Unpopular Green Day Opinions

[Maddy.]

i do think pyro adds a whole level of coolness to a show though like super emotional things like wmuwse with the fireworks raining down like DAMN yes

[Guest]

The pyro was cool because fire.

[The Grouch is Tracy]

Fire good.

[Spike]

The pyro was cool because fire.

The pyro was warm because fire.

[Guest]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCU5hTCynkQ

[Spike]

Sheriff, come quick, California's burning to the ground.

[The Grouch is Tracy]

The pyro was warm because fire.

Yes, I remember being at the barrier and slightly panicked for a second or two because it was so very warm even before the pyro. But what a way to go!

[Anaïs.]

Is it unpopular to say that Mike is my favorite member of Green Day? I mean, I love them all to death, but he just seems like such a nice guy, he interacts the most with fans, he writes awesome songs, he's easily the most talented of the group musically, he did a great job of being the band's representative when BJA was going through his troubles last year, etc. etc. And he loves Star Wars.

[Guest]

I dunno if he's my fave, but I definitely like Mike and Tré a lot more than I like Billie.

[Spike]

Mike is fucking badass, there's literally nothing I remotely dislike about him. Fantastic bassist, very good backing singer, great live performer, he seems to have a great attitude, and his image is awesome. And his lyrics are brilliant. And I love his basses, hence owning one. Ok, the one thing I do dislike about him is that stupid skull tattoo, but WHATEVER.

[Z J]

I dunno if he's my fave, but I definitely like Mike and Tré a lot more than I like Billie.

We know

Is it unpopular to say that Mike is my favorite member of Green Day? I mean, I love them all to death, but he just seems like such a nice guy, he interacts the most with fans, he writes awesome songs, he's easily the most talented of the group musically, he did a great job of being the band's representative when BJA was going through his troubles last year, etc. etc. And he loves Star Wars.

Perhaps you mean best at his instrument? If so sure. But musically...? to me writing the music+singing+playing guitar is more difficult then just playing bass

[Anaïs.]

to me writing the music+singing+playing guitar is more difficult then just playing bass

He writes, too, it's just that Billie doesn't ever let him put his stuff on the albums anymore. Witness the awesomeness of "Ha Ha, You're Dead" for instance. And he does backing vocals, which are amazing, might I add.

[Spike]

Singing and playing guitar on Green Day songs is nothing in terms of difficulty compared to Mike's basslines and backing vocals. You have to keep in mind that Mike did A LOT of singing on Dookie, and the basslines on there are nuts in places. Billie might be able to play more instruments, but Mike is fantastic musically. Just because he doesn't write the majority of the band's songs doesn't mean he can't write, it's just that Green Day has always been more Billie's brainchild.

[Anaïs.]

Singing and playing guitar on Green Day songs is nothing in terms of difficulty compared to Mike's basslines and backing vocals.

Yeah; I have a really hard time singing and playing the piano at the same time, but I can do it with any Green Day song because it's just the same hand movements over and over again. But trying to sing while playing the bassline for stuff like "Stuart and the Ave." or "Longview"? No way.

[Z J]

Saying that assumes that singing backing vocals is equivalent to singing lead, which it most certainly is not. Also, yes Mike is terrific at writing the songs we've seen but chances are those are the best he's got. If he had to write the volume of songs that Billie has, then he'd almost certainly have lower quality. Not to mention Billie is also creating a lot of the melodies.

Everyone here attacks anything "simple" as bad. But I happen to think a guitar riff like the one on When I come Around is genius, and a far greater feat then the bassline of Stuart and The Ave (which I adore, btw). If what Billie does is so easy, more people would do it....namely Mike.

[Spike]

Saying that assumes that singing backing vocals is equivalent to singing lead, which it most certainly is not. Also, yes Mike is terrific at writing the songs we've seen but chances are those are the best he's got. If he had to write the volume of songs that Billie has, then he'd almost certainly have lower quality. Not to mention Billie is also creating a lot of the melodies.

Everyone here attacks anything "simple" as bad. But I happen to think a guitar riff like the one on When I come Around is genius, and a far greater feat then the bassline of Stuart and The Ave (which I adore, btw). If what Billie does is so easy, more people would do it....namely Mike.

