The evolution of Green Day
Punk rockers keep their edge by turning to politics, using stadiums as pulpits to urge fans to become politically active
These days, it's punk rock to care. After failing in their attempt to help John Kerry beat George W. Bush in the presidential election last year, Green Day has continued to advocate liberal causes wherever their tour takes them.
After the huge success of their latest album, 'American Idiot', which sold more than 3 million records in the United States, the pop-punk trio is headlining stadiums for the first time and is using its growing pulpit to urge fans to become politically active and join organisations like Greenpeace and Amnesty International, which set up booths at each show. At the very least, it will make some young kid question a couple of things and learn to think more on his own, says bassist Mike Dirnt.
The politically-charged American Idiot features a bleeding heart-shaped grenade on the cover and contains two nine-minute, five-part songs veritable symphonies by punk standards.
Critics called it a rock opera, hailing it as an unexpected change of lyrical direction from a band that burst on the music scene in 1994 with a multi- platinum record called Dookie and a hit single about boredom and masturbation.
After their initial success, the band released several albums that sold less and less, making them wonder if they were still relevant even as they sparked copycat acts like Good Charlotte and Sum 41.
We needed to evolve, says singer Billie Joe Armstrong. And for that the band looked for inspiration in old records like the Who's Tommy, David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars and even the West Side Story soundtrack. Armstrong came up with lyrics during long walks alone through his neighbourhood in the Bay Area.
The result is an indictment of the Bush administration and the US media, portraying America as a land of pre-emptive war, hypocrisy and rampant religiosity. It is chock-full of hooks and passion and it won the band a Grammy last year.
Don't wanna be an American idiot, sneers Armstrong in the album's title song. But in a recent interview he hastens to add that the band is not anti-American, but anti-war. If you're going to stop terrorism, you don't attack countries. You keep them from going into poverty and famine and you relieve them of debt, Armstrong says. You don't look at yourself as the greatest country in the world, but the greatest asset to the world.
That's how you build a stronger country here and stronger allies, instead of people that have no respect for Western culture. He says he opposes the war in Iraq but he supports the troops involved in it, whom he calls heroes.
In the current tour, Armstrong sports an accessory rarely seen on a punk rocker: a tie. But teenage fans everywhere need not recoil in horror: the tie is fire-red and is worn over a black shirt. Armstrong peppers the shows with comments about politics and history and rocks so hard that the band had to postpone gigs in Ohio and Tennessee so he could rest his vocal chords.
Asked whether rock 'n roll can save the world, Armstrong says it's all up to the fans. It can definitely be a soundtrack to a revolution we've seen it done in the past, he says. It just depends on how ambitious people are with it. Gelu Sulugiuc (Metro NYC)
Green Day takes centre stage
Green Day took centre stage at the annual MTV Video Music Awards last month, scoring seven wins including the evening's top honour of Video of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."
They were also honoured with the viewer's choice award for "American Idiot."
In addition, the group won awards for Best Group Video, Best Rock Video, and Best Direction, Editing and Cinematography in a Video.
At the awards ceremony, the group pointed out they had been together for 16 years. They then opened the show with a performance of the song that won them six of their seven awards.
Green Day also injected one of the evening's few political notes, saying "here's to our soldiers, let's bring them home safe" as they accepted their final award.
大家點睇?
[ Last edited by Faith on 2005-9-11 at 02:08 AM ]
Punk rockers keep their edge by turning to politics, using stadiums as pulpits to urge fans to become politically active
These days, it's punk rock to care. After failing in their attempt to help John Kerry beat George W. Bush in the presidential election last year, Green Day has continued to advocate liberal causes wherever their tour takes them.
After the huge success of their latest album, 'American Idiot', which sold more than 3 million records in the United States, the pop-punk trio is headlining stadiums for the first time and is using its growing pulpit to urge fans to become politically active and join organisations like Greenpeace and Amnesty International, which set up booths at each show. At the very least, it will make some young kid question a couple of things and learn to think more on his own, says bassist Mike Dirnt.
The politically-charged American Idiot features a bleeding heart-shaped grenade on the cover and contains two nine-minute, five-part songs veritable symphonies by punk standards.
Critics called it a rock opera, hailing it as an unexpected change of lyrical direction from a band that burst on the music scene in 1994 with a multi- platinum record called Dookie and a hit single about boredom and masturbation.
After their initial success, the band released several albums that sold less and less, making them wonder if they were still relevant even as they sparked copycat acts like Good Charlotte and Sum 41.
We needed to evolve, says singer Billie Joe Armstrong. And for that the band looked for inspiration in old records like the Who's Tommy, David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars and even the West Side Story soundtrack. Armstrong came up with lyrics during long walks alone through his neighbourhood in the Bay Area.
The result is an indictment of the Bush administration and the US media, portraying America as a land of pre-emptive war, hypocrisy and rampant religiosity. It is chock-full of hooks and passion and it won the band a Grammy last year.
Don't wanna be an American idiot, sneers Armstrong in the album's title song. But in a recent interview he hastens to add that the band is not anti-American, but anti-war. If you're going to stop terrorism, you don't attack countries. You keep them from going into poverty and famine and you relieve them of debt, Armstrong says. You don't look at yourself as the greatest country in the world, but the greatest asset to the world.
That's how you build a stronger country here and stronger allies, instead of people that have no respect for Western culture. He says he opposes the war in Iraq but he supports the troops involved in it, whom he calls heroes.
In the current tour, Armstrong sports an accessory rarely seen on a punk rocker: a tie. But teenage fans everywhere need not recoil in horror: the tie is fire-red and is worn over a black shirt. Armstrong peppers the shows with comments about politics and history and rocks so hard that the band had to postpone gigs in Ohio and Tennessee so he could rest his vocal chords.
Asked whether rock 'n roll can save the world, Armstrong says it's all up to the fans. It can definitely be a soundtrack to a revolution we've seen it done in the past, he says. It just depends on how ambitious people are with it. Gelu Sulugiuc (Metro NYC)
Green Day takes centre stage
Green Day took centre stage at the annual MTV Video Music Awards last month, scoring seven wins including the evening's top honour of Video of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."
They were also honoured with the viewer's choice award for "American Idiot."
In addition, the group won awards for Best Group Video, Best Rock Video, and Best Direction, Editing and Cinematography in a Video.
At the awards ceremony, the group pointed out they had been together for 16 years. They then opened the show with a performance of the song that won them six of their seven awards.
Green Day also injected one of the evening's few political notes, saying "here's to our soldiers, let's bring them home safe" as they accepted their final award.
大家點睇?
[ Last edited by Faith on 2005-9-11 at 02:08 AM ]