NME: Green Day: “We live our lives as if we have nothing”

[UNICORN VOMIT]

1 hour ago, michael1989 said:

People are looking out for him now and I'm sure he's more conscious of his limits this time around.

Did you see the Sunrise interview?

[Greenday_Aussie]

Can anyone here tell me how many addicts have been able to get back on the booze or the gear and not fall back in too deep?

I must have missed hearing about that step in AA which says “Once you good, you can get back to partying.”

The dude has struggled since Nimrod, I don’t see this ending any differently this time round sadly.

[DookieLukie]

2 hours ago, Greenday_Aussie said:

Can anyone here tell me how many addicts have been able to get back on the booze or the gear and not fall back in too deep?

I must have missed hearing about that step in AA which says “Once you good, you can get back to partying.”

The dude has struggled since Nimrod, I don’t see this ending any differently this time round sadly.

I'd say with drugs, there is no moderation. With alcohol, there is a lot of research to support that individuals can return to moderate drinking. But there's also categories of alcoholics. There's people who run into a situation in life, drink more, realize it's an issue, and cut back. But there's also alcoholics that come from low backgrounds, family history of alcohol use, and have no resources or coping skills. Usually that group struggles to ever drink in moderation.

[The Bellie]

54 minutes ago, DookieLukie said:

I'd say with drugs, there is no moderation. With alcohol, there is a lot of research to support that individuals can return to moderate drinking. But there's also categories of alcoholics. There's people who run into a situation in life, drink more, realize it's an issue, and cut back. But there's also alcoholics that come from low backgrounds, family history of alcohol use, and have no resources or coping skills. Usually that group struggles to ever drink in moderation.

Ha ha I think Billie would be more in the 2nd category  even though I'm not pessimistic about him

 

12 hours ago, stories and songs said:

@DookieLukie My problem isn’t so much what he’s writing about but the fact that he had all these issues and admits he is no longer sober. 

I think it's pretty reassuring, on the contrary, that he openly admits it, and shows it. If we didn't see him openly, regularly with a beer in hand these days, I wouldn't know he is drinking. While in 2012 he looked just bad most of the time. The point for me is, you can't just reduce a situation to "he's drinking or he's not". (I'm just trying to find elements for you to be possibly more reassured about this.) Right now, he looks damn healthy. He doesn't look drunk, or perhaps only a little here and there, but not more than how random people would get drunk And in 2012 there was this whole context, of feeling overwhelmed by the events, that triggered his breakdown.  While now drinking doesn't seem to prevent him from doing what he has to do. For me, these types of elements are more relevant than "he's drinking or not."

Moreover, he has drunk most of his adult life and it's probably how he is used to live. I'm certain the iheart experience and everything that followed have had a positive impact on him overall though. I'm not fatalistic and to me, the Billie Joe today is certainly not the same man as before that. Sure, he drinks again, and it's not a choice, but an addiction (like so many people btw, each at their scale). But he's showing that just because he's drinking again, and even though it could possibly become unhealthy again, of course it could, doesn't mean he has concede any bit of living to it. And if I know something about addictions (I do), the best way to live with it and to ward off the negativity and possible danger coming from it is, sometimes, to live in spite of the addiction being here, not being afraid of it, all the while being honest, to yourself in first, about it. Today, he openly tackles it and shows it to us, because he knows that we know and may worry, and he shows it as something that's there, simply as that, refusing to be in denial or to appear as being self-conscious about it. And I think it's the right attitude, not for us, but for his own well-being. 

I don't think he's saying: 'I'm proud to be drinking again" but more like: "since I am drinking again (and obviously not by choice), I am not going to bemoan about it, and instead I am going to embrace everything that can be "show-friendly" about it, like I've always done, and make it a contribution for the audience to have fun. For the rest, we don't know anything, and we can either let ourselves be taken by worry (which would be as blind as not worrying, since we don't know anything anyway) or leave it solely up to him to look after himself, because it's solely up to him to anyway, and trust him to be well.

7 hours ago, RisingRedWolf said:

I find it hard to believe that a lot of people on here don't care about them as people as much as some of us do,

To me, choosing to be optimistic is not to be not caring (and I don't get how you could compare people's feelings anyway). I don't think you help people by letting worry overcome you when it's not up to you to take care of them. Loving him with all my heart is what brings me to believe in him to watch after himself. And also because I think he's a very strong dude.

4 hours ago, michael1989 said:

It seems a little weird to think of the lead singer of a punk rock band not drinking. Let him be. He can do as he pleases. It will likely make the shows more fun. Some of those 21CB / early trilogy shows were hilarious. People are looking out for him now and I'm sure he's more conscious of his limits this time around.

I agree. Honestly, dedemonizing drinking in his current situation wouldn't appear as hypocrite to me, for us viewers, but rather the best way to take it. He has all the cards in hand, and if there's one thing that could be done to help it's to have positive thoughts for him (at least, it can't harm lol).

