How has your relationship to Green Day evolved?

[Jean]

Billie Joe has become my lover

Are you sure he's not a girl who thinks you're the one? lol

[The Snark]

I remember fast-forwarding and rewinding my tape (yes, cassette!) to censor Dookie from my parents. I also remember having a small poster of Green Day on my wall in which Billie was holding a joint. Neither of my parents cared...or they never realized what it was. My mom has always liked their more radio-friendly songs (She, WICA, Good Riddance, BOBD, 21 Guns, and strangly American Idiot and Longview). My dad is a fan of old-school country, and every time the boys are on tv, he asks me the same thing: "You're still into them?!" We also got into a debate a few weeks ago about how he believes that, compared to a few decades ago, all the bands that are popular now don't have a chance to last longer than a few years. After I rattled off a few, Green Day included, and gave him the amount of time they've all been around, he changed the subject! One point for me!

My grandma got me a ticket for my very first Green Day concert in 2005. She also bought one for herself, my then 10 yr. old cousin, and my mom. She got such a kick out of Billie's 'performance' during 'Hitchin a Ride' and later commented that the bassist had a great ass!

Quite a few of my friends know, but most of them don't like Green Day at all. Two out of my really close group like them, but not to the point of going all fangirly with me. Surprisingly it's my best friend from high school who gives me the most shit. I don't see her much anymore, but when I do, I make sure to wear something GD related just to annoy her.

But this morning my dad said the best thing. The news did a spot on Green Day kicking off their tour in Chicago and talked about Billie's stint in rehab and why. When it was over, my dad turned to me and said: "I know I don't like them too much and give you shit for still being into them, but I have so much respect for a guy who can admit when he's in trouble and take the initiative to get better. So many stars nowadays use the "anxiety and stress" lie as to why they need rehab, and to just come out and tell the truth makes him a bigger man than many." AWWWWWWWWWW!

[uhleckseee]

They're still my best friends. I go to them for anything in my life, good or bad. They've already been with me through the roughest times I've had in my life so far, some of the best times, and I love that they will never let me down or judge me.

If I'm having a rough time, feeling low, and just generally useless, I turn to them. There's nothing wrong with me. This is how I'm supposed to be in a land of make believe that don't believe in me.

It's like my mantra at this point. It calms me down. Sure, it almost brings me to tears whenever I repeat those lyrics in my head, but it helps me in ways that no one else ever can.

[Drop Dead Hideous]

At first I hated them when I was a child but when 21st Century Breakdown, it was like the gateway to Green Day and my life wasn't the same after that. I can't go on a single day without listening to their songs. It's like I really connected to them. Even if I tried to listen to other bands, nobody gave me the satisfaction I get when I listen to Green Day. They are one of the most important elements of my life today :>. They influenced who I am today, to follow my dreams and now I'm performing good in college because of them. I can't thank them enough Also this trilogy proved to me that they are still here and is still ready to give it all despite their tremendous success.

[Thatsername]

My "relationship" with Green Day has become stronger and stronger within the past almost 12 years that I've been a fan, and it grows even stronger (if that is even possible) whenever I see them live. First, I was like: their music is kind of cool, I like it - then I loved it, and soon I was addicted. Green Day has been my one true companion in all those years. Friends came and went, lovers came and went, school, university, jobs came and went, but Green Day always stayed. I grew up with them, and I will grow old with them. It's as easy as that. Whenever I'm depressed or desperate, music by Green Day has usually one of the following two effects on me: either it cheers me up immediately, makes me dance like crazy and sing along with until I'm croaky (that's usually songs like King For A Day, Minority, Carpe Diem), or it makes me cry even harder (songs like No One Knows, 21guns, Give Me Novacaine) - both is always very liberating.

[Tinii]

My mom bought me to my birthday in 2010 2 cds. One from Bruno Mars and 21st century breakdown. I knew about green day before, but not much. I first was a big bruno mars fan, but since that present Im totally in love with green day and know I hate bruno

Then I bought more and more green day stuff and my addiction started, so THANKS MUM

[invalid.]

a friend of mine about 3 yrs ago, who knew Green day but mostly only AI and stuff like that, made me , who didnt know anything,listen to basket case. and... so on. Ironically, she isn't't a fan now but I became the biggest FUCKING one.

[OhTheGuilt.]

Well my first time with GD was with the "Minority" video on Mtv, I was 10 yo and I thought that they were cool, but that was It, I was in love with shitty pop and good looking singers.Then came "American Idiot" and they were everywhere and I was completely captured by these 3 man with eyeliner, so I asked my friend to download AI for me that became my obsession for months.Then I wanted to hear something else from their discography, so I bought the first GD album that caught my eye:"Insomniac".To be honest at first I was a bit disappointed because It was so different from AI or "Minority", there weren't catchy melodies instead It was an angry and raw record.But then my friend downloaded me all their discography and I passed days and months listening to all these records, I was completely into them, so proud to talk about them to my friends or my parents, and so proud to wear their t-shirt down the streets.There was a period when I sort of got away from them, around 17 yo, It lasted a year or two I can't remember, but when in the end I had nothing left, when all my certainties crashed down and my heart was broken I found them again and It really felt like coming home.Today I feel like this relationship that I have with them is the only one that's gonna last forever.

[Tubbie Head]

Mine started with pure obsession, now it's just endless love.

[LazyPhil]

At some point I listened less ans less to Green Day because I had gotten into metalcore/popcore bands like ADTR and The Devil Wears Prada but that was also because it was during the time we didn't hear anything from the guys before they announced the recording of the albums but now I feel in love with Green Day once again since ¡Uno! came out

[Billie-Joe's Bitch]

Hello. This is why I love Green Day so much and where my love for them evolved. Well, lets start from the beginning, so lets start from the beginning, shall we?

