What do you think of the American Idiot era?

[Emoolly]

this is when i first REALLY started getting into green day

AI came out when i was in grade 8, so i was like 13 and basically just realizing good music

i didnt really even listen to music until grade 6/7 and at this time green day was no where so i never really got into them, i heard of them and stuff but never a fan

green day was all of the sudden EVERYWHERE, i remember first hearing them them and of course i noticed how hot billie was :eyebrow: it also really changed my whole perspective on music

i never really had a favourite band before that i LOVED until green day, and i think this was the best time to really get into them because they were everywhere

green day was always on tv or radio so this was heaven for a newly obsessed fan

of course right after hearing AI i got right into their old stuff buying dookie right away which followed with the rest of the albums

i also got to see them play in barrie aug 16 2005 so i got to witness the american idiot tour which was INSANE

so for me this era rocked, by the end it also showed who their true fans are and who just liked them because it was "cool"

[dawn71]

Its not an era it's an album. I could understand people calling their albums era's

if there was like 10 yrs between their album releases. But anyway, my thoughts

on the American Idiot album is: I loved it!! I have always loved all of Green Day's

albums, but when AI came out I was on my 1st deployment overseas in the Army.

American Idiot really struck a cord with me. I thought finally someone is standing up

and calling bullshit and fuck this and didn't care if the powers that be were offended

by it, because he called them all dumb asses too, because the president at that time

and his little minions got this Country so screwed up in the 1st place. In 2006 when I was

on my 2nd deployment and my humvee was struck by an IED and I watched the people

that had become a family to me in that God forsaken place die, and my battle buddy die

in my arms and I wound up in a wheelchair. After that American Idiot struck more than a

cord with me it struck a nerve that went to deep down to my very soul. There are not words to

really describe it unless you have experienced it 1st hand. All I can say is Green Day's

music really help me in so many ways. It helped me with the anger and sadness I felt at that

time. Green Day's music has helped me though some of the darkest hours of my my life.

[Marsupial]

It was awesome to see them win awards and be on shows, but, my freaking god, I hated the bandwagon.

The poser fans ticked me off so much. The songs were massacred with overplaying, and some songs(AI and BOBD) I can't even listen to.

Same. I started to like Green Day pretty much as soon as the album came out in 2004 because my one friend made me listen to them, so by the time 2006 or 07 rolled around, I got pretty annoyed with BOBD in particular. Nevertheless, 2005 was a great year to be a fan and all, since there were a bunch of Green Day marathons and shit on MTV with interviews, old music videos, etc. 2005=great year for music in general.

[Angie-Marie]

I was in college when American Idiot came out. I'd been a fan since Dookie came out, but at that time, I wasn't really listening to much Green Day. By then, I had gotten into stuff like Pink Floyd's The Wall and The Who's Tommy, so when I heard Green Day was doing a punk rock opera, I was totally excited for it. I heard the song American Idiot for the first time when I was getting ready for class one morning and the video came on VH1. After I watched it, I knew that it was going to be a big hit, but I never imagined it would be as huge as it was. It definitely reignited my love for Green Day and it was great to see so much cool stuff about Green Day on TV again and to see so much enthusiasm about them again, because I hadn't seen so much Green Day enthusiasm since Dookie came out. The only thing I hated about that era was how overplayed BOBD was. I will always remember how it got to a point where I would walk into the dining hall and two out of three times a day, one of the TVs in there would be playing the BOBD music video. There was just no escape from that song, it was ridiculous.

[-Billiejoezee-]

I became a fan at the age of 7. Late warning era. Green day were once again becoming famous and I felt special to know all their songs before American idiot came out, and to be part of a proper era other than the "network era". It was awesome. As for the concerts, same songs over and over again.

[pasalaska]

the American Idiot era was the era I got in to Green Day, so for me it is THE Green Day era...

I only saw them once in 2005 for AI - it was my first concert, I was 14 years old, and I just new that this band and this music was going to be such a massive part of my life at that point. The first time I heard the AI album I knew my life had changed forever. That sounds cheesy but it's true. Green Day, and American Idiot pretty much defined my teenage years

[pisquano]

I've been a Green Day fan since 2002, so that means since the age of seven...and at that time I appreciated their old music, I loved dookie and nimrod particularly...I remember my brother telling me in 2004 that a new Green Day album had been released. I bought it for Christmas and I instantly thought that it was the best GD album ever. I remember that Boulevard of Broken Dreams was EVERYWHERE (at least in Italy) and so did Wake Me Up When September Ends; I enjoyed that period because many other friends listened to Green Day, and we could share opinions and thoughts, which is impossible here today.

