Green Day featured in current Newsweek

[**nobodylikesyou**]

thanks to pismodiver for this tidbit.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/174274

Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’

Arts and culture in the Bush era.

By Lorraine Ali | NEWSWEEK

Published Dec 13, 2008

From the magazine issue dated Dec 22, 2008

Before Green Day released "American Idiot" in September 2004, two months ahead of President Bush's reelection, most music fans assumed that the Bay Area punk-pop trio was on the downward slope of a successful but artistically undistinguished career. No one expected these guys to nail the fear, frustration and apathy of a war-torn nation on the brink. Until then, Green Day's signature album was titled "Dookie," and its big hit was an anthem to a lazy afternoon of television and masturbation. Songs about a broken social system, the disappearing middle class or WMD were the job of seasoned boomers like Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young, both of whom released sober protest albums that preached, predictably, to the choir. But the iPod generation—and its artists—had better things to do, like downloading a billion ringtones and partying like it was still 1999. Maybe that's why "American Idiot" was such a bolt of lightning: not just because of the message—finally, a rock-the-boat album that actually rocked—but because of the messenger, too. The clowns finally got serious, and no one could look away.

"American Idiot" was frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's version of "Tommy," a concept album about a clueless teen—the "Jesus of Suburbia"—who feels forgotten in Bush's America: "This land of make-believe/that don't believe in me." Over the course of the album, the kid sleepwalks from 7-Eleven parking lots onto the battlefields of Iraq. The video for "Wake Me When September Ends" scored the most direct hit, picking up the antihero at a moment of crisis: seeing little future at home, he deceives his girlfriend by joining the Marines, then ships off to Iraq and never returns.

With magical timing, "American Idiot" became a soundtrack for anyone disillusioned by millennial America ("Now everybody do the propaganda and sing along in the age of paranoia"). Sure, Bush was re-elected, but that only elevated the album into protest art. "American Idiot" wasn't especially subtle or eloquent—if you want poetry, stick with Springsteen. But it mattered simply because somebody finally said something, and, of all people, it was Green Day.

[Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love]

I don't like this description of the album..don't know why, i just don't like it..

But thanks for posting!

[Haydée]

thanks for posting

[The Disappearing Boy]

cool, thanks.

[J'net]

I think this is great. Newsweek reaches a large number of readers who know little or nothing about Green Day, and this article is written from a perspective that they will understand.

[**nobodylikesyou**]

^I know right?

Maybe that's why "American Idiot" was such a bolt of lightning: not just because of the message—finally, a rock-the-boat album that actually rocked—but because of the messenger, too. The clowns finally got serious, and no one could look away.

I love this part!

[billie-joe-geek72]

Awesome, thanks for posting!

[Hayley]

sweeet. thanks

[Rita]

Nice article, thanks for sharing!

[justcause]

Thanx for posting, Beth - despite that I disagree with the whole pov of that piece. I get bored with how people write off Dookie into the easy category 'bored/apathetic/whatever' teenage stuff - it's much more than that. Green Day have never been clowns, it's just that people don't get them - they seem to only take stuff seriously if it's blatantly packaged 'Take This Seriously!!'.

I'm not suggesting that the writer has never listened to American Idiot in full, I'm just puzzled how if she did, she takes her perspective on it from Sam Bayer's video and neglects the fact that for this guy who allegedly never returned, there's a track called Homecoming.

Ah fuck, I find it all more than a little patronizing. If you're gonna discuss a work of art, engage with it. And imo, American Idiot is both subtle and eloquent, among the many, many things that it is. "if you want poetry, stick with Springsteen" - fuck, I love Springsteen, and Dylan - in fact, early Springsteen basically is Dylan. Billie Joe's poetry is different, but no less beautiful.

[xBasKetxCaSex]

cool beans.

[**nobodylikesyou**]

Thanx for posting, Beth - despite that I disagree with the whole pov of that piece. I get bored with how people write off Dookie into the easy category 'bored/apathetic/whatever' teenage stuff - it's much more than that. Green Day have never been clowns, it's just that people don't get them - they seem to only take stuff seriously if it's blatantly packaged 'Take This Seriously!!'.

I'm not suggesting that the writer has never listened to American Idiot in full, I'm just puzzled how if she did, she takes her perspective on it from Sam Bayer's video and neglects the fact that for this guy who allegedly never returned, there's a track called Homecoming.

Ah fuck, I find it all more than a little patronizing. If you're gonna discuss a work of art, engage with it. And imo, American Idiot is both subtle and eloquent, among the many, many things that it is. "if you want poetry, stick with Springsteen" - fuck, I love Springsteen, and Dylan - in fact, early Springsteen basically is Dylan. Billie Joe's poetry is different, but no less beautiful.

^for some reason I didn't take the comment as a negative thing when she said if you want poetry stick with Springsteen. I took it as a compliment to Green Day for not being subtle in their message.

I definitely think youre right, Dookie was much more than that. We cant deny what some of the songs were about, and how they behaved, so to someone that doesn't get them, they would only be able to have the opinion that they were clowns. Which is where I suppose she was coming from.

