East Bay Punk Mafia

This new year marks the 20th anniversary for American punk trio formed in 1987. Throughout the years, as I’ve spoken to my peers about the Bay Area band, and brought them up in light conversation, I have noticed that people either hate Green Day, or they love them: “Green Day can eat shit” “American Idiot sucked fat nut; they’re older stuff is better, they’re just not the same.” I, for one, love them. Green Day does not eat shit, they certainly released dookie, but in no way do they eat shit. American Idiot did not suck, it was a masterpiece. Yes, it was a definite departure from their earlier work, but they’re not the same guys they were 20 years ago, so they’re music can’t be expected to sound as though they were. I was very much happy to find out this last Sunday, March 29th, that American Idiot is going to debut as a musical this fall. If done right, this could be brilliant.

My history with Green Day goes back to the seventh grade, with their debut of their second single off their American Idiot album: “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. Now, up until this point, my music library consisted solely of rap/hip-hop, and not all of it was good rap/hip-hop, come to think of it. But I loved music, and that’s all I knew. I grew up on hip-hop. My earliest recollection of this was watching countless MTV music videos with my older brother at the age of five. Puff and Mase complained about ‘Mo money,’ Red Man and Method Man did a remake of The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’d Delight,” Usher did it his way, and Tupac advised us to keep our head up. Back then Rock ‘N’ Roll was the enemy to me. Growing up, the closest I had come to “Rock ‘N’ Roll” was watching Korn’s “Freak on the Leash,” and guiltily finding myself liking the Vines’ “Get Free.” I was musically inept.

February of 2005 would change everything. Green Day released “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” and I was transfixed. I downloaded American Idiot. I downloaded 39/Smooth, Kerplunk!, Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod, and Warning. For a long while, they were almost all I listened too. Back before I got my first iPod, Green Day was the aborigine of my CD player. In those days as my friends and I inhabited the school bus stop, every morning consisted of comparing the other’s music selection for the day. One friend would say, “What’re you listening to,” and before I could even respond, another would retort, “Probably Green Day.” And they were always right. I couldn’t even be mad.

There was something about this band that really struck a chord with me.

"Sometimes when I'm listening to music, when i Listen to the Pixies, I feel like I could scream. I feel like my skin's coming right off me or something. I feel like a whole bunch of bones. It's like some music's got a direct line to my insides, and when I hear it, I go crazy all over, crazy and turned-on and hysterical and so different from the way I look to everyone on the outside that when I look in the mirror, I don't really recognize myself. It's like I want to have sex of kill someone when I feel like that, and then I think I'm pretty crazy and I can't even tell anyone I have those feelings."
Brave New Girl; Louisa Luna

Green Day was the first band that resonated on an emotional level with me.

I spent a year absorbed in Green Day’s music, Green Day trivia, Green Day random facts, Green Day news, and Green Day quotes. Looking back, I still think it was a year well spent. The reason is simple: I would not be where I am culturally today without them. They opened the pathway to so many music genres for me: punk, hard rock, classic rock, heavy metal, thrash, death metal, funk, et al. I owe it all to them. And rest assure, once their new album releases in May, and they head out for a tour, I’ll be front row center.