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cherrylng · 2 months

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Green Day - Trilogy era Interview [INROCK (October 2012)]

First of three consecutive new releases in a row, "Uno!" Released on 26th September! Green Day’s latest hilarious interview

"If I get drunk, I'll start tweeting on Twitter and that can be quite dangerous!!" (Billie)

INTERVIEW: MIHO SUZUKI

"Green Day is the best!" The new Green Day album makes you want to run around with a whoop and a holler. Moreover, there are three new albums: "Uno!", "Dos!", and "Tre!" (which means one, two, three in Spanish). On 11th July, just before the interview, I listened to the three albums at a rental house in Huntington Beach, more than an hour away from the centre of Los Angeles. Huntington Beach is known as the birthplace of the Offspring, but it is also a popular place for surfers. Usually, interviews are conducted in a room in a well-known hotel or recording studio, but as it was the height of summer, the record company may have been thoughtful and chic enough to arrange it for us. The room has a window on one wall on the seaside, with a view of the bright blue sky and the sea, and we were able to listen to "Uno!, "Dos!" and "Tre!" all at once. All the albums were so much fun and full of songs that you couldn't help but move your body. Even though I listened to three albums in a row without a break, I didn't get tired of them, but rather I got energised and listened to them twice in a row. The seriousness of their previous album, 21st Century Breakdown, is largely absent here, and the sound and vibe is closer to the garage rock of the Foxboro Hot Tubs, the masked band that preceded their last album. But it's definitely different from Foxboro Hot Tubs, and after listening to the whole thing, I strongly felt that this was a work that had to be arrived at with all of Green Day's previous work up to this point. After listening, we moved to the interview room and greeted the three members, who had been interviewed all day the day before, and although they were smiling, they were clearly tired, but they said a lot of fun things to liven up the interview and we were impressed by their good nature as always.

"Uno!" is Billie, "Dos!" is Mike, "Tre!" is Tre (technically, the 3 in Spanish is 'tres,' but I guess it's a nod to his name), and the jackets with their faces on the artwork are really cute, and I hope you'll enjoy all three. Firstly, "Uno!" in September, followed by "Dos!" in November, and "Tre!" will be released in January next year.

"Writing a political song is like putting handcuffs on your own hands. This time I'd rather handcuff them to someone else!" (Billie)

How are you all feeling today? All: (in unison) Great!

It's not over yet, but it must have been a long day. Mike Dirnt (b.): Yeah, we've talked to a lot of people from a lot of places, haha.

The new albums are phenomenal, they're amazing. I'm incredibly excited. Billie Joe Armstrong (vo./g.): Thank you.

I'm in awe that there are three albums and all three are full of great songs. Why do you think you guys have so much creativity now? Mike: We made a secret drug. It's just for us. Billie: (laughs). I don't know, I just think we have years of experience that we've been able to use to our advantage. And we were able to draw inspiration from our own influences and just keep writing songs. Simply because we like making music. It's a pure thing for us. So, I don't know why, but we just wanted to keep writing. So when we came up with the idea of doing a trilogy, we were really excited.

How do you feel the three albums have turned out? Tre Cool (dr.): We're really proud of these albums. It's still hard to believe it's finished because it's still fresh and we've only played it to a limited number of people. It's very new and fresh and we feel like it's the start of a new era for us, the start of something big.

After two epic masterpieces, "American Idiot" and "21st Century Breakdown", does this trilogy feel like the start of a new era? Billie: Yeah, I think it's a new era for us. In a quirky way, "Uno!", "Dos", and "Tre!" are like reintroducing ourselves to people under different lights or in different colours. Each of our albums is different, but at the same time they are all connected to each other. "21st Century Breakdown" was a darker album, so this one is more fun, sexy, and danceable.