I was about 7 or 8 years old, and I stumbled upon a song called American Idiot, by chance on a music channel. As soon as I started listening, I couldn't stop. Obviously on these channels they beep out the swearing, so I didn't know it had bad language in it, but that's a whole different story. Doing further research, I discovered the song was by a band called Green Day and that they had a new album coming out. American Idiot just kept on in my head for weeks and weeks, and I would turn on the music channels just waiting, waiting to hear this one song. It just awoke something in me. I loved everything it stood for and how awesome the band and instruments were. The next song I heard of theirs was Boulevard Of Broken Dreams. I heard it on a channel called The Box, and became obsessed with it. Obviously iTunes wasn't as big back then, or it may not have existed at all, so when the American Idiot album came out, I had to go a music store called HMV to buy it. I was 7 at the time and not really knowing what swearing was, I went and bought it. The guy in the shop came out to speak to my mum and told her that there was 'some explicit language' in the CD, but I didn't care, I just cared that I had it in my hands.

As soon as I got it and brought it home, I became obsessed with it and haven't stopped listening to it for the last 10 years. I fell in love with the fact that the album told a great story about love, loss and war. I knew that the band had been around for a while, and got a taste of this, as one of my relatives bought me Insomniac for my birthday, and I fell in love with that too; the lyrics, the melodies and guitars. The moment my love for them became stronger was when I got Bullet In A Bible for Christmas in 2005. I still have it sitting in my room to this day and I've kept it for the last 8 years. I uploaded straight onto my music library and just kept listening to it, over and over and over again. I used to get up EVERY morning for about a year and watch the DVD from start to finish. I was bullied several years ago, which would leave me in a really bad mental state, they used to call me names: "whore", "fatty" and make fun of me because of events in my past. It really affected me. I'd cry myself to sleep, cut myself and not eat all the time, but when I listened to Green Day, they would take all of that away and I'd just be sent into my own little world, of just me and Billie's voice. Every word in those songs meant something to me, especially Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, as I am very shy and don't really talk to many people, so I'm a bit of a loner and people think I'm weird, so I didn't have any other outlet for my anger than rocking out to the guitars of Green Day. I treasured every oppurtunity to listen to them, because they taught me not to give a shit what people think and to be my own person. And for that, I thank them. Thanks to them, I'm now in so much of a better place mentally and much happier. They have changed my life. That's why when ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tre! came out, I felt like the happiest girl in the world when I listened to them for the first time. I downloaded them straight away and fell as equally in love with them as I did with American Idiot nearly 10 years ago.

That's why I love them so much. I owe my life to them.

Love, Amy

Twitter: @GreenDayFan_xx

Instagram: ajlovesgreenday_xx

[Strayheart1219]

I started liking Green Day when I was 11 years old in fifth grade. It was the American Idiot era but this was before they kind of blew up. This boy in my class really enjoyed their music and would talk about them non stop so I decided to look them up. And that is when my life changed. Green Day EVERYTHING, I was obsessed. I would sit at the computer and just listen to all the albums my favorite album was Nimrod. One of best friends also loved them just as much as I did she made this mix cd of their music and I would listen to it on repeat while sleeping. In middle school I was called the green day girl lmao. Then Freshman year of high school I stopped listening to them. I did not like 21cbd at all. I cringed when 21 guns came on the radio. I was too much into friends who weren't into the same music and pot. To me? Green day was like that teddy bear that you would sleep with every night and it was your best friend until one day you realized you didn't need it anymore. Let's be honest also, Green Day wasn't that popular either at the time. Then I broke up with one of my ex boyfriends and I was so upset I decided to watch Bullet In A Bible DVD and I just reminisced with old memories I started listening to their old stuff again. Then I heard about Billie going into rehab from tumblr because I followed this one blog that was just pure green day. I was a wreck, I could not believe it. So pretty much Billie being in rehab is what made me reeeeeaallly start getting back into them. Green Day will always be special to me no matter what. Ever heard the phrase that it takes something horrible to happen to form people together? Just knowing that he was in rehab and all the feelings I had towards it I realized this isn't just a band anymore, it's something deeper.

OH and the fact that uno dos and tre ARE so fucking good.

[PanicAttack!]

My relationship to Green Day has evolved like everything else, and like the word indicates, slowly.

Their music has been in a category for itself through all the years, and has definitely also changed for me, but it's been such a natural evolution, as I've never really taken a break from listening to it, that it's hard to tell exactly how it has changed. The only thing I sometimes experience is when a certain line in a song I rarily listen to, suddenly hit me with another interpretation than the one I remember having as a younger, more trivial individual. It's a strange feeling comparable to deja vu, but not really.

[Guest]

When I first got into Green Day, I was about 13/14, American Idiot had just come out. I was still trying to find my 'look', as it were & finding Green Day played a major part in my fashion sense & general style. I felt like I couldn't be a fan unless I looked like their fan, so I instantly bought everything in black, or some dark colour with the occasional clash of red & white, I wore ties [which was odd as I was a 14 year old girl?] & converse everywhere. I cut all my hair off, it went from mid-back length to a couple inches long at the back and chin length at the front. I bought eyeliner for the first time & plastered that shit all around my eyes. I was, as it were, a typical 'emo' kid when it came to my look.

I would listen to their music every day, always have it blasting in my bedroom or through earphones if I was out the house. I wouldn't stop listening. I knew all the words to all the songs but didn't know what they meant. I was clueless. I didn't understand the deeper meaning to most songs excluding the obvious [Good Riddance, Wake Me Up, etc]. I just enjoyed their music because.. Well, it sounded cool.