[21st_century_gloria]

17 hours ago, Rumpelstiltskin2000 said:

 

‘American Idiot’ took on a life of its own. It was adapted into a stage musical in 2009, moving to Broadway the following year, but Billie Joe reveals that previously announced plans for a film adaptation have now been “pretty much scrapped”. 

 

RIP AMERICAN IDIOT MOVIE 😓

IT HAS GONE TO THE SAME PLACE IN THE SKY AS THE FOREVER NOW MUSIC VIDEO

17 hours ago, Rumpelstiltskin2000 said:

He adds that, in a truly bizarre turn of events, Donald Trump actually turned up to opening night in New York. He’s not sure whether the two actually met. “I didn’t… wait, maybe I shook his hand?” he starts, before Mike chimes in: “You shook so many small hands that night!”

 

They did briefly interact with Trump, as far as I know. I saw a picture of BJA (with his back to the camera) facing Trump, who looked like he was yelling at poor BJA lmao, Mike was laughing pretty hard, and Tre was staring into the camera. I screenshotted it because it was so bizzare and quite hilarious to me. If I find that screenshot I'll post it here I guess.

17 hours ago, Rumpelstiltskin2000 said:

 

Back in 2012, Billie Joe had a well-publicised onstage meltdown at the iHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas, smashing his guitar and screaming, perhaps redundantly: “I’m not fucking Justin Bieber.” He immediately checked into a rehab program for alcohol and prescription drug abuse and spent several years sober, but says that’s now changed. “I’m not really sober anymore,” he says. “I had a time where I needed to learn to grow up a little bit and take responsibility for myself and for my own independence, and I did. Now I’m moving forward. I had a good run, so let the good times roll!”

 

Smh on so many counts. Everyone's gonna be arguing about whether worrying about BJA makes you a Sting-worthy stalker or not. I'm not gonna attempt to be the prohibition police, his decisions, I get it, ok, but I'm simply worried about the dude's liver. I want GD around.

 

[Red]

46 minutes ago, The Bellie said:

I think it's pretty reassuring, on the contrary, that he openly admits it, and shows it. If we didn't see him openly, regularly with a beer in hand these days, I wouldn't know he is drinking. While in 2012 he looked just bad most of the time.

100% agree, and I love your optimism about it. I just can't help but be worried because in my personal experiences with people who are suffering from substance abuse, it always just starts with one and then it's one more after that and never ends well. Everyone handles those kinds of situations differently, and there is without doubt people that can drink as much as they want and handle it very well, unfortunately my situations have never been pleasant ones.

46 minutes ago, The Bellie said:

To me, choosing to be optimistic is not to be not caring (and I don't get how you could compare people's feelings anyway). I don't think you help people by letting worry overcome you when it's not up to you to take care of them. Loving him with all my heart is what brings me to believe in him to watch after himself. And also because I think he's a very strong dude.

Reading what I said again I believe I may have come across the wrong way, the last thing I want to seem like is that guy who thinks he's the only one who gives a shit, I know that's certainly not the case and I simply meant what I was saying in a "I think there are people on here that care a lot more than what they want to show" kind of way.

That being said I also agree with you that I should just be able to trust people to get better and be responsible, but due to my personal experiences of witnessing this kind of behavior, it has never ended well and it's extremely hard for me to just pretend it's going to be fine.
Billie Joe has gone sober many times, and it's always ended up with him going back to his habits again, so I can't help but feel a bit worried that it might get as bad as it did before, but like was said earlier by @Beerjeezus, we can't do anything about it except prepare for the worst.

46 minutes ago, The Bellie said:

I agree. Honestly, dedemonizing drinking in his current situation wouldn't appear as hypocrite to me, for us viewers, but rather the best way to take it. He has all the cards in hand, and if there's one thing that could be done to help it's to have positive thoughts for him (at least, it can't harm lol).

I respect your decision to agree with them, but laughing at and encouraging someone to drink more because they are more "fun" and "hilarious" when they do is a pretty shitty thing to do to someone who has a problem in my opinion.

Green Day seem to give more of a shit about what they are doing when Billie is sober, and I prefer them live like this too. This whole FOAM era is starting to make a lot more sense now that I know a bit more about what's going on, but again, I don't know them personally so I could be completely wrong here, but whatever it is, I don't like it and the era before this felt so much more right.

If people love Green Day more when they perform while Billie is drunk, I personally believe they love them for the wrong reasons. Substance abuse is no laughing matter.

