts as a 855 00:48:11,320 --> 00:48:16,680 Speaker 1: rock opera? No? Yeah, they're thematically linked, but like it's not. 856 00:48:16,800 --> 00:48:19,440 Speaker 1: I don't think it's a real concept album. But we 857 00:48:19,480 --> 00:48:22,440 Speaker 1: mentioned the Who earlier. Man, you want to see a 858 00:48:22,480 --> 00:48:24,759 Speaker 1: great who clipped? Did you see that rock and roll 859 00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:27,160 Speaker 1: circus performance? Have you seen that? One of my all 860 00:48:27,239 --> 00:48:29,239 Speaker 1: time of course I have that when they're doing a 861 00:48:29,320 --> 00:48:32,640 Speaker 1: quick one. Yeah. That last when they're doing the last 862 00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:35,520 Speaker 1: you are Forgiven part is like one of my favorite 863 00:48:35,680 --> 00:48:39,640 Speaker 1: rock moments that live. That live performance whips so much. 864 00:48:40,120 --> 00:48:42,960 Speaker 1: I mean, just the fact that they Green Day could 865 00:48:43,040 --> 00:48:50,440 Speaker 1: never guess where The Rolling Stones never released it anyway, 866 00:48:50,600 --> 00:48:54,160 Speaker 1: Jesus of Siberia compared variously by the band to a 867 00:48:54,239 --> 00:48:57,880 Speaker 1: Quick One While He's Away and Bohemian Rhapsody. Is Armstrong 868 00:48:58,560 --> 00:49:03,239 Speaker 1: Get serious? Guys? Uh? His Armstrong's favorite Green Day song? 869 00:49:03,320 --> 00:49:08,440 Speaker 1: Apparently he also name checked Greece when talking about inspirations 870 00:49:08,560 --> 00:49:10,719 Speaker 1: for the album as a whole, which I think is 871 00:49:11,040 --> 00:49:13,960 Speaker 1: hilarious and kind of adorable, but also one of the 872 00:49:14,040 --> 00:49:16,560 Speaker 1: least punk things I've ever heard. The fact that the 873 00:49:16,600 --> 00:49:19,359 Speaker 1: female character on American Idiot is called What's her name 874 00:49:19,960 --> 00:49:23,640 Speaker 1: would definitely cause this album to fail the Bechdel test, 875 00:49:23,920 --> 00:49:26,600 Speaker 1: that's for sure. Yeah, everyone talks about sort of the 876 00:49:26,640 --> 00:49:29,080 Speaker 1: more obvious touchstones, but I guess he's a big fifties guy. 877 00:49:29,600 --> 00:49:33,759 Speaker 1: Maybe that whole Everly Brothers tribute album. No I knew 878 00:49:33,760 --> 00:49:35,359 Speaker 1: he was a big Everly Brothers fan, but what did 879 00:49:35,400 --> 00:49:38,120 Speaker 1: he do a song on it? Yeah, him and Norah Jones, 880 00:49:38,920 --> 00:49:44,359 Speaker 1: whoa for an album called Wait for It Foreverly. That's 881 00:49:44,400 --> 00:49:47,120 Speaker 1: actually not I mean, it is bad, but it's also 882 00:49:47,640 --> 00:49:50,160 Speaker 1: it's very clever. It's also it's not even one of 883 00:49:50,200 --> 00:49:53,320 Speaker 1: the it's not even one of the like big Everly 884 00:49:53,360 --> 00:49:56,759 Speaker 1: Brothers songs. It's the album songs are Daddy Taught Us, 885 00:49:57,040 --> 00:50:02,560 Speaker 1: which are like all old traditional folk songs. Interesting. So yeah, 886 00:50:02,800 --> 00:50:08,000 Speaker 1: that's interesting digression anyway. Jesus of Suburbia is the band's 887 00:50:08,000 --> 00:50:11,239 Speaker 1: second longest song, after the other multi part suite on 888 00:50:11,239 --> 00:50:14,680 Speaker 1: American Idiot Homecoming. Billy Joe had had a rudimentary version 889 00:50:14,719 --> 00:50:16,680 Speaker 1: of the song kicking around for a while, and the 890 00:50:16,760 --> 00:50:19,239 Speaker 1: sweet part of it was sort of stitched together over 891 00:50:20,000 --> 00:50:23,719 Speaker 1: extended jams. The band has uh The guitar sound in 892 00:50:23,760 --> 00:50:26,160 Speaker 1: particular on that I read was achieved by using the 893 00:50:26,360 --> 00:50:30,680 Speaker 1: old nineteen seventies classic rock technique of when you buy 894 00:50:30,760 --> 00:50:33,480 Speaker 1: amp or split the guitar signal and you run half 895 00:50:33,520 --> 00:50:36,680 Speaker 1: of it directly into the mixing board. And then the 896 00:50:36,719 --> 00:50:39,279 Speaker 1: other half into a tradition like an amp miked amp 897 00:50:39,280 --> 00:50:40,560 Speaker 1: set up, and then you blend the two of those 898 00:50:40,600 --> 00:50:44,239 Speaker 1: signals together. Did Mark Bowland do that Rex stuff? Yeah, 899 00:50:44,280 --> 00:50:46,880 Speaker 1: a lot of the t Rex stuff has that. Kathleen 900 00:50:46,960 --> 00:50:50,600 Speaker 1: Hannah of pioneering Riot Girl band Bikini Kill was asked 901 00:50:50,640 --> 00:50:54,239 Speaker 1: to seeing the aforementioned female part of What's Her Name, 902 00:50:54,840 --> 00:50:58,560 Speaker 1: which doesn't exactly square with Riot Girl, but I'm sure 903 00:50:58,600 --> 00:51:02,800 Speaker 1: she got some cash from it. Was nice um, although 904 00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:05,160 Speaker 1: she was told to sing like a female Billy Joel, 905 00:51:05,239 --> 00:51:08,759 Speaker 1: which sounds