After AI had been out for a few years & 21stCBD hadn't yet been released, I stopped listening, I didn't count them as my 'favourite band' anymore. I got into much heavier music & just disregarded Green Day entirely. That went on until 21stCBD came out & I only got into them again for a few months as I dislike that album, still do minus a few songs.

So I didn't listen to Green Day between the release of 21stCBD & Uno, where my obsession came back in full swing. I then realised that no matter what I had said in the past, Green Day will always be my favourite band, they will be the guys who saved my life time & time again, I will never have enough thanks for that. Now that I've grown up a bit, I can see the deeper meanings, I understand the songs, not just know the words. I listen to them every day again & my fashion sense has started to sway again but in a good way. They're not taking over my life they're just having an influence on it & that is really what makes me love them. Even if you're just a casual fan, they will find a way to get into your life like no other band can.

Long story short, they're freaking amazing & I will love them until the day I die.

[Rush guy]

My relationship with Green Day started when I got my first MP3 player from my dad. This was right about the time that American Idiot came out, so he had put International Superhits and American Idiot on it. At first glance, I loved American Idiot and obsessed over the album. I didn't really look into the rest of their music until a few years later when 21st century breakdown came out. Between the craze I had when American Idiot and 21CB came out, I was sort of taught to dislike them by my Christian peers, who in retrospect completely misunderstood where Green Day was coming from. Then I heard 21CB and I didn't care if people thought they were sacrilegious. I made a pile of Green Day CDs to go in my car, rediscovering them even when my friends were hating on them. I got to see them on that tour, and I gained a new respect for the band that never really died even when I had worn myself out on them. My musician friends have always hated them "because of their musicianship," but I think that they just got tired of the overplayed songs.

So, for me my Green Day crazes come in waves. I obsess for a couple of months then forget about them for a while. The last couple of bouts over the past 3 years or so, I've come to appreciate the post-dookie work but have never really warmed up to the pre-dookie albums. I believe that they've gotten better over the years, but that's my opinion.

It's taken me a long time to absorb Uno, Dos, and Tre. That being said, I enjoy them together more than any other individual album. They're definitely an improvement over 21st century breakdown, which seemed to be a bit preachy following American Idiot. Two politically charged albums in a row wore me out, so Uno/Dos/Tre was a welcome light-hearted set of releases for me. There aren't very many bands that can put out anywhere close to 70 songs in their entire career that I completely adore, but Green Day is one of those bands. They're in my top 5 personal favorite bands along with Rush, Coheed and Cambria, the Beatles, and Iron Maiden

(p.s., my writing isn't as polished on this post XD my bad guys, it's late)

[Rusty Blue]

I first heard Green Day from my boyfriend (now my Ex) in 4th grade (yeah, i know this sounds slutty but we were just kids and friends). right then it was 2008 so 21st Century Breakdown wasn't released yet, but I heard American Idiot, and before I heard Boulevard of Broken Dreams and WMUWSE on the radio sometimes but never paid too much attention to the songs. When I first heard American Idiot I started being obsessed with Green Day. My first CD was Dookie and I fell in love with every song, my brothers also liked Green Day at that time and took my CDs. I also bought Insomniac not long after that.

A year after that 21st CB was released and my parents bought me the CD for my birthday and I listened to it all day long.
After a year I slowed down with Green Day and started listening more to another band, but about 6 months later I started listening to Green Day again. I bought American Idiot, Nimrod, Warning, Shenanigans and all the others and now I just can't remember why I stopped listening to them right then...
I love every single song that Green Day has ever released and they're my favorite band.
I thank Green Day for making the time of my life.

[What's in a name]

Long ago, when the video for Basket Case dropped, and MTV would play Green Day constantly, maybe at that point I was only 5, might have been 6. Either way, I remember watching those videos and just enjoying them. Flash Forward to American Idiot. I was watching MTV one day, I think I was 14, and the video for American Idiot came on. And it was just straight energy and looked like a lot of fun. I loved it so much that I ran out and bought the Album. I spent the next summer just playing American Idiot more times than I can remember, which is why I always make AI my summer album, anyways. I decided to research them and see what else they had, to my surprise, the music videos I stumbled across were the same ones from all those years ago, these were the guys who jumped around on their couch, stabbed it, flipped their coffee table, played in a mental hospital. These were the same people, and at that exact moment, I knew I needed to hear EVERYTHING else. I collected their discography, or so I thought, from Dookie to American Idiot, I played it all to death, not once getting bored of any of it. Then one day, I was having a conversation with another green day fan who told me that they had relased music before Dookie. Which got my heart racing. This was around the time that Reprise had reissued Kerplunk and 1039 SOSH, so I had been in luck. I picked up both albums and I couldn't believe my ears. What I found on those 2 albums was just so energetic, and I couldn't describe it any other way. Their music has gotten me through some tough shit, some boredom, and a lot of crazy times and ideas. So, I've loved this band for longer than I can really remember, all their songs have a special place in my life that brings me back to that time or through those memories.

Oh, one more thing, the first time I saw them live, and they came out on stage....I'm pretty sure I had an orgasm.

[PigSniffingGlue]

you want me to tell that story all over again???

.. ok fine

When I was about the age of 12, I went out with my gang to watch a movie. When I'm saying this, I mean that I watched it at home with mom. It was the animated movie Surf's up. When I was watching that movie I heard this AWESOME song and I had to find it. I was searching for it for a couple of hours, because it wasn't listed on the official list of the soundtrack, but then I found out the song's name was Welcome to Paradise. I've downloaded it and listened to it from time to time, but I wasn't a fan yet.

