What does American Idiot mean to you? Share your story

[solongfromthestars]

As we all know, American Idiot turns 20 this year. This album means a lot to the fans – many will even say it changed their lives – and hearing it live in full is an emotional experience.  @The Grohl suggested writing a commemorative article for the 20th anniversary and we want to celebrate how it’s impacted all of us, the fans.

Share your story in this thread and if you want to be featured in the GDA article, please share your first name/alias and country or state. If you feel comfortable sharing your age, please include that too so readers can see how this album has impacted people of all ages, from all walks of life. If you don’t want to post your story in the thread, you can send it to a member of the GDA staff in a PM or on Instagram or Tumblr.

You’re also welcome to share your story in this thread even if you don’t want to be included in the GDA article.

The deadline to be featured in the GDA article is 10 September 2024.

Of course, you can share your story in the thread whenever you want, but it won't be included in the GDA article if you submit it after 10 September.

There are no other rules or requirements. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a fan or whether or not you’ve heard American Idiot live.

If you’re not sure where to start, here are some questions you could answer:

• What does American Idiot mean to you?
• Was American Idiot the album that introduced you to Green Day? Has your life changed since then?
• Is American Idiot your favourite album?
• Do you remember the first song you heard?
• Do you remember buying the CD or holding it for the first time?
• Were you already a fan when the album came out? Did it change your feelings about Green Day at all?
• Did you see Green Day on the American Idiot Tour?
• If you've heard American Idiot live in full, how did you feel?
• Have you made any fanart inspired by American Idiot? Share it!
• Are there any photos you want to share, like a photo of yourself at a show or holding the CD?

These are just examples. You don’t have to mention any of these things; you can talk about anything related to American Idiot.

I'll have to come back later with my own story, but if no-one else has shared theirs by then, I'll get things started

[Stewe]

Stefano Selva, 34 years old Italy 

I was 14 when American Idiot came out and I was about to start high school.

I've heard Green Day before on the radio but only the hits.

During that summer I'd heard American Idiot (the single) on the radio and I thought the song was awesome, then I'd downloaded the album since I don't had the money to buy it and I've became obsessed.

I'd made a few research and I'd discovered that the album was made by the same band that I'd heard on the radio few years ago.

This album completely change me and my mindset.

Then I watch Bullet in a Bible almost on a daily basis the year that came out and I'd listen to every Green Day album, that made me a fan.

I'm not seen the band on the American Idiot tour since I was too young ( I'd seen the band on 2013 for the first time) but I'd seen American Idiot live in its entirely in Milan last June.

It was magical and emotional, it was like closing a chapter 20 years in the making. A chapter that started on September 2004 listening to the album that became my only good friend during the most difficult years and it end on June 16th after seeing the band performing the exactly same songs that brings so much peace on the hectic days 20 years before.

[Undómiel]

X-posted from Insta: 

 

I actually heard Bullet In A Bible before I heard American Idiot. I'm fairly sure my mum was trying to buy me the latter and ended up getting mixed up. I was 13 at the time. The sheer raw power of Billie's voice, and the energy of the music and the crowd just captivated me and blew me away. I listened to it over and over again to the point where when I finally heard the studio version I was adding in the call-and-response crowd interactions. 

I didn’t get to see the AI world tour because my parents said 13 was too young (first time I saw them was 2009 after 21st CB). BUT since then I have been lucky enough to see them 7 times, including the Saviors Tour where I heard AI played in full. It was super emotional, it's a fantastic album from start to finish, I adore it. The songs I love to hear most are (aside from all of them) 'Are We The Waiting', 'Letterbomb' and 'Whatsername.' The opening line of AWTW has always tugged at my heartstrings since I first heard it as a teenager; "Starry Nights, City Lights, coming down over me//Skyscrapers, Stargazers in my head" It's just so beautiful and transports me to a starlit drenched city street at night, walking hand in hand with a friend or a lover, just shooting the shit with nowhere to be, and no pressures on your head other than enjoying that blissful moment. It's beautiful. 

When I heard Whatsername live in June '24 (I think for the first time), I cried. Billie's voice over that melody, singing about lost love. Urgh, I just love it. 

Anyway. I love it, the album is incredible. And I can't wait until I can see them live again. 

Bryony, 30, Lancashire, UK.

[solongfromthestars]

My story probably needs trimming for the GDA article, but I wanted to share the full one here. It’s cathartic to look back on your long relationship with this album, innit?

