Unpopular Green Day Opinions

[Spike]

American Idiot came out when I was 13, before I had any interest in politics, and I enjoyed and loved it then as much as I do now.

[Z J]

Yeah when I first heard AI I had a vague idea that American Idiot the song was about politics, and I saw the WMUWSE music video so I kind of thought it was political too (I realize it's not now). Now that I actually understand what he's saying, it just adds to the album's already present genius.

[Spike]

I've never understood why they made the WMUWSE video political. It's the deepest personal song on the album. I mean, it just seemed to me like they were trying to cash in on 9/11 or something, it's no wonder casual fans don't know it's about Billie's dad.

[Hermione]

I've never understood why they made the WMUWSE video political. It's the deepest personal song on the album. I mean, it just seemed to me like they were trying to cash in on 9/11 or something, it's no wonder casual fans don't know it's about Billie's dad.

Blame Sam Bayer! I'm pretty sure they're not a band who chooses to have much input in their videos, seem much more the type to choose a director and trust their artistic vision. I don't think it matters that it doesn't show what the song's about, after all music videos don't have to just show what's described in the song, they can add a different angle to it instead. It's just a shame the particular angle Bayer went for was unbearably cliched, cringeworthy and awful

[Spike]

Blame Sam Bayer! I'm pretty sure they're not a band who chooses to have much input in their videos, seem much more the type to choose a director and trust their artistic vision. I don't think it matters that it doesn't show what the song's about, after all music videos don't have to just show what's described in the song, they can add a different angle to it instead. It's just a shame the particular angle Bayer went for was unbearably cliched, cringeworthy and awful

Well yeah, most of their videos don't really show what the song is about. Apart from maybe the fact they're walking in Walking Contradiction.

But yeah, it just really irks me how WMUWSE is THE personal song on AI but the video made it political. I've always hated Sam Bayer anyway...

[Z J]

I'm a Republican but I love AI really, I see American Idiot (except for the first couple of lines in the second verse) as more against the dumbing down of America by the media rather than a screed against a particular political party. And Holiday is just plain anti-war, that's a sentiment anyone can get behind.

Yeah it was a joke....kind of

Holiday has sentiments that bash both Bush (obviously) and even democrats a little

Hear the drum pounding out of time

Another protester has crossed the line (Hey!)

To find, the money's on the other side

That section to me was calling out democrats who chose to do the politically smart thing and back the war, instead of what was right. Those songs are easy to get behind for most anyone and I think some people would agree the Bush era republicans weren't really a good representation of the party anyway

I've never understood why they made the WMUWSE video political. It's the deepest personal song on the album. I mean, it just seemed to me like they were trying to cash in on 9/11 or something, it's no wonder casual fans don't know it's about Billie's dad.

I think it's pretty clear why they chose to do it. You said it yourself, money. The lyrics were just vague enough and had to do with September so it wasn't difficult to add a political spin to it. A 9/11-ish song on an album that had already made waves for being political was a genius marketing move.

[Iva]

I've never understood why they made the WMUWSE video political. It's the deepest personal song on the album.

Because USA?

No, seriously, war is not an important part of any other western world country's popular culture. I never understood that.

[WhiteTim]

Because USA?

No, seriously, war is not an important part of any other western world country's popular culture. I never understood that.

I'll use the words of the great George Carlin

"America is a war like country cause we are good at it its the only thing America is great at doing"

[Iva]

I don't like stand-up comedians, but this makes sense to a certain degree - thank you.

[Z J]

#1 GDP in the world and the only thing we're good at is war? Come on now

Anyway, to keep the forum on track, an unpopular opinion (maybe):

Why Do You Want Him? is a damn good song especially when you consider the fact that it was the first song he wrote

[munns6691]

Blame Sam Bayer! I'm pretty sure they're not a band who chooses to have much input in their videos, seem much more the type to choose a director and trust their artistic vision. I don't think it matters that it doesn't show what the song's about, after all music videos don't have to just show what's described in the song, they can add a different angle to it instead. It's just a shame the particular angle Bayer went for was unbearably cliched, cringeworthy and awful

I know, Wake Me Up When Septemeber Ends could of had an incredibly deep and awesome video, but then it didn't. Which is even more lame cause I think the first three singles (American Idiot, Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Holiday) have real good videos.

I'm a Republican but I love AI really, I see American Idiot (except for the first couple of lines in the second verse) as more against the dumbing down of America by the media rather than a screed against a particular political party. And Holiday is just plain anti-war, that's a sentiment anyone can get behind.

What's wrong with the first two lines of the second verse in American Idiot.

[WhiteTim]

#1 GDP in the world and the only thing we're good at is war? Come on now

Anyway, to keep the forum on track, an unpopular opinion (maybe):

Why Do You Want Him? is a damn good song especially when you consider the fact that it was the first song he wrote

You do know George Carlin is a comedian right? Don't take his statement so seriously... tho he makes a lot of sense when you listen to the whole part of where it came from...

[Iva]

Just to make sure - I did not take it as an insult either, neither was my comment an insult. The specific music video makes it all look like a real issue, alongside a bunch of similar music videos (e.g. RHCP's "Suck My Kiss").