like a terrible experience for someone. But they 906 00:51:08,800 --> 00:51:10,839 Speaker 1: called her up just because they like Bikini Kill, which 907 00:51:10,880 --> 00:51:14,719 Speaker 1: is nice good. He's a great quote from Billy Joe 908 00:51:14,760 --> 00:51:17,600 Speaker 1: about his process. He told us to MTV in two 909 00:51:17,640 --> 00:51:19,799 Speaker 1: thousand of five. Right after I came up with the 910 00:51:19,800 --> 00:51:22,960 Speaker 1: phrase American idiot, I came up with the album's protagonist, 911 00:51:23,120 --> 00:51:26,640 Speaker 1: Jesus of Suburbia. I felt like, across that line between 912 00:51:26,719 --> 00:51:30,839 Speaker 1: church and state, or politics and religion, I thought, how 913 00:51:30,840 --> 00:51:34,200 Speaker 1: would I interpret the Bible even though I've never really 914 00:51:34,239 --> 00:51:38,480 Speaker 1: read it. Incredible, but he considers the song the best 915 00:51:38,560 --> 00:51:42,080 Speaker 1: that he's ever done, he told Vulture in I'm tooting 916 00:51:42,120 --> 00:51:44,480 Speaker 1: my own horn, But I think it encompasses so much 917 00:51:44,480 --> 00:51:48,320 Speaker 1: about my life and friendship and family, and it's flamboyant 918 00:51:48,360 --> 00:51:51,200 Speaker 1: and big and bombastic. It's one of those moments where 919 00:51:51,200 --> 00:51:53,440 Speaker 1: I was feeling like I wanted to take a big risk. 920 00:51:53,800 --> 00:51:56,320 Speaker 1: It's so fun to play live seeing how the entire 921 00:51:56,360 --> 00:51:59,440 Speaker 1: crowd sings along. It's just one of those songs. But 922 00:51:59,480 --> 00:52:01,880 Speaker 1: when it came to actually getting the label on board 923 00:52:01,920 --> 00:52:03,560 Speaker 1: back in two thousand four, that was a bit of 924 00:52:03,560 --> 00:52:06,759 Speaker 1: a trickier proposition. He'd say, American Idiot was such a 925 00:52:06,760 --> 00:52:09,400 Speaker 1: difficult album to explain the people before it came out. 926 00:52:09,600 --> 00:52:12,040 Speaker 1: I would be talking about things like nine minutes songs, 927 00:52:12,040 --> 00:52:14,959 Speaker 1: and the response from Warner Brothers was like, Okay, they've 928 00:52:14,960 --> 00:52:19,040 Speaker 1: finally lost their minds. The band could barely bring themselves 929 00:52:19,040 --> 00:52:21,880 Speaker 1: to say the phrase punk rock opera themselves for the 930 00:52:21,920 --> 00:52:24,799 Speaker 1: longest time because it just sounded so bloated. Yeah, Billy 931 00:52:24,880 --> 00:52:26,200 Speaker 1: Joe has a lot of what I like to call 932 00:52:26,360 --> 00:52:30,880 Speaker 1: first bong rip ideas um, which is exactly what it 933 00:52:30,880 --> 00:52:43,920 Speaker 1: sounds like, just like Jesus of Suburbia. That's a keeper. 934 00:52:47,880 --> 00:52:50,600 Speaker 1: The videos for this record, we're all directed by veteran 935 00:52:50,640 --> 00:52:54,080 Speaker 1: director Samuel Bayer, who counts among his many credits Nirvana's 936 00:52:54,160 --> 00:52:56,840 Speaker 1: music video for Smells Like Teen Spirit and Blind Melon's 937 00:52:56,880 --> 00:53:00,080 Speaker 1: No Rain. Um. I guess all the videos for this 938 00:53:00,160 --> 00:53:03,760 Speaker 1: are thematically connected. In the American Idiot video, it's basically 939 00:53:03,800 --> 00:53:05,920 Speaker 1: kind of a live shoot. The band gets sprayed with 940 00:53:06,040 --> 00:53:09,560 Speaker 1: green liquid after the stripes of the American flag melt. 941 00:53:09,960 --> 00:53:14,080 Speaker 1: In Holiday, they drive I know, just high concept stuff, guys. 942 00:53:14,440 --> 00:53:18,680 Speaker 1: In Holiday, the band drives around in the Mercury Monterey convertible. 943 00:53:18,719 --> 00:53:21,640 Speaker 1: It is a sweet car which eventually stops in the 944 00:53:21,760 --> 00:53:25,440 Speaker 1: same field that Boulevard of Broken Dreams begins in. For 945 00:53:25,560 --> 00:53:29,000 Speaker 1: that video, Bear opted for older school visual techniques like 946 00:53:29,120 --> 00:53:32,799 Speaker 1: rear projection instead of green screen, and he would like 947 00:53:32,880 --> 00:53:36,440 Speaker 1: physically attack the film negative like scratching with razor blades, 948 00:53:36,480 --> 00:53:39,879 Speaker 1: pour coffee on it, put out cigarettes on it. All 949 00:53:40,200 --> 00:53:44,040 Speaker 1: you can do in my movie these Days. In thirty seconds, 950 00:53:44,719 --> 00:53:47,000 Speaker 1: uh for the weight me up with some tembur End's video, 951 00:53:47,840 --> 00:53:52,840 Speaker 1: which give it his CV. Incredibly, Bear calls this hands 952 00:53:52,880 --> 00:53:59,080 Speaker 1: down the greatest thing I've ever done. He did bold words, Wow, 953 00:53:59,360 --> 00:54:02,360 Speaker 1: he's done. I mean, did you look up this guy's 954 00:54:03,360 --> 00:54:05,960 Speaker 1: Aside from Smells Like Teen Spirit, which is like one 955 00:54:05,960 --> 00:54:08,400 Speaker 1: of the most the most. I don't know, what do 956 00:54:08,440 --> 00:54:11,319 Speaker 1: you think iconic videos in the