Maria, 29
Nottingham, England

I still remember the day I discovered Green Day: April 7th, 2007. I was 12 years old, alone at home, looking at ‘blends’ on Piczo and I scrolled past a Fall Out Boy one, but the lyrics on the next one intrigued me: ‘I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known…’

My house was usually silent except for video game music at the time. No-one wanted to be reminded of my abusive dad who was a DJ. I almost felt like I was doing something wrong when I typed in ‘greenday I walk alone’ on radio.blog.club.

But this song was unlike anything my dad played. I liked the soundtracks to my video games, but I couldn’t really relate to an incompetent detective agency employed by Dr. Eggman. I could relate to this. I was a lonely emo preteen being called everything from ‘terrorist’ to ‘sand [n-word]’ and being ‘stoned’ because ‘P*kis deserve it’ at school, so of course my heart leapt when I heard a beautiful voice singing ‘sometimes I wish someone out there would find me.’ And as I played it again and again, I felt like someone had found me. I felt understood. I felt like I mattered.

The next song I listened to was Wake Me Up When September Ends. I could relate to that, too, wishing I could just sleep through my troubles and wake up when they were over. I didn’t really get the title track, but I enjoyed playing it loud when my mum was out and so quietly I could barely hear it when she was at home. I watched the music video over and over just because it was cool. I cried to Whatsername like having a crush on Shadow the Hedgehog was actually soul-destroying, because the song painted such a visceral picture that I could feel something I’d never known. Holiday and Letterbomb were rousing anthems that made quiet little me want to stand up for myself and leave my town for a place where I’d feel human.

I was listening to Green Day all the time now, so I nervously asked my mum if I could have some headphones. She was surprised, but asked my grandpa if he could pick some up on his way to ours and he arrived with a pair of Canada 3000 headphones from the charity shop. Soon my mum was worrying about how loud I was playing Green Day through those shitty headphones – I’d discovered a few Warning and Shenanigans songs at this point – but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Blasting those songs was like therapy. I wasn’t really sure why I was learning to play the drums, but now I had a purpose. I wanted to be like Tré. I wanted to play Green Day. Then I watched a video of them performing American Idiot at Milton Keynes and rushed into the living room, waving my drumsticks and yelling that Green Day were so good live, even better than they were on the albums, and Tré was the best drummer in the world. I had to see them live one day. My Green Day obsession was so infectious that all my friends, both online and offline, were listening to them, too.

This phase wasn’t showing any signs of ending, so my mum took me to Selectadisc in Nottingham to buy my first Green Day album. I wanted American Idiot, but ended up choosing Bullet in a Bible when the bloke working there started fanboying with me over how incredible Green Day were live. I watched the DVD almost every day after school, but still listened to tracks that weren’t on it on radio.blog.club so often that my mum took me back into Nottingham – to Virgin Music, this time – to buy American Idiot. That day was the first of many times I listened to American Idiot in order.

My mum was intrigued at this point. I was an easily distracted kid with unmedicated ADHD and many of my phases didn’t last, but not only had I been blasting Green Day for months – I was actually listening to 9 minute songs over and over. So she asked me to play her something other than Boulevard of Broken Dreams. She quite liked Homecoming. I don’t remember when she heard Give Me Novacaine, but that was the moment when she too fell in head-over-heels in love with her daughter’s favourite band. We started watching Bullet in a Bible and listening to American Idiot in full together. She hardly had the energy to talk about drumming or astronomy (another long-term obsession of mine) after long days working hard to support us both, but we could just sit there and listen to Green Day together. It was an escape for both of us.

Seeing American Idiot transformed into a Broadway musical will forever be one of my most cherished memories. I’ll never forget listening to Are We the Waiting from Row F in the St. James Theatre and feeling that whole album like I’d never felt it before. The city lights of New York were coming down over me, skyscrapers, stargazers in my head, and Nottingham was the dirty town burning down in my dreams. I had found the place where I felt more than human; the place that taught me that I’d still matter even when I went home. And I’ll never forget looking up at Billie Joe as St. Jimmy with tears in my eyes as he sang ‘you taught me how to live.’ I can still recall exactly how my heart glowed as I thought, ‘wow, mate, you really, really did,’ because honestly, American Idiot did teach me how to live. I’d be a completely different person if I’d never heard it. I don’t know if I’d even be alive. There are many things – even other musical artists – in my life other than Green Day now, but I might not have discovered any other music if I’d never heard American Idiot, because I’d still be sitting in silence.

