Green Day

Green Day are just an amazing punk rock band that started in the mid-80s as Sweet Children with vocalist and guitarist, Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Al Sobrante (John Kiffmeyer). They changed their name to Green Day, and released 1,039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, then, with a new drummer by the name of Tre Cool, released Kerplunk!

In 1993, they signed with Reprise records, after being bugged for so long. They chose Reprise because their soon-to-be producer, Rob Cavallo, was a musician himself, who spoke their language. Dookie was released in 1994, and went diamond. Thus causing a bunch of "hardcore punks", to start calling them "sellouts".

Between Dookie to American Idiot, Green Day released Insomniac, Nimrod, Warning, International Superhits and Shenanigans. There has been marriage, children, divorce, girlfriends, music, fights, arrests, etc...

In 2004, Green Day released the truly birlliant punk rock opera, American Idiot. It is an album that follows Green Day's signature themes of social problems, but with a more political ATMOSPHERE, simply to relate to the present times. It is more a story of all the member's journeys. Hints from previous records had indicated Green Day coming to this point in their career; the expiramenting; the use of more than three chords and different instruments...

More rants about Green Day being "sell-outs" begin. The fact that Green Day are now attracting a much WIDER audience is a ridiculous reason to dislike them. The some of the same teens who are insulting them for kiddies liking them, are the same people who WHERE kiddies when THEY started liking Green Day.

The eyeliner controversy is also silly. Green Day have worn eyeliner since early in their career! Check out old interviews for proof. It also hides unsightly dark circles and wrinkles under the eyes! They are not "gay" for wearing makeup. MANY of their influeneces wore makeup. Alice Cooper, Adam Ant, New York Dolls, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, etc..

As for the clothing-- you can't expect them to want to dress like stereoytpical punk idiots. They are also in their 30s now, and shouldn't be dressing like teens-- that's creepy. They have also worn that style of clothing before: during Dookie, Warning & after.

John Lydon dissing them is because Lydon hates that Green Day have had so much success as punks. Glen Matlock is a fan, Iggy Pop, Elvis Costello, Bad Religion all like them. Even in an interview with the late Joe Strummer, about a year before he died, he said he likes them. John Lydon and Steve Diggle (who follows Lydon's words all the time)can go toot whatever horns they like.

You people are completely confused as to what punk is about-- it makes me want to cry, really.

Punk is an underground rock 'n' roll movement based around the DIY (Do it yourself) ethic, individualism, poverty & art. It started with bands like The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, The New York Dolls, etc.. ANY of the original punks from the mid to early 70's will tell you "punk doesn't exist" and "This is not punk" simply because they HATE that label-- it represents being confined to a specific CATEGORY.

Although, for the sake of simplicity, punk is described as a movement, it was only ever a collective of individual free spirits. In fact, it is these individuals who make punk difficult to define: just when you have managed to encapsulate the ethos, these free spirits break away and make you think again. This is the essance of the movement...

Green Day are free spirits; they didn't follow the stereotypes laid out by the macho "hardcore" punks of the 80s punk-revival scene.

"Selling out refers to the compromising of one's integrity, morality and principles in exchange for money, 'success' or other personal gain. It is commonly associated with attempts to increase mass appeal or acceptability to mainstream society. A person who does this, as opposed to following the original path s/he laid (or claimed to lay) out for him/herself, is labeled a sellout and regarded with disgust and immediate loss of respect. Selling out is seen as gaining success at the cost of credibility." -Wikipedia

Green Day have not done this. Therefore, there is no arguement, and they have not sold out, and they are more *punk* than other "punk" bands that stayed indie and/or calling Green Day "sell-outs" & "not punk"

Also; Sum 41, Good Charlotte, Blink 182, My Chemical Romance, Billy Talent, Underoath, 30 Seconds to Mars, Senses Fail, Taking Back Sunday, Chiodos, The Academy Is, and all these other horrid bands you call "punk". Aren't. And they wouldn't be around if it weren't for Green Day by the way. They ALL (any rock band from 1994 on) recongnize as a MAJOR influence on them-- even as a reason they started a band in the first place.

