Feedback: Green Day Biography Part 1

[Fuzz]

Didn't Billie say before that Al didn't tell them he was leaving the band, so he didn't tell him he was being replaced? I remember him saying this before although he could be joking.

Yeah he did say that in that interview with Larry Livermore.

[Firecracker Lell]

the sixth child in Andy and Ollie Armstrong’s brood

That's incorrect, his oldest brother Alan had a different father.

His Native American mother put him up for adoption soon after his birth

It was his adoptive mother who was Native American.

At seven years old, his parents bought him his first guitar to celebrate his success.

I've never heard this, I heard they bought him an acoustic guitar but I thought he was slightly older like 9 or 10?

Billie Joe and Mike met when they were eleven

I've always heard they were 10, again I'm not sure because I don't know the source but maybe someone can confirm this?

2,000 Lightyears Away

Just a typo, should be "Light Years"

Confirmation :

4: 22

And yes, I think they first bought him an acoutic guitar when he was 8/9.

[Todd]

Soon after meeting him, the band was signed to the label and began to release EP’s – first came “1,000 Hours” in 1989 followed by “Slappy” in 1990. During the Christmas holiday in 1989, the band recorded their first full-length album 39/Smooth, a compilation of their EP’s plus new material. Right before the album’s release in April 1990, Sweet Children made the spontaneous decision to change their name to Green Day, inspired by a song Billie wrote for the album.

They Recorded 1000 Hours first, then 39/Smooth (Which is NOT a compilation), then Slappy in spring of 90, then in 91 they were all added to the compilation 1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours. They changed their name before 1000 Hours in 89, not in 1990 after Slappy, and which album are you referring to by "a song Billie wrote for the album" Make sure you specify that.

he wrote the song “2,000 Lightyears Away” about her

Aside from that typo, He also wrote 80

In the spring of 1991, the new trio recorded their second full-length for Lookout Records, Kerplunk.

I'm pretty sure they recorded it in fall of 91

And why not add that they recorded a set of their earlier songs on their 39/smooth world tour and released it as Sweet Children in 1990 on Skene records?

[Firecracker Lell]

How do you know that?

6th sense!! That was a divine inspiration

[TheGreenDayKidd]

6th sense!! That was a divine inspiration

[Hermione]

Confirmation :

And yes, I think they first bought him an acoutic guitar when he was 8/9.

Thanks! I knew I'd heard they were 10 but couldn't remember where. And yeah I know there's several interviews where he talks about getting his first guitar and mentions how old he was but I can't remember which ones they are, don't remember it being as young as 7 though.

[Firecracker Lell]

Thanks! I knew I'd heard they were 10 but couldn't remember where. And yeah I know there's several interviews where he talks about getting his first guitar and mentions how old he was but I can't remember which ones they are, don't remember it being as young as 7 though.

No Problem Actually, I've watched that interview for like 50 times, that's why I remembered

[ThisMoonlife]

It was already mentioned but 39/Smooth was all NEW material when it was recorded. The EP's were added later. Beat me to it.

[Misterglasshalfempty]

I'm no expert when it comes to vinyls, but I believe that this 45 vinyl that is mentioned is a 7-inch or a 12inch, as 45rpm is standard for a vinyl of that size I would assume this is a 7-inch, as that was common for children's records in the 70s.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinyl_record#Common_formats

[American_edot]

its good

[StuckWithRob]

There is a random apostrophe This show got their name out there successfully – many audience members were impressed by the polished quality of punk that the young trio put out there. '

But very well written!

[EmmaCharlatan&Saints]

Billies only ten! Wow very precosious 10 year old

[Fuzz]

Billies only ten! Wow very precosious 10 year old

20...

You're as bad at math as I am.

[EmmaCharlatan&Saints]

20...

You're as bad at math as I am.

Crap lol haha mega Fail!

[Sweet Children89]

its nice!

[Heather.]