Now I’m 29 and I no longer want to burn down my town, but I’ll scream ‘I’m leaving you tonight’ at the top of my lungs. I can still feel how I felt at 16, watching the scene when Johnny and friends board the bus to the big city in Holiday, and I can still feel how I felt when recalled that at 19, holding the National Express ticket that was my own great escape. However, it’s Homecoming I can really relate to now. I’m lucky to live in a privileged country and for better or worse, it’s home. Shadow the Hedgehog has been replaced by a real Whatsername. Maria’s Version goes ‘I ran away and then you took a different path,’ but damn, it ‘seems like forever ago’ and there’ll always be a time when I wake up in the ‘darkest night’ and remember it all (too well).

So many Green Day songs represent completely different things to me now, but when I heard the first chords of American Idiot in Lyon this year, I was my 12 year-old self again – and I couldn’t believe my ears and eyes. My dream had come true. I was still alive and I wasn’t just hearing the title track. I was hearing the whole album live in full, standing on the front row when there was no way I could’ve stood in the pit at my early shows. And I wasn’t just hearing the album, I was reliving all it had ever meant to me in the best way possible.

I’d overplayed Boulevard of Broken Dreams to the point I didn’t remember the last time I willingly listened to it until I got home from Lyon. I couldn’t have imagined that song ever moving me again, but hearing the intro played as it’s played on the album – on Bullet in a Bible – did something to my soul. I’m actually playing it a lot now, reliving everything just through that one song.

And finally, I don’t think there could have been a more full circle moment than Billie taking my England flag in Holiday at the Isle of Wight Festival. That flag started going to shows with me in Paris in 2010, and Holiday was my anthem in the years I felt like I didn’t belong in England. It’s tough shit for the people who made me feel that way, because I am English, by half of my blood and by birth, and I handed our flag to my favourite band on national television.

I usually say that 21st Century Breakdown is the album that changed my life, and in many ways it is, but it all started with American Idiot. 'You taught me how to live,' indeed.

[Nikto66]

So I am an old school fan in Australia, started listening to Green Day when Dookie came out.  I saw them live for the first time in 1996 touring the Insomniac album. I did not like American Idiot when I first heard it. The single was fine, but songs like Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Wake my Up When September Ends didn't sound like Green Day to me. For years and years I would skip Jesus of Suburbia and Homecoming when I listened to the album.  I still much prefer Shoplifter, Too Much Too Soon and Favorite Son from that era but I love Holiday from the album.  

Green Day for me is Dookie/Insomniac/Nimrod/Warning and Shenanigans.  That will always be my Green Day.

I do listen to American Idiot but nowhere near as often as Dookie/Insomniac/Nimrod/Warning.

I am very keen to hear the American Idiot demos, I much prefer the Holiday/BOBD demo sound to the album versions.  I said to my son the other day when it was released that the demo version of BOBD sounds more Green Day to me than the album version, I don't quite know why that is.

But without the American Idiot album I would not have been able to introduce my now 16 year old son to Green Day, he is now a huge fan.  I used that and RevRad to get him into Green Day. 

He was wearing an American Idiot T-shirt today!

Edited August 18 by Nikto66

[PhuzzyPhriend]

Not sure this story is worthy of a feature LOL, but I will share it anyway. I am a 33-year-old woman, and American Idiot is the album that introduced me to Green Day. I first became aware of Green Day when I heard Boulevard of Broken Dreams for the first time on the radio. It was like nothing I had ever heard before. I was beginning to become politically aware and was feeling frustrated with the world like a lot of kids of my generation; I was also growing up in a dysfunctional home that was sliding into poverty. The song, and pretty soon the whole album, put everything I was feeling into words. I wanted to hear everything Green Day ever made at the point, and eventually I did. But then I grew up, went off to college and then a master's program, faced more disasters in my family, and eventually found myself lost on the path I had pursued. While my love for Green Day never went away, it was much farther from my mind during those years. I found my way back to Green Day shortly before the start of the pandemic. I finally had made a decision to get off the path I was on and pursue what was in my heart, and as part of that, I ended up pulling out American Idiot again. This was also during the lead-up to FOAM, so I soon found myself going full bore down the fandom rabbit hole again. My passion for Green Day helped sustain me through the pandemic, through my father's open heart surgery, and into my dream PhD program, which I am now halfway through. Green Day aided my healing journey, and I am now happier than I have ever been and living the life I always wanted. And it all started with American Idiot.