Then, about two years ago, I was listening to random songs on youtube, I should mention that my music taste was quite mediocre, and I used to only listen to songs that were on mtv and radio, but I kept an open mind. I saw that song that was called Nice guys finish last, by our beloved band Green day. I listened to the music, read the lyrics, and I was fucking blown away. That song was so amazing, it sounded good and the lyrics were had this rawness and honesty, like none of the lyrics I've heard before. .
At first I didn't feel like becoming a fan,because I thought that Green Day and all of their other songs were emo (lol ) I even remember telling my best friend "have you seen that song I shared on facebook, can you believe I listen to a Green day song? haha" but I knew nothing
Soon enough I was curious to try another song, and then another one, and another one, and soon enogh I fell in love.

Green Day are the only band to which I connected in such a deep emotional connection like no other band or artist ever. There is no word to describe how much they and their music means to me, not to mention they opened a whole new world of amazing music to me and made me want to explore music and try new bands.
After I realized I'm a fan, one day when I was browsing through the videos and interviews on Youtube, I saw this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtIiKuKv68I

and suddenly I remembered I've seen that before. I remember watching that KCA ceremony 6 years ago, I saw that man and heard what he said, I thought then it was funny and somewhat true, but I had no idea how much he is going to mean to me in a couple of years

[Ashleycase]

So...the first time I ever heard about Green Day was a few years ago, there was Boulevard of Broken Dreams on the TV and all I could think of was "who are these idiots", then I just changed the channel and never thought of them again ( I guess I wasn't very open-minded at that time...). Anyway, I started hearing about them in 2009, when 21 st century breakdown was out. Suddenly lots of people in the school liked them and 21 guns was on everyone's phone, etc...but still, I don't know I just didn't care, I didn't even pay attention to who the band who sang that was. And then it became like before, no one talked about them anymore and they were forgotten. A year later, my brother put Holiday out loud. I just heard it from my bedroom and...I just fell in love with that song. So I came and I asked him who sang that. And he told me Green Day. That's where it all began. I remember listening ONLY to Holiday for like 2 months or something and then i felt curious about what that ban "Green Day" could have done else...And then I listened to the whole American Idiot album, 21 st century breakdown, Dookie, Nimrod, Warning etc...

I didn't find them extraordinarily but for me this day when i heard that song in my brother's room is really important... It made me love the best band in the world )

[stories and songs]

I love this topic so, so much. I've so enjoyed reading everyone's stories!

When I was around seven years old, I very clearly recall seeing the Good Riddance music video playing in the Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney. For some reason, that night they had been playing music videos that night - they do that sometimes, but usually when the music video was made to go along with a film. Which isn't important in this story, but I just felt the need to explain. Anyway, from that point on, I just completely loved that song. It was the first song I can remember that ever made me tear up. I feel as though most people in my age group heard that song all of the time growing up, with many of us (myself included) having no clue who actually performed the song. Throughout my childhood, I heard a lot of Green Day songs on the radio that I enjoyed. I loved Longview, Welcome to Paradise, and Basket Case without realizing who the artist was or that the songs were all by the same artist.

Flash forward to 2004, the start of the American Idiot era. I was eleven at the time. My dad had been reading a lot of hype about the album and wanted to check it out for himself, having liked some of their stuff in the past. At first, I did NOT want to like this album. Don't even ask me why. At the time I liked darker music and to my mind, Green Day was just a bit too upbeat. I was on a mission to hate this album, perhaps because I liked it so much that it scared me.

After a while, I started to give in. I had never heard an album that felt so...important. It was an album that was making a statement, a bold statement, and I found that so fascinating, because previously I hadn't heard music that was so politically and socially aware. I fell completely in love with the lyrics. I fell completely in love with Billie's voice. My mom knew I was getting into their music, and bought me International Superhits for Valentine's Day of '05. By around April of '05, I was a full-fledged Green Day fan.

They happened to come into my life at a time when I really needed them. It was the middle of the sixth grade when I became a fan, and I was so lost at that time. I was struggling with my identity, just like many are at that age - who I wanted to be, what image I wanted to set forth, if I was going to be a leader or a follower. Green Day helped me make what I feel were the best choices. They taught me to stand out, to be myself, to not let anyone's opinions get to me. I am thankful every single day that they guided me through that time in my life. Had I not found them then, I simply wouldn't be the person I am today. It is that simple. I have a wonderful family life, but Green Day made me who I am. Their influence in my tween/teen years is the best influence I could've ever asked for. In September of 2005, I had the first best night of my life when I saw them in concert.

Of course, at the time I thought being a Green Day fan meant wearing a Green Day shirt every day and listening to nothing but Green Day every day. I know I didn't quite understand all of the things that they spoke about in their music. That said, I read a lot about the band from the moment I started getting interested in them, and I was definitely at no point under the illusion that they were perfect or anything. And that was different for me, in a great way. Up until that point, I had only really gotten into actors or movies. With most actors, there is a certain facade that goes along with them. Green Day, though? They were real people. And their lyrics spoke to me on a level that no other music had spoken to me before.

In the summer of '07, I kind of fell out of my Green Day obsession to the point where I pretty much had "broken up" with them. What I find funny is that even if I'm not "into" Green Day, they still cross my mind every day. For a few months I got away from them a bit, and struggled horribly with anxiety as I prepared to enter high school. I would have panic attacks at night that left me literally shaking and was scared to be alone for any period of time. It was a very, very difficult time for me, a girl who is usually very happy. After two therapy sessions, I realized two things: 1) Therapy wasn't fixing anything, and 2) Green Day can always fix me. I got Green Day back in my life right away. As far as I remember, that was my first and last break-up with the band. Green Day helped with my anxiety so incredibly much. After that, I appreciated them so much more. I realized how much they really did for me, and how happy they made me.

