Unpopular Green Day Opinions

[TimmyChunks]

Thanks for your perspective It's certainly interesting. Tre is obviously an eccentric guy, not limited to his public persona. Even Billie has talked about it, he's not like most people. That's why I crave learning more about him... he's so... intriguing.

And I NEVER would have assumed Mike to be "gregarious" as you put it He seems kinda on the defensive. It's not a bad thing. I feel like the personality we see in Cuatro is more what I imagine Mike to be like... kinda in a bad mood because he just genuinely cares about everything all the time. He seems pretty sensitive.

To reiterate, I'm not trying to assume I know these guys or make grand sweeping judgments about them as people.

I'm not sure why I thought Mike would have seemed gregarious- it's just that he's always seemed to be very appreciative of the fans in his interviews and on stage (one of my favorite concert memories was when we was interacting with us fans in right in front of him at a club gig during the Nimrod tour- he was tossing jokes, pics, etc. back and forth with us all night). But yes, he does seem to be a bit more reserved in many moments as well, so I guess it wasn't all that surprising that he was guarded when I met him. Plus, when you're that famous and approached by a random person, I guess you have to be somewhat defensive- there are a lot of crazies out there! That's partially what made the encounter with Tre all the more surreal- he was wandering around all by himself- no security or anyone else was with him- and he didn't seem to have a care in the world or be the least bit aware of his surroundings. It's unfair to make sweeping judgements about a person based on one meeting, but I can say without a shred of doubt that Tre is wired very differently than most other people. He's absolutely a quirky guy. A quirky guy whos a drumming savant.

Uno, Dos and Tre were terrible albums and GD's worst work to date. There were about 4 good songs and no excellent songs in the whole trilogy.

Tre is a super boring drummer. I actually don't know how he has gone this long and is still interested in playing his instrument.

Although I disagree on both points, I respect your opinion on the Trilogy. It may not be for everyone...but I disagree, I think some of the material is the best of the band's career, especially some of the gems from Tre.

However, I would like to know more about your opinion of Tre's drumming. Even the non-Green Day fans that I know love his ability. The drummers that I know all rave about his technical and stylistic capabilities. I'm not a drummer, but I have played guitar for many years and have played in some bands, so I feel like I know a thing or two about music, and I think he's one of the best drummers alive. My dad was a drummer back in the day and idolized Keith Moon, who is well regarded as one of the best drummers in rock history. And he says that Tre is every bit as talented as Moon, which is exceptionally high praise.

You're one of the first people I've ever heard disparage Tre's drumming. It doesn't mean you're wrong, but I don't see how you can make the argument unless you have some concrete examples or evidence to back the claim up. And all of the evidence I've seen and commentary I've heard from music critics and musicians seems to be pretty unanimous in support of the fact that Tre is an exceptional drummer.

[blitzkriegdeb]

I'm not sure why I thought Mike would have seemed gregarious- it's just that he's always seemed to be very appreciative of the fans in his interviews and on stage (one of my favorite concert memories was when we was interacting with us fans in right in front of him at a club gig during the Nimrod tour- he was tossing jokes, pics, etc. back and forth with us all night). But yes, he does seem to be a bit more reserved in many moments as well, so I guess it wasn't all that surprising that he was guarded when I met him. Plus, when you're that famous and approached by a random person, I guess you have to be somewhat defensive- there are a lot of crazies out there! That's partially what made the encounter with Tre all the more surreal- he was wandering around all by himself- no security or anyone else was with him- and he didn't seem to have a care in the world or be the least bit aware of his surroundings. It's unfair to make sweeping judgements about a person based on one meeting, but I can say without a shred of doubt that Tre is wired very differently than most other people. He's absolutely a quirky guy. A quirky guy whos a drumming savant.

I forget where the quote came from, but it said something along the lines of "Tre could walk through a party with fights happening behind him left and right and walk out with a girl on each arm, totally unscathed".

Like its been said, we can't properly judge him or tell what his personality is because none of us know him. I've heard both positive and negative things about all 3 of the guys, so who knows, I guess you just have to catch them on a good day.