nineties short list? Yes, 957 00:54:11,600 --> 00:54:16,239 Speaker 1: I feel like visually there are maybe one more time 958 00:54:16,280 --> 00:54:19,920 Speaker 1: for example, like the other songs that visually have more 959 00:54:19,960 --> 00:54:22,480 Speaker 1: of an impact, even though I think the song is 960 00:54:22,520 --> 00:54:26,320 Speaker 1: like top three era defining songs of the nineties. And 961 00:54:26,360 --> 00:54:28,719 Speaker 1: the only reason I'm not saying that's number one is 962 00:54:28,719 --> 00:54:31,399 Speaker 1: because I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting right now. But yeah, 963 00:54:31,520 --> 00:54:35,440 Speaker 1: obviously that video is up there. Doll parts for whole 964 00:54:35,560 --> 00:54:41,040 Speaker 1: uh oh we mentioned this later, pull it with Butterfly Wings. Um, 965 00:54:41,120 --> 00:54:45,160 Speaker 1: we did some stuff with Marilyn Manson. That's a terrible idea, 966 00:54:45,600 --> 00:54:50,400 Speaker 1: Blancadi to stay together for the kids. Oh um, this 967 00:54:50,560 --> 00:54:53,799 Speaker 1: was all pre American idiot. Yeah, and he likes all 968 00:54:53,840 --> 00:54:57,640 Speaker 1: of those things less than the Wake Me for September 969 00:54:57,680 --> 00:55:02,000 Speaker 1: in video anyway. Um. They cast Evan rachel Wood and 970 00:55:02,080 --> 00:55:05,200 Speaker 1: Jamie Bell in speaking roles, and I guess they aimed 971 00:55:05,200 --> 00:55:08,960 Speaker 1: for a look similar to ninety nine the Smashing Pumpkins video, 972 00:55:08,960 --> 00:55:11,240 Speaker 1: which is all kind of like the camera's rear facing 973 00:55:11,280 --> 00:55:13,320 Speaker 1: back at a person. I don't know where else to 974 00:55:13,360 --> 00:55:15,839 Speaker 1: put this. The Records cover of an arm holding a 975 00:55:15,880 --> 00:55:19,560 Speaker 1: heart shaped hand grenade first ball rip idea should have 976 00:55:19,560 --> 00:55:23,080 Speaker 1: stayed in the drafts folder was inspired by Saul Basses 977 00:55:23,160 --> 00:55:26,680 Speaker 1: poster for The Man with the Golden Arm Um I 978 00:55:27,280 --> 00:55:29,920 Speaker 1: vertigo to write like all those great oh yeah, all 979 00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:32,960 Speaker 1: the best ones Anatomy of a murder, Oh yeah yeah. 980 00:55:33,080 --> 00:55:36,040 Speaker 1: It was done by an artist named Chris Billheimer, who, 981 00:55:36,520 --> 00:55:39,920 Speaker 1: despite feeling that red is the quote most overused color 982 00:55:40,000 --> 00:55:44,160 Speaker 1: in graphic design, rendered it in red, black and white. Uh. 983 00:55:44,280 --> 00:55:46,880 Speaker 1: This was, of course, three years after the White Stripes 984 00:55:46,920 --> 00:55:51,360 Speaker 1: had done that exact same thing, So draw what conclusions 985 00:55:51,400 --> 00:55:53,640 Speaker 1: you will from that. The band also leaned into that 986 00:55:53,680 --> 00:55:56,040 Speaker 1: color scheme at this time, started wearing black and white 987 00:55:56,040 --> 00:55:59,560 Speaker 1: and red outfits on stage, like sort of like suit 988 00:55:59,560 --> 00:56:02,480 Speaker 1: tailored suit looking things for which they adorably went on 989 00:56:02,520 --> 00:56:05,560 Speaker 1: a band diet while they were recording the album to 990 00:56:05,600 --> 00:56:09,239 Speaker 1: fit into. Billy Joel also started wearing a lot of eyeliner. 991 00:56:09,440 --> 00:56:12,680 Speaker 1: In the Mark Spitz book, Uh, a friend of the 992 00:56:12,719 --> 00:56:16,279 Speaker 1: band named DJ Miss Guys Uh said, Billy Joel really 993 00:56:16,280 --> 00:56:19,840 Speaker 1: does wear more eyeliner than most drag queens now, but 994 00:56:19,880 --> 00:56:21,640 Speaker 1: they all had the face for it and could pull 995 00:56:21,680 --> 00:56:25,080 Speaker 1: it off. Um. Courtney Love is also quoted in this 996 00:56:25,120 --> 00:56:28,399 Speaker 1: book as saying, this level of fame has been very 997 00:56:28,400 --> 00:56:31,840 Speaker 1: good to them. Billy Joel looks absolutely beautiful. You know 998 00:56:31,920 --> 00:56:35,080 Speaker 1: how when people get super a list their face gets prettier. 999 00:56:35,440 --> 00:56:39,120 Speaker 1: I think it's perception, it's something that happens in your subconscious. 1000 00:56:39,400 --> 00:56:42,000 Speaker 1: But he looks stunning. He looks like a beautiful girl. 1001 00:56:43,480 --> 00:56:47,920 Speaker 1: So I just it's like de rigor that you have 1002 00:56:47,960 --> 00:56:50,399 Speaker 1: to ask Courtney Love to say something ridiculous if you're 1003 00:56:50,440 --> 00:56:53,640 Speaker 1: making a book about anything about the nineties. American Idiot 1004 00:56:53,680 --> 00:56:56,560 Speaker 1: became green days first number one album in the United States, 1005 00:56:56,600 --> 00:57:00,800 Speaker 1: selling two seven thousand copies in its first week of release. 