Just getting into Green Day?

[eastangienowhere]

Well... I've only really been into music for about 3 years. ):

I don't know how I lived before then. But I'll tell you my story anyway!

The first band that I actually and properly got into were Panic! At The Disco. Got their album as a Birthday present, before then I didn't listen to music, not even the radio, haha. Then, I went on a 2 month school trip to Thailand at the end of 2006 and that's where it all began. The trip involved a lot of long bus drives, sometimes even 12 hours, going to different places. My ipod ran out of battery in like half an hour (it was my mum's old one, hah) so one of the girl's that I became really close friend's with on the trip would share hers with me. She didn't have many songs on it at the time, cause hers too was stuffing up. But she was a huuuuge Green Day fan. (okay sorry if this turns out really long, i tend to ramble haha). The trip was around the time My Chem's The Black Parade album came out so she had a few songs from that on there. She would listen to it a lot so that's what I would listen to as well, with her.

I got her to give me the MCR songs she had, as well as a few Green Day ones (the only one I knew was Good Riddance xP) so she gave me that, American Idiot, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Holiday, and WMUWSE. Returned home to Australia, and first I fell in love with My Chem. I bought all their CDs and things, saw them twice in concert. I was obsessed with them for a good 2 years. After that I decided I should get out of my MCR bubble and listen to other bands. So I decided to buy the American Idiot album (only because the songs I already had were from it). I didn't listen to it all too much though, I don't know why. Not because I didn't like it, I just couldn't seem to keep away from MCR, haha...

My step mum, who's only 27, from Croatia, and has only been here for about 5-6 years, started to get into music as her English improved. Now she speaks it like she was born here, and she really got into Green Day. 21st Century Breakdown came out, so I just decided eh, why not, I'll buy it. I knew enough about the band, thanks to my friend from the school Thailand trip. Then the tour was announced and my step mum wanted someone to go with. Not knowing anyone else who loved music as much as me, she asked me to come along, and I can never turn down the offer to go to a concert - I live for them haha. For my Birthday, my same huge green day fan friend burnt me ALL of their music onto CDs and gave them to me. So rather than listening to each album, I would just put GD on shuffle and listen like that. That's what I do with every band I discover/get into. For some reason. Haha.

Saw them twice in Melbourne, and it was seriously the best two nights of my entire life (which is huge for me because I was bias and would always say My Chem's concerts were the best thing I'd ever experienced). But yes. Green Day blew me away. Fantastic. Amazing. No more need be said really. Except that I did get on stage and got to hug all the guys. n___n

Then for Christmas Mum actually bought me ALL of their CDs, so now I own all the music (I mean I did before - but now I have ones that havn't been downloaded haha). I bought myself the Bullet In A Bible DVD. I've known about Green Day for as long as I've been into music, and for that time I have always liked them. But it's only really this year/past couple of months I've really started loving and admiring them. They're now one of my all time favourite bands. So besides only loving them for a shorter amount of time, I would still say that I'm no different from a Green Day fan who's loved them for years and years. ^^; I have favourite songs from each album, and am slowly gathering a collection of GD posters to add to my 50-something MCR, The Used, Paramore, Cobra Starship, and The Academy Is... posters that fill up my walls. Might need to make a few sacrifices so I have room.

There you go, that's how I got into Green Day. Sorry for the essay, haha.

[HoneyDo666]

Well... I've only really been into music for about 3 years. ):

I don't know how I lived before then. But I'll tell you my story anyway!

The first band that I actually and properly got into were Panic! At The Disco. Got their album as a Birthday present, before then I didn't listen to music, not even the radio, haha. Then, I went on a 2 month school trip to Thailand at the end of 2006 and that's where it all began. The trip involved a lot of long bus drives, sometimes even 12 hours, going to different places. My ipod ran out of battery in like half an hour (it was my mum's old one, hah) so one of the girl's that I became really close friend's with on the trip would share hers with me. She didn't have many songs on it at the time, cause hers too was stuffing up. But she was a huuuuge Green Day fan. (okay sorry if this turns out really long, i tend to ramble haha). The trip was around the time My Chem's The Black Parade album came out so she had a few songs from that on there. She would listen to it a lot so that's what I would listen to as well, with her.