But he definetly seems to have a "unique" personality at that

[Azthenia]

I'm

However, I would like to know more about your opinion of Tre's drumming. Even the non-Green Day fans that I know love his ability. The drummers that I know all rave about his technical and stylistic capabilities. I'm not a drummer, but I have played guitar for many years and have played in some bands, so I feel like I know a thing or two about music, and I think he's one of the best drummers alive. My dad was a drummer back in the day and idolized Keith Moon, who is well regarded as one of the best drummers in rock history. And he says that Tre is every bit as talented as Moon, which is exceptionally high praise.

You're one of the first people I've ever heard disparage Tre's drumming. It doesn't mean you're wrong, but I don't see how you can make the argument unless you have some concrete examples or evidence to back the claim up. And all of the evidence I've seen and commentary I've heard from music critics and musicians seems to be pretty unanimous in support of the fact that Tre is an exceptional drummer.

Actually I'll take back one thing I said, X-Kid is actually an excellent song haha.

I just find his drumming to be extremely boring. I play the occasional drums as well as a few other instruments properly, and I think that's actually made it worse. Before I got really into music about 8 years ago I never thought about the actual beats, I just listened and it all sounded good as a whole. These days I pick out every instrument on it's own and instinctively analyse it which pisses me off to no end but I have no way to control it. For me, he just has none, or nearly no "original" beats. I hear nothing particularly special when I listen to him. I have no doubt he's a solid drummer, with good technique and plays flawlessly, I'm not saying he sucks at all, but I just think he almost completely lacks creativity and originality. He keeps the beat as good as any other great drummer of rock music, but he doesn't make the drums shine for me.

I suppose it could be a good thing, because drums aren't really meant to shine in pop rock where vocal melody and guitar riffs are the key, but I just don't see him coming up with anything more than your average joe in their bedroom could. He never plays a snare or hi hat hit or a kick that I didn't expect to be there, he never plays beats that seem unusual in the song, everything is just what it "should" be, he doesn't take chances with it to kick the song into a higher level. There is never a fill which I don't see coming. I guess that's the problem I have with him.

[joeysturkeyhead]

I forget where the quote came from, but it said something along the lines of "Tre could walk through a party with fights happening behind him left and right and walk out with a girl on each arm, totally unscathed".

Like its been said, we can't properly judge him or tell what his personality is because none of us know him. I've heard both positive and negative things about all 3 of the guys, so who knows, I guess you just have to catch them on a good day.

But he definetly seems to have a "unique" personality at that

I read that quote in Nobody Likes You, it was Mike who said it.

[joeysturkeyhead]

find Mike more boring as a bassist...

Seriously? Boring as a bassist?! Have you heard Longview, No One Knows, Welcome To paradise, Dirty Rotten Bastards, Castaway, Minority etc. etc.? And don't tell me there there was no proper basslines in American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown because there wasn't supposed to be any, they even said they were going for a deeper sound and that's why there wasn't as much bass in them. Mike is an awesome bassist, hugely underrated! imo

[Lady Darkling]

I feel like the trilogy was..... different than their usual work. It had a different feel to it than the others. I dunno...... there's something.....

[localinsomniac]

Yeah, of course it's all Mike during his parts; Modern World, Nobody Likes You, "I don't wanna be an imbecile...", and so on and so on. And knowing how his voice sounds from that futher convinces me that he does not do the harmonies on the records. I've really been digging into this for a while now, trying to listen to the tracks in different ways, and trying to bring out or isolate the harmonies, and I'm convinced it's all Billie Joe, from At The Library to The Forgotten 99 Revolutions (there is no harmonies in The Forgotten, haha).

Not a chance. It may be difficult to pick out -- especially in the earliest recordings -- but Mike's voice is there. If you have them, listen to the isolated vocal tracks from Rock Band pre-AI. Mike's backing vocals (in my opinion) are most prominent on Warning. I don't want to comment on Idiot or anything after that because I'm not sure. But there's no way Billie Joe was doing all the harmonies. Just no way.

[localinsomniac]

I can't believe what I'm reading...Tré a boring drummer. I think it's awesome, he reminds me to Keith Moon.

Well, and I just love the trilogy...

I find Mike more boring as a bassist...

I have a question: What do you think about the popular opinion that Green Day is NOT a punk rock band?? I'm bored about this point that I don't discuss it anymore with anybody. "Power pop, or rock, not punk rock!!" Maybe in some songs, buit in general they are! Everybody thinks what they want. But it fucks me a lot.