Who was attacking simple? If someone here doesn't like simple they're into the wrong band. For what it's worth, one of my favourite Mike basslines is WMUWSE and that's very, very simple. The same goes for Holiday. Like Mike said himself, he doesn't go for technically amazing or fast, he goes for catchiness. As a songwriting team, he and Billie are incredibly catchy.

I agree backing vocals isn't equivalent to lead, but Billie's lead vocals plus his constant power chord strumming is probably equivalent, at best, to Mike's bass playing and backing vocals. I don't think it's fair to assume what we've heard of Mike's songs are the best he's got, he could be writing loads more that just aren't suitable for whatever album they're working on at the time. Judging by The Frustrators, along with what we have heard of Mike's songs in Green Day, he's a very good songwriter but not necessarily in a style apt for Green Day. That said, who are we to say what's apt for them anyway. The fact is, most bands have a chief songwriter, and with Green Day it just happens to be Billie. Not to take anything away from Billie, I'm just saying we can't really assume Mike is THAT inferior to him when there's very little evidence either way.

[Z J]

Who was attacking simple? If someone here doesn't like simple they're into the wrong band. For what it's worth, one of my favourite Mike basslines is WMUWSE and that's very, very simple. The same goes for Holiday. Like Mike said himself, he doesn't go for technically amazing or fast, he goes for catchiness. As a songwriting team, he and Billie are incredibly catchy.

I agree backing vocals isn't equivalent to lead, but Billie's lead vocals plus his constant power chord strumming is probably equivalent, at best, to Mike's bass playing and backing vocals. I don't think it's fair to assume what we've heard of Mike's songs are the best he's got, he could be writing loads more that just aren't suitable for whatever album they're working on at the time. Judging by The Frustrators, along with what we have heard of Mike's songs in Green Day, he's a very good songwriter but not necessarily in a style apt for Green Day. That said, who are we to say what's apt for them anyway. The fact is, most bands have a chief songwriter, and with Green Day it just happens to be Billie. Not to take anything away from Billie, I'm just saying we can't really assume Mike is THAT inferior to him when there's very little evidence either way.

But we also can't assume every song Mike writes would be as good as J.A.R. Yes what Billie does is simple. But it's not as easy you make it seem. Singing a lead vocal is the most difficult thing you can do for a band. And it's not like every single song is as easy guitar-wise as KYE. Billie also has a stage presence that is unparalleled by many. He's written lyrics and melodies for hundreds of songs compared to Mike writing lyrics for a few. Lyrically, nothing compares to Holiday, Jesus of Suburbia, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Good Riddance, American Idiot, Wake me Up When September Ends, She, Brutal Love and so many others. He is able to capture so much with so few words. It's incredible. Mike has shown an ability in two songs in particular: J.A.R. and Panic Song (although this was written by both) that is very good. But Billie has shown it over HUNDREDS of songs and that has to count for something. Not to mention he's writing songs for another play.

I think Mike and Billie are both geniuses, and I think Tre is a fantastic drummer. But the fact is, what Billie does is more difficult and more important.

Yeah; I have a really hard time singing and playing the piano at the same time, but I can do it with any Green Day song because it's just the same hand movements over and over again. But trying to sing while playing the bassline for stuff like "Stuart and the Ave." or "Longview"? No way.

That comparison doesn't make sense because Mike doesn't sing the song. It's also an anecdotal argument

[Anaïs.]

That comparison doesn't make sense because Mike doesn't sing the song. It's also an anecdotal argument

What I was trying to express was that singing and playing guitar at the same time for Green Day songs isn't extremely complicated compared to Mike's bass playing, but I agree that I could have made my point better.

[Z J]

What I was trying to express was that singing and playing guitar at the same time for Green Day songs isn't extremely complicated compared to Mike's bass playing, but I agree that I could have made my point better.

Billie also writes the songs and commands the stage. Mike's bass playing isn't complicated. It's fucking fantastic, but it isn't complicated. Nothing Green Day does is complicated really, and I think that's part of the genius.

[Cath]

mike is the most talented musically in the 3 (but i'd say along with jason thought i don't really know jason skills)

[Z J]

mike is the most talented musically in the 3 (but i'd say along with jason thought i don't really know jason skills)

How do you draw this conclusion?

"talented musically" is a phrase that I think I may interpret differently then you guys, perhaps that is where we differ in opinion.

