Official American Idiot Appreciation Thread

[Platypus357]

1 hour ago, MysticManiac said:

So this thread is just gonna be another thread of people arguing which is GD's best album?

Pretty much.

[Steven Seagull]

We all know Dookie is the best album. No argument needed.

[Platypus357]

2 hours ago, MysticManiac said:

So this thread is just gonna be another thread of people arguing which is GD's best album?

Is there not already a thread for that?

[Platypus357]

1 minute ago, Jake69 said:

Here's one

 

Then why don't we use it? It would keep the site a lot more organized.

[nopride84]

4 hours ago, Platypus357 said:

 

And 39/smooth, shenanigans, Stop, Drop, and roll, Revolution Radio, and 21st century breakdown.

And money money 2020

[St. Jonny]

This thread got so funny! You guys are great and it is funny to hear people's opinions because just like peoples opinions of bands and their songs, it is all just personal preference. EXCEPT the true fact that Dookie is Green Day's best album and is better than Idiot. Personally I also like Kerplunk, Insomniac, Nimrod, Warning ALOT more. I'll be fair to the newer generation of GD fans and MDconfused and say 39/Smooth, 21stCB, Trilogy and RevRad are not as good as AI. 21stCB, Tre and RevRad are not far behind though! In the end I am going to say Dookie and Nimrod are especially much greater than AI. Insomniac and Warning too but whatever.

[WhiteTim]

39 minutes ago, St. Jonny said:

This thread got so funny! You guys are great and it is funny to hear people's opinions because just like peoples opinions of bands and their songs, it is all just personal preference. EXCEPT the true fact that Dookie is Green Day's best album and is better than Idiot. Personally I also like Kerplunk, Insomniac, Nimrod, Warning ALOT more. I'll be fair to the newer generation of GD fans and MDconfused and say 39/Smooth, 21stCB, Trilogy and RevRad are not as good as AI. 21stCB, Tre and RevRad are not far behind though! In the end I am going to say Dookie and Nimrod are especially much greater than AI. Insomniac and Warning too but whatever.

Musically and lyrically AI is better than Dookie (and Dookie in 94 is what got me into GD) 

[St. Jonny]

Totally respect your opinion  But we shall have to agree to disagree. Buddies?

[MikeDirntConfused]

Dookie is literally dookie compared to AI.

[St. Jonny]

Okay, just going to make some points. Musically Dookie is so much better. Bass lines are impeccable, the guitar work is way better and less simplistic. I was going to say lyrically AI is better but deep down I honestly don't think so. Can't say the drums are better on AI, I like it heavy, just my personal preference. To compare the songs though just for fun, I listened to both albums back to back yesterday afternoon:

Burnout/American Idiot - BURNOUT no brainer

Having A Blast/JOS - This is tough as hell, JOS is a better song, its awesome. Same with HAB, doesn't get heavier and lyrically punishing. But to choose between which to hear live, HAVING A BLAST!!

Chump/Holiday - Okay Holiday was a huge single, great song. CHUMP is better to me, i'll give it to HOLIDAY but that's damn close. Rather hear CHUMP live more.

Longview/BOBD - LONGVIEW. Both huge singles, what do you get sick of more? LONGVIEW is better, best bass line ever.

WTP/AWTW- WELCOME TO PARADISE - maybe best song ever!

Pulling Teeth/Give Me Novacaine - Comparing these two as ballad type songs seems to make more sense, PULLING TEETH for sure.

Basket Case/St. Jimmy - Hmmmm, not that hard. BASKET CASE is one of the best songs ever, will never get old. Absolutely timeless!

She/She's A Rebel - SHE, most will agree.

Sassafras Roots/Extraordinary Girl - SASSAFRAS ROOTS of course

WICA/Letterbomb - Okay love the shit out of Letterbomb, amazing song all around, but, it's WHEN I COME AROUND, again, just timeless as it can get!

Coming Clean/WMUWSE - WMUWSE, totally amazingly written song. Even at like a minute and a half, COMING CLEAN is more wicked!