I got her to give me the MCR songs she had, as well as a few Green Day ones (the only one I knew was Good Riddance xP) so she gave me that, American Idiot, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Holiday, and WMUWSE. Returned home to Australia, and first I fell in love with My Chem. I bought all their CDs and things, saw them twice in concert. I was obsessed with them for a good 2 years. After that I decided I should get out of my MCR bubble and listen to other bands. So I decided to buy the American Idiot album (only because the songs I already had were from it). I didn't listen to it all too much though, I don't know why. Not because I didn't like it, I just couldn't seem to keep away from MCR, haha...

My step mum, who's only 27, from Croatia, and has only been here for about 5-6 years, started to get into music as her English improved. Now she speaks it like she was born here, and she really got into Green Day. 21st Century Breakdown came out, so I just decided eh, why not, I'll buy it. I knew enough about the band, thanks to my friend from the school Thailand trip. Then the tour was announced and my step mum wanted someone to go with. Not knowing anyone else who loved music as much as me, she asked me to come along, and I can never turn down the offer to go to a concert - I live for them haha. For my Birthday, my same huge green day fan friend burnt me ALL of their music onto CDs and gave them to me. So rather than listening to each album, I would just put GD on shuffle and listen like that. That's what I do with every band I discover/get into. For some reason. Haha.

Saw them twice in Melbourne, and it was seriously the best two nights of my entire life (which is huge for me because I was bias and would always say My Chem's concerts were the best thing I'd ever experienced). But yes. Green Day blew me away. Fantastic. Amazing. No more need be said really. Except that I did get on stage and got to hug all the guys. n___n

Then for Christmas Mum actually bought me ALL of their CDs, so now I own all the music (I mean I did before - but now I have ones that havn't been downloaded haha). I bought myself the Bullet In A Bible DVD. I've known about Green Day for as long as I've been into music, and for that time I have always liked them. But it's only really this year/past couple of months I've really started loving and admiring them. They're now one of my all time favourite bands. So besides only loving them for a shorter amount of time, I would still say that I'm no different from a Green Day fan who's loved them for years and years. ^^; I have favourite songs from each album, and am slowly gathering a collection of GD posters to add to my 50-something MCR, The Used, Paramore, Cobra Starship, and The Academy Is... posters that fill up my walls. Might need to make a few sacrifices so I have room.

There you go, that's how I got into Green Day. Sorry for the essay, haha.

I love when people post essays! Cute story!

[Emmalee]

Billie played that amazing song, the one I heard while unsuspectingly doing homework, unaware of what was about to happen and change my life, on my request, while it had only been played once before this tour, months before. Since then it's been played at every concert since, minus two, and the last line of Green Day's last concert of the decade were those six words.

And that was a really bad ending of my story but I just wanted to mention it because it makes me go all fuzzy. Oh and please don't think I'm bragging because I'm really not xD

September 8th 2008, 19:55. Wake Me Up When September Ends. <3

That's so awesome! I remember you getting excited about that in the thread for the show, now I understand why <3

I started loving Green Day consciously in the American Idiot era...around the time when Bullet In A Bible was released, I think. Right through high school I never paid particular attention to any kind of music, besides the LOTR film soundtracks. Towards the very end of 2005 (my last year in school) I started listening to the radio more and watching music videos on tv and gradually started liking all the rock songs I heard. I remember American Idiot was one of three songs that were popular that summer that I instantly was drawn to and fell in love with. I asked for BIAB for my birthday and took it with me roadtripping with my mum. I think I played that cd every day in the car, and realised I actually recognised all the old songs as ones I'd loved all along. I was all "Oh my god I know this song! THIS is Green Day? I've loved this since I was 10 " and the such. Which I'm sure a whole lot of us have done before, lol.

It was a pretty fantastic holiday, that I still think back to happily. I'd just turned 18, was discovering this amazing little band called Green Day, and through them, was starting to form an incredible friendship with my younger sister. When we got home from that trip, we spent the entire summer sleeping on the floor in our downstairs rumpus room, watching the DVD every night, slowly building up a collection of all their other albums, and generally obsessing over the band.

I credit Green Day with introducing me to the world of rock music, and also for bringing [and keeping] myself and my sister so close.