1006 00:57:01,040 --> 00:57:03,200 Speaker 1: The biggest opening sales week, Dukie was a bit of 1007 00:57:03,200 --> 00:57:06,239 Speaker 1: a slow burn if memory serves um. The album became 1008 00:57:06,239 --> 00:57:12,120 Speaker 1: two thousand five fourth highest seller overall, moving over three 1009 00:57:12,239 --> 00:57:16,080 Speaker 1: point four million units and stuck in the top ten 1010 00:57:16,120 --> 00:57:18,480 Speaker 1: of the Billboard two hundred for over a year following 1011 00:57:18,480 --> 00:57:21,520 Speaker 1: its release. As of two thousand seventeen, is worldwide sales 1012 00:57:21,600 --> 00:57:25,120 Speaker 1: or something like sixteen million copies. That is really wild 1013 00:57:25,160 --> 00:57:29,200 Speaker 1: that these scrappy pop punks notch to the biggest selling 1014 00:57:29,240 --> 00:57:31,760 Speaker 1: records in the past thirty years. Yeah, but you know 1015 00:57:31,840 --> 00:57:34,240 Speaker 1: they're really trying it. With Me. Their press release for 1016 00:57:34,280 --> 00:57:37,280 Speaker 1: the album declared the quote Neck and Neck with Sergeant 1017 00:57:37,320 --> 00:57:40,000 Speaker 1: Pepper is the greatest album of all time. I can't 1018 00:57:40,000 --> 00:57:42,560 Speaker 1: stand by and let that aggression stand. I mean, yeah, 1019 00:57:42,720 --> 00:57:44,800 Speaker 1: just leave. You don't even have to just let them 1020 00:57:44,800 --> 00:57:47,200 Speaker 1: shoot themselves on the foot with that. Come on guys. 1021 00:57:48,400 --> 00:57:52,960 Speaker 1: In his retrospective piece in Krang last year, Ian Woodward wrote, 1022 00:57:53,000 --> 00:57:55,960 Speaker 1: in terms of its sales figures, American Idiot can be 1023 00:57:56,000 --> 00:57:59,960 Speaker 1: justly regarded as the world's last truly blockbusting rock out 1024 00:58:00,240 --> 00:58:03,080 Speaker 1: a title will likely hold forever never again, or a 1025 00:58:03,080 --> 00:58:05,680 Speaker 1: group playing this kind of music likely to sell records 1026 00:58:05,680 --> 00:58:07,840 Speaker 1: in these kind of numbers. What do you think of that? 1027 00:58:07,920 --> 00:58:12,280 Speaker 1: You think there's any anyone that came later? Do you think, like, no, 1028 00:58:12,400 --> 00:58:15,640 Speaker 1: I actually actually something, No, I actually looked this up 1029 00:58:15,680 --> 00:58:19,760 Speaker 1: and I under heavy dress have to hand it to them. 1030 00:58:20,040 --> 00:58:22,760 Speaker 1: This is probably the last pure rock record to do 1031 00:58:22,800 --> 00:58:27,440 Speaker 1: these numbers. Um, who sells seventeen million? I mean, the 1032 00:58:27,440 --> 00:58:30,320 Speaker 1: thing is this came out eight years before Spotify, right, 1033 00:58:30,560 --> 00:58:33,160 Speaker 1: so that was an eight year window in which someone 1034 00:58:33,240 --> 00:58:37,880 Speaker 1: could have beat it, and no one did. Um. I 1035 00:58:37,880 --> 00:58:39,640 Speaker 1: think the only other bands that I could really think 1036 00:58:39,680 --> 00:58:42,480 Speaker 1: that would come close would be like Queens of the 1037 00:58:42,480 --> 00:58:45,200 Speaker 1: Stone Age or Red Hot Chili Peppers. And I looked 1038 00:58:45,280 --> 00:58:47,080 Speaker 1: up Queens of Stone Age because I thought Songs for 1039 00:58:47,200 --> 00:58:50,720 Speaker 1: the Deaf was a way bigger hit than it was. Not. No, 1040 00:58:51,280 --> 00:58:53,880 Speaker 1: I was extremely wrong about that. And then what's the 1041 00:58:53,920 --> 00:58:57,200 Speaker 1: Chili Peppers record from two thousand from around this time? 1042 00:58:57,240 --> 00:59:02,720 Speaker 1: By the way, Staty of Arcadium? Yeah, by the way, 1043 00:59:02,720 --> 00:59:06,240 Speaker 1: it was two thousand two, By the way, was the 1044 00:59:06,280 --> 00:59:11,160 Speaker 1: big one? By the way, went double platinum? Suits Stadium 1045 00:59:11,240 --> 00:59:15,120 Speaker 1: Arcadium did four times platinum. I yeah, I mean, who 1046 00:59:15,120 --> 00:59:17,360 Speaker 1: who sells sixteen million copies? Now? Except for like a 1047 00:59:17,400 --> 00:59:21,040 Speaker 1: Dele and Taylor Swift? Yes, I begrudgingly must hand it 1048 00:59:21,120 --> 00:59:24,520 Speaker 1: to them. Uh. This was a simpler time, not far 1049 00:59:24,560 --> 00:59:27,160 Speaker 1: removed from when the Dixie Chicks were crucified for slandering 1050 00:59:27,200 --> 00:59:30,000 Speaker 1: George W. Bush Post nine eleven for just saying he 1051 00:59:30,040 --> 00:59:34,080 Speaker 1: was ashamed they were ashamed he was in Texas. Come on, God, 1052 00:59:34,120 --> 00:59:39,760 Speaker 1: remember that. Anyway, the records quote unquote incendiary content resulted 1053 00:59:39,800 --> 00:59:42,720 Speaker 1: in it not being carried by some retailers, notably Walmart, 1054 00:59:42,760 --> 00:59:45,560 Speaker 1: which is hilarious because when I was trying to verify that, 1055 00:59:45,680 --> 00:59:48,600 Speaker 1: if you search American idiot and Walmart. All you get 1056 00:59:48,640 --> 00:59:53,200 Speaker 1: our current sales links selling seventy five various reissues of 1057 00:59:53,240 --> 00:59:57,240 Speaker 1: American Idiot on vinyl at Walmart. Uh. Some radio stations 1058 00:59:57,240 --> 01:00:00,480 