"In the Armstrong household, music seemed to take the place of political interests or religious beliefs"

I think it's inaccurate to say music took the place of religious beliefs in Billie's house, because he's said a number of times that he went to Christian preschool, was "raised with the fear of God" and went to frightening youth group meetings... in his Look for Love interview he only talked about learning about Jesus and you get the impression that his parents were pretty into the religion thing. Politics, perhaps not, though he said his father as a truck driver was constantly picketing with his union, so he was probably somewhat locally active.

[mbk]

I'm impressed with people's knowledge in this thread. I didn't know most of the stuff that people pointed out, so thanks! And the piece is really good too. I just have some small quibbles:

A musical atmosphere surrounded Billie from birth – his father was a jazz drummer, and his mother, whom he met at a gig,

Just a small style/usage issue: the way it's written, it sounds like Billie Joe met his mother at a gig.

Although his early childhood was extraordinarily normal

There are some places where it seems a little presumptuous to assume what they were feeling or how their lives were proceeding. I'm not sure that Mike's childhood was "extraordinarily" normal -- or that anyone's childhood is!

In place of having girlfriends and playing sports,

Billie Joe has said that he played football, and did they really not have girlfriends? (I'm not sure about that, but it seems a stretch to assume that they definitely didn't.)

Billie and Mike were busy getting into the college punk scene

The punk scene didn't have a lot to do with colleges.

Their homemade demo tapes were dismissed as not being punk enough.

Again, a very small quibble, but it makes it sound a bit as if the problem was that the tapes were homemade, but rough, homemade tapes were a staple in the punk scene. It's true that they weren't considered punk enough.

many audience members were impressed by the polished quality of punk that the young trio put out there.

Another really small quibble, but punk is not usually thought of as being "polished," not even Green Day's brand of punk -- at that time. Perhaps a word like "tight" would be better. (And do we really know how the audience members felt? There were still a lot of people who didn't think Green Day were punk enough.)

the band recorded their first full-length album 39/Smooth, a compilation of their EP’s plus new material.

This has been pointed out already, but 39/Smooth was originally released as a stand-alone album. The EPs were added later.

Many of the shows were played to small audiences on college campuses,

A lot of the shows were played at people's houses or at DIY punk spaces. I think it was more that than colleges.

Upon going home and being once again engulfed by boredom and loneliness,

Another really small point, but it seems to assume that we know how he felt.

This would mark the last time the band was welcome there for nearly a decade.

You might want to clarify: Gilman doesn't book any major label bands, so they are not welcome there to play shows as Green Day, even now. (Though they did play some songs after that Influents show -- I don't remember exactly.)

[newsflash777]

^ that post seems helpful. I'm lovin' all this new info I'm learning... or re-learning I guess

[Fuzz]

^ that post seems helpful. I'm lovin' all this new info I'm learning... or re-learning I guess

Yeah, it's quite fun. I'm really really glad I decided to preview it here to correct stuff before putting it out there.

[BeachBum]

Off to a strong start.

a very strong start

[Vic_Rattlehead]

This is very good, it's laid out very well, and good choices of pictures/picture placement.

[stich]

where's the others two parts?;

The Middle Years: Dookie - The Network (Coming Novemer 16th)

Current Years: American Idiot - Trilogy (Coming November 23rd)

I can't found these on GDA

[tvrman]

I'm no expert when it comes to vinyls, but I believe that this 45 vinyl that is mentioned is a 7-inch or a 12inch, as 45rpm is standard for a vinyl of that size I would assume this is a 7-inch, as that was common for children's records in the 70s.source: http://en.wikipedia....#Common_formats

I am, I was listening to music in the 70s. Back in those days singles were 7" 45rpm and albums were 12" 33rpm. You kids are lucky with your ipods, we had to take those LPs to school under our arms to loan to with friends. Our mums and dads had 78rpms records, if you used them as a frisbee chances are you would decapitate someone !