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We’re Waiting
Green Day introduced punk rock to the world and they brought pop-rock to
the world. In 1990, they released their first and best album, “1,039 Smoothed
Out Slappy Hours.” Around that time, what they called touring was playing on
Gilman Street
, and in bedrooms, at the back on stores. Anyplace where there were people
willing to hear them play, and a place where they would not get arrested, you
would find Green Day.
In 1992 they released, “Kerplunk.”
This album brought in thousands of fans wanting to hear Green Day. They loved
the style of this album and went on to buy their previous album. Basically,
“Kerplunk” made “1,039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours.” After “Kerplunk,”
Green Day was optimistic that they could make a living off music. They were
still living on the streets, not wearing makeup, fancy clothes, and bleached
hair. They would just go on stage with crappy sounding video cameras surrounding
them. BJ would have no shirt and dreadlocks. Mike would wear a janitor’s suit
with hair looking like he just got out of bed. Tre would be innocently in the
back playing amazing. Not looking a thing like he is today. Then, they got tired
of playing the usual songs, so they went back to the studios, where they created
a masterpiece.
“Duddddeee! That McDonald’s
get to you?” Mike asked Tre, as Tre walks out of the bathroom feeling
relieved.
“Man, it did! Dookie, liquid
Dookie.”
So it was called Dookie. Green Day
stepped back from what they created and watched. It combined the fifty-year old
punk rockers, the four year old dancing queens, and everyone in the middle.
People rushed CD stores to get their copy of Dookie. Green Day has escaped from
the streets of Pinole to being famous punk rockers. They played
Woodstock
’94 and stole the show. Billie Joe’s infamous mud fight was loved by fans.
Green Day didn’t care about their image. They didn’t care if fans liked
their music. They played it for themselves and they were satisfied with that.
So, why is it not surprising with
all that uncaring about my image stuff, that Green Day turns into celebrities
more and more by the day? What happened to the days of blue and green hair that
was all messed up? What happened to the weird unprofessional looking CDs? What
happened to that?
Dookie made them famous and it was
obvious they couldn’t have cared less. They tried to show people they could
still amuse underground punk fans with “Insomniac” and “Nimrod.” But,
once you leave the underground you never return to the underground. Green Day
must have handled that with a little bit of anger, but as with everything, got
over it. Then, with sales dropping like a pyramid, after “Nimrod,” they came
out with “Warning.” Fans were shocked!
Go listen to “Dookie,” “Kerplunk,”
or “1,039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours,” and then listen to “Warning.” All
of the sudden Green Day began to care what the outside thought of them. Why not
the ugly, messed-up hair? Why not the janitor’s suit? Mike’s hair is always
perfect. Tre’s always perfectly spiked up. Billie Joe now bleaches his hair
with absolute perfection or he won’t bleach it at all. Not to mention the
songs of “Warning.” I’ll admit the songs are great and I enjoy listening
to them, but I do not want them coming from Green Day. Go back to Dookie? If
there was a
Woodstock
would Green Day be invited back? On the Pop Disaster Tour how many songs do you
think they play from “Warning?” Green Day has gone from underground punk to
pop.
Green Day’s passion for music
still lives though. The songs are great and really enjoyable. But nothing
compared to the high spirits of the early ‘90s. Billie Joe, Mike, and Tre, we
are all waiting for the switch, go back! Pop to punk.
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