Speaker 1: declined to play the song, not on the basis of 1059 01:00:00,520 --> 01:00:03,840 Speaker 1: the homophobic slur that Armstrong uses, but rather because that 1060 01:00:04,080 --> 01:00:07,080 Speaker 1: uses the word redneck. Really shows where America was at 1061 01:00:07,080 --> 01:00:09,440 Speaker 1: the time. I guess at one point they guessed it 1062 01:00:09,440 --> 01:00:12,800 Speaker 1: on Letterman with John Kerry, like the day before this 1063 01:00:12,840 --> 01:00:15,760 Speaker 1: album dropped. I do not remember this. They also performed 1064 01:00:15,760 --> 01:00:17,680 Speaker 1: the title track. I thought it was on the letter 1065 01:00:17,720 --> 01:00:19,720 Speaker 1: and it was on a different show in a bush 1066 01:00:19,840 --> 01:00:22,400 Speaker 1: mask in the weeks leading up to the two thousand 1067 01:00:22,400 --> 01:00:25,680 Speaker 1: four election. And Billy Joe later said, we did everything 1068 01:00:25,680 --> 01:00:28,240 Speaker 1: we could to piss people off. But you know, I mean, 1069 01:00:28,280 --> 01:00:30,640 Speaker 1: if you actually listen to this record, it's really just 1070 01:00:30,680 --> 01:00:33,720 Speaker 1: the title track and holiday that are overtly political, and 1071 01:00:34,040 --> 01:00:36,440 Speaker 1: the rest of it is just, you know, a thematic 1072 01:00:36,520 --> 01:00:39,360 Speaker 1: narrative about those characters st Jimmy and what's her name. 1073 01:00:39,840 --> 01:00:42,640 Speaker 1: Obviously they were outspoken in interviews and on stage of 1074 01:00:42,720 --> 01:00:48,040 Speaker 1: concerts and stuff, But the record itself, Uh, isn't that inflammatory? 1075 01:00:48,120 --> 01:00:50,960 Speaker 1: And Billy Joe said as much in the Rolling Stone profile, 1076 01:00:51,400 --> 01:00:54,440 Speaker 1: and it's a sentiment that would probably get him canceled, 1077 01:00:54,520 --> 01:00:57,360 Speaker 1: if not crucified. Today, he said in the US that 1078 01:00:57,480 --> 01:01:00,680 Speaker 1: puritanical feeling takes over. It's not a business who I 1079 01:01:00,760 --> 01:01:03,760 Speaker 1: vote for. It stops people from thinking so much. They 1080 01:01:03,840 --> 01:01:07,080 Speaker 1: developed a hard nosed opinion, and then suddenly they stopped 1081 01:01:07,080 --> 01:01:10,840 Speaker 1: taking in information. I don't have a million things against conservatives. 1082 01:01:11,080 --> 01:01:14,160 Speaker 1: Johnny Ramon was a very nice guy about a total Republican. 1083 01:01:14,480 --> 01:01:17,280 Speaker 1: I still like the guy. That's where it gets screwed up. 1084 01:01:17,480 --> 01:01:20,600 Speaker 1: If someone believes one thing, it turns into us against them. 1085 01:01:20,920 --> 01:01:23,480 Speaker 1: This album is about feelings. I didn't want to make 1086 01:01:23,520 --> 01:01:26,200 Speaker 1: a rage against the machine record. I wanted to make 1087 01:01:26,200 --> 01:01:30,960 Speaker 1: an album of heartfelt songs. Uh. Last great billy quote 1088 01:01:30,960 --> 01:01:33,360 Speaker 1: about all this this time from the alternative press. I've 1089 01:01:33,360 --> 01:01:36,040 Speaker 1: always written about what's around me, whether it's about being 1090 01:01:36,080 --> 01:01:38,680 Speaker 1: a kid master banking in front of the television or 1091 01:01:38,760 --> 01:01:42,320 Speaker 1: now being scared to death in front of the television. Yeah, 1092 01:01:42,400 --> 01:01:44,560 Speaker 1: I mean all that. Uh well, I don't know if 1093 01:01:44,600 --> 01:01:46,520 Speaker 1: you want to cut in my thing earlier about like 1094 01:01:47,520 --> 01:01:50,360 Speaker 1: this being like the most low stakes political age a 1095 01:01:50,400 --> 01:01:53,360 Speaker 1: prop of all time. I mean, like, of course you 1096 01:01:53,360 --> 01:01:55,560 Speaker 1: don't want to make a rage against machine record You're 1097 01:01:55,600 --> 01:01:59,280 Speaker 1: not smart enough? Like this is it bothers me because 1098 01:01:59,320 --> 01:02:01,919 Speaker 1: like I really do love the writing, but like every 1099 01:02:01,920 --> 01:02:04,280 Speaker 1: single thing that comes out of this guy's mouth makes 1100 01:02:04,280 --> 01:02:06,760 Speaker 1: me want to molly whop him, you know, just like 1101 01:02:07,120 --> 01:02:14,520 Speaker 1: go upside his coal rimmed little head. It's you know why, 1102 01:02:14,520 --> 01:02:16,840 Speaker 1: it is because he's rich, because he's been a millionaire 1103 01:02:16,880 --> 01:02:19,200 Speaker 1: since he was eighteen. Like, that's why you can afford 1104 01:02:19,200 --> 01:02:21,360 Speaker 1: to say things like I don't want to be political. 