Emenius Sleepus/Homecoming - Okay I will give HOMECOMING the victory over Emenius and In the End given the epicness and length of it.

F.O.D./Whatsername - This is a tough one. But I grew up to F.O.D. Would way rather hear that live, plus a secret Tre song, F.O.D. is heavy as fuck, I love it!

 

So, it'll always be Dookie for me. Been rocking it for 23 years and it'll always be the greatest punk album ever to me.

[WhiteTim]

49 minutes ago, St. Jonny said:

Okay, just going to make some points. Musically Dookie is so much better. Bass lines are impeccable, the guitar work is way better and less simplistic. I was going to say lyrically AI is better but deep down I honestly don't think so. Can't say the drums are better on AI, I like it heavy, just my personal preference. To compare the songs though just for fun, I listened to both albums back to back yesterday afternoon:

Burnout/American Idiot - BURNOUT no brainer

Having A Blast/JOS - This is tough as hell, JOS is a better song, its awesome. Same with HAB, doesn't get heavier and lyrically punishing. But to choose between which to hear live, HAVING A BLAST!!

Chump/Holiday - Okay Holiday was a huge single, great song. CHUMP is better to me, i'll give it to HOLIDAY but that's damn close. Rather hear CHUMP live more.

Longview/BOBD - LONGVIEW. Both huge singles, what do you get sick of more? LONGVIEW is better, best bass line ever.

WTP/AWTW- WELCOME TO PARADISE - maybe best song ever!

Pulling Teeth/Give Me Novacaine - Comparing these two as ballad type songs seems to make more sense, PULLING TEETH for sure.

Basket Case/St. Jimmy - Hmmmm, not that hard. BASKET CASE is one of the best songs ever, will never get old. Absolutely timeless!

She/She's A Rebel - SHE, most will agree.

Sassafras Roots/Extraordinary Girl - SASSAFRAS ROOTS of course

WICA/Letterbomb - Okay love the shit out of Letterbomb, amazing song all around, but, it's WHEN I COME AROUND, again, just timeless as it can get!

Coming Clean/WMUWSE - WMUWSE, totally amazingly written song. Even at like a minute and a half, COMING CLEAN is more wicked!

Emenius Sleepus/Homecoming - Okay I will give HOMECOMING the victory over Emenius and In the End given the epicness and length of it.

F.O.D./Whatsername - This is a tough one. But I grew up to F.O.D. Would way rather hear that live, plus a secret Tre song, F.O.D. is heavy as fuck, I love it!

 

So, it'll always be Dookie for me. Been rocking it for 23 years and it'll always be the greatest punk album ever to me.

23 years? How did you hear it before it was released? 😳

[St. Jonny]

Quote

 

Oh yeah, well I may have jumped a few months ahead. Won't it be 23 years in February? I would have gotten it in April '94 on Easter day. Sorry HAHA 22 years and 8 months!!

[WhiteTim]

1 hour ago, St. Jonny said:

Oh yeah, well I may have jumped a few months ahead. Won't it be 23 years in February? I would have gotten it in April '94 on Easter day. Sorry HAHA 22 years and 8 months!!

lol I'm just messin with ya but there were advance copies going around in late 93 so you could've heard it then

[St. Jonny]

I definitely remember hearing some of it before having it but probably just the singles. Was on TV all the time!

[Nowhere Man]

Ok, this was a fun thing to compare song to song.

Burnout/AMERICAN IDIOT - I'll give small edge to AI. Burnout is a grreat opener, one of the best Tre's solos but still AI is too relevant all the time and the riff is catchy as fuck. 40-60

Having a Blast/JESUS OF SUBURBIA - Sorry, but having a blast for me is a filler, skipping it all the time. On the other hand, JOS is classic.  0-100.

Chump/HOLIDAY - I love how Chump ends bringing us to Longview but Holiday was the song because of ehich I got into Green Day. 30-70.

LONGVIEW/Boulevard - Ok, another tough one, but Longview bass line and lyrics beat everything. And I love BOBD especially its dark ending. 60-40

WELCOME TO PARADISE/Are We The Waiting - THis is simple. AWTW is touching and beautiful, especially live, but that WTP bridge defeats it with ease. 80-20

PULLING TEETH/Give me Novocaine - Again very close but personally I'm more into PT, always found it one of the most underrated GD songs. 60-40 (agree to change the order here and compare these two)

Basket Case/St. Jimmy - Basket Case is too legendary to lose but I never got the hype as the beest ever Green Day song, I get only the lyrics hype (it's even not the best on the album). St.Jimmy is one of the most furious GD songs, and Billie live is priceless. I'll give them a draw. 50-50

SHE/She's a rebel - No brainer. She - 90-10.

SASSAFRAS ROOTS/Extraordinary Girl - Bass line on SR is so damn cheerful, extraordinary girl has nothing to offer to beat it. - 80-20

WHEN I COME AROUND/Letterbomb - Love both, but WICA is one of the best GD songs ever done - 70-30. 

Coming Clean/WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS - The mose sincere GD song before Still Breathing. 30-70

Emenius Sleepus/HOMECOMING - Emenius Sleepus is quite ordinary, while Homecoming is Green Da's first tribute to the Who and rock'n'roll, a true Hall of Famer song, with amazing Mike and Tre parts 10-90

F.O.D/WHATSERNAME - I'll give the edge to probably the best closer (draw with Prosthetic Head) 40-60

 

So:

American Idiot/Dookie - 6.5-6.5

American Idiot/Dookie - 660-640.

 

WOW. I didn't think it would be so close.

Another proof that both are legendary.

 

 

 

 

[desertrose]

Enough Time Has Passed To Reveal George W. Bush Was The ‘American Idiot’ (By Billie Joe Armstrong)

http://www.clickhole.com/blogpost/enough-time-has-passed-reveal-george-w-bush-was-am-5642#1,

 

[pacejunkie punk]

Sorry to revive this thread but I just listened to the album straight through and followed along with the limited edition book and it was an amazing experience so I wanted to share my thoughts on the characters and story.

Having been influenced by the AI musical I had taken that as the definitive story but I see now that the musical really sells the plot short, and particularly the character of Whatsername. On the album, JOS is lost, confused, full of pain and ambivalent about what to do about it. He meets up with (his inner) St Jimmy who shows him one way to deal is to medicate and forget. Then he meets this girl who tries to show him another way. She’s a social justice warrior fighting on the front lines and wants J to wake the fuck up and join her but he can’t get up the passion to do anything, and chooses escape instead. She finally gets fed up with him, drops him a letterbomb and dumps his lazy ass.  

JOS reminds me of a Hamlet type of character. He knows he should be enraged at the unjustice he sees around him (society and the death of his father in fact) but all he does is think and never gets up the courage to act. Whatsername tries to get him to act but can’t (“There is nothing left to analyze!”)’ Like Hamlet, he has paralysis through analysis. St Jimmy is just a symptom of that. Like Hamlet he leaves home to figure out what to do (and his potential love relationship is also destroyed). He is full of rage and love over his mother and father and that underlies his conflict in both cases.

This is a really deep character study, but instead of exploring it, the musical turns Whatsername into a generic love interest. Jimmy is choosing between his drugs and his relationship with her which is very watered down. It ignores the fact that she is a character with depth herself, out there doing what she believes and represents not who Jimmy/J wants to love, but who he wants to be. He wants to be like her but isn’t. That’s the element I think the musicsl misses out on for the sake of a traditional Broadway love story. Adding Will and Tunny as characters only makes the story broader but not deeper. 

Now that I’ve gone back to the original story and read the notes along with it, I have a new appreciation for the genius of this very classic Shakespearian struggle. I’m sorry that more wasn’t done to bring that out on the stage. It would have made both J and W more multidimensional characters to connect with and made the Hamlet parallels more apparent.

But American Idiot as a rock opera? Wow, the music perfectly tells this story. 

[Jrem]

My favorite thing about this album and the story is how so many songs tie into other songs within the album through references.

"You're not the Jesus of Suburbia. The St. Jimmy is a figment of. Your father's rage and your mothers love. Made me the idiot America."