I love all people and nations in the world - it's politicians and lobbies who make things ugly for everybody else.

And my boyfriend is an American.

[Spike]

I can understand making the videos political in context, but WMUWSE was just so jarring. I must admit, it kind of ruined the song for me for a while, because I couldn't get this weird, contradictory message out of my head. Plus, it seems very un-GD to cash in on a national tragedy. Writing an album like American Idiot happened because they had something to say, and it got successful through good songs and masses of marketing. But the video issue just seems gratuitous. I get that people can relate to the song in terms of 9/11, but the fact is that's not what it's about. I think that's very important to remember, and they, or indeed Sam Bayer, didn't help themselves. Especially given how non-political the American Idiot and Holiday videos are, when they're the two most political songs on the album. If you're going to make an anti-war video, do it for an anti-war song, like Holiday. Incidentally, American Idiot is also my favourite Green Day video, so whatever.

[Hermione]

I can understand making the videos political in context, but WMUWSE was just so jarring. I must admit, it kind of ruined the song for me for a while, because I couldn't get this weird, contradictory message out of my head. Plus, it seems very un-GD to cash in on a national tragedy. Writing an album like American Idiot happened because they had something to say, and it got successful through good songs and masses of marketing. But the video issue just seems gratuitous. I get that people can relate to the song in terms of 9/11, but the fact is that's not what it's about. I think that's very important to remember, and they, or indeed Sam Bayer, didn't help themselves. Especially given how non-political the American Idiot and Holiday videos are, when they're the two most political songs on the album. If you're going to make an anti-war video, do it for an anti-war song, like Holiday. Incidentally, American Idiot is also my favourite Green Day video, so whatever.

I think the Holiday video is political, it has the whole "turn on the TV and see entertainment and celebrities in between news and war" thing going on. There's the band partying to total excess and some scantily clad women doing a dance, while meanwhile bombs drop in the background. It seems like just a fun video but then those bombs come on the screen and it becomes something else, I think it's a really good representation of the absurdity of the media during war.

[Spike]

^^ all of this, so much. When I first heard it, I thought it was straight up about 9/11 (I wasn't very GD-educated at the time). So I spent a year or so trying to make it all add up, as some parts of it do seem anti-war, but other parts just don't make sense if you're trying to fit the whole thing into the anti-war box. Then, I finally put two and two together and realized that the song is entirely personal, but the music video and hype surrounding the song did nothing at all to help me put the pieces together.

So glad I'm not the only one, I thought I might get a lot of "eh?" responses to that one. It did take me until the Brixton gig to get into it again, and I absolutely love it now. It's a shame about the video because I do love the scene where the four of them are all playing their instruments on the raised platforms, it's probably my favourite scene from any Green Day video.

Speaking of American Idiot, this might be a weird question but I was wondering how you, as a republican, respond to Green Day's slagging off of the party. Because conflicting feelings etc, y'know? Just curious.

I think the Holiday video is political, it has the whole "turn on the TV and see entertainment and celebrities in between news and war" thing going on. There's the band partying to total excess and some scantily clad women doing a dance, while meanwhile bombs drop in the background. It seems like just a fun video but then those bombs come on the screen and it becomes something else, I think it's a really good representation of the absurdity of the media during war.

That's a good point actually, yeah. It's an interesting one because they could have made it a lot less subtle, I think the fact they did it like that is really effective if you notice it. I think at the time I first saw it, the culture of war media was so ridiculous in general that it just kind of blended in with everything else, I was kinda desensitised to it at that point. If that makes sense. I was 13 at the time so it doesn't actually have to make sense

[Spike]

YES that scene in WMUWSE is chilling, I absolutely adore it!

I just kind of roll my eyes at it, to be honest. To me, good music is good music regardless of whether or not it takes pot shots at any given political party. And, the way they did it was creative, it wasn't like they were explicitly singing things like "Fuck all Republicans, they all suck and we wish they would die." They had a beef with particular stances taken by a party/president and I feel like they approached the topic in a good way, so it doesn't really bother me much

Yeah, fair enough. I suppose that it can help that it's open to interpretation, even if in reality it's kind of obvious what/who it's about. Luckily they're all intelligent enough to have made it as subtle as it needed to be while also getting the message across, and I think that contributed greatly to its success in some ways.

[WhiteTim]

There is such a thing as a good republican it's just sadly they are not in office

[Brian Gag]

I hate that they won't let me interview them.

[The Disappearing Boy]

I hate it when people misspell greenday and billy jo.

[fromdecimateddreams]

I hate it when people misspell greenday and billy jo.

I think the worst is "Billy Joel Armstrong."

[Spike]

I think the worst is "Billy Joel Armstrong."

She's... An uptown girl

In an ordinary world...

[Iva]

She's... An uptown girl

In an ordinary world...

I bet she never had a backstreet guy,

She gets so sick of crying.

[Jollyroger118]

Because the Trilogy is basically a 2 hour tambourine solo.

Lol

[Certified Nimrod]

now here's an interesting opinion: should mike have sang JAR instead of billie? i mean he wrote it, its about his friend who died, it seems sorta fair

That's a question, not an opinion.