1105 01:02:21,960 --> 01:02:27,040 Speaker 1: I just want to write songs about my feelings. Like different, 1106 01:02:27,280 --> 01:02:30,320 Speaker 1: rich white guy from California. That's why he says that 1107 01:02:30,320 --> 01:02:32,600 Speaker 1: that's why he can be friends with Johnny Ramone. Although 1108 01:02:32,680 --> 01:02:34,720 Speaker 1: you know, I guess admittedly he made a bunch of 1109 01:02:34,800 --> 01:02:37,800 Speaker 1: empty noise recently about wanting to renounce his US citizenship 1110 01:02:37,840 --> 01:02:40,120 Speaker 1: and move to the UK because of Roe V Wade, 1111 01:02:40,240 --> 01:02:42,880 Speaker 1: So I guess he's got that going for him, which 1112 01:02:42,960 --> 01:02:47,160 Speaker 1: is nice. Um. In two thousand five, American Idiot Want 1113 01:02:47,160 --> 01:02:49,960 Speaker 1: a Grammy Award for Best Rock Albums, nominated in six 1114 01:02:50,000 --> 01:02:52,680 Speaker 1: other categories, including am of the Album of the Year, 1115 01:02:53,120 --> 01:02:55,320 Speaker 1: though because of a quirk in the way the Recording 1116 01:02:55,400 --> 01:03:01,040 Speaker 1: Academy structures the eligibility Windows, Boulevard of Broken Dreams one 1117 01:03:01,280 --> 01:03:04,680 Speaker 1: Record of the Year. The following year, video for Boulevard 1118 01:03:04,720 --> 01:03:08,120 Speaker 1: of Broken Dreams won six MTV Video Music Awards, making 1119 01:03:08,120 --> 01:03:11,120 Speaker 1: it apparently the only song to win both Record of 1120 01:03:11,120 --> 01:03:13,880 Speaker 1: the Year at the Grammys and the MTV Video Music 1121 01:03:13,920 --> 01:03:16,960 Speaker 1: Award for Video of the Year. God, what a quainter 1122 01:03:17,160 --> 01:03:20,800 Speaker 1: time when that matter to people. Um So, now we 1123 01:03:20,880 --> 01:03:23,680 Speaker 1: have to get into the musical. At some point it 1124 01:03:23,760 --> 01:03:27,440 Speaker 1: director named Michael Myer mayor something is making the two 1125 01:03:27,520 --> 01:03:32,120 Speaker 1: thousand six horse Girl drama flicker, and for some reason 1126 01:03:32,360 --> 01:03:35,400 Speaker 1: he is obsessively listening to American Idiot on his drives 1127 01:03:35,480 --> 01:03:39,600 Speaker 1: to and fro from work. He's rock infused. Take a 1128 01:03:39,720 --> 01:03:43,640 Speaker 1: Victorian era teen angst called Spring Awakening was a hit 1129 01:03:43,720 --> 01:03:45,480 Speaker 1: on Broadway at this point, and it would go on 1130 01:03:45,480 --> 01:03:47,280 Speaker 1: to win him a Tony Award for directing in two 1131 01:03:47,320 --> 01:03:50,720 Speaker 1: thousand seven. And I guess he was being interviewed about 1132 01:03:50,760 --> 01:03:53,880 Speaker 1: that musical by Variety and they said, do you think 1133 01:03:53,880 --> 01:03:56,840 Speaker 1: there'll be any more rock in musicals? And he answered, well, 1134 01:03:56,880 --> 01:03:59,960 Speaker 1: obviously American Idiot could be turned into a musical. Somebody's 1135 01:04:00,040 --> 01:04:03,880 Speaker 1: probably already doing it. Narrator voice they were not, But 1136 01:04:04,520 --> 01:04:10,920 Speaker 1: I'm a Dais star and producer Tom Holse. Tom Holsey, 1137 01:04:10,960 --> 01:04:12,960 Speaker 1: I don't know how you pronounced that guy's name. Guy 1138 01:04:12,960 --> 01:04:17,440 Speaker 1: who played Mozart in Almadeis read that article and suggested 1139 01:04:17,480 --> 01:04:19,600 Speaker 1: that Mayor move forward with the idea, and within weeks 1140 01:04:19,640 --> 01:04:21,400 Speaker 1: Green Day had flown out to New York to see 1141 01:04:21,440 --> 01:04:24,880 Speaker 1: Spring Awakening and meet him. He told the Orange County 1142 01:04:24,920 --> 01:04:29,480 Speaker 1: Register in we spent the whole night talking at this 1143 01:04:29,520 --> 01:04:32,840 Speaker 1: little theater bar. The incongruity of seeing Billy Jo arms 1144 01:04:32,880 --> 01:04:35,560 Speaker 1: Strong in a bar with Nathan Lane and Bernadette Peters 1145 01:04:35,680 --> 01:04:40,680 Speaker 1: was bizarre. Amen bolstering the album's fifty seven minute run 1146 01:04:40,760 --> 01:04:44,439 Speaker 1: time with four songs from the European only release, Mayor 1147 01:04:44,520 --> 01:04:46,680 Speaker 1: was given free reign by the band to do whatever 1148 01:04:46,720 --> 01:04:49,320 Speaker 1: he wanted with the material. They didn't see anything from 1149 01:04:49,320 --> 01:04:52,040 Speaker 1: it until a two thousand eight reading of which Mayor 1150 01:04:52,040 --> 01:04:54,360 Speaker 1: recalled I looked over and all three were sitting there 1151 01:04:54,400 --> 01:04:57,320 Speaker 1: with tears streaming down their faces, which I will never forget. 1152 01:04:57,680 --> 01:05:00,000 Speaker 1: It was one of the most satisfying moments in my life. 1153 01:05:00,560 --> 01:05:02,960 Speaker 1: After he run at the Berkeley Repertory Theater in two 1154 01:05:02,960 --> 01:05:05,439 Speaker 1: thousand nine, the show moved to the St. James Theater 1155 01:05:05,520 --> 01:05:12,480 Speaker 1: on Broadway opening on April two thousand ten. Decent for 1156 01:05:12,760 --> 01:05:16,320 Speaker 1: twenty joke there, a show for which Donald Trump was 1157 01:05:16,360 --> 01:05:19,360 Speaker 1: apparently in attendance. What he thought they could get a 1158 01:05:19,360 --> 01:05:24,720 Speaker 1: capsule review from Donald Trump loves musicals. Um. He was 1159 01:05:24,720 --> 01:05:27,360 Speaker 1: also at the opening night of Studio fifty four. He 1160 01:05:27,440 --> 01:05:29,919 Speaker 1: was like, I think he was like the first person there, 1161 01:05:30,000 --> 01:05:32,040 Speaker 1: Like he was early to the party and they were 1162 01:05:32,040 --> 01:05:36,040 Speaker 1: still like getting stuff set up. Jesus Christ. The show 1163 01:05:36,080 --> 01:05:39,600 Speaker 1: closed a little over a year later after four all 1164 01:05:39,800 --> 01:05:42,240 Speaker 1: so close to another four twenty Come on, guys, he 1165 01:05:42,240 --> 01:05:45,960 Speaker 1: should have canceled two of them four hundred twenty two performances, uh, 1166 01:05:46,080 --> 01:05:48,480 Speaker 1: some of which saw Billy Joe appear as St. Jimmy. 