Current:Home > ScamsGreen Day reflect on the band's evolution and why they are committed to making protest music-InfoLens
Green Day reflect on the band's evolution and why they are committed to making protest music
View Date:2024-12-23 12:07:15
Green Day, the renowned punk rock trio, is commemorating major milestones this year with the 20th anniversary of their Grammy-winning album "American Idiot" and the 30th anniversary of their breakout album "Dookie," which sold 10 million albums in the U.S. alone. Today, they released their 14th album, "Saviors," which marks their return to their roots in protest music.
A recent performance on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" saw frontman Billie Joe Armstrong change a lyric in "American Idiot" from "I'm not a part of a redneck agenda" to "I'm not a part of the MAGA agenda," a move that Armstrong said he's proud of and stands behind "1000%." Armstrong said he's been singing "MAGA agenda" since 2016.
"You know, we've always wanted to keep our edge," said Armstrong.
Their album "American Idiot" became their first No. 1 a decade after "Dookie," defying any notions that they were past their prime.
Bassist Mike Dirnt said after the "Dookie" album was released in 1994, "there was really no looking back" for the band since they were outgrowing the small venues they were performing in.
"I wanted to hear us on the radio," said Armstrong
The band's journey started in the late 80s at 924 Gilman, a legendary club in Berkeley, California. Armstrong, Dirnt, and drummer Tré Cool, were regulars there, both as performers and fans. Their original band name, Sweet Children, is still spray-painted in the rafters of the club.
"We played here once a month. And then the other weekends, we were just here all the time," said Armstrong.
"I was on that stage a lot more as a fan than I was in our band," said Dirnt.
The club was known for its strict no racism, no sexism, and no homophobia policy. For the members of Green Day, the club was more than just a performance venue; it was a place where they learned about values.
"The kids who were here were latchkey kids and stuff. And so we learned community, family values, you know, but also work," said Dirnt.
The band's new song "The American Dream is Killing Me" reflects on the stress and anxiety of living in America today.
"You're hit every day with the algorithm of chaos," said Armstrong.
The band — all aged 51 and long-time parents — said they found that parenthood has influenced their new music.
"Being a parent makes everything more apparent, you know," said Dirnt.
"Being in a band and stuff like that, like sleep deprivation, we were already used to, so that part of parenting wasn't that bad," said Tré Cool.
"We went straight from putting out 'Dookie' to cleaning up dookie," Dirnt added, laughing.
As they embark on their tour this summer with the new "Saviors" album, Green Day is not only celebrating their past achievements with "Dookie" and "American Idiot," but also looking toward the future.
"It's kind of a trifecta moment, you know. We never really look back a whole lot. I want to savor this moment, you know?" said Dirnt.
"I want to savior this moment," joked Tré Cool.
Anthony MasonAnthony Mason is senior culture and senior national correspondent for CBS News. He has been a frequent contributor to "CBS Sunday Morning," and is the former co-host for "CBS This Morning: Saturday" and "CBS This Morning."
Twitter InstagramveryGood! (33944)
Related
- Kentucky gets early signature win at Champions Classic against Duke | Opinion
- Real Housewives of Atlanta Star Porsha Williams Influenced Me to Buy 50 These Products
- Alabama high school football player died from a heart condition, autopsy finds
- Watch as Rockefeller Christmas tree begins journey to NYC: Here's where it's coming from
- Megan Fox Is Pregnant, Expecting Baby With Machine Gun Kelly
- Ranked voting tabulation in pivotal Maine congressional race to begin Tuesday
- Ja'Marr Chase shreds Ravens again to set season mark for receiving yards against one team
- 'Outer Banks' Season 5: Here's what we know so far about Netflix series' final season
- Mean Girls’ Lacey Chabert Details “Full Circle” Reunion With Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Seyfried
- Wicked's Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo Detail Bond With Sister Witches Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel
Ranking
- Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands
- The Ravens' glaring flaw flared up vs. the Bengals. It could be their eventual undoing.
- Should you sell your own home? Why a FSBO may look more tempting
- Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie pledges to make San Francisco safer as mayor
- The Best Corduroy Pants Deals from J.Crew Outlet, Old Navy, Levi’s & More, Starting at $26
- NFL Week 10 bold predictions: Which players, teams will turn heads?
- Mississippi Senate paid Black attorney less than white ones, US Justice Department says
- Louisiana lawmakers advance Gov. Jeff Landry’s tax cut bills
Recommendation
-
Katharine Hayhoe’s Post-Election Advice: Fight Fear, Embrace Hope and Work Together
-
Community grieves 10-year-old student hit and killed by school bus in Missouri
-
Louisiana lawmakers advance Gov. Jeff Landry’s tax cut bills
-
Oregon allegedly threatened to cancel season if beach volleyball players complained
-
NFL playoff picture Week 10: Lions stay out in front of loaded NFC field
-
US judge tosses Illinois’ ban on semiautomatic weapons, governor pledges swift appeal
-
How many points did Cooper Flagg score tonight? Freshman gets double-double despite cramps
-
NYC man is charged with insurance fraud in staged car crash captured by dashcam