[Gwen Stacy]

Hi, my name is Gwendolyn. 31 years old from the good ol' US of A.

I wasn’t a capital-F Fan until 21st Century Breakdown came out but in 2004/5 there was no escaping American Idiot. What follows is a scattershot diary. I was at lunch in 5th grade when my friend Armon said “Did you guys see Green Day on TV last night? They went *he imitates playing guitar* and said Fuck America!” “Yeah, it was awesome” said whatshisface. Five years later after becoming a Fan I remember playing Jesus of Suburbia on repeat wondering how the hell I’m going to memorize the lyrics to a nine minute song suite before seeing them live for the first time. After getting all their albums on CD I remember leafing through the album booklet admiring all the little doodles around the lyrics. When Green Day: Rock Band comes out I remember the joy of screaming like a maniac to the Rock n’ Roll Girlfriend section of Homecoming and being told to quiet down by my parents. I still remember seeing the musical version of American Idiot at the Saint James Theater in New York and explaining the basic outlines of the story to my mom’s friend and her daughter who were going with us. I remember meeting Billie Joe’s nephew Andrew after seeing it in Kansas City. When I’m in college St. Jimmy becomes my “I’m gonna take a shot” song. I visit home and know the drive so well that I can time my drive so I reach home during the “we’re coming home again” section of Homecoming. A home that isn’t my family’s home anymore. I’m visiting Austin to see Green Day with my friend, coming out of the shity hotel we’ve picked for the night. Huh, it’s on East 12th Street. When I’m needing courage to come out to my dying grandmother I reach for something within myself and what I pull out is “There’s nothing wrong with me, this is how I’m supposed to be”. I’ll be going with my younger sisters in two days to see the album performed in full.

American Idiot captured the zeitgeist, was instantly iconic, provocative, and relatable. A cathartic hero’s journey for every bored suburbanite. The fact that it worked is insane. A rock opera made by the 30 something year old punks who were last seen on a double bill with one of their younger imitators, dangerously close to being washed up. The Dixie Chicks got canceled for saying they were ashamed that Bush was from Texas. Green Day called him a nazi and got away with it. It was a clarion call and a rallying point against the frighteningly toxic nationalism of the War on Terror era. I’d like to point out how absurdly improbable it is not only to have a huge rock mega-hit on the scale of Dookie, but to do it again but bigger and more bold. No second act in American lives? Take that F. Scott Fitzgerald. When was the last time a rock album did such a thing?

[N0n3x1st3ntCh4rl13]

My name is Charlie, and I live in Pennsylvania, United States.

I started my obsession with Green Day just after the 'Saviors' album came out, so around March of this year. I instantly was enthralled by Green Day. I've listened to most of their albums and discography, but my favourite? 'American Idiot' of course!L istening to their album almost made me cry, I'm neurodivergent and it instantly became my new obsession. I LOVE it. I LOVE the album. I will never get over it, if I'm honest.

The first song from 'American Idiot' that I heard was 'Wake Me Up When September Ends', and although it isn't my favourite song from the album, it still holds a place in my heart for being the song that made me curious. Though my favourite song from the album is 'She's a Rebel' which has become a guilty pleasure to listen to. 

Sadly I don't have a CD, or a commemorative piece or merchandise for Green Day (Though my birthday is the 21st, so as of writing I'm hoping things change?) But I do have a pure and unadulterated love for Green Day, and nothing is gonna change that. 

[PhuzzyPhriend]

1 hour ago, Gwen Stacy said:

Hi, my name is Gwendolyn. 31 years old from the good ol' US of A.