I thought of Mike's work on AI and Breakdown as boring. Too many overdubbed guitars, and his bass lines seemed like more of an afterthought when considering those songs as a whole. I look at Insomniac and nimrod. as his finest albums.

On the subject of whether not Green Day is a punk rock band, I don't care. I used to, but that was when I gave a shit about people's opinions on my musical taste. If you look at their history, they're probably not a "punk" band; they're a trio of guys who write hooky rock tunes, grew up playing in a known punk gathering place (Gilman) and released one hard, dark, angry, punked-up album with Insomniac. They're a great rock-n-roll band to me, and I don't think they need be anything more.

[Snows]

Seriously? Boring as a bassist?! Have you heard Longview, No One Knows, Welcome To paradise, Dirty Rotten Bastards, Castaway, Minority etc. etc.? And don't tell me there there was no proper basslines in American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown because there wasn't supposed to be any, they even said they were going for a deeper sound and that's why there wasn't as much bass in them. Mike is an awesome bassist, hugely underrated! imo

I'm only saying that in comparison with Tré. I like Mike as a bassist a lot. Don't be annoyed with me...

I thought of Mike's work on AI and Breakdown as boring. Too many overdubbed guitars, and his bass lines seemed like more of an afterthought when considering those songs as a whole. I look at Insomniac and nimrod. as his finest albums.

On the subject of whether not Green Day is a punk rock band, I don't care. I used to, but that was when I gave a shit about people's opinions on my musical taste. If you look at their history, they're probably not a "punk" band; they're a trio of guys who write hooky rock tunes, grew up playing in a known punk gathering place (Gilman) and released one hard, dark, angry, punked-up album with Insomniac. They're a great rock-n-roll band to me, and I don't think they need be anything more.

This is exactly what is happenning to me too. I think about them as a r'n'r band more than a punk band. And they're awesome, and that's all!!! Fuck haters, I'm tired of them.

[joeysturkeyhead]

Not a chance. It may be difficult to pick out -- especially in the earliest recordings -- but Mike's voice is there. If you have them, listen to the isolated vocal tracks from Rock Band pre-AI. Mike's backing vocals (in my opinion) are most prominent on Warning. I don't want to comment on Idiot or anything after that because I'm not sure. But there's no way Billie Joe was doing all the harmonies. Just no way.

You're right, Mike does a lot of the harmonies, on some songs it's mixed with Billie or just Billie. I pluged in my earphones only halfway which makes you hear the backing vocals and you can mostly hear Mike's voice very clearly. I listened to parts of the trilogy that way and some songs where you can hear it very well are: Missing you (especially at feels so far, like this lone star. It gets so hard when I'm missing you. Other parts in the song is mixed with Billie), Sex Drugs & Violence, Fell For You and Loss Of Control.

[Ryan]

You're right, Mike does a lot of the harmonies, on some songs it's mixed with Billie or just Billie. I pluged in my earphones only halfway which makes you hear the backing vocals and you can mostly hear Mike's voice very clearly. I listened to parts of the trilogy that way and some songs where you can hear it very well are: Missing you (especially at feels so far, like this lone star. It gets so hard when I'm missing you. Other parts in the song is mixed with Billie), Sex Drugs & Violence, Fell For You and Loss Of Control.

Billie did all the harmonies for the Trilogy with the exception of the ones Tom Kitt did for Brutal Love. This is the first time that Billie has done his own harmonies, their previous albums have been all Mike. This was mentioned in several different interviews leading up to the Trilogy.

[joeysturkeyhead]

I'm only saying that in comparison with Tré. I like Mike as a bassist a lot. Don't be annoyed with me...

I'm not annoyed with you, it's just that, whoever it is, I don't like it when people complain about Mike as a bassist because I love it and he inspired me to play bass.

[joeysturkeyhead]

Billie did all the harmonies for the Trilogy with the exception of the ones Tom Kitt did for Brutal Love. This is the first time that Billie has done his own harmonies, their previous albums have been all Mike. This was mentioned in several different interviews leading up to the Trilogy.

I can hear Mike's voice very clearly, especially in Missing You. I'm sorry but you're wrong about that. Billie does most of the harmonies in the trilogy but Mike is in there too.