I'm envious of people who grew up with Green Day, or with rock music in general. As we started buying and listening to all the old albums, [as well as albums from other bands, but that's irrelevant here] there was definitely a feeling of "how have we been missing out on all this for so long?" But hey, I'm here now

I could go on and say more, but eh words are apparently slow for me tonight, and I've probably written too much already

[eastangienowhere]

I love when people post essays! Cute story!

aw well i'm glad! haha. thank you!

I'm envious of people who grew up with Green Day, or with rock music in general. As we started buying and listening to all the old albums, [as well as albums from other bands, but that's irrelevant here] there was definitely a feeling of "how have we been missing out on all this for so long?" But hey, I'm here now

I agree with this! haha.

Sometimes I wish I could say I was a fan of -insert band name- from the start, when they just began.

Or you know, had gotten into them before they hit the mainstream.

Although I guess with Green Day I wasn't even born when they started, and I was probably only around 3 when Dookie came out. XD

But ah well. I'm a fan now and that's all that's important.

[matteo263]

I got into green day on the 2 July 2005.

I quickly bought AI....liked it and then bought all the other stuff.

Man I went CRAZy over them!! (and I still am)

[Izzard]

I got into green day in 2002. First song I heard was basket case. I used to go around my house singnig 'do you have the time to listen to me whine' cuase thats all i knew, and i had no idea who did the song lol. than i really got into when i come around and found out who green day were. then for a while i stopped listening to them. My little sister says that when i first saw the bulivard of broken dreams video i didn't know it was green day, and i also didn't like it. and than out of know where i here wake me up when september ends and i've been crazy hooked ever since.

[Mar]

I joined GDC a couple days after the concert, because I was suffering from severe post-concert depression, haha. I needed to find a place where there were people who knew what I was feeling, and who shared the actual connection I felt to GD's music as opposed to just listening to their songs and thinking, "Hmm, catchy" like the majority of people I know. they are the only band I can think of that has a song for every emotion I can possibly think of, AND has intelligent, witty, talented, awesome band members. and my appreciation of them and their music has only grown

Totally suffered from post-concert depression too, that's why I joined a few days after my show as well (well, still do 5 months later)! I'm glad GDC is here as a way to reminisce about the show.

[Sarah.Scumbag]

I've been a fan since the American Idiot Era.

I remember going to buy the album & not being sure about wether to buy it or not, because I had only heard American Idiot from it & I didn't want to waste my money. But I took the risk and bought the album. Sure enough, I wasn't disappointed, and went back to buy another of their cd's maybe a month or so later. I chose International Superhits, at first I was dissapointed because it didn't sound like the stuff from American Idiot, but after a few listens I really got into it & realised that I recognised a few of the songs. I stopped listening to them as much for about a year or so & drifted of into my good old ways of listening to R&B and stuff like that, but still listened to Green Day every now and then. Then I went through a rough patch about a year or two ago and I found Green Day really helped me through it & since then they've always been a huge part of me.

[Rosie May]

I remeber about a year before I got into green day (this is really stupid btw)

I actually thought american idiot was a novelty song. I only ever heard the first line and I thought it was funny. then a good while later I actually watched the whole thing and I realised they were serious, then I didn't realy care anymore. It was the next summer that I really got into them becuse two of my friends were obsessed and gd was all they talked about and I saw wmuwse on tv and I fell in love with it. The 1st album I got was international superhits, then I got both AI and dookie for my birthday. I've never looked back, I collected all their albums over the years and got into fbht and then waited for 21cb. I finally got to see them twice this year and I'm even more of a fan than I was already, and I didn't think that was possible.

[andrewmackenzie]

Ah, excellent!

I needed something to use some of my otherwise incredibly boring 'free time' today, lol. =]

Well, first and foremost - this is the perfect topic for me to post in; I "GOT IN TO" Green Day last Spring at the close of my Senior Year in High School.

It's not like I'd never heard/liked Green Day before that, just that I was by no means a fan... in fact, when I was in 8th Grade (when I still received gifts from "the Easter Bunny", the final year of that, actually) I was given 2 CD's for Easter: Green Day's "International Superhits!" (which I thought was something completely new and not a collection of a Decade+'s worth of Singles) and blink-182's "Take Off your Pants & Jacket".