I wasn’t a capital-F Fan until 21st Century Breakdown came out but in 2004/5 there was no escaping American Idiot. What follows is a scattershot diary. I was at lunch in 5th grade when my friend Armon said “Did you guys see Green Day on TV last night? They went *he imitates playing guitar* and said Fuck America!” “Yeah, it was awesome” said whatshisface. Five years later after becoming a Fan I remember playing Jesus of Suburbia on repeat wondering how the hell I’m going to memorize the lyrics to a nine minute song suite before seeing them live for the first time. After getting all their albums on CD I remember leafing through the album booklet admiring all the little doodles around the lyrics. When Green Day: Rock Band comes out I remember the joy of screaming like a maniac to the Rock n’ Roll Girlfriend section of Homecoming and being told to quiet down by my parents. I still remember seeing the musical version of American Idiot at the Saint James Theater in New York and explaining the basic outlines of the story to my mom’s friend and her daughter who were going with us. I remember meeting Billie Joe’s nephew Andrew after seeing it in Kansas City. When I’m in college St. Jimmy becomes my “I’m gonna take a shot” song. I visit home and know the drive so well that I can time my drive so I reach home during the “we’re coming home again” section of Homecoming. A home that isn’t my family’s home anymore. I’m visiting Austin to see Green Day with my friend, coming out of the shity hotel we’ve picked for the night. Huh, it’s on East 12th Street. When I’m needing courage to come out to my dying grandmother I reach for something within myself and what I pull out is “There’s nothing wrong with me, this is how I’m supposed to be”. I’ll be going with my younger sisters in two days to see the album performed in full.

American Idiot captured the zeitgeist, was instantly iconic, provocative, and relatable. A cathartic hero’s journey for every bored suburbanite. The fact that it worked is insane. A rock opera made by the 30 something year old punks who were last seen on a double bill with one of their younger imitators, dangerously close to being washed up. The Dixie Chicks got canceled for saying they were ashamed that Bush was from Texas. Green Day called him a nazi and got away with it. It was a clarion call and a rallying point against the frighteningly toxic nationalism of the War on Terror era. I’d like to point out how absurdly improbable it is not only to have a huge rock mega-hit on the scale of Dookie, but to do it again but bigger and more bold. No second act in American lives? Take that F. Scott Fitzgerald. When was the last time a rock album did such a thing?

This is such a good take, especially about what a comeback story that album represents. I forgot to mention that I am in the U.S. too. That album did such a good job of capturing the state of society at that time, and it (unfortunately) feels even more relevant today.

[jengd]

So my perspective is very different from many of you but if I tell you my first gig was Siouxie and the Banshees in a nasty little club in 1976 it will explain a lot.  I knew Basket Case and loved it and was always kind of aware of Green Day but I was a married, working mum with elderly parents needing assistance so actually just had no time to be involved in music like I had been as a teenager and was pretty pissed off with the current music scene that I was hearing on mainstream radio.  Just as AI was released, my niece came to stay and watched MTV all the time so suddenly I was hearing this album which seemed so different and was so huge and the band looked so different I could hardly believe it was the same guys.   I loved the music but was not suffering any of problems so many Green Day fans have endured but I can completely see how they feel and the music still speaks very powerfully to me.  I regarded myself a fairly casual fan, l had gone back and acquired their whole back catalogue, until we went to see them on the 21CBD tour which I say I am till getting over 😂😂.  I completely agree with @Gwen Stacy re Green Day conquering the world TWICE and hope one day BJ gets the recognition he deserves for his songwriting. Forgot to say I am in the UK!

[Cris.]

I remember the exact day I fell in love with American Idiot. It was January 2nd, 2005, in the middle of nowhere. I was 14 at the time.

I had heard American Idiot (the song) and Boulevard of Broken Dreams and watched their videos on MTV. I liked those two songs, so I got the album. I listened to it and Give Me Novacaine captivated me from the very first time I heard it, but other than that I only liked those two singles, so I would play those 3 songs, repeat Novacaine a few times, and skip the rest of the album. Then for the New Year holiday my family and I went to visit my extended family in another state, and we were driving back to my hometown, Caracas, on January 2nd. The drive was supposed to be around 8 hours long, and about 3 hours into it our car broke down. We were in a small road in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a pretty dry landscape. This was long before we all had internet in our cell phones, in fact I didn't even have a cell phone at the time. So I had nothing to do to kill time while the adults figured things out, other than sit on the side of the road and read the booklet of American Idiot while I listened to the album. I hadn't done that before, and at the time my English was not good enough that I could understand the lyrics of the songs just from listening, I needed to read them. And so I did. 