[Ryan]

I can hear Mike's voice very clearly, especially in Missing You. I'm sorry but you're wrong about that. Billie does most of the harmonies in the trilogy but Mike is in there too.

Alright, apparently all their interviews are wrong then.

That being said, I wouldn't doubt if Mike is featured in there a little bit, but the interviews made it a very clear point to say that, for the first time ever, Billie did his own harmonies in the recording process.

[PanicAttack!]

Not a chance. It may be difficult to pick out -- especially in the earliest recordings -- but Mike's voice is there. If you have them, listen to the isolated vocal tracks from Rock Band pre-AI. Mike's backing vocals (in my opinion) are most prominent on Warning. I don't want to comment on Idiot or anything after that because I'm not sure. But there's no way Billie Joe was doing all the harmonies. Just no way.

The difficult thing to differentiate between is when the harmonies are very high. Up there voices are stretched so they sound similar, but what you can listen for is ways to articulate words, or even better find som low harmonies. I feel like I hear Billie Joe through all the high harmonies through Dookie, but if you listen to the Welcome To Paradise vocal track (rock band rip preferably) the low harmony on "feeling so alone" is a prime example of a distinct Billie Joe. Also the beginning of Pulling Teeth should be Billie Joe inarguably. But now that you mention Warning, Warning (the song) has one of those lines where I do hear Mike; "May impair your ability to operate machinery" but that's not really a harmony. He obviously has some recordings throughout, but I think it's a consensus in the studio that Billie does the harmonies. After all remember that it is proffesional studio practice for the lead vocalist to do them, and Green Day has been working with proffesionals through all their recordings, especially since Dookie.

You're right, Mike does a lot of the harmonies, on some songs it's mixed with Billie or just Billie. I pluged in my earphones only halfway which makes you hear the backing vocals and you can mostly hear Mike's voice very clearly. I listened to parts of the trilogy that way and some songs where you can hear it very well are: Missing you (especially at feels so far, like this lone star. It gets so hard when I'm missing you. Other parts in the song is mixed with Billie), Sex Drugs & Violence, Fell For You and Loss Of Control.

If you hear Mike in Missing You, then I think you have a distorted idea of his voice, and Billie Joe's for that matter. The bridge in Missing You is one of those examples where you'll really hear Billie Joe. I don't think anyone can argue whether or not it's Billie Joe doing all the harmonies on Uno, Dos and Tré. It clearly is. The reason why it's so clear on the trilogy is that it's some of the cleanest mixing Green Day has done, and on 21st Century Breakdown it's clean because there has been focused on getting the voices prominent in the mix. The difficult harmonies to make out is the likes of Dookie because the sound has been compressed to not leave much to the individual track.

Could it be that some could be biased because what they thought was Mike Dirnt was actually Billie Joe, and now they hear Mike through it all?

It's not like his voice is very prominent live either. And if you listen to early live shows where he did the harmonies alone, it does sound alot different than the recordings.

Alright, apparently all their interviews are wrong then.

That being said, I wouldn't doubt if Mike is featured in there a little bit, but the interviews made it a very clear point to say that, for the first time ever, Billie did his own harmonies in the recording process.

I'm pretty certain I've seen and read all the later interviews during and leading up to the trilogy, but this I have not seen. Do you have a link or a name of this interview?

[Ryan]

I'm pretty certain I've read all the later interviews during and leading up to the trilogy, but this I have not read. Do you have a link or a name of this interview?

There were so many interviews posted during the lead up, but I honestly don't remember which one it was in. I'm pretty sure it was the one (maybe from Guitar World??) that went in depth about how they recorded the guitars and stuff like that.

[localinsomniac]

The difficult thing to differentiate between is when the harmonies are very high. Up there voices are stretched so they sound similar, but what you can listen for is ways to articulate words, or even better find som low harmonies. I feel like I hear Billie Joe through all the high harmonies through Dookie, but if you listen to the Welcome To Paradise vocal track (rock band rip preferably) the low harmony on "feeling so alone" is a prime example of a distinct Billie Joe. Also the beginning of Pulling Teeth should be Billie Joe inarguably. But now that you mention Warning, Warning (the song) has one of those lines where I do hear Mike; "May impair your ability to operate machinery" but that's not really a harmony. He obviously has some recordings throughout, but I think it's a consensus in the studio that Billie does the harmonies. After all remember that it is proffesional studio practice for the lead vocalist to do them, and Green Day has been working with proffesionals through all their recordings, especially since Dookie.