You don't realise it, but it's because of Green Day that you probably even HEARD of punk. Green Day are the reason the mainstream is accepting punk today, and if the mainstream didn't notice punk, than niether would you.

Bitter arsehole "hardcore punks" all saying: Green Day are not punk! They accepted the establishment and went on a major label! *rant rant*
Elvis Costello: "It's what's on the record. It's not what label's on it. That's like getting a box of Cornflakes and eating the cardboard. It's stupid. There's a much more punk rock idea of getting with a major record company and spending all their money than there is getting your friend to press up their records in his basement, and spending all his money and his mother's money that he borrowed. Which is actually more revolutionary. I think it's bankrupting the major corporation myself."

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sex pistols

The Sex Pistols are an over-rated punk band of the 70's, made up of Johnny Rotten (John Lydon), Paul Cook, Steve Jones and Glen Matlock, who would later be replaced by Sid Vicious (although, Glen was the brains behind the operation). Sid Vicious was the first punk wannabe-- he couldn't play worth shite & was a total outfit like John Lydon, and would soon get wrapped up in his whole poseuriness and go into his junkie hole. John Lydon formed the new wave band, Public Image Ltd. (PIL), who are way better than the Sex Pistols.

Nowadays, you have see Lydon piping on about Californian punk rock band, Green Day. He's trying to knock out Green Day, because they are the only real PUNK competition today. He did imply it. He was definitly intimedated that they had such success as punks, when he did not. They are the only ones left hold the punk flag- even if they don't want it (as they have said many times). Yes, Lydon and all the original punks had a hard time in the 70s-- punks would literally get beaten on the streets for looking the way they did, and few DID look like that (until '77). But unknown to him, Green Day have paied their dues, and anyone who bothered to find out more about them would know that. They also mention their influences very often, causing many of their fans to check out those influeneces, which is why punks' sales today are so high. Glen Matlock even knows this!

In a whole, John Lydon is just a bitter man who wants attention. He appeared on an episode of Jugde Judy, which you can see on youtube. You never know what this man would like because one moment he'll like it, the next he won't. Now the Sex Pistols are on their very ridiculous anniversay tour, which is very "un-punk" indeed.

In conclusion, The Sex Pistols put on a good face in punk simply because they looked like the ultimate punk image-- just what Malcolm McLaren intended to build. They are the only "original punk" act that likes the term "punk". It is a constraint, and any TRUE *punk*, wouldn't allow themselves to be categorized-- they wouldn't even look the stereotype. If they had just stuck to the music, with Glen Matlock, they would have been brilliant.

Punk was a movement that was to break free of anything seen as controversial. It's supposed to be shocking, yes, but only to change people's views on things. NOT to be arseholes.

Now, to quote Chris Sullivan: "Although, for the sake of simplicity, punk is described as a movement, it was only ever a collective of individual free spirits. In fact, it is these individuals who make punk difficult to define: just when you have managed to encapsulate the ethos, these free spirits break away and make you think again. This is the essance of the movement..." The Sex Pistols did not do this. They were not original. They just accepted whatever McLaren pushed on them.

And dispite me liking the music of the following bands: The Ramones, Billy Idol (of course no one knows Generation X *grumble*), The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Joan Jett, and on occasion, Iggy Pop, are all part of the typical punk wannabe's collection-- nothing else.

Poseur kid: I LOVE punk music!
Music lover: Yeah? What bands do you like, then?
Poseur kid: My Chemical Romance, Good Charlotte, Billy Talent, Blink 182, Nirvana... The Sex Pistols...
Music lover: O_O *anger rising* The only "punk" band you have is The Sex Pistols!! And they are on everyone's damn list!
Poseur kid: So you're calling me a poseur?!
Music lover: YES! Learn REAL *punk* music! *shoves X-ray Spex, Adam & The Ants, The Adicts in poseur's face*

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