[stuart telegraph]

I became a fan back in December 1994, the day I got Dookie. Throughout the 90's I bought every next album the day it was released. Sometime around the turn of the century I stopped listening to them and wasn't even aware of Warning. For some reason, fate perhaps, I suddenly got an urge to rediscover them and I bought the reissue of 39/smooth in July 2004. When I got Idiot that fall, the difference between the two was staggering (Dookie, Insomniac, and Nimrod, had become petrol money) the tiltle track rocked (I already knew that) JOS and city of the damned were alright, I loved the guitar strings in Whatsername, and Broken dreams was a good song, until I heard it on the radio even with the power off. But damn, compared to the simplicity of At the library, Paper lanterns etc. American Idiot was hard to swallow. I had never attended a show before, so I decided to see them May 2005 in Peoria, IL and was blown away, not really knowing what to expect. I'm not a fan of guyliner or high pitch screaming teenies, but the whole expereince has more depth than that. As does Green Day and Billies song writing. With the sudden switch to a political statement, I thought I wouldn't really relate to these songs like I ahd in the past. I don't care for politics, or I didn't before. This album, along with the publicity, forced you to take a closer look at all of what was wrong with this government and society, mainly the U.S. but you can feel disenfranchised anywhere. Most of the new, younger fans probably didn't get past their looks and such, and if they did, I'm afraid many of them read in to the album too deep, which lead them to think their lives were more messed up than they in fact were because young minds are more easily swayed. But at least Minority is a staple at their live shows to remind all of us whats really important... to think for ourselves. But seriously, the Idiot era was great, both for fans and the band, to discover who you really are, and to push yourselves further than you ever thought possible.

[Tragically Green]

I thought it was great that they re-newed their popularity. I saw them play on the pop disaster tour in 2002 (I think) and there were all these kids with blink shirts and green day played before them (gasp!). It seemed like they were on thier way out. It was a long wait for a new album but the network thing was hilarious. I loved the song "American Idiot" so much that I bought the single because I couldn't wait for the album. Then I heard they were going to perform the american idiot album in toronto, so I got tickets to that...the show was just a few days after the album was released...it was amazing...and I was completely struck by how "rockstarish" they looked in thier new getups but I liked it. I was happy that they had so much success. It would suck for them if they put an album like that out there and got no response. I saw them twice more on different legs of the AI tour, but was dissapointed the second time with how scripted the show was (almost entirely word for word). I also thought it was great that younger kids were getting into green day for the first time.

[eastbayweirdo]

For me, that era was really fun. I was only 10 at the time, but I bought AI as soon as it came out. As far as the crowd goes, it developed a hell of a lot more teenie boppers, but also older and younger fans. It was a big time for Green Day (and still is). They got a lot more serious but still have their fun side. I also remember I could find their merch anywhere. Twas' awesome. As fuck.

[-Billiejoezee-]

It was full of amazing fans...

Just like it was full of the stupidest, teenies I EVER met.

Fuck I get mad just by remembering those days....

[Velocity]

It was amazing for me, mostly because I was discovering Green Day and I was still learning everything about them. Everything was so new and seemed so magical.

Everyone loved them, but there were a ton of teenies who were all "lyk Billy joe is sooo hawt I want his babez"

I think we all got a little spoiled seeing them EVERYWHERE. All over the radio, all over TV, it was insane. I know a lot of people complain about how their songs were overplayed but i loved all the attention they were getting.

[Nimrod99]

I was really happy that they had found mainstream "success" again (athough they were always successful in my eyes), but the amount of teenie-ness at shows was utterly annoying to me. At both AI shows I went to, my ears were ringing for like 3 days after both shows from all the screaming girls (no offense to anyone who is or used to be a teenie). I have been a fan since Dookie, but I have no issues with anyone who became a fan since AI or even after that (we all need to start somewhere), and I'm not one of those people who think they are so cool becuase they liked GD before AI. At the same time I was also irritated by the whole "Sell-Out" and "emo" thing,

[parinaz]

good old days

[GreeN_DaY_4_EveR]

American idiot is the era that i "met" for first time Green Day! I think it's their best era and they became ever more known to the world. I think they deserved this after their work they done and the "lost album" of Cigarettes and Valentines. With this album Green Day went into a new "kind" of music for them. They talked about wars,politicians and problems to some people. These kind of songs "touched" a lot of people,as you can understand. For them this album was a HUGE success which lead them to play,nowdays, more songs from American Idiot than 21st CB in their live shows.