I was immediately upset when I realized that the only Green Day song's I knew: ""American Idiot", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", and that 'Do you have the time, to listen to me whine" song were not listed in the tracks (at this point I'd been largely ignoring music since the days of about 4th grade when I listened to NSYNC and Backstreet Boys and was pretty much content with anything on the Radio, oh how the times have changed!:: how was I supposed to know what "Basket Case" was?). So in my rush to get to Sunday Morning Mass an hour or so early so it wouldn't be standing room only with all the folks who only attend church on Christmas (Eve) and Easter (something I'm rather ashamed to say I've become since beginning College) I only had time to listen to ONE song, not sure which one to try I picked the song with a *familiar*-sounding name, every year on Thanksgiving I'd watch the MACY'S DAY PARADE, so I opted to listen to that one; midway through the song, my 8th grade self discontent with the lack of "American Idiot" speed or anger hit the 'open' button and popped the CD back into its case, and continued on barely even touching the CD but to move it out of my way for the next 4 years.

I would still enjoy Green Day on the radio and at the start of my Senior Year in High School when I finally got an iPhone (I'd never had a proper MP3 player until that point) loaded "Superhits!" onto my iTunes so I could access songs like "Basket Case" and "Brain Stew". A few months passed by without me playing the Green Day songs I knew from the CD and I had no want or need to try anything new out. Then one weekend while I was on Cape Cod supervising a 50 Mile Bike Trip with the Boy Scouts I decided to put my still minuscule (about 400 song) iPhone library on "shuffle", as we left a Subway restraunt where we'd gotten lunch a song I'd never heard began playing through my earbuds... until hours later when I'd finally remembered to investigate what song it was I had no clue who or what this song was, but I loved the lyrics and composition... "are you locked up in a world // that's been planned out for you? // are y'feelin' like a Social Tool // without a use? // scream at me // until my ears bleed // I'm takin' heed just for you"

from then-on-out I was less quick to instantly hit the ">>" button when a Green Day song I was unfamiliar with on my iPhone came on, however this was in like ... November, and it wasn't until Graduation Day that I found myself even maybe experiencing something MORE than Music thanks to Billie Joe, Mike, and Tre'. interestingly enough, I didn't know the band member's names for some time, but knew that the drummer had a verry *odd* name, so for a short while (due to "J.A.R." being on "Superhits!") I believe Billie's name to be 'Jason', Mike to be 'Andrew', and Tre' to be ... "Relva", lol.

Anyways... so time passes, time passes, time passes. Boom!

It is in the weeks before Gradation and amongst the over-palying of Lady GaGa's "Poker Face", "Just Dance", and Flo Rida's "Right Round" I hear a catch-albeit-repetitive new song: "KNOW YOUR ENEMY", and throroughly enjoy it, not much caring that Green Day was releasing another album (I'd thought that "Bullet in a Bible" was an unsuccessful 2006-era album that'd gone under the radar or something foolish like that), however, then on the day before Graduation as I was driving with a friend out to McDonald's to get a quick lunch he said that he'd have to swing back by his place for a few minutes because at Noon the June 20th Green Day Concert tickets were ging on sale, he was buying six and only four were yet accounted for, so I gladly accepted thinking it'd be cool to see a Big, "modern" band - the only concerts I'd ever been to were 8o's bands like Journey and Def Leppard or were in small performance spaces like when i saw Wolfmother.

The next day as I was driving to graduation the title track to Green Day's album, released that day if I'm not mistaken, "21st Century Breakdown" came over the radio - I was VERY excited to hear it, but my Dad turned the station to sports Talk as he didn't "wanna listen to that f*ggot, Bobby Joe Tolstoy or whatever the f*ck his name is" (thought that name was hysterical, although the language was a little much)...

however it was really the next day, the day after I'd officially closed the book on one of the most important chapters of my life, High School that while a friend and I were somewhat lost in South Boston trying to use his phone's crappy GPS in otherwise silence that a new epic song came over the radio:

"ONE! TWENTY ONE GUNS! LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS, GIVE UP THE FIGHT! ONE! TWENTY ONE GUNS! THROW UP YOUR ARMS, INTO THE SKY, YOU AND I"

the song immediately amazed my friend Matt and I and we remarked how good it was throughout the next song (which I believe was "Human" by The Killers). The remainder of that day was quite stressful for me, so I'd completely forgotten to download the song, thankfully the next day I was bored and picked up a copy of "People" Magazine lying on my Coffee Table in the living room and read that their 'Download this:' of the week was "21 Guns" ~ Green Day.