Yes, there are all sorts of songs in this trilogy that make you want to dance, but I particularly liked 'Kill the DJ'. I think it's probably the grooviest Green Day song ever, how did it come about? Billie: Mike asked me to write a song with a four beat. Something like Blondie's 'Heart of Glass'. I'd never done a song like that before. So I took an old disco beat and made it punk rock at the same time. Disco meets punk rock. We jammed over and over again on that idea and came up with this song. It's ironic that it's a dance song when the lyrics say '♪ Kill the DJ ♪' (laughs).

Is this actually a song for DJs? Billie: No, it's a song about a sad culture. The noise and the clamour of the world has always been a theme that occupies a certain part of my songwriting. I'm trying to clear my head of that stuff. I think there's a lot of parallels with "American Idiot", and I think there's a lot of parallels with "Know Your Enemy" as well. It just happened to be a more dance-oriented song.

I didn't find many of the songs in the trilogy's lyrics referring to political matters from what I've heard today, what do you actually think? Billie: Yeah, definitely, it's less political. We wanted to make songs that were more personal. And then there were a bit more sexual, more love songs, and we went into that kind of thing. And in doing that, we tried to have more freedom than before. Because, you know, when you write too many political songs, you feel like you're handcuffing yourself. So this time I decided to put the handcuffs on someone else (laughs). Well, I feel like I've spread my wings and had more fun than before.

"It's impossible to rid the world of nuclear weapons. It's really… It's a bigger problem than the earthquake." (Mike)

So writing the lyrics to these new songs was a lot more fun than the last one? Billie: Yeah. This time, instead of trying to make sense of every verse of the lyrics like before, I used my vocals as an instrument. Sometimes I get tired of listening to songs like "Last of the American Girls". I wrote the lyrics to that song so that every verse had a meaning. But this time around, like in "Nuclear Family", the lyrics are vague. So I poured my soul into writing something that didn't make much sense.

Can I ask you about "Nuclear Family"? I reacted to the word 'nuclear' because it has become a very serious issue in Japan since the Great East Japan Earthquake last year, but what is this song about? Billie: This song doesn't mean what you think it means. "Nuclear Family" is about a nuclear family - a husband and wife, two kids, living in a white fenced house in the suburbs of a city. So it has nothing to do with nuclear power stations. And of course it's not about the tragedy that happened in Japan.

Oh, it was literally about the nuclear family. I'm sorry, this has nothing to do with the song, but… how do you feel about the disaster? Billie: It was the biggest tragedy of the 21st century. That's… That's all I can say. Mike: I agree. Billie: I can't even imagine. I can't imagine the same thing happening to a nuclear power station here… I don't know. I really can't even imagine it. When I saw the disaster area on TV, I felt so much pain for the people living there and their families. Because there is no reason, no reason why such a terrible thing could happen, it's really crazy… I don't know what to say, I don't have the words to describe it. It's just really… It's a tragedy.

Personally, I was awakened by that disaster, or I thought that nuclear power wouldn't be that dangerous until that tragedy happened. Now I strongly want to get rid of nuclear weapons from the world, but it's not an easy situation to change. Billie: Yes, it is. Mike: It's really horrible, but it's impossible to get rid of. It's really… It's a bigger problem than the earthquake. Billie: Exactly. (All three of them slump down and look very sad)

But after what happened, you guys went online and asked your fans to donate, and not only that, you donated, and I'm very grateful for that. Thank you so much. Billie: Yeah.

So, back to your question about the new album. I think this is true for all of Green Day's work, but this one in particular is very much in the spirit of youth. So I think it's music that teenage kids can love. How do you think you have managed to keep such a young spirit in yourselves and your music? Billie: I don't know why. For some reason I think my voice will forever sound like a 13 year old (laughs). All: (laughs).