2009, 21st Century Breakdown. Once again, they came to the rescue at the exact time I needed them the most. My grandfather passed away only two days after the album came out. Once again, they were my strength in a difficult time. It was my first death in the family, and as a person who doesn't often show their emotions, having them as support meant everything to me. I remember throwing a Green Day bracelet in my purse the day of the funeral, just to have them with me.

By this point, I of course wasn't wearing Green Day tees everyday and only listening to their music. As I matured, I realized that being a fan meant far more than wearing their merchandise. I KNEW who I was. I knew that I was a huge fan. I didn't need to display that in my wardrobe every day. My love for them had grown beyond that phase by this time.

I saw them perform twice on their 21CB tour. After those shows, I was forever changed. The first time I saw them live, I was 12. I had only been into them for a few months. Now I had been into them for five years. I had waited patiently for their new album, I had dealt with a brief break-up of sorts and had pulled through it, loving them more than ever. Within that time passed, I had really come to appreciate them more and ever. I felt as though I had gone through a lot personally that they helped me through, and seeing them live after so long was an incredible experience that brought me so much closer to them.

In September 2011, my uncle suddenly passed away. At the same time, Green Day was playing secret shows here and there that picked me up when things just felt so horrible at home. A few months later, it became apparent that my grandmother, who I was very close to, was dying of cancer. The band had been releasing little video updates about how the recording of the trilogy was going around that time. I remember one particular night when things were really bad with my grandmother. I went on the computer that night to find this silly, cute video of the guys goofing around while old-timey music played in the background (remember the one with Billie eating the watermelon?). It was goofy and lighthearted, and after dealing with a really tough day, it was exactly what I needed. The thing about Green Day - they have never once failed to be there when I really need them. They are always, always there for me, popping up in one weird way or another.

Everything with the AI musical only made me more proud than ever to be a Green Day fan. The immense pride I felt in seeing how beautifully their music could be turned into these amazing Broadway arrangements just took my breath away. I saw the musical a second time, with Billie as St. Jimmy. Needless to say, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I had always appreciated and respected Billie as a songwriter and as a musician, but never paid quite that much attention to his vocals, other than the fact that i loved his voice. The raw power in his voice stunned me. He is so talented, and proves to be more and more talented all of the time.

Presently, it is difficult for me to even put into words how I feel about them. My love for them has become so... profound. It will be our 8th anniversary in April, and even though that is such a short time compared to some other listeners, it astonishes me how much my relationship with them has changed and grown. I am not the little middle school punk rocker that I once was. I'm in college, pursuing my dream to become a journalist - a dream that Green Day very much so helped sculpt as they sparked my interest in both writing and social issues. My life is much busier than it was when I became a fan, filled with noise and clutter. In the midst of all that, there is Green Day. There is always Green Day. I don't need to listen to them constantly as I once did, but I still want to anyway, after all this time. When I feel really sad or am going through a tough time, they are the ONLY thing that I want. Nothing and no one else can make me feel better in the way that they do.

Green Day is, put simply, the love of my life. We fight, we have disagreements, we have struggles, but we always come back stronger and better than ever. What is special about them is that they aren't "celebrities" to me - they're just "the guys". They are the home where my heart lives. They are such a part of my every day. When I think about things that define me, Green Day is the first thing that comes to mind every time. They are a part of me; they make me feel whole. My love and respect for them now is so beyond what I could've imagined feeling eight years ago. Because they've been through things with me - deep things, heavy things. I've had struggles that they've helped me through. And now, they've been going through some struggles of their own.I feel so protective of them - after all they have done for me, there was never a millisecond of consideration that I'd leave them when they really needed my support. Though I've never been under the impression that they were anything but human, everything that has been going on with Billie has presented struggles and worries as a fan that I never thought I'd have to deal with. Because in a relationship that has basically always been "for better," this is definitely the "or for worse" part. And that's okay. The very first thing that crossed my mind when I read that Billie was seeking treatment was "We're gonna get through this." That, to me, shows my love for Green Day in a nutshell - resilient. This chapter in our relationship has been a scary one, but it has brought out this love for them in me that I didn't even know existed.

Music for me is pretty much a religious experience when it truly effects me. Green Day has touched me in such a special way. I have been through so much with them. My respect and love for them only grows. Green Day is so ingrained into who I am, that there will never come a day when I am not a Green Day fan. Our relationship has been an amazing one thus far. I grew up with them, and I am going to spend the rest of my life with them.

[Greendayfan1313]

I have always loved green days music, but I didn't know it was their band until recently. That has only made me a bigger fan, and I absolutely love their music!!!!!!!

[MaraGreenDay]

I love this topic so, so much. I've so enjoyed reading everyone's stories!

When I was around seven years old, I very clearly recall seeing the Good Riddance music video playing in the Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney. For some reason, that night they had been playing music videos that night - they do that sometimes, but usually when the music video was made to go along with a film. Which isn't important in this story, but I just felt the need to explain. Anyway, from that point on, I just completely loved that song. It was the first song I can remember that ever made me tear up. I feel as though most people in my age group heard that song all of the time growing up, with many of us (myself included) having no clue who actually performed the song. Throughout my childhood, I heard a lot of Green Day songs on the radio that I enjoyed. I loved Longview, Welcome to Paradise, and Basket Case without realizing who the artist was or that the songs were all by the same artist.

Flash forward to 2004, the start of the American Idiot era. I was eleven at the time. My dad had been reading a lot of hype about the album and wanted to check it out for himself, having liked some of their stuff in the past. At first, I did NOT want to like this album. Don't even ask me why. At the time I liked darker music and to my mind, Green Day was just a bit too upbeat. I was on a mission to hate this album, perhaps because I liked it so much that it scared me.