Remembering the song immediately I hopped onto iTunes and downloaded "21 Guns", "Know Your Enemy", and "American Eulogy" (thinking it was a sequel-of-sorts to "American Idiot") and did not stop listening to those three lone songs until at the suggestion of my friend Jake, the one who'd bought the tickets, suggested I listen to "!Viva La Gloria!" and "?Viva La Gloria?" as they were his favorite songs off the album, likewise my best friend, Ben, told me to pick up "Last of the American Girls" as it was HIS favorite song on the album... soon enough I owned 1/2 the album and iTunes was suggesting I complete the standard version (w/o Bonus Tracks) for $5.00... even if it was my mom's credit card at the time I didn't realize iTunes did this for all albums you'd partially purchased and thought it was too good a deal to pass up. I listened to those 18 songs Non-Stop for 2-3 weeks (interestingly enough, I am listening to "Restless Heart Syndrome" right now, lol) until at my iTunes' "Genius" suggestion I downloaded another Green Day track: "Jesus of Suburbia" Live at Milton Keynes . . . remembering the name "Jesus of Suburbia" from a conversation a few older scouts had been having years prior at Boy Scout summer camp (in hindsight, I'm pretty sure they were fans making Green Day related humor, way-to-go!) adn saw that it was a GIANT song (y'know, clocking in at 9 1/2 minutes?) I bought that and began trying to expand beyond just "Breakdown"... I borrowed four of their CD's from a friend , but had lost them for a few days until having to load them at the last minute, I loaded "American Idiot" and "Dookie" in time, knowing that they were supposedly the band's "Best", but had to return "Nimrod" and (... It was either "Insomniac" or) "Warning", (can't remember) without loading them. For the remainder of the summer I listened to some tracks off of "Superhits!" and all of "Idiot" and "Breakdown" religiously, my sister who pretty much exclusively listens to Taylor Swift even knew the opening lines to "Jesus of Suburbia" because I played it so frequently, lol.

I didn't touch some of the tracks on "Superhits!" (namely the singles from "Insomniac" or "Warning"... and oddly "Hitchin' a Ride" although I was otherwise generous to "Nimrod" singles) or any non-singles from "Dookie" because I didn't think I'd like them as much ...

Then it finally came time for the Concert: JULY 20th, 2009 ...

ONE OF THE BEST NIGHTS OF MY LIFE

Myself and my friends, Jake, Kelly, Nick, Ben, and Ben's Ladyfriend met up in Boston looking like the most mismatched group of individuals ever. Other then the fact we were all waering denim blue jeans everything else about us looked radically different, Kelly looked like a 'punk' and fit in with the rest of the crowd, Nick had a local band's (A Loss for Words, check 'em out) t-shirt on, Ben had an "Abbey Road" shirt on, but I must have looked the most rediculous - with my big, brown curly hair and my button down, COLLARED shirt, that's right, i wore a collared shirt to see Green Day. at the time, I thought nothing of it.

Somewhere there in the first encore between "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Minority", I realized that I felt something at that concert that music had never made me feel before... "welcome".

after a variety of *ahem* shenanigans that involved running back to the Faneuil Hall Marketplcae McDonald's and Haymarket station in 5 miniutes yelling "I killed Sirius Black" and almost getting hit by a car to retrieve the "21st Century Breakdown" Poster that now proudly hangs behind my head each night in my Dorm Room and the "Green Day" bumper sticker now posted on my sh*tbox car in the driveway that we'd left in the closing fast food restraunt that we then had to convince them to open back up by pretending it was a purse or something we were looking for, and then running all the way back. (if you're familliar with the area you know it's not a *big* distance, but there was only 5 miniutes and those HUGE stairs, yeah - I'm still impressed I could run that fast.).

I didn't even wanna discuss the concert with my friends - I merely popped my headphones in (attemted to purchase the yet-unreleased The Bravery's "Red Hands and White Knuckes") and began listening to all the Green Day tracks I'd yet to give a chance to.