1167 01:05:48,880 --> 01:05:52,280 Speaker 1: Other guest stars playing that role included fellow Bay Area 1168 01:05:52,360 --> 01:05:56,800 Speaker 1: punk Davey Havoc of a f I UH and Melissa Etheridge. 1169 01:05:57,320 --> 01:06:00,680 Speaker 1: Um shows cast recording when the two thousand one Grammy 1170 01:06:00,720 --> 01:06:03,919 Speaker 1: Award for Best Musical Show Album, although it was ineligible 1171 01:06:04,040 --> 01:06:07,360 Speaker 1: for a Tony Award because less than fift it was 1172 01:06:07,400 --> 01:06:09,880 Speaker 1: written for the adaptation, but it did win for Best 1173 01:06:09,920 --> 01:06:13,640 Speaker 1: Scenic Design and Best Lighting Design, so a lot of 1174 01:06:14,120 --> 01:06:17,960 Speaker 1: tech crew people were happy about that. I guess um 1175 01:06:18,200 --> 01:06:23,280 Speaker 1: American Idiot fever continued to burn unrestrained through this country 1176 01:06:23,720 --> 01:06:26,320 Speaker 1: as of at least two thousand eleven, when production company 1177 01:06:26,320 --> 01:06:30,360 Speaker 1: playtoned option the musical for film, with Mayor attached to 1178 01:06:30,400 --> 01:06:34,760 Speaker 1: direct and Universal Pictures in talks to distribute. Armstrong was 1179 01:06:34,800 --> 01:06:36,640 Speaker 1: asked to star as St. Jimmy in it, but he 1180 01:06:36,680 --> 01:06:40,040 Speaker 1: was waffling on it, and the film was initially slated 1181 01:06:40,080 --> 01:06:43,560 Speaker 1: for a two thousand thirteen release. By July two, Mayor 1182 01:06:43,640 --> 01:06:46,040 Speaker 1: was saying at a performance of the musical, though, that 1183 01:06:46,040 --> 01:06:49,000 Speaker 1: the adaptation was still happening, but was delayed due to 1184 01:06:49,120 --> 01:06:53,000 Speaker 1: quote Hollywood bullshit. In March of two thousand fourteen, I 1185 01:06:53,080 --> 01:06:56,280 Speaker 1: bet it was, Buddy. In March of two fourteen, playwright 1186 01:06:56,520 --> 01:06:59,680 Speaker 1: this is wild Rolin Jones, who is a playwright who 1187 01:06:59,720 --> 01:07:02,320 Speaker 1: is a pullets Are finalist for one of his plays 1188 01:07:02,360 --> 01:07:05,280 Speaker 1: and an Emmy nominee for episodes of Friday Night Lights. 1189 01:07:06,120 --> 01:07:08,280 Speaker 1: He was apparently tapped to write a screenplay for this 1190 01:07:08,600 --> 01:07:10,439 Speaker 1: and at that time he said, I'm going to finish 1191 01:07:10,480 --> 01:07:13,240 Speaker 1: it by the end of the month. Uh. Fast forward 1192 01:07:13,440 --> 01:07:17,840 Speaker 1: over two years. In October, Billy Joe tills n m 1193 01:07:17,880 --> 01:07:20,360 Speaker 1: E that the film had moved to HBO and was 1194 01:07:20,440 --> 01:07:22,960 Speaker 1: getting more rewrites and that he would be starring in it. 1195 01:07:23,400 --> 01:07:26,480 Speaker 1: And then fast forward to February where he told an 1196 01:07:26,520 --> 01:07:29,440 Speaker 1: Emmy that plans for the film adaptation had been pretty 1197 01:07:29,480 --> 01:07:37,720 Speaker 1: much scrapped without elaborating, so sorry, I guess all you 1198 01:07:37,960 --> 01:07:40,760 Speaker 1: green Day heads, I'm kind of amazed that they didn't 1199 01:07:40,840 --> 01:07:43,720 Speaker 1: run longer. Green Day Natics? What do you call green 1200 01:07:43,800 --> 01:07:46,360 Speaker 1: Day fans? Jordan's this isn't a bit, I'm not doing 1201 01:07:46,400 --> 01:07:50,120 Speaker 1: a bit big greeners. Uh. Green Day has put out 1202 01:07:50,160 --> 01:07:54,120 Speaker 1: six records since American, including two thousand twelves Astounding Run, 1203 01:07:54,160 --> 01:07:57,240 Speaker 1: where for some reason they released they pulled their kiss 1204 01:07:57,240 --> 01:08:00,480 Speaker 1: move and each released a solo album, won Os Does 1205 01:08:00,600 --> 01:08:04,880 Speaker 1: and Trace. Their follow up to that, one Century Breakdown 1206 01:08:04,920 --> 01:08:08,880 Speaker 1: did really well. Weirdly, I looked up the sales records 1207 01:08:08,880 --> 01:08:11,440 Speaker 1: for that and it did way better than I expected 1208 01:08:11,560 --> 01:08:14,120 Speaker 1: or remembered it. I don't remember a thing about that. 1209 01:08:14,600 --> 01:08:16,679 Speaker 1: Was there a single or is it just sell really well? 1210 01:08:17,000 --> 01:08:18,479 Speaker 1: I think this single was the one that was like 1211 01:08:18,960 --> 01:08:26,200 