That's right!!! You don't age at all, I think it's phenomenal. Billie: I don't know why, but I always sound like I'm going through puberty. It always sounded like that, all the time. Simply, we've always had that kind of energy. And I'm grateful that we still have that. I think that energy probably comes from the desire to be a great rock 'n' roll band and the passion to write good songs and to always live life to the fullest. I draw energy from that passion and put it into the music. That's about the only reason I can think of. Mike: Also, we're constantly exercising as a band. We keep playing music without a break, and that's what allows us to keep going like this. Tre: But I think we keep getting smarter. I don't know. Mike: Yeah, I think so. I think I'm getting wiser as I get older. I've matured a lot in that respect. It just comes naturally. But I'll always be a kid. I still like eating cereal (laughs). Tre: Well, if I fell off a roof or something, it would take longer for my injuries to heal than it used to, but that's about it.

But you look the same as you did 10 years ago, or rather, I feel like you've gotten better as you've got older, but you don't make any particular effort to look younger? Mike: Apart from various plastic surgeries. Billie: Hahahahaha! Tre: It's got nothing to do with that oxygen tank you're breathing in while you sleep. Mike: Yes, it does. Tre: I hang upside down every day. Because I love Twilight. Mike: I try to take a shower every few days. Billie: That might help.

(laughs). You modelled for John Varvatos' spring/summer collection this year. I spotted you on the big billboard on Hollywood Road and was so excited because you were so cool. Billie: No, not at all! Mike: Haha.

You haven't modelled before, have you? Tre: But it's not that different from a magazine photo shoot.

I see. Billie: John Varvatos likes to use musicians as models for his clothes. And he likes Green Day, so when he asked us to do it, we said, "Sure". Mike: I think we were the only band that wasn't scared of filming on top of a skyscraper. It was about 500 (jokingly) storeys high.

Was it actually scary? Mike: It was crazy. We had these big boots on.

On a different note, I saw the musical production of 'American Idiot' in Los Angeles and was really impressed with how Green Day's work turned out to be such a great musical. I didn't get to see Billie's performance in New York, but how was it being on stage in the lead role? Billie: I was really nervous about it, but I said, "I'll do it." Saint Jimmy is me, but it's hard to play Saint Jimmy on stage. But it was a great experience. I was surrounded by a great cast, all great actors and singers, and I got to be friends with them, so it was a great experience in every way. I had to take my shirt off though (laughs).

Has that experience influenced your new albums? Billie: I think working with those great performers and becoming friends with them, and then living and performing in New York, definitely influenced the new music. When you're in New York, you discover something new every day. In addition to that experience, we've been writing on the West Coast near the beach, we've been writing at home in Oakland and in Austin, Texas, and we've been in studios in Europe while we've been on tour. So we got a little bit of something from every place we went. But I think the New York experience was the biggest influence on the album.

Mike and Tre, how did you feel about your music being turned into a musical? I think it proves that Green Day's music is truly timeless. Mike: I thought our music fitted into the musical really well. Tre: It makes me happy just to think that somewhere in the world today, this musical is being performed. It's like our songs are on tour. The performers are great, it's great. Not many bands can say they have their own musical production.

Yeah, it's true. I also heard that you're filming a documentary to accompany the new album. Could you tell me about that? Mike: Yeah, we've been filming it for the past 14 months or so. It's not a run-of-the-mill documentary, it's more like a surf documentary in approach. It's a peek into our lifestyle, and of course you get to see the process of making the new album, but it's also about what inspires us, what's going on in our lives and what's behind the scenes of this process. So it's a documentary that we're really looking forward to watching. The cameras were around us the whole time, but we didn't know what was being filmed. We know a few bits and pieces in places, but we don't know what it's going to end up being like. It's going to be great.

When do you plan to have it go out into the world? Billie: I think it will be out by the end of this year.

I'm looking forward to it. You have a total of 37 songs on these three albums, which is your favourite at the moment? Billie: I think "8th Avenue Serenade". I don't know why, but it was the first one that popped into my head. No, I'd have to say 'Stray Heart' (both included on 'Tre!')! It's very danceable, it's a different approach, it starts with a Motown-ish sound and then goes into a huge chorus. I like it because it's got so much heart and soul in it. Mike: There's two songs that I'm trying to decide which one to pick, both of which I've been listening to on repeat today: 'Fuck Time' and 'Nightlife' (from 'Dos!'). Tre: Yay.

