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What got you into Green Day?


Insomniac45

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First music video I remember seeing was Basket Case back in the day, summer of '94 or '95. Don't remember which one. I grew up knowing about them but I didn't really start listening on my own until around Warning. I was always annoyed with how much my sister liked them when I only sort of liked them. Got more into them as the years went on.

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i watched the american idiot video on much music (mtv of canada) and loved it .. got the cd after BLVD music video came out and it was the shit! I had to beg my mom to get the cd lol.. I remeber the exact moment of standing at HMV and asking my mom to buy it. Mom "you want to buy a cd called American Idiot" lol I did end up getting itthough. I loved the CD. When 21st century breakdown came out i got it the first day.. but never got obsessed with green day until JULY 16 2009 when i saw them in concert for the first time. It was a fucking religious moment in my life. Now i am obssessed with them to the max. I breath GREEN DAY!

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I had a pretty cheesy introduction, but when I was about 12 or 13, there was a girl in the neighborhood that I had a crush on. She would ride back and forth in front of my house with one of those awesome single-speed bikes with the handlebar streamers and hand brakes that were soooooooo cool for that time. I remember she was way into Green Day at the time and so I decided I would learn the lyrics to that song Basket Case from that "British band" I had heard about. I guess something resinated because I never got the girl, but I gained a 15+ year musical friend/inspiration/motivation..whatever have you. One of life's serendipitous moments I guess

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I first heard Green Day back in 2005. It was in the summer holidays and I was listening to Helena by MCR (I was a huuuge fan of them when I was in primary school). I saw a link to Jesus of Suburbia in the side-bar, and I immediatly fell in love with Green Day :) but I was only 9, I think, and they were not my favorite band, but now they are and I love them more every day :) Jesus of Suburbia will always have a special meaning to me :')

That's beautiful!! :D Oh and Jesus Of Suburbia is... it's just pure magic! :'D

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Well it started in sixth grade (8th grade now) ..I didn't really like any music and we had to analyze songs for music class and I chose two green day songs because my brother was into them and it was all I could think of then VH1 top 100 music artists was on and green day came on. It showed the American idiot music video and they scared the crap out of me Also I knew that song but I didn't know it had a video so u wanted to see the rest of it and one video led to another. Before I knew it I was hooked. I don't really know what tbe first song I heard from them was...

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Like most fans from my generation (haha get it? "My Generation"? Okay, that was lame) I began to like Green Day during the American Idiot era. At that point in my life (I was 12) I was basically into top 40 music. A lot of my friends were listening to rap and that kind of music so that's what I tried to listen to. It was late January 2005 and I was watching TV when a commercial for the Grammy Awards came on. Basically the commercial consisted of little sound and video bits from the big acts that would be there. For about 3 seconds I saw a clip from the American Idiot video. Just the way Billie sang the opening verse and just the way he looked in the video really caught my attention. I thought it seemed like a catchy song and I wanted to check them out. I told myself I wanted to watch them on the Grammys and see how the rest of the song went. I watched Green Day perform with my dad next to me and was completely blown away. I had never seen anything like that in my life! I told my dad I wanted to buy that song. My dad told me that he actually had a Green Day album, Dookie, that he had bought back in 1994 because Rolling Stone Magazine had said it was a really good album so he decided to buy it, but never really listened to it like the way we do. I put Dookie in my little Walkman CD player and from the first few seconds of Burnout I was hooked. It was something I had never heard before in music and I loved it. After learning every lyric to every song on Dookie I was finally able to convince my mom to let me buy American Idiot (she didn't like that it had the advisory sticker on it) and my love for them went from there. I ended up getting Bullet in a Bible for Christmas that year and eventually bought Nimrod. Those were the only albums I owned when 21st Century Breakdown came out. I asked my dad if we could go see them in Chicago on the first leg of the tour (I was 16) and I took my best friend who only knew a few songs by them. I had already considered myself a pretty big Green Day fan and I knew a lot about the band's history at that point but after I saw them live I became obsessed! I bought every remaining album and eventually found my way to GDA and GDC! From then on it's history. I am now 20 years old and am known by all my friends as the "Green Day fanatic." I even wrote a paper about the experience I had at the concert last year in my English class for college and my teacher from then on knew me as "the Green Day kid." I later realized that I had actually liked a song by Green Day way before I became a fan of them. Brain Stew was on the Godzilla movie soundtrack and that was my favorite song off the soundtrack but I never really pursued any other music by them at the time.