57 minutes later my life had changed. I was blown away on so many levels. First, was this album telling a story, where all the songs were connected and giving you a peek into the lives of these characters? Was that even possible? I had never considered before that an album could do that. And second, those stories, those lyrics, they resonated with me so profoundly. I was a teenager by then struggling with all the emotional troubles teenagers go through and dipping my toes into depression. So that teenage angst of the Jesus of Suburbia captured so many of my emotions at the time, many of which I hadn't figured out how to articulate yet. And I lived in a country that was (and still is) in constant political turmoil, where censorship and violent repression of peaceful protests was just getting started, and there was so much hatred between government and opposition, and American Idiot also spoke to that. I felt like I had found this treasure, this album where each and every song articulated so many of my feelings, not only about my own internal private struggles but also about my struggles as a teenager growing up in country submerged in such a political chaos.

We ended up getting home almost at midnight and I went straight to the internet to confirm my suspicions that the album was telling a story, and it was! I spent the following weeks dissecting that story, talking about it to anyone who would listen, and starting to consume any Green Day media I could get my hands on: previous songs, previous records, old videos, recordings of live performances. I did end up going to a show in the American Idiot tour (another long story for another time). I took a 10 year sabbatical from Green Day fandom and totally disconnected from whatever the band was doing between 2013 and 2023, until I went to see them live at Bataclan last November. They opened that show with the song American Idiot, and as soon as the first chords played all my teenage fandom rushed back in, I felt like a was 15 again and as excited as the first time I heard that song live. As soon as they announced they'd be playing Dookie and American Idiot in full in this tour I went a bit crazy I decided to go to three shows. At the first one (Lyon) I was kind of in a state of disbelief... hearing American Idiot played live in its entirety and in order was my ultimate dream as a teenager, and seeing it become a reality 20 years later was just so surreal. I teared up with the songs I had expected to tear up with: Give Me Novacaine, Homecoming, Whasername. By the third show (Paris), just knowing that this was probably the last time I'd get to hear the whole album played live, I started tearing up from the moment the band started playing the song American Idiot (am I the first person to tear up with American Idiot the song? 😅).

There's a third way in which American Idiot impacted me though: It gave me a community to be a part of and where I felt welcomed and accepted. I was a bit weird as a teenager: I did not like the same music, the same hobbies, or the same fashion trends as my peers at the time... and teenagers are notorious for not playing nice with the ones that don't fit in. To say that I had very few friends at the time is the understatement of the year. On top of that I was also struggling with my mental health, and I didn't know anyone around me who was going through something like that, at least not openly. Mental health was such a taboo, so I also felt really isolated because of that. But then I joined the Idiot Club, and after having exhausted every Green Day related topic I ventured into the General Chat section of the forums and I found so many wonderful people there. It was bitter sweet, most of them were in the US or the UK and had the opportunity to meet each other in person occasionally, while I was geographically isolated in Venezuela. But at least I had an online community where I could be myself without being judged, or laughed at, or ignored, and with whom I could discuss mental health more openly, hear from other people going through similar struggles, and feel less alone in that regard. I did get to meet a few of them in person in one of my trips to see Green Day in the US back in the day. 20 years later I still keep in touch with many of the people I met then... hell, I've kept contact with more people from the Idiot Club than people I went to high school with, and I'd still like to meet some of them in person when I get a chance.

Oh and yes, I made a fan art inspired by American Idiot. I wrote a 300 page long fan fiction about American Idiot. It was the story of the album but from the lens of Whatsername, covering her origins and what happened to her after Letterbomb, and I proudly published it in one of the Green Day fan sites at the time. I was 15 and depressed when I wrote it though, so I have since made sure to delete it from the face of the Internet. And while it was 100% cringe-worthy, I am very proud of the fact that I wrote a 300 page long story being only 15, and in English besides, which is not my native language.

And how has my life changed since then? Well I finished high school, went to university, and then left Venezuela and moved to France to get a PhD, which I completed and then stayed here for work. I eventually managed to build a small but solid group of friends in real life. Venezuela continues to be a political disaster, now more than ever, which still hurts. But overall, life got better. And 20 years later American Idiot continues to tug at my heartstrings and hearing it played live in full has been such a privilege and such an emotional experience.