If you hear Mike in Missing You, then I think you have a distorted idea of his voice, and Billie Joe's for that matter. The bridge in Missing You is one of those examples where you'll really hear Billie Joe. I don't think anyone can argue whether or not it's Billie Joe doing all the harmonies on Uno, Dos and Tré. It clearly is. The reason why it's so clear on the trilogy is that it's some of the cleanest mixing Green Day has done, and on 21st Century Breakdown it's clean because there has been focused on getting the voices prominent in the mix. The difficult harmonies to make out is the likes of Dookie because the sound has been compressed to not leave much to the individual track.

Could it be that some could be biased because what they thought was Mike Dirnt was actually Billie Joe, and now they hear Mike through it all?

It's not like his voice is very prominent live either. And if you listen to early live shows where he did the harmonies alone, it does sound alot different than the recordings.

I'm pretty certain I've seen and read all the later interviews during and leading up to the trilogy, but this I have not seen. Do you have a link or a name of this interview?

But this is why I'm telling you to listen to the a capella tracks, where it's nothing but the vocals. I'm listening to Basket Case right now, and there's a distinct difference in the harmonies. There is a nasal quality to the voice in the left side of the track that I distinctly recognize to be Mike's voice. It's more of a "honk," if you will; not all that unlike Joey Ramone's. It's distinguishable from Billie's, which sounds like he just needs to blow his damn nose.

[Clayish]

Lazy Bones, Wild One, and Stray Heart seem out of place on Dos.

They fit the theme of Tre perfectly.

[Manaboy]

Because they're good.

very funny...

[joeysturkeyhead]

If you hear Mike in Missing You, then I think you have a distorted idea of his voice, and Billie Joe's for that matter. The bridge in Missing You is one of those examples where you'll really hear Billie Joe. I don't think anyone can argue whether or not it's Billie Joe doing all the harmonies on Uno, Dos and Tré. It clearly is. The reason why it's so clear on the trilogy is that it's some of the cleanest mixing Green Day has done, and on 21st Century Breakdown it's clean because there has been focused on getting the voices prominent in the mix. The difficult harmonies to make out is the likes of Dookie because the sound has been compressed to not leave much to the individual track.

I plugged in my earphones halfway so I only heard the harmonies and in Missing You it is Billie doing backing vocals, except for "feels so far, like this lone star. It gets so hard, when I'm missing you". That part isn't Billie, it really doesn't sound like him, it sounds like Mike. I don't have a distorted idea of their voices because I can really hear the difference.

[Cob]

You're right, Mike does a lot of the harmonies, on some songs it's mixed with Billie or just Billie. I pluged in my earphones only halfway which makes you hear the backing vocals and you can mostly hear Mike's voice very clearly. I listened to parts of the trilogy that way and some songs where you can hear it very well are: Missing you (especially at feels so far, like this lone star. It gets so hard when I'm missing you. Other parts in the song is mixed with Billie), Sex Drugs & Violence, Fell For You and Loss Of Control.

Hug me.

Although I'm pretty sure Mike does the entire harmony on Missing You. I'm not sure though, I haven't listening to the song through a faulty jack in awhile.

[musso_kn]

In regards to Welcome to Paradise, I think the Dookie version is better. I actually think it sounds more aggressive and powerful; the guitars on kerplunk sound a little...thin.

Castaway appears to be a fan favourite, and I've never understood why. It's alright; nothing really special that makes me want to jump out my seat, though.

[HolyHandGrenade]

Lazy Bones, Wild One, and Stray Heart seem out of place on Dos.

They fit the theme of Tre perfectly.

Sex, Drugs, and Violence fits perfectly on Uno as well

[LazyPhil]

Sex, Drugs, and Violence fits perfectly on Uno as well

Sex, Drugs and Violence should have never existed. NEVER.

[joeysturkeyhead]

Sex, Drugs and Violence should have never existed. NEVER.

It's one of my favorites from the trilogy!