Billie's guitar playing is obviously simple but he is constrained by the type of music he plays. Mike's basslines are fairly simple but that is also a product of the type of music Green Day plays. Both have shown talent with their instruments beyond what they can showcase in Green Day.

[Cath]

How do you draw this conclusion?

"talented musically" is a phrase that I think I may interpret differently then you guys, perhaps that is where we differ in opinion.

Billie's guitar playing is obviously simple but he is constrained by the type of music he plays. Mike's basslines are fairly simple but that is also a product of the type of music Green Day plays. Both have shown talent with their instruments beyond what they can showcase in Green Day.

i don't know it's just how i feel it. to me mike is more talented than billie and a little bit than more tre but then it's harder to tell cause drum and bass/guitar are totally different

[Spike]

The flaw in the whole argument is saying that Mike's basslines are simple. Sure, they are these days, but there's nothing simple about Welcome To Paradise, Sassafras Roots, Stuck With Me, Dirty Rotten Bastards etc. A lot of the subtleties of Mike's playing can end up buried in the mix at times, if you listen to the isolated bass tracks there's even more going on than there seems.

Obviously when it comes to Billie, being a frontman is a skill in itself. But arguing that we shouldn't judge Billie's guitar playing because he doesn't have much chance to showcase it in Green Day (which isn't strictly true, it's his project so he can do what he wants, and just listen to some of his solos), is just the same as saying we shouldn't judge Mike's musicianship because punk bassists and backing vocalists don't always get chance to exhibit the full extent of their talent.

[Z J]

The flaw in the whole argument is saying that Mike's basslines are simple. Sure, they are these days, but there's nothing simple about Welcome To Paradise, Sassafras Roots, Stuck With Me, Dirty Rotten Bastards etc. A lot of the subtleties of Mike's playing can end up buried in the mix at times, if you listen to the isolated bass tracks there's even more going on than there seems.

Obviously when it comes to Billie, being a frontman is a skill in itself. But arguing that we shouldn't judge Billie's guitar playing because he doesn't have much chance to showcase it in Green Day (which isn't strictly true, it's his project so he can do what he wants, and just listen to some of his solos), is just the same as saying we shouldn't judge Mike's musicianship because punk bassists and backing vocalists don't always get chance to exhibit the full extent of their talent.

Punk lead vocalists don't really get to show off much either, to be honest. Actually backing vocalists aren't really that restricted. As for the simplicity thing, the basslines aren't as simple as Billie's riffs, but people on here are acting as if they are the most complex things they've ever heard. And Billie does showcase it sometimes in his solos. Do you think his solos are bad? Anyway you won't get any argument from me over who plays their guitar better.

They aren't some self-indulgent jam rock band with 10 minute guitar solos. They have a process for putting music to the lyrics and within their song structure, solos don't usually fit. Writing/Singing is harder then playing bass.

[Spike]

Punk lead vocalists don't really get to show off much either, to be honest.

That's true, but usually because a lot of them are crap anyway.

As for the simplicity thing, the basslines aren't as simple as Billie's riffs, but people on here are acting as if they are the most complex things they've ever heard.

In the context of punk, or pop punk, or whatever you want to call it, I can't name anyone that could touch Mike as a bassist. Sure, he's not Jaco Pastorius, but he's by far the best in his field.

And Billie does showcase it sometimes in his solos. Do you think his solos are bad? Anyway you won't get any argument from me over who plays their guitar better.

Well yeah, that's what I was saying. I love his solos, especially on the early stuff. I've posted on here numerous times about how much I love his lead guitar work when he just lets rip.

They aren't some self-indulgent jam rock band with 10 minute guitar solos. They have a process for putting music to the lyrics and within their song structure, solos don't usually fit.

And nor should they be. One of the things they're best at is knowing what the song needs rather than trying to show off.

Writing/Singing is harder then playing bass.

Depends on what you're doing. Billie is a fantastic lyricist, but does that count as musicianship? Once you've written a few songs, lyrics are the only thing that's really challenging. Billie really surpassed all expectations with American Idiot, but most stuff before that was very simple beyond the lyrics, and 21st Century Breakdown was helped massively by the production. I'm not even getting into the trilogy because just no. But if you look at 39/Smooth and Kerplunk, the songs are there, it's the subtleties in the arrangement, performance and production that's missing.