EDIT: Oh yeah,
CS, 33, Venezuelan now living in France.
But good luck shortening that to a usable version 😅

[The Grohl]

I don't have all my thoughts organized (that'll be for the GDA feature) but this album means a lot to me. Like many others, it's the one that made me a Green Day fan. In high school, my friend had been begging me to listen to Green Day. One day after school he put on American Idiot and we listened to it together on the school lawn. And that's all it took. What really sold me on Green Day was a TV performance they did, probably the Grammys. The next day I went to Circuit City and picked up American Idiot (along with Maroon 5's Songs About Jane) with my allowance. And the rest is history. For me it's one of those right place, right time albums. I was a sophomore in high school and at that ripe age of "rebellion." Fine I didn't really rebel too much, but I did become more outspoken, questioning of authority, and becoming disillusioned with the world. And American Idiot fed into that. It was so empowering to listen to this music that encouraged me to question things and stand up for myself. Aside from that, it was just good!

Everything from the songwriting to the imagery to the concept itself blew me away. It didn't feel or sound like anything else I was listening to at the time. I was so impressed with Green Day's range. They had boot stomping, let's tear shit up anthems like "Holiday" and "St. Jimmy" but they also had these gentle, sweet, and vulnerable songs like "Give Me Novocaine" and "WMUWSE." I thought it was so cool that it inspired me to pick up guitar. I'd been obsessed with the instrument growing up and after listening to Green Day I was like I can do this! Why not? I went to work learning a lot of songs that year, but my proudest moment was when I learned how to play "JoS." I started with AI and worked backward from there. Soon I picked up Dookie, then ISH, and kept going until Green Day became my new obsession. 

American Idiot is an album that made me feel like I could do anything. I didn't have to be a passive player in life. I could stand up for myself and my beliefs. I could be outspoken, creative, and curious. And watching it performed live last week made me realize I've been listening and loving this band for 20 years. Holy shit! And I'm thrilled to know that when I play AI now it still hits me the same way it did when I first heard it 20 (!!) years ago.

[PaleStardust]

I remember hearing WMUWSE at my primary school disco in 2005 at 9 years old. My knowledge of music at that time consisted of music my parents listened to (classical and church music, and occasional Simon & Garfunkel). I remember thinking how magnificent and melodic Green Day sounded and I was really surprised that ‘heavier’ music existed. 

 

It wasn’t until late 2007 I got into Green Day properly and became captivated. They spoke to me in a way no other music ever had and all the emotional trauma I had ben dealing with at that time became a little easier because of Green Day. 

 

In 2010, I begged my mum to let me paint my bedroom like the Jesus of Suburbia music video and she let me, provided I kept it restricted to my room. It took 2 weeks in the summer holidays and it became my masterpiece. I cut up sponges to carefully create the white rectangles for each letter and cut out stencils (which I still have) out of paper. I couldn’t order spray paint online as I was under 18 so I had to go with my mum to a shop and buy the spray paint. I was meticulous and insisted the colours had to be the perfect red and pure black. My bedroom became somewhere I could hide - a safe haven. It was my own place where I could be myself in a world that didn’t understand. 

 

Every night from 2008 - 2011 when I came home from school, I would watch Bullet In A Bible on my tiny pink tv (which we then switched for a silver one when I re-did my room) and dream of seeing or meeting my heroes. I would finish watching it and then restart it so the show wouldn’t have ‘ended’ and then pause it right before Longview. It was a coping ritual and Green Day helped me in ways I don’t think I’ll ever be able to properly explain. They saved my life. 

 

I’ve seen Green Day 15 times since then and every time is different. I’ve had the opportunity to met Billie Joe and Mike twice and Tre three times; I got to talk and joke with them and now their autographs are complete on my arm. Seeing American Idiot in full on the Saviors tour was like a religious experience; AI was on repeat when I first got into them (so much so that the CD is super scratched now) and hearing all the songs live was such a beautiful and cathartic experience.

 

My life has changed so much since then, and Green Day helped me through it. I didn’t think I would live this long and I’m here. I’m still breathing. 

 

~ Maria, 29, Wiltshire, UK.
 

(Cross posted from Instagram)

[greenalert997x]

I got to know Greena Day in 2010, 21st CB era. I became a fan upon knowing only Holiday, American Idiot, Know Your Enemy, 21 Guns. I remember listening Holiday on repeat, loved this song so much. Shortly afterward I downloaded GD discography (the whole craziness started).

There is not a single AI song that I dont like. The album is just a milestone, an instant classic... 

But the thing it's not about the songs only. It's a about the game-changing image, fashion - new hairstyle, Billies eyeliner, suit and red tie. AI it's not just an album. it's a perfec multilayered project. No wonder so many people got into it.

