"Our heroes following rules that they once disobeyed." - A reflexion about Green Day

[Moyeszet]

Here I am.

I've been a Green Day fan for four years now. They were my first rock band, my first passion, my first CD. They've helped me so much. I saw them live for the first time in August and it's been one of the best nights of my life.

Damn, these guys are the only reason I learned the English language. I am now bilingual, all thanks to them. They've given me my own opinions, they're the ones who've shaped my life as it is now and I have so much gratefulness for them.

It's funny how my ideals have changed. How in this new world, the statement "punk rock" is a subject of mockery, pointing out the absurd obsession of staying underground ("oh my gawd you're so punk rock"). If my bands had success, no one would be wondering if they're still "punk" or shit. Everybody would be jumping around hysterically. I feel better, away from this fandom of constant confrontations. It's also closeness to the fans : I've had no problem meeting Lostprophets, who are a fairly successful band, though. Last Train Home and Rooftops, it's them. If I tried to meet Green Day I would fail miserably. It's about Jamie Oliver telling us we're all his friends, not his fans, and us group-hugging him.

It's about that down to earth, I-know-I'm-just-a-human-being mentality. I know it's not Green Day's fault, but it's got a place in my heart. I know. Stupid.

But now let's come to the point.

Green Day's attitude, and particularly Billie Joe's (in fact almost only Billie's, Mike and Tré still have that special place in my heart), has infuriated me.

Oh, it's not about the meltdown. Nor the drugs. As a straight edge person (conviction Lostprophets and Rise Against have given me) I disapprove drug use but it's Billie's own business if he decided to do this to himself.

No, the first, main thing, was his appearance in The Voice. It's not futile. It's not unimportant. They sold Green Day's image, Green Day's music, to the world of pop artists who don't write their songs. To the talent shows, to reality TV. Contradicting everything they said they believed in.

It made me so angry. There's a fine line between being mainstream and not punk and selling the fuck out of your soul. And they've stepped beyond it.

Then there was the Twilight soundtrack. I won't even talk about that one, it explains itself.

There surely have been more things, but I stopped caring about what they did, from there. Their new evolution on music aren't in my likes anymore, too, but I won't blame them on that : they do what they what with the music. Evolution is good. But I won't buy Dos nor Tré. It's really their attitude, this thing I thought they would never do, going to try and buy fans away.

It just keeps being worse and worse and it makes me so upset. So I'm moving on. Most of my Green Day posters are going down, except the Dookie one, the one I've got memories with. I still listen to their records, sure, they've been such an inspiration before. But I'm out now. All tis is too hypocritical for me. Billie Joe's constant rambling about working class, when the shirts' fabrication have been taken to Asia. Yep, hypocritical.

If anyone feels this way about Green Day's new behaviour... speak up. I know I'm not alone, since I met one of my best friends over another band and she used to be a gigantic GD fan like me and has been so upset by their attitude she's done the same things as me.

I don't know. Feel free to do whatever with this topic. A debate, I guess. I've looked up the section and found nothing about that. So yeah.

[Clayish]

Lost Prophets

[eastbayweirdo]

You are going through a phase lol

And what Green Day is doing by appearing on things is called promoting. It gets you far in life.

[Clayish]

but nah you're about to get destroyed.

[Amanda]

It's about Jamie Oliver telling us we're all his friends, not his fans, and us group-hugging him.

It's about that down to earth, I-know-I'm-just-a-human-being mentality. I know it's not Green Day's fault, but it's got a place in my heart. I know. Stupid.

I'm kind of lost here, what has a dribbling TV chef got to do with Green Day?

[Johnny.]

who cares?

[Mr. Shluffy]

I remember when I had my first beer...

[farley drexel hatcher]

One day you'll stop caring about how punk something is or isn't, trust me

[Johnny.]

also, can someone send me a copy of these rules on how to be punk? thx

[sampy]

It sounds like you just want to say that "Green Day are not cool or punk enough anymore - part 43583"

..and you're 15. You don't like them as much as you did when you were 11 years old when you discovered them? I got your point but this is pretty worthless topic imo, I just can't take it seriously. No offense!

[Moyeszet]

It sounds like you just want to say that "Green Day are not cool or punk enough anymore - part 43583"

..and you're 15.

I am saying the exact contrary. Read. I say it's suilly people battling about them being punk or not punk. I don't care about punk. I just think that They're being a bit hypocritical. Just wanted to see if anyone shared thi opinion. Peace man.

[kristóf]

RedMin, i totally understand you.

You guys can call this promoting or whatever. But it's not exactly the same thing they did last time, with 21st Century Breakdown.

I actually don't think real punk even exists in this century, but if it does, Green Day is still getting further from it.

I mean... Nightlife? Forgotten video? The voice? Angry Birds? What the fuck?

They want to keep rock&roll alive by writing an RnB song or some shit like that.

Billie said he doesn't like Twilight, then Forgotten video comes out...

They're still my favourite band, and i still like them as hell, but i hate these things...

[Moyeszet]

RedMin, i totally understand you.

You guys can call this promoting or whatever. But it's not exactly the same thing they did last time, with 21st Century Breakdown.

I actually don't think real punk even exists in this century, but if it does, Green Day is still getting further from it.

I mean... Nightlife? Forgotten video? The voice? Angry Birds? What the fuck?

They want to keep rock&roll alive by writing an RnB song or some shit like that.

Billie said he doesn't like Twilight, then Forgotten video comes out...

They're still my favourite band, and i still like them as hell, but i hate these things...

Thank you for understanding the point.

