Dusted Off: American Idiots?
By: Angela Provencio Norton
I liked them for day one. It was the summer before my senior year, and I was seventeen. Longview, Green Day’s first single off Dookie, their first major label record release was dominating radio and MTV playlists. A song about trying to make the endless summer days pass away was all too appropriate. It captivated the essence of the time of year, the year itself, and the angst I felt as part of both of those. It struck a chord within me (pun intended).
Then, just last fall with the Presidential election looming over our heads like the Goodyear blimp at a football game, and the state of the country and the world so mucked up, I had to take a Xanax just to watch the evening news, a song sent down from punk heaven, came over the airwaves. The song was American Idiot, and the punk heaven I’m referring to was Green Day. Just as they had in the mid-nineties, once again I found them capturing the anxiety and the confusion of it all.
While, American Idiot, the title track and first single released from their newest CD with the same name is more politically driven than anything they previously produced, it is not so overly done as to alienate their fan base (i.e., Rage Against the Machine). Considering their past material consisted of traditional punk topics such as masturbation and getting high (hell, their name alone was conceived after a day of getting stoned) this is a huge step for them.
This is not an anti White House, or even a right-wing versus left-wing CD, the statement they make is of a more classic political nature: care about the world around you, think about the world around you, and speak out. It was inevitable, they grew up. Fortunately for me, and the greater part of the country collective, they grew up just in time to write what will undoubtedly go down in music history as one of the greatest and most influential pieces of all time.
Debuting at number one on the Billboard charts in September they would make most critics year end best lists. By January they would be nominated for 7 Grammy Awards, and in February, they would go home with the Grammy for Album of the Year.
American Idiot is, brace yourself, a punk rock opera. That’s right, complete with characters, a plot, and songs lasting upwards of nine minutes. Green Day definitely took a risk in releasing this type of project. A risk worth taking, not just for them, but for all listening ears.
The story centers around an average guy, Jesus of Suburbia, who finds himself questioning his life, and the life of the world around him. He moves to the “big city” in an effort to find the answers he seeks. Upon his arrival, he meets St. Jimmy, the king of rebellion and the streets, and Whatshername, St. Jimmy’s polar opposite. She’s an idealist who radiates optimism and hope despite the semi-seedy environment she lives in. Through the songs we meet each of the characters and the lessons he learns from both. Filled with political and personal themes, the lyrics take us through a journey many are familiar with, the transition from carefree kid to caring adult.
Musically, while staying punk at the core, and consistently throughout the CD, there are many other genres evident as well. By combining some of the best musical styles of the last few decades, they utilize rock, and some seriously stellar guitar pieces, along with great harmonies to blend a smooth, clean sound. Does a 9 minute song make your inner A.D.D. Child come out? Never fear, seamlessly strung together and entertaining at the same time, you might be surprised to find them becoming your favorites.
Creating some Shaq size shoes to fill with the tremendous success of Dookie, which sold over 10 million copies, their follow up sophomore CD would not be as successful, only selling a respectful 2.5 million copies. Too bad for them things would only go down hill from there. Consequent CD’s Nimrod and Warning wouldn’t even fare those numbers. Then, in 2001 they released a (gasp) greatest hits CD, better known as the kiss of death for so many bands. This sparked a pseudo mid-life crisis amongst the band, leaving them contemplating what the hell they were doing.
After returning from the Pop Disaster Tour (no pun intended) in 2002, and in desperate need of a music colonic, they found themselves discussing their future as Green Day. Their decision was to stay together, and to change any behaviors that weren’t working form them as a trio, which as it turns out, was basically everything.
This new philosophy worked and 20 new songs were born. However, in an ironic twist, the master tracks were stolen from their Oakland studio. Disappeared. Abducted by aliens. Whatever you want to call it, they vanished like a bad Copperfield trick. Turns out it was fate, because as a result of the missing tracks they went back to the studio to start over, and under the guise of an idea sparked by the “absurdity of the media coverage of the war,” which showed journalists reporting live side by side troops, American Idiot was spawn. Through tragedy of Greek proportions, the most magnificent creations are born.
Ten years and a second wind later, Green Day continues to do what it does best. Like a snapshot, their music is a true reflection of the time it was produced. Some might call it growing up, others simply evolution, regardless, one thing’s for sure, and with their newest CD it’s more evident than ever, you’re never too old to be punk.
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