[Lenny]

Ill try to simplify it as much as I can xD

In the summer of ‘02 I moved houses and basically spent the entire time on kid friendly internet chats and forums where kids debated GD Vs Blink all summer long. I knew of Green Day briefly but was more interested in prog rock and classic rock and 70s punk at the time. I did listen to some Sum 41 and Jimmy Eat World at the time though so I had a reference point.

2 years later, I’m 12 studying multiple instruments but can’t seem to find a modern band that is my own that I can look up to and then the AI music video is on while I flip on my TV. My jaw dropped and I stood there completely shook.

I go back into my comfort zone and 2 months later I hear BOBD on TV again and oh shit it’s these guys again! Holiday comes out and where I camped in the summer it was played during dances and it became a ritual for all of us there. Wake me up when september ends dropped and I heard it during a hurricane katrina tribute and I bought the album. 
 

Then I land on JOS and Bullet in a Bible. It just got incrementally more influential. My friends had older siblings and they introduced me to Dookie. Burnout made me flip shit (for all the right reasons). Then I got Intl Superhits. Then I got into Kerplunk and 39 smooth via online fansites and the pinole valley show. 
 

In that time I also saw VH1 storytellers, AOL sessions and many many other features of Green Day whether it was the grammys or some local show etc.

It just got incrementally better and better the more I worked backwards and at the same time my playing became better and it gave me a reference point to become a creative musician. 
 

For me they were the perfect mix of that modern influence I needed, punk rock and classic rock. 

 

[Rumpelstiltskin2000]

I’m Joy in the UK and I can legitimately retire next year - that’s how old I am! I’ve loved all kinds of music all my life, everything, even some classical music and I’ve been going to rock concerts since I was a kid. I had a subscription to Britannia Music and I kept seeing Green Day’s early albums in there. I was always up for trying something new and kept hovering over it but never actually took the plunge.

My love of music in some ways led me into an ill-advised relationship. When I finally realised after 20 years that it was abusive and it was behind me, I just couldn’t listen to anything. Everything reminded me of it. My daughter -  @solongfromthestars - wouldn’t even have known that I ever loved music because she never heard me listening to anything.

Then in 2007 she started talking about Green Day. The first song she played me was Boulevard of Broken Dreams. I told her that Billie had a nice voice. She kept asking me to listen to the other music on her Piczo site so I heard Whatsername and absolutely loved it. It wasn’t what I expected at all. After I bought her American Idiot I could hear the cowbell in Homecoming through her headphones. She eventually said she loved that song so much she had to play it to me even though she thought I’d say it was “just noise”. I actually loved that too. I don’t remember exactly how I came to hear Give Me Novacaine, but I just fell in love with Green Day then. It was completely fresh and untarnished. I felt like I was “allowed” to listen to music again and I’ve never looked back.

My daughter and I were in a shit situation as a single parent family - I was desperately trying to keep a roof over our heads and she was being bullied terribly, but then we went to see Green Day together and it was an escape. We’d never had a holiday but we made it our mission to get to more shows and saw things we’d never dreamed of like the Grand Canyon because we went to see Green Day. It gave us something to strive for and enjoy together.

So basically, American Idiot gave me music back. I’ve discovered new music through Green Day and reconnected with songs I used to love.

“Can you imagine if Billie held your hand one day?” I asked my daughter when we watched Bullet in a Bible. Little did I know that she would get up on stage with Green Day and in 2018 it was actually my hand that Billie held!

[solongfromthestars]

Reminder that there are only 3 days left to share your story!

So far we've only got two pictures, so if you've got fanart, tattoos or anything else like that to share, please do

[solongfromthestars]

The stories are on GDA  

https://www.greendayauthority.com/news/6183/

But if anyone would still like to share their story here, please do!

[Cris.]

Thank you @solongfromthestars for compiling these testimonials. Such a beautiful homage to American Idiot, and I love reading other people's stories.

 

Spoiler

Also, I've started toying with the idea of getting an AI themed tattoo early next year (to commemorate my 20th year anniversary with that album). I'm a tattoo virgin, and I have two ideas in mind: an overly minimalist one and an overly complicated - I should try to sketch that one to see if it's even feasible and try to come up with a simplification for it. 

 

[Rumpelstiltskin2000]

57 minutes ago, solongfromthestars said:

The stories are on GDA  

https://www.greendayauthority.com/news/6183/

But if anyone would still like to share their story here, please do!

I meant to say I love the header you made for this