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The first song I remember hearing and actually paying attention to was Good Riddance when I promoted from 8th grade to 9th. In 9th I heard American Idiot Album and fell in love with it. I know I listed to Green Day when I was a young kid though



The first song I remember hearing and actually paying attention to was Good Riddance when I promoted from 8th grade to 9th. In 9th I heard American Idiot Album and fell in love with it. I know I listed to Green Day when I was a young kid though

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I don't know which song was the first GD song I heard, I have just randomly heard them now and then, somtimes I knew it was them, somtimes not. My dad bought 21 CB in 2009 when I was 12 (He's liked GD since Dookie days, but he was never that much of a "crazy fan") and we used to listen to it in the car sometimes, but to me it was "dad's music" and nothing special.

I really got into Green Day in March/April this year. I'd lost my phone and borrowed my dad's "extra phone". The songs 21 Guns and Viva La Gloria (Little Girl). I just started listening to them, having nothing else to do, and then I discovered having the whole album (21 CB) in my iPod. I spent most of the time during the easter holiday to google Green Day, the band members, their music, and I used my youtube account for the first time, only to make Green Day - playlists. :D Then I started watching live videos and interviews, and, well.......

Now I'm actually angry at myself for not liking them earlier. I mean, I've lost at least two concerts in my country, that I could've attended if I'd liked "dad's music" :mad: Well, at least I'm going this summer :dance:

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I always knew that there was a band called Green Day. And I always knew songs like Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, Wake Me Up When September Ends, Holiday, and I realy liked them, but I didn't know that they were Green Day songs.

When I was 10 years old, a girl in class told me that she liked Green Day. A couple of years later, a boy that we were taking English courses together told me that he liked Green Day very much. So I decided to check them out.

When I came back home from school one day, I opened my computer and searched "Green Day" on youtube. The first video in the resaults was 21 Guns. I clicked the video, but I coulden't find my earphones and my mom was sleeping, so I muted the sound and I just watched the video. I even remember what I was thinking at that moment. I was watchind Billie having all those tattos and I that black hair and I was like "hmm rockers..", y'know. I didn't dislike them, thought.

The year was 2011 and I remember the Awesome As Fuck add next to the video and I acctualy laughed, cause they used "fuck" in the title off one of their albums (yeah, I was yound and innocent :P). I even remember the first sentence from the first top comment: "My parents listened to them as teenagers, now I listen to them as a teenager..". And that was the first time I searched something Green Day related on the web.

Years later, on the 17 of March 2012, I was with my father in the car, when Boulevard Of Broken Dreams started playing on the radio. I said to him to turn the volume up cause I liked the song and he said that he liked it, too. Then he asked me who sings it. I told him that I wasn't sure. When the song ended, the presentor of a radio show said "And that was Green Day, with Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" and was like THIS IS GREEN DAY?? My mind was totally blown, and Green Day was the only thing I was thinking about all day. I thought that, if that song was Green Day and the same guys were playing Wake Me Up When September Ends and Holiday, this means these were Green Day songs, too. When I came back home, I ran towards the computer, put my earphones on and searched Green Day on YouTube. I saw almost every American Idiot and Dookie music video. It was the best thing I've ever listened to in my entire life.

I remember that I got ill that day, and I wasn't going to school the next week. And the only thing I was doing was nothing but - what else - listening to Green Day. The first Green Day song that I got obsessed with was Holiday. It was pure perfection to me (it still is), specially that "Just cause, because we're outlaws..YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH" part. And I got really crazy for them! I was searching everything Green Day related on the web EVERYTHING.

Green Day opened a new world for me. They totally changed my life. I'm still obsessed that much, but now I know every lyric to every song they've ever released, so now I just try not to miss new interviews, singles and of course wait for the three albums that were finaly released and I think that they are Green Day's best work, vote for them on awards, get pissed off when they don't win an award, having conversations with awesome Green Day fans and just listening to them. My life wouldn't be the same without them.

Now I'm a Proud Idiot for 9 months and I'll always be. Even if some day I won't be listening to them anymore (tastes change, but I don't think that this will ever happen), I'll always love them because they are the first band I ever got into, inducted me to rock music - and music in general - and gave me the motivation to start playing the guitar. I've never been the same since.

