Green Day Celebrates Major Milestones with New Album "Saviors"
Green Day, the renowned punk rock trio, is commemorating major milestones this year with the 20th anniversary of their Grammy-winning album "American Idiot" and the 30th anniversary of their breakout album "Dookie," which sold 10 million albums in the U.S. alone. Today, they released their 14th album, "Saviors," which marks their return to their roots in protest music.
A recent performance on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" saw frontman Billie Joe Armstrong change a lyric in "American Idiot" from "I'm not a part of a redneck agenda" to "I'm not a part of the MAGA agenda," a move that Armstrong said he's proud of and stands behind "1000%." Armstrong said he's been singing "MAGA agenda" since 2016.
"You know, we've always wanted to keep our edge," said Armstrong.
Their album "American Idiot" became their first No. 1 a decade after "Dookie," defying any notions that they were past their prime.
Bassist Mike Dirnt said after the "Dookie" album was released in 1994, "there was really no looking back" for the band since they were outgrowing the small venues they were performing in.
"I wanted to hear us on the radio," said Armstrong
The Legendary Club that Shaped Green Day's Journey
In the late 80s, Green Day's journey began at 924 Gilman, a legendary club in Berkeley, California. The band's members - Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tré Cool - were regulars at the club, both as performers and fans. The original band name, Sweet Children, can still be seen spray-painted in the club's rafters.
"We played here once a month. And then the other weekends, we were just here all the time," said Armstrong.
"I was on that stage a lot more as a fan than I was in our band," said Dirnt.
924 Gilman was known for its strict policy against racism, sexism, and homophobia. For Green Day, the club was more than just a performance venue; it was a place where they learned about important values.
"The kids who were here were latchkey kids and stuff. And so we learned community, family values, you know, but also work," said Dirnt.
The band's latest song, "The American Dream is Killing Me," reflects on the stress and anxiety of living in America today.
"You're hit every day with the algorithm of chaos," said Armstrong.
As all members of the band are now 51 years old and long-time parents, they mentioned that parenthood has had an influence on their new music.
"Being a parent makes everything more apparent, you know," said Dirnt.
"Being in a band and stuff like that, like sleep deprivation, we were already used to, so that part of parenting wasn't that bad," said Tré Cool.
Green Day Reflects on Past Success and Looks Towards the Future
"We went straight from putting out 'Dookie' to cleaning up dookie," said one member of the band, laughing.
As Green Day prepares for their upcoming tour this summer, they are not only celebrating their past achievements with albums like "Dookie" and "American Idiot," but also eagerly looking towards the future.
"It's kind of a trifecta moment, you know. We never really look back a whole lot. I want to savor this moment," said another band member.
"I want to savior this moment," joked another member of the band.