[ANJI]

I love the AI era, I think its my best era. It was in 2005 that i found out about Green Day. Their songs on the album were just so amazing which made me love green day and their music. I'm so glad that it is their most successful album to date.

[The Platypus!]

I bought this a couple of years after it was released because I was 8 when it was released (I think or 9 I can't be bothered to work it out .) so I wasn't that in to music.

[E!!i]

This era made me a fan of Green Day and made me interested in this kinda music

[Tubbie Head]

I think it was their worst era in matters of teenie fangirlish fans I prefer it when they are less mainstream, just because of that, I feel more special for being a fan right now XD

And then, I think it was all so over produced around them. They were still the same, but seemed less humble, more superficial than they look today, I don't know if it is because Billie was wearing too much make up or because their live shows looked almost always the same, the outfits too ... Right now I feel like they are much better in every way, they are having much more fun onstage than they did before, they seem less controlled,produced and preoccupied...

This is why I picked 21st CBD as "best GD era" in the GDC awards.

So yeah, I think it's my less favourite era of all. Although I still love it.

[Ally]

I was one of the new fans. I was 15. In my opinion they probably ended up to mainstream in that time. I mean there aint many bands where you can walk into any shop and there will be something with them/the album on it. Walk into a pharmacy-green day make up bag, walk into a clothes shop-tshit, stationers-AI pens....you get my drift.

For me it was an awesome time cos i was getting to there music, so i guess the era was a mixture of good and bad. For me it was good cos this amazing band who I had just discovered and who had saved me were...well there. But i guess it was bad too for me, cos i couldnt get to see them live...tickets were all sold out...going back to the "too mainstream" point.

[-Billiejoezee-]

I was one of the new fans. I was 15. In my opinion they probably ended up to mainstream in that time. I mean there aint many bands where you can walk into any shop and there will be something with them/the album on it. Walk into a pharmacy-green day make up bag, walk into a clothes shop-tshit, stationers-AI pens....you get my drift.

For me it was an awesome time cos i was getting to there music, so i guess the era was a mixture of good and bad. For me it was good cos this amazing band who I had just discovered and who had saved me were...well there. But i guess it was bad too for me, cos i couldnt get to see them live...tickets were all sold out...going back to the "too mainstream" point.

Green Day make up bag? What?!

I never saw one of those!

I remember At that time, i knew nothing about computers or technology... so I would just follow with the media. I remember I was pretty bumbed out on the whole, C&V got lost, idea. But I knew they were making a new album. I just didnt know when... Then one week before it came out, i found out it was gonna come out. I was like "What! Already? Oh my god i dont have money. I thought till next year!"

this is why i love computers now.

[Velocity]

Green Day make up bag? What?!

I never saw one of those!

Yeah, Claire's had all sorts of Green Day crap. Makeup bags, pens, notebooks, you name it. I remember seeing the makeup bag a few times, it was baby pink and had a photo of all the guys on it.

The same place that sold tons of HSM stuff only a couple years later. D:

[-Billiejoezee-]

Yeah, Claire's had all sorts of Green Day crap. Makeup bags, pens, notebooks, you name it. I remember seeing the makeup bag a few times, it was baby pink and had a photo of all the guys on it.

The same place that sold tons of HSM stuff only a couple years later. D:

Damn it i didnt go to claires.

I still see GD stuff there right now tho.

Last time I was in there they were in this book.. lots of pages about how cute billie was.. and they spelled it with a Y.

[Ally]

Green Day make up bag? What?!

I never saw one of those!

Believe me they did...cos i have one haha. Its pink with green day on the front...with a mirror attached to the inside

Yeah, Claire's had all sorts of Green Day crap. Makeup bags, pens, notebooks, you name it. I remember seeing the makeup bag a few times, it was baby pink and had a photo of all the guys on it.

The same place that sold tons of HSM stuff only a couple years later. D:

I didnt have mine from claires..but they did have them in there to...the same ones too, my was from my local chemist...i bought it cos they were selling them off

[jensername]

This was the era that I started to become of fan of Green Day. I liked the attention that they got, but I didn't like how so many people at my school mocked their songs. It was pretty irritating But anyway, I liked the fact that once I did get into them in this era, I got to see some of their videos come out. Also, watching "the making of.." videos were the shit! I also got to first see them live when I was 14 (back in 2005). Sadly, I only had a few albums at that time though. After the concert, I realized how stupid it was for me to only have Insomniac, International Superhits, and Dookie. So I ended up buying all of their albums, and it all escalated into this huge obsession I still have today. Actually, I feel my love for them only grow stronger as the years go by There is no doubt in my heart...Green Day will forever be my favorite band on this planet