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my cousin bullied me into going to see them with him in nottingham july 2002 (I was 12, to this day I cannot believe that my parents allowed me to go unsupervised to an all day outdoor festival with 2 14year olds, so jammy) anyway I knew nothing about them. I guess the first song I heard was probably welcome to paradise as they usually opened the set with that pre AI, the gig was amazing although I could see nothing and knew none of the songs. I was hooked, Bought international superhits the following week and dookie the day after that, proceeded to collect all of their albums so I was up to date by the time AI came out 2 years later,. for those 2 years I was the only person who liked them in my school, by the end of 04 everyone liked them (which annoyed and pleased me in equal doses).
since that fateful day in 2002 I have collected pretty much everything they have released (inc single cds eps unofficial live albums etc) seen them live 6 times and managed to win tickets to the premiere of bullet in a bible. Im currently planning a dookie leg tattoo and have no intention of ever giving them up, despite the fact my cousin has long since "grown out of them" :P

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Dookie and Nirvana's Nevermind were the first two modern rock albums I bought (on tape!). I think this was in early 1995, or maybe late 1994. One of my friends had mentioned both of them as bands he liked, and I wanted to check out what he was listening to (admittedly at least partially in an attempt to be "cool"). I did realize after that that I had previously heard "When I Come Around" on the radio. But hey, Dookie hooked me and I've stuck with them all these years.

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I first started listening to Green Day when Nimrod came out. I saw the video for Hitchin' a Ride and went out and bought the album. Still my favorite Green Day record.

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the first song I heard from Green Day could have been Wake Me Up When September Ends cause I remember hearing it on the radio when I was when younger but could have been a song from Dookie cause my dad owned the CD but Horseshoes and Handgrenades got me into to Green Day it was 7th grade I was in Art class I was bored I had my PSP so I decided to listen to something there was folder that was unknown artist then unknown album and the songs didnt have the title it just said Track 1 2 3 ect. so I listened to the first track and it was Horeshoes and Handgrenades and I was like what the hell is this its awesome and I think it was the first song I heard with profanity that was one the things I liked about it so then I heard 21 Guns im like wait ive heard this before looked it up and saw the bands name heard AI then Dookie and all the other albums and thats how I got into Green Day also got into to blink 182 when I heard The Rock Show that day too

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My sister played me Boulevard of Broken Dreams for the first time and that was it. It was love at first sound. I became OBSESSED with it. And then I got American Idiot and i learned that music could have meaning i was only in 3rd grade, but i knew this band would always mean something and so would their music.

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When I was probably 4 or 5 me and my brother were decorating the Christmas tree and he had his MP3 player or a self made CD on. Welcome to Paradise came on and after it was over i remember telling him to play it over and over and then American Idiot came out but I was four and had no clue what was going on at the time. I had one of those Kidz Bop CD's and Boulevard of broken Dreams was on it and that was the only song I actually listened to because I heard it on the radio and I loved billie's voice. I didn't know what band they were at the time, but whenever, say, Basket Case, When I Come Around, or BOBD were on the radio I sort of recognized Billies voice. When 21 guns came out i was in the car and it came on the radio and I absolutely loved it. It played again on the ride home, but my mom turned it off :( Before my da died, he would always say that Wake me Up When September Ends was "his song" because his birthday was at the end of September and it always reminds me of him and how what the song really is about relates to what I was going through at that time so Green Day has always had a special place in my heart. About a year and a half ago i was downloading music from YouTube and one of the recommended songs was BOBD. And that of course led to more Green Day songs and i just couldn't get enough of it. I spent most of my time in my room, just writing down lyrics or listening to the music. Then my obsession kind of became aware to my family and friends and they were happy i finally found a band that I liked because i had enough of that pop crap on the radio. So yeah. That's my story.

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This is kind of odd for me, I discovered them when I was 5. I always used to skip through the music channels and see what was on (Yes, I knew how to use the remote xD). I remeber watching "Basket Case" and being slightly freaked out with all the big puffy faces but also MASSIVELY intrigued, the music always sounded good to me. Anyhows, I was watching another music channel (this time I was 8) and American Idiot had come out, and American Idiot, Holiday and BOBD were constantly played. Every time I heard those songs, I'd just wanted to have them with me and not have to rely on music channels to get my fix. I happened to be watching another Green Day video when my dad walked into the front room and he said to me "Ohhh, Daddy has this CD" at that point my face just dropped. I decided not to ask him for it as to not bother him, instead, I decided to randomly wake up in the middle of the night and try to find it among my dads CD collection (which was pretty big btw). One night, I found it. My face= :yay:

I took it upstairs with me in the middle of the night secretly hoping my dad wouldn't notice that it had disappeared. That evening, he caught me listening to it, while reading the lyrics. I was intrigued my some of the words haha (especially "Fuck", "fag" and "shit" :L) My dad was like "you shouldn't be listening to that" I looked at him with puppy face and he said "fine, just don't tell your mother"

And so, religiously for the following year, I would be tucked away in my bedroom reading the lyrics, absorbing every second of every song and just mesmerising the whole thing. That's when it begun, and it's turned into something serious, and I for one, am glad :D

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Well its now turned Christmas day here in the UK so I've now been a Green Day fan for 8 years!