[StuckWithRob]

Try listening to the music and you'll fall in love with Green Day again

[Guest]

Two things:

1. OP, we have blogs for this sort of post. If you go up to the top of the page, you'll see a little row of buttons with "Blogs" as one of them. In the future, please use those for introspective, soul-baring essays and the such.

2. Quit spamming the thread. If you don't have something relevant to the topic to say, don't say anything.

[Moyeszet]

I'm kind of lost here, what has a dribbling TV chef got to do with Green Day?

PLEASE, not the tv chef. just Lostprophets' keyboardist who has the same name as him.

Two things:

1. OP, we have blogs for this sort of post. If you go up to the top of the page, you'll see a little row of buttons with "Blogs" as one of them. In the future, please use those for introspective, soul-baring essays and the such.

2. Quit spamming the thread. If you don't have something relevant to the topic to say, don't say anything.

You're right, I should have left a blog. I can suppress this and leave it as a blog if you consider it adequate.

[sampy]

No, the first, main thing, was his appearance in The Voice. It's not futile. It's not unimportant. They sold Green Day's image, Green Day's music, to the world of pop artists who don't write their songs. To the talent shows, to reality TV. Contradicting everything they said they believed in.

It made me so angry. There's a fine line between being mainstream and not punk and selling the fuck out of your soul. And they've stepped beyond it.

Then there was the Twilight soundtrack. I won't even talk about that one, it explains itself.

Not many bands have released trilogy albums, they have to do compromises when record company says so. I believe that any of Green Day guys didn't want to have their epic last song of this trilogy on Twilight soundtrack. Warner just wants money. Green Day have been in mainstream since Dookie and they knew that this would happen when they sign a deal with a huge record company. They still do their own music, they're still those same bad ass guys what they were 18 years ago. They just work for a big record company.

You said also that there's a huge difference betweeen being a mainstream band and still be a punk rockers and when you sell out youself. Sadly, Green Day's music is still one of those few rock bands which fits in mainstream. Of course there's a bands like Metallica, U2 etc., but they're so, so huge bands that they sell just with their name already. Green Day is a big band and they can be big without selling out, but you need to realize that this kind of things are not their to decide.

[Guest]

Nah, it's fine to keep going here. I'm more concerned about the people who have nothing more intelligent to add than their thoughts on you getting flamed.

[WorryRock02]

you know http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5zEP4kvfnc

. Billie Joe's constant rambling about working class, when the shirts' fabrication have been taken to Asia. Yep, hypocritical.

AND...this is not his fault... and if you had read their interviews,now you'd know that when a reporter pointed out this fact to him,billie appeared seriously sorry. but you know ... it's not the band that decides where and how the merchandise. should be made .

[Amanda]

PLEASE, not the tv chef. just Lostprophets' keyboardist who has the same name as him.

Ah, right. Well I can't comment on the Lost Prophets' relationship with their fans because I'm not really familiar with them, but Green Day have always been pretty approachable in my opinion.

They don't give off the kind of untouchable vibe that some huge bands do.

[AngelBlue_]

Billie is a walking contraddiction.... Y'know....

[Schlappy]

Sorry but your life story is hardly thread worthy. In the few sentences that actually had a point, you talk about how the marketing is upsetting you. What i still dont understand is how that effects us as the fans. Green Day is losing the media spot light as all bands do after a monumental record so the band and the record company are doing what they can to keep them in peoples thoughts. It's the bands problem not ours. As long as the music and live shows are delivered, what else can you really ask for? If you're throwing green day away over this then what did they really mean to you? GD has never really cared about their image, but to you its more important than the music. oh well, cheers mate

[Moyeszet]

Not many bands have released trilogy albums, they have to do compromises when record company says so. I believe that any of Green Day guys didn't want to have their epic last song of this trilogy on Twilight soundtrack. Warner just wants money. Green Day have been in mainstream since Dookie and they knew that this would happen when they sign a deal with a huge record company. They still do their own music, they're still those same bad ass guys what they were 18 years ago. They just work for a big record company.

You said also that there's a huge difference betweeen being a mainstream band and still be a punk rockers and when you sell out youself. Sadly, Green Day's music is still one of those few rock bands which fits in mainstream. Of course there's a bands like Metallica, U2 etc., but they're so, so huge bands that they sell just with their name already. Green Day is a big band and they can be big without selling out, but you need to realize that this kind of things are not their to decide.

Fair points.

They still decide if they want their song to be sold for the soundtrack of a movie or if they want to appear on some reality TV show. I agree they're still the same people, it's something I've always said as a Green Day fan. But if for twenty years, and even after AI, they still haven't sold out, I don't see why they should now. Why are Warner being even bigger asses all of a sudden? It's just unsettling and upsetting. We DON'T want them to become U2, do we?

[kristóf]

Not many bands have released trilogy albums, they have to do compromises when record company says so. I believe that any of Green Day guys didn't want to have their epic last song of this trilogy on Twilight soundtrack. Warner just wants money. Green Day have been in mainstream since Dookie and they knew that this would happen when they sign a deal with a huge record company. They still do their own music, they're still those same bad ass guys what they were 18 years ago. They just work for a big record company.

They were working for a big record company when they released Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod, or American Idiot, 21st Century Breakdown, but i think this is the first time when they do things like that... Or this much weird mainstream thing.

[sampy]

And you're saying Billie Joe being hypocritical? Hell, it's not his decision where the clothing company makes their fan shirts. How can he do something with that? Print them in his garage? And there's also a HUGE difference between your own ideology and what record company makes you to do to sell shitloads of records, or where their fanshirts are made of. This is also one of those things which make me feel sick when people thinks so black-and-white.