[21st_century_gloria]

On 2/7/2020 at 2:25 PM, Beerjeezus said:

Honestly I'm reminded of my high school classmate who claimed her family wasn't really rich because her dad's Porshe was an older model

This reminds me of a friend of mine who owns 6 cars and refers to themself as "middle class"  

Okay but honestly, I find it lowkey funny that people go after BJA/the guys in GD either for having money, or for trying to be humbler than most of those who may have their success. Obviously they are very well off, but don't forget their backgrounds. They know what it's like to come from nothing, even if they do live very well now. Personally I find it cool and more than just a bit endearing that they try to be down to Earth despite recognizing that they are indeed big names and kickass rockstars. Idk. That's just how I see it.

[jengd]

Wealth, as with many things in life, is relative.  Yes, Green Day have made a lot of money, yes they all live very comfortable lives, have multiple houses, cars etc but for me the fact that they run/support local businesses and charities the way they do, employ long term friends, do stuff like Project Chimp, built houses in New Orleans, have a modest rehearsal space etc is far more palatable, makes them more relatable than if they were ott ostentatious about everything, with wives dropping in diamonds and behaved like asses with money.

I know this isn’t the main topic, but I for one, am very sad we’re not getting an AI movie!  I think it has taken too long, but still sad 😔 

[Beyza]

12 hours ago, stories and songs said:

I never said Billie’s situation impacted my mental health – I said my mom was going through cancer treatments and it really just sucked that my favorite band wasn’t a source of happiness and comfort for me during what was the hardest part of my life, watching my mom go through that. The band’s future was uncertain and I was worried about the whole situation, as a great many fans were at that time. I don’t blame him for his addiction whatsoever, it is a disease. And I don’t blame him for the timing of it either, obviously, but I can take issue with the fact that he’s kinda sweeping it under the rug and continuing behaviors that he has stated publicly are problematic for him. It’s just my opinion, which I’ve tried to convey respectfully. We’ve always had nice conversations on here so I’d appreciate it if you did the same.

I really got your situation. I’m not feeling extremely worried for him or the band but the thing that bugs in another interview  he said seeing his iHeart incident as a rock n roll moment. It felt like romanticizing something in a wrong way but other than that it’s really great he can laugh and not care too much about it maybe he tries to minimize his past problems and it helps him get better for now. We can’t be sure about how is his point of view actually like I think. 

[michael1989]

1 hour ago, RisingRedWolf said:

I respect your decision to agree with them, but laughing at and encouraging someone to drink more because they are more "fun" and "hilarious" when they do is a pretty shitty thing to do to someone who has a problem in my opinion.

Woah way to take what I said out of context. I never said I was laughing at him. All I meant was, like anyone who has a few drinks, he's more loose and relaxed on stage and it shows through his humour.

I think it's a bit of a leap to assume that a man 8 years ago is the same man 8 years later. He had a problem. He's learnt how to deal with it. That problem shouldn't haunt him his whole life and people judge him if he decides to have a few. It's like someone who's overweight, loses weight and then you see them eating a burger and you worry they're going to eat themself into obesity again when they've actually just learnt how to eat a balanced diet.

[21st_century_gloria]

6 minutes ago, Beyza said:

but the thing that bugs in another interview  he said seeing his iHeart incident as a rock n roll moment. It felt like romanticizing something in a wrong way 

imo this is why I hate it when people meme the incident and hype it up and make it sound as glorious as woodstock '94 or something. I'm not going to shoot my mouth off with opinions on peoples' personal lives obviously hahaha but I agree with your statement here 100 percent

19 minutes ago, jengd said:

I for one, am very sad we’re not getting an AI movie!  I think it has taken too long, but still sad 😔 

At least we have closure on this one now! Rip. The AI movie, Forever Now music video, BJA's journal fanzine, and the 90's GD horror movie will forever be missed. A moment of silence!

[UNICORN VOMIT]

13 hours ago, Beerjeezus said:

Maybe he does't have a golden toilet

He doesnt need a toilet he just uses a suitcase.

[UNICORN VOMIT]

31 minutes ago, michael1989 said:

Woah way to take what I said out of context. I never said I was laughing at him. All I meant was, like anyone who has a few drinks, he's more loose and relaxed on stage and it shows through his humour.

I think it's a bit of a leap to assume that a man 8 years ago is the same man 8 years later. He had a problem. He's learnt how to deal with it. That problem shouldn't haunt him his whole life and people judge him if he decides to have a few. It's like someone who's overweight, loses weight and then you see them eating a burger and you worry they're going to eat themself into obesity again when they've actually just learnt how to eat a balanced diet.

 

[21st_century_gloria]

2 minutes ago, UNICORN VOMIT said:

 

AAAH! YOU FOOLED ME!

I thought this was gonna be some nice lil clip of BJA reflecting on his life in good old RevRad sentimental fashion...!  

[UNICORN VOMIT]

Just now, 21st_century_gloria said:

AAAH! YOU FOOLED ME!

I thought this was gonna be some nice lil clip of BJA reflecting on his life in good old RevRad sentimental fashion...!  