After a while, I started to give in. I had never heard an album that felt so...important. It was an album that was making a statement, a bold statement, and I found that so fascinating, because previously I hadn't heard music that was so politically and socially aware. I fell completely in love with the lyrics. I fell completely in love with Billie's voice. My mom knew I was getting into their music, and bought me International Superhits for Valentine's Day of '05. By around April of '05, I was a full-fledged Green Day fan.

They happened to come into my life at a time when I really needed them. It was the middle of the sixth grade when I became a fan, and I was so lost at that time. I was struggling with my identity, just like many are at that age - who I wanted to be, what image I wanted to set forth, if I was going to be a leader or a follower. Green Day helped me make what I feel were the best choices. They taught me to stand out, to be myself, to not let anyone's opinions get to me. I am thankful every single day that they guided me through that time in my life. Had I not found them then, I simply wouldn't be the person I am today. It is that simple. I have a wonderful family life, but Green Day made me who I am. Their influence in my tween/teen years is the best influence I could've ever asked for. In September of 2005, I had the first best night of my life when I saw them in concert.

Of course, at the time I thought being a Green Day fan meant wearing a Green Day shirt every day and listening to nothing but Green Day every day. I know I didn't quite understand all of the things that they spoke about in their music. That said, I read a lot about the band from the moment I started getting interested in them, and I was definitely at no point under the illusion that they were perfect or anything. And that was different for me, in a great way. Up until that point, I had only really gotten into actors or movies. With most actors, there is a certain facade that goes along with them. Green Day, though? They were real people. And their lyrics spoke to me on a level that no other music had spoken to me before.

In the summer of '07, I kind of fell out of my Green Day obsession to the point where I pretty much had "broken up" with them. What I find funny is that even if I'm not "into" Green Day, they still cross my mind every day. For a few months I got away from them a bit, and struggled horribly with anxiety as I prepared to enter high school. I would have panic attacks at night that left me literally shaking and was scared to be alone for any period of time. It was a very, very difficult time for me, a girl who is usually very happy. After two therapy sessions, I realized two things: 1) Therapy wasn't fixing anything, and 2) Green Day can always fix me. I got Green Day back in my life right away. As far as I remember, that was my first and last break-up with the band. Green Day helped with my anxiety so incredibly much. After that, I appreciated them so much more. I realized how much they really did for me, and how happy they made me.

2009, 21st Century Breakdown. Once again, they came to the rescue at the exact time I needed them the most. My grandfather passed away only two days after the album came out. Once again, they were my strength in a difficult time. It was my first death in the family, and as a person who doesn't often show their emotions, having them as support meant everything to me. I remember throwing a Green Day bracelet in my purse the day of the funeral, just to have them with me.

By this point, I of course wasn't wearing Green Day tees everyday and only listening to their music. As I matured, I realized that being a fan meant far more than wearing their merchandise. I KNEW who I was. I knew that I was a huge fan. I didn't need to display that in my wardrobe every day. My love for them had grown beyond that phase by this time.

I saw them perform twice on their 21CB tour. After those shows, I was forever changed. The first time I saw them live, I was 12. I had only been into them for a few months. Now I had been into them for five years. I had waited patiently for their new album, I had dealt with a brief break-up of sorts and had pulled through it, loving them more than ever. Within that time passed, I had really come to appreciate them more and ever. I felt as though I had gone through a lot personally that they helped me through, and seeing them live after so long was an incredible experience that brought me so much closer to them.

In September 2011, my uncle suddenly passed away. At the same time, Green Day was playing secret shows here and there that picked me up when things just felt so horrible at home. A few months later, it became apparent that my grandmother, who I was very close to, was dying of cancer. The band had been releasing little video updates about how the recording of the trilogy was going around that time. I remember one particular night when things were really bad with my grandmother. I went on the computer that night to find this silly, cute video of the guys goofing around while old-timey music played in the background (remember the one with Billie eating the watermelon?). It was goofy and lighthearted, and after dealing with a really tough day, it was exactly what I needed. The thing about Green Day - they have never once failed to be there when I really need them. They are always, always there for me, popping up in one weird way or another.

Everything with the AI musical only made me more proud than ever to be a Green Day fan. The immense pride I felt in seeing how beautifully their music could be turned into these amazing Broadway arrangements just took my breath away. I saw the musical a second time, with Billie as St. Jimmy. Needless to say, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I had always appreciated and respected Billie as a songwriter and as a musician, but never paid quite that much attention to his vocals, other than the fact that i loved his voice. The raw power in his voice stunned me. He is so talented, and proves to be more and more talented all of the time.

Presently, it is difficult for me to even put into words how I feel about them. My love for them has become so... profound. It will be our 8th anniversary in April, and even though that is such a short time compared to some other listeners, it astonishes me how much my relationship with them has changed and grown. I am not the little middle school punk rocker that I once was. I'm in college, pursuing my dream to become a journalist - a dream that Green Day very much so helped sculpt as they sparked my interest in both writing and social issues. My life is much busier than it was when I became a fan, filled with noise and clutter. In the midst of all that, there is Green Day. There is always Green Day. I don't need to listen to them constantly as I once did, but I still want to anyway, after all this time. When I feel really sad or am going through a tough time, they are the ONLY thing that I want. Nothing and no one else can make me feel better in the way that they do.

