This MADman has a hangover and Green Day are on the television, hence the "many shades of Green". See what I've done there? I would hope so, or you are truly stupid.
First and foremost, welcome to anyone who is here from Twitter, the campest-named networking facility in the world. Please feel free to contribute to Metal Harmony in any way you see fit, or unfit, or whatever.
Secondly, do Green Day still matter? When I was listening to "Dookie" oh-so-many years ago, songs about wanking in your flat when you're bored and being a retard made sense to my teenage punk self. I had no real angst to deal with but Green Day were still a release. Then they went shit, which I choose to gloss over as it was a sad time. But then "American Idiot" came out and propelled the short-arse frontmanned punksters into the mainstream in a frankly ridiculous way. I seem to remember Kerrang voting their Milton Keynes show "the best gig of all time". If you'd have told me that would happen when I was trying to play along with "Welcome To Paradise" on the drums over a decade ago, I would have said "no chance, you silly c*nt", and pissed in your ear.
Tre Cool was the man who really made me want to hit the skins and at that time, I was convinced that he was the best drummer in the world. And to be fair, he does still have an awesome talent. His timing is impeccable, his energy is awesome and his hair is regularly, if not constantly, stupid.
But I find myself asking, do they still matter? No longer an angsty trio of gobby shits, Green Day are now a threesome of political commentators. Surely this means they matter more? I don't know. I mean, how many people have gone down this route? Protest songs against war and organised religion have been around since music began and have ranged from the abolitionists in the USA to warbly-voice leathery rocker Neil Young to SoCal punk bands like Lagwagon, and so on and so forth. Don't get me wrong; Green Day still create fucking tuneage but I can't help thinking their aspirations to end the war in Iraq and topple TV evangelism is a bit contrived.
But what do I know?
More than you, probably.
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2 comments:
Madman I've got to speak up on behalf of the almighty Green Day! Saying they don't matter is obviously retarded but saying they don't matter because they've turned into a threesome of contrived political commentators is a new level of retarded, even for you.
Green Day began as a punk band. The bread and butter of punk has always been anti-establishment and political commentary. Although in the Dookie days they were singing about wanking and becoming mental cases the sound and the energy and the honesty of their records was always a big flip of the bird to society. This is what we are; this is what we believe in, and if you don't like us you can all suck on our spunk! I don't think that message has changed. Perhaps the things they care about and believe in have changed but that's natural since they are older. Do you still care about the same things you did back in the Dookie days?
Changing opinion about the world is honest growth. It is nice to see a band who go from apathetic punk roots to giving a fuck about something. So often in life, the older we get, the less of a fuck we give. As someone who has grown up with Billy-Joe and the boys, I find them inspiring. And it's not just older cynics like me they speak to. The world has changed a lot since you were just a Madboy. Kids today care about politics; are fucked off with their governments; they use their vote not their middle finger. Punk apathy has been replaced by angry ballet waving fuckers with loud voices!
Green Day continue to speak to a shitload of people but what's cooler - those people are fucking listening! And yeah fine so they sell out stadiums now instead of underground punk toliets that hold 20 people on a good night – but are we really going to get into the “Green Day sold out”shit AGAIN! Even in the Dookie days they were hailed as sell outs. Success breeds contempt and I hope you're not falling into that trap Madman. I hope you're not sitting on your rocking chair muttering the words “they weren't like that in my day, sell outs!” Tut tut Madman I thought you were smarter than that.
The sound and the energy and the honesty are still there in their records. In a world of emovers and x-factor; dishonest music and vacuous bands – Green Day MATTER, now more than ever!
Green Day are the acceptable face of punk rock dissent these days.
I'm sure that the Anarcho-Crust punks get misty eyed when they see Billy Joe Armstrong peddle his wares on MTV and rabble against the government with latte in hand.
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