I thought you were going to say that. I love it too (laughs). Billie: Hahahahaha. Mike: There's a really nice part to fire. Billie: Hahaha. Tre: At the moment, I'd have to say 'Oh Love' and 'Fell For You' ('Uno!').

It's a lovely love song, isn't it? Tre: Yeah, because I'm lonely.

(laughs). By the way, you're using the internet more than ever to promote this new album, what do you like about the internet and what do you often do with it? Mike: (grinning and touching his chin) Heh, heh.

I know what you mean Mike (laughs). Tre: I make computer viruses and destroy people's computers.

Again (laughs). Tre: Yeah, I haven't. Mike: I think now, rather than being afraid of the internet, you can value it as a tool. If you don't have a record shop in town, you can find artists online, and if you're an artist or musician, you can let people know online. When we were kids, we used to hand out flyers announcing shows. Now we can just put it on Facebook. Tre: Now, thanks to smartphones, we can carry more technology in our pockets than the rocket that landed man on the moon. It's suddenly irrelevant, but I just wanted to speak with two words in one sentence: mankind and rocket.

"I want to see what Lindsay Lohan's poop looks like so badly!" (Tre)

(laughs). Do you like Twitter? Billie: I have a Twitter account, but I leave it to other people. Because if I get drunk, I'll start tweeting on Twitter and that can be quite dangerous. So I leave it to other people and just tweet about what's going on in the band. But it's got to be my official tweets. Tre: You know what I love so much is when you can see when Lindsay Lohan is in line at Starbucks to get a coffee. I'd love to see what her poop looks like. Twitter is very useful. Some people tweet too much, though. Billie: I like Instagram. It's good. Tre: People take pictures of food all the time. Billie: Just take pictures of the booze. Tre: Yeah. Mike: Or body parts. Tre: Yeah, after a few drinks. Billie: Hahahaha. Tre: The tequila made me take my clothes off! (laughs).

(laughs). It's time to go, so what's your final message to our readers? Tre: Japan! I'll be over there soon! See you soon! Mike: We're really looking forward to meeting you guys. Tre: We miss you guys. Mike: We'll put on our best show for you. We love you guys. We can't wait to see you. Tre: Let's all have a great time! Billie: We're doing a club show in Japan. It's going to be great.

(Interview recorded before Summer Sonic on 11th July)

Translator's Note: Translating this interview made me notice something. Namely that back then, things felt loose and free. Like I know and am aware that that's not the case, but you just read these and can't help but feel as though it's a glimpse back to a time that was far more lax in ways that today doesn't feel like it. Or maybe that's just nostalgia speaking to me.

#Billie Joe Armstrong #Mike Dirnt #Tre Cool #Green Day #Trilogy era #my scan #translation #interview #INROCK #INROCK October 2012

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cherrylng · 28 days

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Green Day Interview - Warning era [ROCKIN'ON (September 2000)]

"Don't think rock is just dormant at the moment. I'm sure there's some energetic rock out there somewhere, properly, I'm sure. I'm sure it'll wake up and bite us in the ass again - and yes, if you still love rock ‘n’ roll, we've got some great stuff for you."

How will the ‘immortal little bastard punk spirit’, which has seriously entrusted its troublesome life to punk and continues to take on troublesome rock for life, manifest itself in this year 2000? We meet Green Day just before the completion of their new album ‘Warning’ and just before their Summer Sonic visit to Japan, with an undercover studio report and interview!!!

Interview & Text=Kenichiro Yanagi Interpretation/Photography=WILLIAM HAMES

"And I feel forgotten Feel like rotting (Do you feel the same?) Adolescence Just can't make sense" ‘Road to Acceptance - 39/Smooth’

Ten years have passed since Green Day sang this on their first album, released in 1990. I think it's quite a long time for everyone, and for Green Day, too, because when I subtract ten from my own age, it makes me laugh. Anyway, since 1990, ten years have passed, and now it's the year 2000.