Green Day is, put simply, the love of my life. We fight, we have disagreements, we have struggles, but we always come back stronger and better than ever. What is special about them is that they aren't "celebrities" to me - they're just "the guys". They are the home where my heart lives. They are such a part of my every day. When I think about things that define me, Green Day is the first thing that comes to mind every time. They are a part of me; they make me feel whole. My love and respect for them now is so beyond what I could've imagined feeling eight years ago. Because they've been through things with me - deep things, heavy things. I've had struggles that they've helped me through. And now, they've been going through some struggles of their own.I feel so protective of them - after all they have done for me, there was never a millisecond of consideration that I'd leave them when they really needed my support. Though I've never been under the impression that they were anything but human, everything that has been going on with Billie has presented struggles and worries as a fan that I never thought I'd have to deal with. Because in a relationship that has basically always been "for better," this is definitely the "or for worse" part. And that's okay. The very first thing that crossed my mind when I read that Billie was seeking treatment was "We're gonna get through this." That, to me, shows my love for Green Day in a nutshell - resilient. This chapter in our relationship has been a scary one, but it has brought out this love for them in me that I didn't even know existed.

Music for me is pretty much a religious experience when it truly effects me. Green Day has touched me in such a special way. I have been through so much with them. My respect and love for them only grows. Green Day is so ingrained into who I am, that there will never come a day when I am not a Green Day fan. Our relationship has been an amazing one thus far. I grew up with them, and I am going to spend the rest of my life with them.

Omg, you make me cry, that was beautiful, i feel so conected with your story, i feel the same thing as you for them, this was so beautiful, you rock!!!

[MaraGreenDay]

Ok, i meet them in March of 2005 thanks to MTV. I saw the Holiday video and i fell in love with the song and the video, because it was pretty funny. Then i decided to buy the American Iidot album and since that day my life change 100%. I start to buy each of the albums, dvds, posters, t-shirts, everything that i can. Before i just listen to The Beatles and a few pop shit. but thanks to Green Day my love for the real and good rock and roll start. Thanks to them i fell in love with The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Runaways, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Etc. I start to wearing eyeliner and black clothes. After American Idiot i stop listen to them just for a while because i fell in love with Motley Crue hehe, but then when i saw that they´re gonna release a new album (21stCB), they come back to me and i come back to them. my love was bigger and bigger for them, i know that a lot of people didn´t like that album, but i really love it, because it was the first one that was part since the beginning. So with the release of a new album i was expecting a tour, i was expecting that they coma back to Mexico and after a lot of years waiting for them, i finally gonna see them live, i finally gonna have the best day of my life. But that never happens, the dind´t come with that tour, that really breaks my heart, i was a little disappointed and sad, but for that, my love was bigger and my desires to see them it´s just bigger and bigger every day. My relationship with them it´s so amazing, they make my life better everyday, they gimme hope and guts to be myself and say everyhing that i want without being afraid of it. I love Green Day and i don´t think that i´m gonna stop to do it anytime soon, they are my first love, they are my life, my blood, my everything, and i´m gonna love them till the day i die, that´s for sure. VIVA LA GREEN DAY!!!!!!!!!!

*sorry for my bad english

[PigSniffingGlue]

I love this topic so, so much. I've so enjoyed reading everyone's stories!

When I was around seven years old, I very clearly recall seeing the Good Riddance music video playing in the Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney. For some reason, that night they had been playing music videos that night - they do that sometimes, but usually when the music video was made to go along with a film. Which isn't important in this story, but I just felt the need to explain. Anyway, from that point on, I just completely loved that song. It was the first song I can remember that ever made me tear up. I feel as though most people in my age group heard that song all of the time growing up, with many of us (myself included) having no clue who actually performed the song. Throughout my childhood, I heard a lot of Green Day songs on the radio that I enjoyed. I loved Longview, Welcome to Paradise, and Basket Case without realizing who the artist was or that the songs were all by the same artist.

Flash forward to 2004, the start of the American Idiot era. I was eleven at the time. My dad had been reading a lot of hype about the album and wanted to check it out for himself, having liked some of their stuff in the past. At first, I did NOT want to like this album. Don't even ask me why. At the time I liked darker music and to my mind, Green Day was just a bit too upbeat. I was on a mission to hate this album, perhaps because I liked it so much that it scared me.

After a while, I started to give in. I had never heard an album that felt so...important. It was an album that was making a statement, a bold statement, and I found that so fascinating, because previously I hadn't heard music that was so politically and socially aware. I fell completely in love with the lyrics. I fell completely in love with Billie's voice. My mom knew I was getting into their music, and bought me International Superhits for Valentine's Day of '05. By around April of '05, I was a full-fledged Green Day fan.

They happened to come into my life at a time when I really needed them. It was the middle of the sixth grade when I became a fan, and I was so lost at that time. I was struggling with my identity, just like many are at that age - who I wanted to be, what image I wanted to set forth, if I was going to be a leader or a follower. Green Day helped me make what I feel were the best choices. They taught me to stand out, to be myself, to not let anyone's opinions get to me. I am thankful every single day that they guided me through that time in my life. Had I not found them then, I simply wouldn't be the person I am today. It is that simple. I have a wonderful family life, but Green Day made me who I am. Their influence in my tween/teen years is the best influence I could've ever asked for. In September of 2005, I had the first best night of my life when I saw them in concert.

Of course, at the time I thought being a Green Day fan meant wearing a Green Day shirt every day and listening to nothing but Green Day every day. I know I didn't quite understand all of the things that they spoke about in their music. That said, I read a lot about the band from the moment I started getting interested in them, and I was definitely at no point under the illusion that they were perfect or anything. And that was different for me, in a great way. Up until that point, I had only really gotten into actors or movies. With most actors, there is a certain facade that goes along with them. Green Day, though? They were real people. And their lyrics spoke to me on a level that no other music had spoken to me before.