It was the 25th December 2004, I was 11 years old and on holiday in Tenerife. My older sister received American Idiot on CD as one of her Christmas presents off our parents. I borrowed it, went and lay on my bed, put the CD into my old fashioned portable CD player, and was completely blown away by it. The album massively helped me through everything I was going through at the time. My granddad who I was very close to had recently been killed and songs like 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' really helped me. The album still helps me through everything life throws at me now. People always say I'm laid back, but really its because whenever I get stressed or upset or angry etc I hide it away and then let it all by listening to American Idiot.

I don't think I've gone a day since without listening to Green Day, and she never did get the CD back. I still have the original CD, sat here next to me right now. I love all their music, and am currently loving the Uno Dos Tre trilogy, some of the songs in the trilogy have really helped me with a recent relationship. I've seen Green Day three times, with a fourth time booked at Emirates Stadium next year! I hope to go to as many of their future UK shows as possible and hopefully see them overseas one day! Its scary imagining my life without them because I don't know how I'd get through things. I don't know what I'd do without them and don't know who or where I'd be had I not discovered them 8 years ago.

So thats my story. I could easily write a hell lot more, but its Christmas and I need to get to bed.

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I had the five singles of American Idiot plus Basket Case for years and I loved them. About 5 months ago I decided to get more stuff and 5 months on I have all their albums except Tré! and Shenanigans which I will hopefully be getting for Christmas tommorow! :) I will be seeing them the first chance I get!

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i have the saddest way of getting into them. i was about 8 years old. i had heard Canadian Idiot, and loved that song. Then my friend (keep in mind hes also 8) said that the real song said the f word in it. so of course im like woah, i wanna hear that song. i asked my dad to buy me some green day songs. and he bought me a few, and it just wasnt enough. i think i have enough now. almost 400 green day songs on my ipod to date. good thing i have memory

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I was pretty young, not sure how old I was, maybe 9 or 10 years old (Sometime in between Warning and American Idiot). Anyway, I was on vacation with my family and while in the hotel room, I was messing around with the clock radio on the nightstand and then Brain Stew came on. I was completely blown away by the sheer epicness of Brain Stew. Once I got back from vacation I told my neighbor (and family friend) what I had heard. He was familiar with Green Day and gave me some CDs to listen to and I was hooked instantly.

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Oh God. Long-ass story.

My friend asked if I wanted to join his band and I said yes and started to learn to play the guitar. The song he wanted us to do was Wake Me Up When September Ends so I gave it a few listens. One day, we were at the computer lab and my friend was listening to American Idiot on YouTube with the lyrics on screen. The teacher came over so he paused it and it paused on the lyric "the Subliminal Mindfuck America" and the teacher saw it and I started laughing my head off. I had originally thought that they were some group that came along mainly to promote awareness of the environment and were all goody-two-shoes and what-not, but was I wrong.

I put some Green Day songs in my iPod since I kinda had to know them at the time. (BTW, before this period of time, I was getting into pop music so GD saved my ass huge). I did what I usually did when starting to listen new artists, I searched for a top 10/20 songs list. The first one I clicked on didn't have any Boulevard or Wake Me Up or American Idiot so I was confused. I looked at the comments and saw that they are all saying "finally, a "true" Green Day fan." Now something about this band kept drawing me closer. I wanted to be a "true" Green Day fan so I started to slowly put all of their songs in my iPod. I analysed them all while listening to them at night and finally I realized. This music is who I am.

I started to get into this "Punk" genre of music and started to listen to a variety of different bands. Pretty soon, I deleted everything off my iPod that was pop music and replaced it with 100% Rock and Roll. Green Day was starting to become part of my every day schedule. Every day I would listen to their music, watch their live perfomances, search up interviews, funny moments, etc. Every new thing I discover attracts me closer to them and they've become my favourite band and my inspiration. I look up to Billie Joe and watching him perform live empowers me and motivates me to do the same. I've learned so much from them, from being my own person and not care about what others think, to becoming a better writer and to learning my first set of chords on guitar. They've changed my entire life completely.

Tl;dr: I got into them because they're awesome.

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