Green Day in New Rolling Stone

[RougeRogue]

Feel free to close if unnecessary.

There's a snippet in the new Rolling Stone about the new play with info I haven't necessarliy heard before. My scanner is broken (dammit) but I can type up what it says...

Mostly stuff we already know, but I bolded what I thought was new...

"Curtain Will Rise On 'American Idiot' Musical"

Full of epic rock anthems, larger-than-life characters and heavy political themes, Green Day's 2004 album "American Idiot" felt ready for the stage from the very first listen. Now the smash record is being turned into a musical by Michael Mayer, director of the Broadway hit, "Spring Awakening", and will debut September 4th at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in the band's hometown of Berkeley California. "I can play the shit out of the guitar," says frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, who recently finished recording Green Day's new LP, "21st Century Breakdown", due May 15th. "But I don't know anything about putting something like that together."

Mayer, who collaborated with folk rocker Duncan Sheik on "Spring Awakening", first approached the band in 2007 about adapting "American Idiot" -a concept album centered around disillusioned teens coming of age during the Bush years. "I became instantly obsessed with the album," says Mayer. "By my third listen, I thought to myself, 'This is an opera that needs to be staged." Mayer invited Armstrong to New York to see his musical. "At the end of the evening, Billie Joe said 'Go for it. Start putting it together,'" recalls Mayer.

Without a linear plot, "American Idiot" left Mayer a bit of room for the script. "The ambiguity of the actual narrative was a blessing," he says. "All I had to do was make up stories." Mayer and Armstrong fleshed out the story by phone and e-mail. "He picked my brain about St. Jimmy and Jesus Of Suburbia, and how these characters relate," says Armstrong. Mayer divided the piece into three stories: One character goes to Iraq; other two stay at home trying to make sense of post 9/11 America.

The cast of 19 mostly unknown actors sings every American Idiot track, plus two B-Sides and a few from "Breakdown" cuts. There's not much dialogue; letters from one character to his parents, from linear notes, serve as narration. Rehearsals start in July, but workshops are under way. "These people were on a stage singing my songs -it was kind of like being invited to your own funeral," says Armstrong. "It blew me away."

[Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love]

One character goes to Iraq; other two stay at home trying to make sense of post 9/11 America.

... That is too similiar to a certain music video for my liking....

For the rest, this idea is really starting to grow on me, I even like it now!

I still can't go, but oh well.

Thanks for posting (:

[Fuzz]

Thanks for the heads up. Hopefully I'll get my RS soon enough to scan this. If not, hopefully someone can.

And thank you for typing it up

[RougeRogue]

And thank you for typing it up

YEAH! It took me a little while. Now I know how aggravating that lyric typing must have been!

[Hermione]

... That is too similiar to a certain music video for my liking....

Haha you read my mind.

Thanks for that, it'll be interesting to see how this play turns out. Or hear about it anyway.

[Katarina.]

Thanks for that.

I'm really interested in the final 'product'

Two of the things I like most combined: Green Day and theatre/acting.

Can't actually wait till we get te hear more about this!

[RougeRogue]

... That is too similiar to a certain music video for my liking....

I agree. That popped into my mind at once. I was hoping for an idea that was a little more...unexpected. :/

[J'net]

Green Day is on pages 20 and 21 of the new Rolling Stone (issue 1077, dated April 30, 2009).

Page 20 puts KYE on the hot list with the following review:

These dudes cracked the code of pop-punk super-catchiness ages ago - but the first single from their new album takes it to some heretofore unknown peak. Imagine if AC/DC had replaced Bon Scott with Joe Strummer. Seriously, imagine it!

Page 21 has an article titled "Curtain Will Rise on 'American Idiot' Musical"

Mostly news we've heard, with this information I hadn't read before:

"Mayer divided the piece into three storeis: Once character goes to Iraq; two others stay at home trying to make sense out of post-9/11 America.

The cast of 19 mostly unknown actors sings every

American Idiot

track plus two B sides and few

Breakdown

cuts. There's not much dialogue ..."

The photos we've already seen.

I can't scan this till Monday, but maybe someone else could do us the favor?

[rage-love-life]

Hey, that's awesome. Cool knowing more stuff about the AI play. No dialogue and singing every track from the album? should be interesting...

[Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love]

That's cool

But I'm sure I've read the news about the AI Musical before, in a thread somewhere. Probably was that from the same article.

Thanks for posting

[gmcloughlin]

Thanks for posting. Gonna go look at Rolling Stone's website now

[Juan]

I gotta say, I've always like the idea of the musical...truly have...this is great

[Eirik]

But I'm sure I've read the news about the AI Musical before, in a thread somewhere. Probably was that from the same article.

Same here, but still: thanks.

[J'net]

That's cool

But I'm sure I've read the news about the AI Musical before, in a thread somewhere. Probably was that from the same article.

Thanks for posting

Yeah, most of the AI news was a repeat of what I already knew, but I hadn't heard those specific details yet.

What pleased me most, though, was the positive comments about KYE!

[The Disappearing Boy]

luv-er-ly.

[Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love]

Yeah, most of the AI news was a repeat of what I already knew, but I hadn't heard those specific details yet.

What pleased me most, though, was the positive comments about KYE!

No, I've read those details before. Even remember my exact reaction to it

, and that Hermoine and someone else replied to that with the same. the someone else was the 3rd post after mine, something in my head says it was scumbag-on-a-mission, but I'm prolly wrong with that.

Wait, why do I remember that, but not in which thread it was.

[J'net]

No, I've read those details before. Even remember my exact reaction to it

, and that Hermoine and someone else replied to that with the same. the someone else was the 3rd post after mine, something in my head says it was scumbag-on-a-mission, but I'm prolly wrong with that.

Wait, why do I remember that, but not in which thread it was.

I don't doubt at all that you've read those details before - they may have been from the same article or just two articles had the same details - it seems to happen all the time with Green Day news these days. I'm just saying I haven't read them. Lately, there's no way I can keep up with every post even in just the Green Day threads. My head's spinning from all the new news - and I LOVE it!!!

[jtdscape]

I will scan it in a few mins.

[.Brian]

I will scan it in a few mins.

thanks.

[Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love]

I don't doubt at all that you've read those details before - they may have been from the same article or just two articles had the same details - it seems to happen all the time with Green Day news these days. I'm just saying I haven't read them. Lately, there's no way I can keep up with every post even in just the Green Day threads. My head's spinning from all the new news - and I LOVE it!!!

Yeah

^ ^thanks

[J'net]

I will scan it in a few mins.

Great! My home scanner doesn't work well with Vista, so I've uninstalled the drivers. I appreciate it!

[jtdscape]

Here are the scans:

http://1039sweetchildren.net/

[Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love]

Here are the scans:

http://1039sweetchildren.net/

Thanks

[jtdscape]

welcome

[Rezurgam]

Thankrs for the scans.