Ten years. I've passed through my adolescence, when I was completely ‘out of touch’ but had a strange sparkle in that aspect, and I've said to myself, "It's been a long time since then, but I feel like nothing's changed," and then someone might say "The fact that you're saying things like that means you've gotten older," and I'd say, "I see," and think about it again, and then the next day I say to myself, "I'm not young anymore." That's a long enough time for that kind of flow to take hold. And in fact, most people live with it.

But the band Green Day seemed to be a bit different from us. They started their rock ‘n’ roll career with the idea that ‘maybe that trend can be managed with a driving beat and a melody?’ That was the starting point of their rock music. I think that was their way of rock, running so fast that you can't see what's in front of you, and staring at the scenery as it flows by. I think that's why they sang "Every time I look in my past, I always wish I was there" and "I wish my youth would forever last" [from the song "16"] on their first album. If you wish that, you might actually get it, haven't you ever wondered that? I think their early work was like that, and their first major album Dookie, which was full of that wish, sold a huge 10 million copies.

But that wish did not come true. It was a failure. It's no surprise. It is impossible to break the timeline in a strict time flow. It's good that they ran forward with such a wish and became popular, but as time passed, they stumbled, they were troubled, and they got tired. That's the kind of Green Day I was attracted to. They were rejected with comments like "You're not punk, you're going to go to the majors and try to sell yourself!", but at the same time they were praised with comments like "You're the punks! Our real punks!" - it fits the 'me' and 'you' who had no idea who they were. "There's no point in looking back at the past!" they said in an interview, but "I look into the past and I want to make it last / I was there" ("I Was There") - yeah, that's ‘me’ and ‘you’ again. Moreover, they continued to behave too honestly, even more than ‘me’ and ‘you’. Yes, Green Day were too honest a band to be labelled as "young punk." Their second album was full of negativity with the title ‘Insomnia’, and their third, "Nimrod", crawled out of it and returned with musical breadth and verve. Green Day, as a band, had created a clear passage of time - a band story. In the end, Green Day seem to me to be the band that has bitten off the passage of time more than anyone else. That's why they were proud to be ‘our band’.

This year, they will release a new album, their first in three years since "Nimrod". I was very interested in this news, as it seemed to me that with "Nimrod" they had put some of their own drama behind them. Green Day have run, stumbled, and bounced back - what exactly are they going to show us of themselves next? Although I was only allowed to listen to six songs at the moment, I applied for an on-the-spot interview and headed for Los Angeles.

Los Angeles, a certain day in June. As I arrived at the hotel and was preparing for the interview tomorrow, I got a call from a record company representative. "They say they're doing a live studio today. They might play a new song, so let's go and see it." I rush out by taxi to a studio in the city, but it turns out to be a recording for a programme called "MTV Influence." The show is about artists who talked about the artists who influenced them in their music, and then played covers of those artists. On a table outside the studio was a random CD. It was Hüsker Dü. Well, that's interesting, isn't it? I say hello to the three members of Green Day. The drummer, Tre, was drinking beer, joking around and messing with the staff whenever he had the chance. He suddenly took the cigarette from one of the staff, a very fat guy of KONISHIKI's size (but with a bullet wound in his shin), climbed up the ladder, and jumped onto the roof of the studio. Then he grins. "Take it if you can, fatty," he said, just like a little kid (but in the end, the fatty man manages to climb the ladder and take it). I saw the ‘marijuana’ tattoo on Mike's arm with my own eyes for the first time. It looked strangely dazzling. Billie is, as I thought, nothing but mischievous looking, but he still has a great deal of thoughtfulness about him.

But basically, all three of them were still giving off the same ‘fuck-you’ vibe, which made me irresistibly happy. But I also thought they must be getting a bit older (as you can see from the photos in this issue).

The three of them played "Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely". Well, it's a sad song to begin with, but even more so when performed by Green Day. Even the title of the song seemed to have a sadness that had Green Day's stamp on it, and it was very moving.