Speaker 1: bo yeah, yeah, you know that old chestnut Lulu, Well 1212 01:08:26,960 --> 01:08:33,160 Speaker 1: that won a Grammy, sold four million worldwide. God, green 1213 01:08:33,280 --> 01:08:35,880 Speaker 1: Day cannot be stopped. This is where I have to 1214 01:08:35,880 --> 01:08:39,080 Speaker 1: put aside all my cynicism because one of the things 1215 01:08:39,120 --> 01:08:41,679 Speaker 1: that I do and have always loved about this band 1216 01:08:41,840 --> 01:08:45,760 Speaker 1: is that live they pull kids up on stage and 1217 01:08:45,840 --> 01:08:49,320 Speaker 1: hand over their instruments and either teach them how to 1218 01:08:49,320 --> 01:08:51,080 Speaker 1: play one of their songs or teach them how to 1219 01:08:51,080 --> 01:08:54,000 Speaker 1: play earlier on. It was that op ivy so acknowledge 1220 01:08:54,400 --> 01:08:58,519 Speaker 1: and multiple people who are currently musicians have come out 1221 01:08:58,520 --> 01:09:00,760 Speaker 1: and been like, this was like the biggest moment of 1222 01:09:00,800 --> 01:09:05,080 Speaker 1: my life. The Matt Healey uh said that the moment 1223 01:09:05,120 --> 01:09:08,679 Speaker 1: he became determined to become a musician was when, at thirteen, 1224 01:09:09,120 --> 01:09:11,960 Speaker 1: the band pulled him on stage to play bass with 1225 01:09:12,040 --> 01:09:15,200 Speaker 1: them in front of ten thousand people at the Newcastle Arena. 1226 01:09:16,160 --> 01:09:18,720 Speaker 1: Billie Eilish was not even born when Duke came out. 1227 01:09:18,880 --> 01:09:21,640 Speaker 1: She said it's one of her favorite albums and remembers 1228 01:09:21,640 --> 01:09:24,720 Speaker 1: her brother phineas getting a pair of trade Cools drumsticks 1229 01:09:24,840 --> 01:09:28,080 Speaker 1: at a Green Day concert. And Billy J. Armstrong said 1230 01:09:28,120 --> 01:09:32,240 Speaker 1: that even Edge Shearon saw them at Wembley Stadium performing 1231 01:09:32,439 --> 01:09:35,040 Speaker 1: Time of Your Life and that was a big formative 1232 01:09:35,040 --> 01:09:37,639 Speaker 1: moment for him. That kind of sounds like an edge 1233 01:09:38,040 --> 01:09:40,280 Speaker 1: it does. Yeah, and you know what, talk a lot 1234 01:09:40,280 --> 01:09:44,360 Speaker 1: of this episode, but more music is not rarely a 1235 01:09:44,400 --> 01:09:48,519 Speaker 1: bad thing. And if you're inspiring kids to pick up 1236 01:09:48,520 --> 01:09:51,719 Speaker 1: an instrument and being a band and changed their life, 1237 01:09:51,760 --> 01:09:56,080 Speaker 1: I'll take any amount of your bullshit. What do you 1238 01:09:56,080 --> 01:10:00,280 Speaker 1: do if the more music is bad music? And then 1239 01:10:00,280 --> 01:10:03,479 Speaker 1: I just don't listen to it, and I'm I'm caddy 1240 01:10:03,520 --> 01:10:09,400 Speaker 1: about it on my podcast. Uh, there's a great anecdote 1241 01:10:09,400 --> 01:10:11,560 Speaker 1: from that Spitz book, But I guess we have to 1242 01:10:11,640 --> 01:10:15,160 Speaker 1: leave on. In March of two five, Corey George, a 1243 01:10:15,280 --> 01:10:18,080 Speaker 1: nine year old kid in Wales, was in a coma 1244 01:10:18,160 --> 01:10:21,320 Speaker 1: following a car accident. He woke up after his mom 1245 01:10:21,439 --> 01:10:25,080 Speaker 1: played him the American Idiot album. He literally woke out 1246 01:10:25,120 --> 01:10:28,880 Speaker 1: of a coma because someone played him American Idiot probably 1247 01:10:28,880 --> 01:10:31,599 Speaker 1: would have kept me in. But now you know what, 1248 01:10:31,720 --> 01:10:35,439 Speaker 1: if nothing else, they've got that going for him, which 1249 01:10:35,479 --> 01:10:40,160 Speaker 1: is nice. Which is nice. Oh, I've made so many enemies. 1250 01:10:40,200 --> 01:10:42,519 Speaker 1: I swear I wasn't going to be this mean. I 1251 01:10:42,560 --> 01:10:46,120 Speaker 1: swear I didn't come in guns loaded. Cut most of that. 1252 01:10:46,280 --> 01:10:48,680 Speaker 1: All right, thank you folks for listening. This has been 1253 01:10:48,720 --> 01:10:52,240 Speaker 1: too much information. I'm Alex Hegel and I'm Jordan run Tug. 1254 01:10:52,360 --> 01:11:00,280 Speaker 1: We'll catch you next time. Too much information was auction 1255 01:11:00,320 --> 01:11:03,280 Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. The show's executive producers are Noel 1256 01:11:03,320 --> 01:11:06,679 Speaker 1: Brown and Jordan runt Talk. The supervising producer is Mike John's. 1257 01:11:06,880 --> 01:11:09,720 Speaker 1: The show was researched, written and hosted by Jordan run 1258 01:11:09,800 --> 01:11:13,000 Speaker 1: Talk and Alex Heigel, with original music by Seth Applebaum 1259 01:11:13,080 --> 01:11:15,719 Speaker 1: and the Ghost Funk Orchestra. If you like what you heard, 1260 01:11:15,800 --> 01:11:18,520 Speaker 1: please subscribe and leave us a review. For more podcasts 1261 01:11:18,520 --> 01:11:20,840 Speaker 1: on I heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 1262 01:11:20,960 --> 01:11:23,880 Speaker 1: Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows