Why did Green Day stick on you?

[Fuzz]

I was thinking the other day how did i actually get into Green Day. I remember first hearing Minority and thinking "Hm, the music is loud and obnoxious" (mind you i mostly listened to 60's rock and roll, and uh ... country). After i heard the lyrics I realized that was something I could totally get into. I got Dookie and heard Coming Clean and against was ecsatic that i was hearing stuff that I really could relate to. After the while the music grew on me more and more. Lyrics have always been a big deal for me, of course music has to be equally good for me to actually keep it.

So what about Green Day was it that really hooked you in? Made you obsessive about wanting to learn more about the band (because honestly, how many of you would be here in the first place if you didn't care enough to wanna know more?) Was it something specific happening in your life where their music gave you some comfort? Or were you just bored enough to give a damn about decent music.

[UR MOTHER MUHAHAHAHA!!!!!]

well for me whan I first heard American Idiot I though "wow this sounds good..." so I looked into it and found out that I have acctually been listening to them since I was about 5 and then more I found out about then the more I realized that I liked them and that I could relate to them.

[TotalBasketCase13]

For me, becoming a fan during the AI era, it was the message they were sending that first drew me in. I already had a whole "Anti-Bush/Anti-War" mentallity at the time, and here came a band that had songs protraying how I felt about the world (mind you, I was sort of musically sheltered at the time, so GD were about as "political" as my music knowledge went). After that another thing that drew me in was seeing them live for my first concert. The excitement/adreneline rush their show caused for me made me want to know more about them as a band/people and the more I learned, the more I started to like them which led me to wanting to own all their albums.

The real cincher, however, was when certain songs from them, and ONLY them, helped me get through my parent's separation and mild depression 2 years ago. I realized that, hey this band really has something, and that I could obviously relate to them so much that their songs could have a huge impact on my life. They've been my number one ever since.

[Hitman]

Well, I always knew their songs from my brother, who listened to Dookie and Insomniac all the time when I was a kid. So I knew of them, but never listened to them. It wasn't until a few years ago I was watching T.V, and OnDemand had all their videos on (American Idiot was still new at the time), and I watched them all and really liked it. So, I got on the computer, looked up all the lyrics, and really liked them. I bought all their albums, listened to them religiously. I'd listen to atleast two full albums a day. I read as much about them as I could, joined a message board ( ) and the rest is history.

I don't like them as much as I did back then, but I still listen to them off and on. Green Day was the only band who had that kind of influence on me. I started playing drums and guitar because of them (the guitar eventually became my whole life), so I owe them alot. They were the ones who really introduced me to music, beyond that of an average listener.

[mmmcrazypills]

I had liked a few songs and then I ended up on the internet looking up lyrics and stuff. Cut to two and half years later I'm sitting here.

[FruscianteForPrez08]

aha, I was such an innocent 12 year old! Before I got into them and kinda did a 180 music wise, I liked Clay Aiken ... I remember seeing them on the Grammys and thinking "hmmm, they didn't bleep him out, he chose not to swear because he has kids (again, my innocence )! Anyway, I convinced my mom to let me buy American Idiot the very next day, because everybody at my school thought it was great (funny, everybody hates them now... ) and from the moment I turned it on something in me just clicked. It was one of the most surreal moments of my life, it was just that feeling of "wow, this band is really amazing, they really have something to say"...

So, I found my brother's old CD's, over time bought the full catalog, fell further in love, say them live, and the rest they say, is history...

[spark in the night]

the thread title makes me giggle

why did they stick on me?

I have no goddamn idea.

they're just so sticky. they stick to mah brain

when did I first get into them..gosh this had to have been sometime around November '04. I had previously seen the AI music video on tv and I thought it was creepy haha. then I saw everyone freaking out with BOBD and I was like ok, I wanna see what all the fuss is about and thats when I got hooked. dug into it deeper. bought their AI cd eventually but I didnt listen to it for months. then I finally decided to listen to it and then bam! hook, line, and sinker. and the rest is history.

[Sole]

I have no idea when I started listening to them so I don't know why they stuck on me. But I'm glad they did.

I remember I really got into them during 6th grade because I was able to use the computer.

I know I've had my shirt from AI since at least 5th grade.

I've probably heard it all my life but hadn't realized it because my brother was the one who listened to music all the time. I would listen to what he was listening to but I didn't realize who it was.

[.:Whatsername:.]

I don't know what hooked me to Green Day. I think maybe the fact that they were so popular, and as their populariity starting going down people starting saying "They suck, blah blah blah," and that just made me want to stick up for them, so it sort of made me love them more. :/ I don't know, the more I read about them and the more interviews I saw I just felt like I was getting to know the guys better and I couldn't just stop...

[bjrules]

i heard American idiot at a birthday party so i found out the band name and the album and all that and i went out and bought it. Then i went on www.greenday.com and found out that they had a few more albums so i thought "Ill get international superhits and see if i like their old stuff". I couldn't find it but Dookie was only 10 bucks in Virgin so i got that and i loved it. Then i found international superhits in a shop after that and i decided to go out and buy all their albums. so That took 2 years because i couldn't find both 1039 SMOSH and Kerplunk but i found them so yeah. I did a bit of research on them and all that.

[CarnageXB]

The catchy riffs and the lyrics of coarse.

[Trotsky]

uh ... country).

So you basically commited the worst possible heresy in all of music kind? Seriously dude, that's not cool. Gangster rap is a quick shot to the head, but country... burning at the stake.

Anyway on topic... in 6th grade my friends all played in a band and did mostly Green Day songs. And I got American Idiot and said "well this is cool". And then my favorite time ever was when I sang Longview for them in their garage, and the old cunt next door came out and asked us to stop singing obscenities into microphones.

[Jason Andrews Relva]

Well i first started listening to International Superhits...like Hitchin a Ride and When I Come Around...and at first they were just pretty cool, then i heard American idiot...and i started to like them alot...then bought International Superhits, then i saw my friend had dookie so i burned a copy, and i kinda got.."obsessed" after that., i goot made fun of at school, and still do, cause ill wear my green day shirt and sweatshirt and they'll be like "dude your gay" and yeah...pretty much

[Trotsky]

We played Longview so damn loud dude...though I'm surprised they could even hear my vocals or anything else but the drummer.

[threeam.]

For me it was probably how catchy "Holiday" was.

I was 11 at the time & didn't know any better..

Then the next thing you know I'm listening to American Idiot (the album) 24/7.

I loved it, and I still do. =)

[Boston]

First of all, I loved their music. At the time I was listening to the pop music that's played repetitivly on MTV and the radio, and this resinated as something different that I honestly had never heard before. After the 'American Idiot' single disappeared, I began to forget about them, but when Boulevard of Broken Dreams struck gold I decided to request the album for Easter. I got it and became addicted to the music and lyrics. I felt like a lot of the lyrics were sung about my generation and the struggles I was going through. I bought Dookie a few months later and loved the contrast of short, quick punk rock to developed, alternative/punk. Dookie's lyrics also related to me, but on a much deeper level than American Idiot (specifically Coming Clean... I got Dookie around the time I was struggling with sexual identity issues). I collected all of their albums and became the fan that I am today.

[LouLou]

I dont know. I liked them before I knew who they were. I remember seeing other kids wearing shirts that said green day when I was in like fourth/fifth (around that time) and being like: "I don't get it." I kept seeing shirts, but could not figure out what the Hell 'Green Day' meant. I was a stupid child. Then when I was thirteen we moved and I got into country (cause no one listened to it and i just wanted to hate everyone) Then at 17 we moved again and I was fixed. I was back listening to good music and falling in love with Green Day. I think what made me stick to them was that I found half of the things they did ridiculous.

[Dimitra A.]

well, when i was 11-12 ? me and my friend (who is now the BEST friend i've ever had) were listening to a recording that she had done with her mobile phone and it was wake me up when September ends and we were like "Oh, that's a good song", and then when i found out more about "greenday" (that's how we used to call them -withought the gap-) and why this song was written we said, "oh..WOW" and then i did a little research about them and their other songs and told to my friend about them and pretty much that's how we became the green day freaks we are today:P ... ah... good old memories

[klytaemnestra]

uhmm.

well i got into them when i was about 9.. my parents were splitting up, & i liked GD so much cuz they provided some comfort, i suppose, dunno how like.

& the first song i heard by them was American Idiot, on TV. i remember thinking "woah this is good"

& i was still into, yknow, McFly & shit

i got all their CDs & two years later i'm sitting here.

[hardtoconcentrate]

I was 12 when I first started loving Green Day. This was in 1999 when the popular music was from bands like the Spice Girls. All my friends loved pop music and my siblings all loved hardcore dance/techno music (gross). I loved music but it was mostly from older bands that I'd heard my parents listening to. I was never really aquainted with modern rock, punk music etc. My friends were at my house one day and flicking through music channels. This song came on and my friends were like 'Eww look at his green hair etc' and went to turn the channel over....I wouldn't let them. It was the first song that had ever actually sent chills up my spine. The bass, Billie Joe's voice, I just thought it was amazing. I got the name of the band and used my birthday money to go buy Dookie straight away. 'When I Come Around' has been my favourite song since.

[Nova-Caine]

I've had a penpal in CA since about 92ish, he was in bands that played around the bay area, he played Gilman etc bk then i asked him to send me some music of local bands, he did me like a mix compilation and GD was one of the bands on there it was At the Library and i started digging around for more info on the band, my penpal sent me Kerplunk and i was hooked. Christie Road had me obsessed from the word go!

x

[hardtoconcentrate]

I've had a penpal in CA since about 92ish, he was in bands that played around the bay area, he played Gilman etc bk then i asked him to send me some music of local bands, he did me like a mix compilation and GD was one of the bands on there it was At the Library and i started digging around for more info on the band, my penpal sent me Kerplunk and i was hooked. Christie Road had me obsessed from the word go!

x

That's really cool!

[Donna Saint]

Well, I became a fan of Green Day when I was 2 or 3 years old but forgot it... Then with Warning I remembered a bit but I couldn't say that I liked them... Then came AI out and in my class was a total hype, even our Hip Hop Bitches own AI but after Boulevard Of Broken Dreams the hype was gone... My cousin told me that I liked them in 1994 and so I stuck on them... It's pretty hot to be a fan without realising that you have ever been hooked on the band

[The Malcontented One]

In 2005 i think it was, I heard Holiday on Radio 1 when i was in the car with my mam but we stopped before i could see who the artist was. A couple of weeks later i heard it again and this time they said it was Green Day. So i googled them and i downloaded some of the older songs. I got AI for Christmas that year and i still love them.

They were different to anyone else i'd liked before and because i was 12 i thought that they were great becuse they swore and talked about sex in their songs.

[Mato]

When I was 9 or 10, I was playing BMX XXX on PS2 with my cousins and I heard Basket Case. I really liked it. I would listen it all the time.

Couple of years later (2005) I saw Boulevard Of Broken Dreams on TV and I was inlove in that song. I remember my mom was disgused when she saw them with make up..

Couple of minutes later, I had downloladed BOBD and I was listening to it all the time.

Durring these days, I downloaded American Idiot, Holiday and Wake Me Up, and I loved it (and I still do ). Soon, I found out my friend likes them, so she burned me American Idiot (album). I remember I was so , when I heard 9 minutes Jesus Of Suburbia. I really liked it. St. Jimmy and Give Me Novacaine were awesome.

After couple of months, it was Easter, and I god Bullet In A Bible, and I think that's when I started to be fan. And when I heard Basket Case, I realised that it was the same band I heard in game couple of years ago ! I didn't hear older songs ever, so I really enjoyed concert (Longview was awesome, and Minority was kickass).

And then I started to buy albums - I was becoming a collector.

And that's pretty much it.

Oh, and one more thing. My mom now really likes Green Day.