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Posted: 1/4/06
January Rumors
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, when asked what the low point of the year had been for him, Billy Joe admitted that he wasn't too happy about seeing the Mr. Toad-style wild ride that has been the success of American Idiot drawing to its inevitable close. He said that it's a scary point in the career of any band and that the guys are feeling a little nervous about the road ahead.
However, with a documentary about the making of the album AND a movie based on the album in the works, some fans are worried that Green Day might be riding the old girl a little too hard. There's nothing wrong with quitting while you're still ahead, fans say, and some even suggest that Green Day's out of ideas but doesn't want to admit it.
On the flipside, although the rumor mill insists that Green Day's got studio time booked in January, Billy Joe says that he's ready to quit fucking the bitch-goddess of show-business for the time being and get back to doing some good old fashioned fucking the dog. He says that although "American Idiot" has spoken to a lot of the big issues of the day, he's ready to sit back and start to gather insights for a new album that will tackle the problems of the future.
It's definitely time to move on according to all the Green Day fans who have been overcome with the horror of seeing Wake Me Up When September Ends featured on the newest Kidz Bop CD. Although some say you're never too young to get into Green Day, most hardcores are horrified by the prospect of the lyrics to Billy Joe's ultra personal ballad about the death of his father coming from the rotten-sweet mouths of babes.
Some say Green Day approved the cover because they have kids of their own, and understand that kids need their own kind of music. Others insist that this could only be the work of evil corporate superpower Reprise Records. Whatever the case may be, old school fans are definitely ready to say goodnight to the American Idiot Empire before things get out of hand. Unless, that is, they already have…
December 13, 2005
Warner Brothers recently signed a takedown notice for an internet mash-up of Green Day's American Idiot album called American Edit, and the blogosphere has issued a call to arms. Internet activists are calling today "Dean Grey Tuesday," and protesting Warner's actions by mirroring the American Edit album or turning their background page gray, reports the website Americanedit.org. Over 200 participants are registered with the protest, which Americanedit.org says, "is not intended to be a mass organization of music piracy but, rather, one single display of the consumptive power of the mash-up and home remix community in the hopes of encouraging the labels...to consider giving the high quality productions of 'illegitimate' music a legitimate consideration as a promotional avenue for all music."
A similar protest was launched in 2004 when EMI tried to block the distribution of Danger Mouse's Grey Album -- a mash-up of the Beatles' White Album and Jay-Z's Black Album. No official comment yet from Green Day on Dean Grey Tuesday, though Americanedit.org quotes Billy Joe as saying, "I was driving in my car, and I heard a Green Day mash-up, with, um, Oasis and Aerosmith. It sounded cool!"
As an internet-only release with no intent of commercial gain, Dean Gray asked for fans who enjoyed the album to donate to charities that Green Day have been known to support.
His name? Party Ben. And while it's not exactly the coolest or baddest nickname out there, it's the one on the lips of mash-up fans across the globe thanks to AmericanEdit.net, a site he started with another masher - an Australian DJ named Team 9 - that features a track-by-track reworking of Green Day's quadruple-platinum American Idiot album.
Posted: 12/5/05
Over the last couple of months, Green Day fans have been getting suspicious about telltale signs that Billie Joe could be on his way to a solo career. Hardcore watchers of the band have been noticing a freaky trend at concerts and in the media towards focusing the spotlight on Billie Joe at all times, and that is a portent of dark times ahead, young Skywalker.
There is all kinds of speculation flying around as to what the band's reaction must be to the increased focus on Billie Joe. Are they sick of it? Is Billie Joe thinking he'd be better off on his own? In February of 2005, Billie Joe, Mike, and Tre were all together on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. Then, just this past month, the band was featured in the music mag again, but this time, only Billie Joe was on the cover.
And that is just the top of the steaming pile of crazy conspiracy theories. Rolling Stone reports that when Green Day was originally working on the album that would one day evolve into American Idiot, they were already fighting over Billie Joe hogging all the glory, to the point where they could barely work together, and this was before their latest album proved itself to be a total ass-kicking classic that made them (some more than others) the big shiny stars they are today.
Of course it's natural for fans to be soaking their panties at the idea of Billie Joe leaving his eyeliner on their pillows. He is, after all, the one who screams out the Green Day lyrics that this generation of American idiots are finding so inspiring. But old-school fans are sticking by the awesomeness of Mike and Tre, and say that they have little interest in a Billie Joe solo stunt, which might generate sales from mainstream wannabes, but not much else.
It's no surprise that this level of fame can do funny things to a band, we'll just have to wait and see if Green Day can stick to their punk principles and keep keepin' it real a little longer.
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