**and I agree about the video comment, she must have no clue what that song was actually about. That video is my least favorite video in Green Day's video catalog. I thought Sam ruined that song.

[Hermione]

^Lol, I can't stand that video! God that whiney couple is annoying.

Thanx for posting, Beth - despite that I disagree with the whole pov of that piece. I get bored with how people write off Dookie into the easy category 'bored/apathetic/whatever' teenage stuff - it's much more than that. Green Day have never been clowns, it's just that people don't get them - they seem to only take stuff seriously if it's blatantly packaged 'Take This Seriously!!'.

I'm not suggesting that the writer has never listened to American Idiot in full, I'm just puzzled how if she did, she takes her perspective on it from Sam Bayer's video and neglects the fact that for this guy who allegedly never returned, there's a track called Homecoming.

Ah fuck, I find it all more than a little patronizing. If you're gonna discuss a work of art, engage with it. And imo, American Idiot is both subtle and eloquent, among the many, many things that it is. "if you want poetry, stick with Springsteen" - fuck, I love Springsteen, and Dylan - in fact, early Springsteen basically is Dylan. Billie Joe's poetry is different, but no less beautiful.

I agree, and so well put!

I think they've just way over-simplified to make the article short, it's a pretty lazy and generic description of it. Always interesting to hear Green Day mentioned of course, but heard it all (and disagreed with it all ) before.

[Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love]

^ Yeah the vid is so, um, can't find the word, *insert something negative here*, it totally ruins the song, only the part that features GD itself is nice.

The 'break' in the vid is very annoying too.

And justcause (sorry, don't know your name..), you just explained to me why i don't like this article

[music_that_is]

Thanks for posting. That really was a good read.

[**nobodylikesyou**]

^ Yeah the vid is so, um, can't find the word, *insert something negative here*, it totally ruins the song, only the part that features GD itself is nice.

The 'break' in the vid is very annoying too.

And justcause (sorry, don't know your name..), you just explained to me why i don't like this article

The break is SO annoying. I can't stand that video.

and justcause is just like that. She can put into words what the rest of us are stuttering to say.

[Ladies_man217*]

''lazy afternoon of television and masturbation''

Haha thats one way to sum up Dookie. :devil:

[Spark of Insanity]

^Lol, I can't stand that video! God that whiney couple is annoying.

I agree, and so well put!

I think they've just way over-simplified to make the article short, it's a pretty lazy and generic description of it. Always interesting to hear Green Day mentioned of course, but heard it all (and disagreed with it all ) before.

I agree with everything. I cannot stand the video either. From the first time I saw it, I knew it was way too whiny for me and the break annoyed me to death. So it's my rarely watched videos but it is a greatly directed video in retrospect as well though.

But it was still a great read but I agree with you it was pretty over-simplified and short.

[St_Jimmbo_88]

It's good to have them mentioned in a polical magazine like that, yet I don't really think the writer got what American Idiot's story was, or Green Day, or anything.

[Starbug]

^for some reason I didn't take the comment as a negative thing when she said if you want poetry stick with Springsteen. I took it as a compliment to Green Day for not being subtle in their message.

I definitely think youre right, Dookie was much more than that. We cant deny what some of the songs were about, and how they behaved, so to someone that doesn't get them, they would only be able to have the opinion that they were clowns. Which is where I suppose she was coming from.

**and I agree about the video comment, she must have no clue what that song was actually about. That video is my least favorite video in Green Day's video catalog. I thought Sam ruined that song.

She took the video meaning literally, even though that was a bad interpretation of it. I, too, HATE that video. That girl, Evan Rachel Wood, right? She annoys the ever loving piss out of me no matter where shes at, but in a GREEN DAY VIDEO? EWWWWW they overact and get on my nerves. Scream scream scream...

If people don't get Green Day, or really bother to read/listen to what they're saying, it's probably easy for some to dismiss them as 'clowns' but if you pay attention, you'll find a lot of what they have to say is quite smart and necessary for someone to say. Like Welcome to Paradise. It's not a clownish song. It's a serious song, i think, dressed up to rock your face off. Simple as that

^Lol, I can't stand that video! God that whiney couple is annoying.

I agree, and so well put!

I think they've just way over-simplified to make the article short, it's a pretty lazy and generic description of it. Always interesting to hear Green Day mentioned of course, but heard it all (and disagreed with it all ) before.

They are whiney and Sam took it and pissed on the song. I hated it.

There's no quick way to sum up Green Day, unless you just leave it as "More awesome than you or anyone else will ever be" That's about as simple as it can get. And accurate. I don't think the poetry should be left to Springsteen, he's one of their influences, and what Billie writes is some of the most beautiful, identifiable 'poetry' I've ever heard. This article kinda hosed it and simplified it all down. I liked parts of the article, but parts of it just didn't get it.

[Jack96]

Thanks For Posting!!

[Guest Billy]

cool.