It's one of my favs I keep pulling it out from time to time.😋

[Thatsername]

1 hour ago, RisingRedWolf said:

Green Day seem to give more of a shit about what they are doing when Billie is sober, and I prefer them live like this too. This whole FOAM era is starting to make a lot more sense now that I know a bit more about what's going on, but again, I don't know them personally so I could be completely wrong here, but whatever it is, I don't like it and the era before this felt so much more right.

If people love Green Day more when they perform while Billie is drunk, I personally believe they love them for the wrong reasons. Substance abuse is no laughing matter.

I couldn't agree more with these words and I'm happy that I'm not the only one on this planet who feels this way. Cause to me it looks like fans who think that iHeart and the whole era surrounding it was "funny" and "rock'n'roll" are the majority (and I'm not talking about GDC here, more in general, and especially on social media). A guy on Instagram with a big Green Day fan-profile I used to follow once posted "Billie, take us back to 2012!" and I commented "No." I got a shitstorm for it, people called me a "party pooper". Maybe I am, but if caring about your favourite band's health and well-being is a crime, fine, I'm guilty. I'm not saying this new era is 2012 all over again in every single way, I hope it isn't and everything is going to be fine. But I think there are at least some parallels, and those parallels trigger some very bad memories in some of us, so worrying is just a natural, very human thing. It doesn't mean we're trying to give them advice or something, I know it's none of our business. But that doesn't mean we can just make those feelings go away.

[Beerjeezus]

1 hour ago, michael1989 said:

Woah way to take what I said out of context. I never said I was laughing at him. All I meant was, like anyone who has a few drinks, he's more loose and relaxed on stage and it shows through his humour.

I think it's a bit of a leap to assume that a man 8 years ago is the same man 8 years later. He had a problem. He's learnt how to deal with it. That problem shouldn't haunt him his whole life and people judge him if he decides to have a few. It's like someone who's overweight, loses weight and then you see them eating a burger and you worry they're going to eat themself into obesity again when they've actually just learnt how to eat a balanced diet.

Not sure if it works that way, but I wish you were right.

[Thatsername]

7 hours ago, jengd said:

I know this isn’t the main topic, but I for one, am very sad we’re not getting an AI movie!  I think it has taken too long, but still sad 😔 

I'm sad too. I would really, really love to see the AI movie. Yeah I get that they don't have any political ambition right now - which I regret, but I accept it - but it would have been perfect timing for the movie. I think the topic is more relevant than ever, the album was almost prophetic in many ways when you look back at it now, and it would have been a great way to give this amazing piece of work (once again) the recognition it deserves.

[pacejunkie punk]

5 hours ago, Thatsername said:

I'm sad too. I would really, really love to see the AI movie. Yeah I get that they don't have any political ambition right now - which I regret, but I accept it - but it would have been perfect timing for the movie. I think the topic is more relevant than ever, the album was almost prophetic in many ways when you look back at it now, and it would have been a great way to give this amazing piece of work (once again) the recognition it deserves.

They could make it up to us by releasing a DVD of the original cast on broadway with Billie as St Jimmy which you know they have. 

[21st_century_gloria]

On 2/7/2020 at 8:25 AM, Rumpelstiltskin2000 said:

the last word belongs to Billie Joe: “‘Til death do us part, I guess.”

Ik it's a common phrase, yes, but even with the usage of a multitude of common phrases or whatever, BJA is super eloquent. I don't think enough people recognize that haha they're just too busy criticizing tropes they find in his songwriting and dismissing him as a high school dropout. At least, I've always found him very eloquent both in his lyrics and interviews. 

[pacejunkie punk]

2 minutes ago, 21st_century_gloria said:

Ik it's a common phrase, yes, but even with the usage of a multitude of common phrases or whatever, BJA is super eloquent. I don't think enough people recognize that haha they're just too busy criticizing tropes they find in his songwriting and dismissing him as a high school dropout. At least, I've always found him very eloquent both in his lyrics and interviews. 

And it’s beautiful because it is like a marriage he has with them and he’s expressing a commitment here, a vow.

[21st_century_gloria]

Just now, pacejunkie punk said:

And it’s beautiful because it is like a marriage he has with them and he’s expressing a commitment here, a vow.

Yep, even off their contract, they're always Green Day 💖

Tbh I've picked up a lot of vocabulary from GD songs in general. Sure, BJA may be a dropout but he's got some linguistics in him!  

[Guest]

ugh yes, his vocabulary 😤👌

[21st_century_gloria]

26 minutes ago, Nightlife said:

ugh yes, his vocabulary 😤👌

Yknow, that video made me smile. 

[pacejunkie punk]

6 hours ago, Nightlife said:

ugh yes, his vocabulary 😤👌

That’s why he writes his lyrics down first and doesn’t improvise them 😂