I quickly fell in love with "Warning", "F.O.D." (weeks later, I was legitimately surprised when I finally heard "All by Myself") "Hitchin' a Ride" and "Waiting".

As Summer continued I eventually went from listening to 'nothing but' Green Day to 'only' Green Day... not that that looks like any difference when writen out, but I'm trying to say I was not only listening to JUST Green Day but so much more Green Day.

Summer's End and my departure to College was fast approaching and my friend, Ben, gave me a burnt copy of "Warning" ... in the >1/2 a year I've had that CD "Castaway" has jumped up to be like #3 or #4 on my iTunes most played.

The first two weeks of College I dedicated to to collecting all of Green Day's work I was missing.

(That is when I first discovered GDA)

I quickly purchased new copies of "Nimrod" and "Insomniac", bought physical copies of "American Idiot" and "21st Century Breakdown", began searching high and low for an inexpensive, New copy of "Warning" (took me until October to find a new $12 copy) and bought used copies of "Kerplunk", "Dookie", and "1,039 etc" ... I was building an impressive CD collection and was having to spend less and less on food to accomodate my newfound habit/(frenzy?)

However, then Tragedy struck in my life when I lost possible the closest 'person' to me, my Dog, Amber - I fell into a really deep, secluded depression... she died on September 14th, I found lot of solace in "Wake me up when September Ends", I felt that I could relate to Billie's loss of his father, likewise I was 500 miles away from home when it happened, my parents broke the news to me over the phone as I stared out a Window at the Syracuse skyline, thus "Christie Road" ('staring out of my window', wanting to be taken 'Home') became a very emotional and meaningful song to me.

Green Day's music really, honestly helped me through a harsh time in my life that I don't think anyone else could (weird, I have my iTunes on a Green Day only Shuffle and as I finished writing the words 'anyone else could', "Give Me Novicaine" came on - Synchronicity!! ) and I believe that is why Green Day has further solidified themselves as my Favorite Band well, ... it's technically too soon to say 'Ever', but my Favorite band Ever.

Time went on, I've began collecting Singles and B-Sides, I looked hard and finally found my 1st CD, my original copy of "Superhits!", completed my physical CD collection with a used copy of "Bullet in a Bible" (by this point I'd already owned all their songs digitally for a month) and with my recent purchase of "Like a Rolling Stone" and "That's All Right" (and the AI Cast versions of "21 Guns", which are fantastic, fyi) I have all of Green Day's availible music and thanks to this site some rarer stuff like "Like a Rat Does Cheese" which along with "Dominated Love Slave" and "Blood, Sex, & Booze" 1/2 my floor must know by heart as I'm so incredibly fond of singing them (legit, I haven't showered wthout singing "Blood, Sex, & Booze" since September). And I'm not just a fairweather fan, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE a good 98% of Green Day's work; that 2% is "Ruby Room" and "Red Tide" from "Stop, Drop, & Roll!!" (which doesn't technically count) and a few tracks off of "1,039" like "Rest" that I'm not overly fond of...

but I mean, at any given time you could hear me blasting "Paper Lanterns", "One for the Razorbacks", "Having a Blast", "86", "The Grouch", "Deadbeat Holiday", "Ha Ha You're Dead", "Roshambo", "Too Much, Too Soon", "She's a Saint not a Celebrity" or "A Quick One While He's Away" from my earphones. Literally, they're all I listen to. To the point that people are weirded out when they hear the first few seconds of "Letterbomb" because it's clearly not Billie's Voice. That's not even a joke, that's happened... likewise when I made a big deal about Wolfmotjer's new "Cosmic Egg" album or don't complain that "Glee" on FOX hasn't had any Green Day covers (please) people make snide remarks... Thankfully, no one on campus bashes Green Day because the know that I'd be able to defend them no matter what.

Also, I'm a musical theatre person, so imagine how excited I was finding out about "American Idiot: the Musical" THE DAY AFTER seeing Green Day for the 2nd time at the Amway Arena in Orlando. My favorite shirt is my Green Hard Rock Cafe' "Working Class Hero" tee and my most played song on iTunes is "American Eulogy" ... I think I might have a problem

... but where do you send someone with this problem? the Asylum from the Basket Case Video?

haha, this was a good time killer. enjoy!