In the summer of '07, I kind of fell out of my Green Day obsession to the point where I pretty much had "broken up" with them. What I find funny is that even if I'm not "into" Green Day, they still cross my mind every day. For a few months I got away from them a bit, and struggled horribly with anxiety as I prepared to enter high school. I would have panic attacks at night that left me literally shaking and was scared to be alone for any period of time. It was a very, very difficult time for me, a girl who is usually very happy. After two therapy sessions, I realized two things: 1) Therapy wasn't fixing anything, and 2) Green Day can always fix me. I got Green Day back in my life right away. As far as I remember, that was my first and last break-up with the band. Green Day helped with my anxiety so incredibly much. After that, I appreciated them so much more. I realized how much they really did for me, and how happy they made me.

2009, 21st Century Breakdown. Once again, they came to the rescue at the exact time I needed them the most. My grandfather passed away only two days after the album came out. Once again, they were my strength in a difficult time. It was my first death in the family, and as a person who doesn't often show their emotions, having them as support meant everything to me. I remember throwing a Green Day bracelet in my purse the day of the funeral, just to have them with me.

By this point, I of course wasn't wearing Green Day tees everyday and only listening to their music. As I matured, I realized that being a fan meant far more than wearing their merchandise. I KNEW who I was. I knew that I was a huge fan. I didn't need to display that in my wardrobe every day. My love for them had grown beyond that phase by this time.

I saw them perform twice on their 21CB tour. After those shows, I was forever changed. The first time I saw them live, I was 12. I had only been into them for a few months. Now I had been into them for five years. I had waited patiently for their new album, I had dealt with a brief break-up of sorts and had pulled through it, loving them more than ever. Within that time passed, I had really come to appreciate them more and ever. I felt as though I had gone through a lot personally that they helped me through, and seeing them live after so long was an incredible experience that brought me so much closer to them.

In September 2011, my uncle suddenly passed away. At the same time, Green Day was playing secret shows here and there that picked me up when things just felt so horrible at home. A few months later, it became apparent that my grandmother, who I was very close to, was dying of cancer. The band had been releasing little video updates about how the recording of the trilogy was going around that time. I remember one particular night when things were really bad with my grandmother. I went on the computer that night to find this silly, cute video of the guys goofing around while old-timey music played in the background (remember the one with Billie eating the watermelon?). It was goofy and lighthearted, and after dealing with a really tough day, it was exactly what I needed. The thing about Green Day - they have never once failed to be there when I really need them. They are always, always there for me, popping up in one weird way or another.

Everything with the AI musical only made me more proud than ever to be a Green Day fan. The immense pride I felt in seeing how beautifully their music could be turned into these amazing Broadway arrangements just took my breath away. I saw the musical a second time, with Billie as St. Jimmy. Needless to say, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I had always appreciated and respected Billie as a songwriter and as a musician, but never paid quite that much attention to his vocals, other than the fact that i loved his voice. The raw power in his voice stunned me. He is so talented, and proves to be more and more talented all of the time.

Presently, it is difficult for me to even put into words how I feel about them. My love for them has become so... profound. It will be our 8th anniversary in April, and even though that is such a short time compared to some other listeners, it astonishes me how much my relationship with them has changed and grown. I am not the little middle school punk rocker that I once was. I'm in college, pursuing my dream to become a journalist - a dream that Green Day very much so helped sculpt as they sparked my interest in both writing and social issues. My life is much busier than it was when I became a fan, filled with noise and clutter. In the midst of all that, there is Green Day. There is always Green Day. I don't need to listen to them constantly as I once did, but I still want to anyway, after all this time. When I feel really sad or am going through a tough time, they are the ONLY thing that I want. Nothing and no one else can make me feel better in the way that they do.

Green Day is, put simply, the love of my life. We fight, we have disagreements, we have struggles, but we always come back stronger and better than ever. What is special about them is that they aren't "celebrities" to me - they're just "the guys". They are the home where my heart lives. They are such a part of my every day. When I think about things that define me, Green Day is the first thing that comes to mind every time. They are a part of me; they make me feel whole. My love and respect for them now is so beyond what I could've imagined feeling eight years ago. Because they've been through things with me - deep things, heavy things. I've had struggles that they've helped me through. And now, they've been going through some struggles of their own.I feel so protective of them - after all they have done for me, there was never a millisecond of consideration that I'd leave them when they really needed my support. Though I've never been under the impression that they were anything but human, everything that has been going on with Billie has presented struggles and worries as a fan that I never thought I'd have to deal with. Because in a relationship that has basically always been "for better," this is definitely the "or for worse" part. And that's okay. The very first thing that crossed my mind when I read that Billie was seeking treatment was "We're gonna get through this." That, to me, shows my love for Green Day in a nutshell - resilient. This chapter in our relationship has been a scary one, but it has brought out this love for them in me that I didn't even know existed.

Music for me is pretty much a religious experience when it truly effects me. Green Day has touched me in such a special way. I have been through so much with them. My respect and love for them only grows. Green Day is so ingrained into who I am, that there will never come a day when I am not a Green Day fan. Our relationship has been an amazing one thus far. I grew up with them, and I am going to spend the rest of my life with them.

Wow. Just wow, that was beautiful in so many ways. Although my story is different than yours, and I haven't been a fan as long as you, but I read each and every line and related to it will all my heart. I bet you're going to be an amazing journalist, not everyone can learn how to express themselves that well, to describe the indescribable (as close as someone could get) it's like you took all the shades of feelings I'm feeling about them and made them into sentences

I really feel like they are a part of me too, sometimes when I ask myself "what if one day I'll get tired of Green day?" but then I realize that they are not just on the posters on my walls, they are a part of me, I don't even know what kind of person I'd be if I wouldn't have ever heard them, they helped me so much on my way to finding myself, and I don't even know how to *not* be a fan anymore.

Well... after the first paragraph I thought I couldn't get any cheesier, but here we are XD

[GDgirl86]

Everyone has these long, great stories! I wish I had time to write more, but in a nutshell, my relationship with Green Day is getting very serious, I think we're engaged now.