After the recording was over, we all looked at the TV in the studio and saw a car on fire. And so is the crowd. It's a riot. "Where are we?" "Hey, downtown. The Lakers won today, and this is what happens when they win," said the staff member. Billie was staring at the TV screen, but when he looked at us, he said in a tone that it was hard to tell if he was joking or serious: "Welcome to Los Angeles!" I should have laughed, but for a moment I thought of his history as a street kid. I felt as if he was seriously telling me, "Well, this is what California is all about", so I couldn't really laugh.

I left the studio and returned to the hotel, but Los Angeles was in a state of chaos everywhere because of the Lakers' victory. The roads were filled with cars and honking horns in celebration. The asses of the girls were dazzling, and the men hanging out in the streets would only say "LAKEEEEEEERSSSS!!!!!" when they opened their mouths. I'm a complete Asian country bumpkin, silently turning on my 8mm camera. In the end, the horns didn't stop honking until late at night. "Welcome to Los Angeles!"

The next day. I headed to the office, which was 10 minutes from the hotel. After listening to six new songs, we moved to the studio and interviewed the three of them.

It's been 10 years since you released your first album. Well, maybe it's not really a milestone because it's been 10 years, but I think there must be some kind of emotion to it. Billie (B): 「It makes me feel like I'm getting old, hahahaha. But we made our debut so early. I was only about 16 when I started this band. So…… Yeah, we've changed a lot since we started, it's true. When you're a kid, it's like time stands still, you don't really think about the next day (laughs). So we really had no idea how long this band would last back then. All we knew for sure was that we wanted to be in this band now.」 Mike (M): 「We've always tried not to look too far into the future. And now we're trying not to look too far into the past.」

But in 10 years, I went from being a kid who listened to Green Day to now coming to you for an interview, looking like a big shot. Tre (T): 「So you're old now, too, hee hee hee hee hee.」

Hahahahaha. Now that you've been together for such a long time, what do you think of each other? Do you think you've changed? T: 「We still have a perfect relationship, like spoons lined up in a spoon holder in a cupboard.」 B: 「Hahahaha. But I think all three of us have grown as individuals. And we've started to want more time away from each other. That's what happens when you get older, you know? You want to do what you like, how you like it.」

I see. You mentioned ‘doing what I like’, but in terms of ‘doing what I like’, I think the situation in the American music scene has changed a lot in the last three years. B: 「There have been so many different bands that have come out over the past three years, and there have certainly been quite a few that I don't really understand. But on the other hand, there are also a lot of bands that are working hard and making energetic music. For example, the Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. They've been doing it for years and they're still growing, you know? But to be honest, we have to concentrate on our own work. I think it's quite a narcissistic idea that we can control the whole music scene (laughs). You have to accept that there are good bands and bad bands. For every good band I find, I find another I don't like. You just have to think of it that way.」

That said, it's been said that rock music is getting smaller and smaller, with hip-hop, teen bands and pop tunes with female vocals all being embraced. Do you think this is a very sad situation? B: 「"Rock's shrinking stature"? I think it's just dormant. Besides, I'm sure there's a vibrant rock band out there somewhere. I don't think rock ‘n’ roll is going away, I think it's just hibernating like a bear at the moment and it'll wake up and come back to bite us in the ass. Well, if you like rock ‘n’ roll, leave it to us. We've got some great stuff for you.」

But why do you think hip hop and teen pop are so popular? B: 「Well, I don't know. I think it's the same reason as when Run-D.M.C. became big. It fits in with the times, and hits the key points of American culture. I think that's what it's about. And I think the American music scene is always cyclical in all its styles. Every ten years a really good rock ‘n’ roll band comes along and explodes in popularity, and every ten years another really popular hip-hop band comes along.」

Cyclical. B: 「Yeah. At this very moment, there's a cool band playing in a garage somewhere with a cool sense of humour and cool opinions. Nobody knows they exist at the moment, but one day they'll burst onto the scene and show us what rock ‘n’ roll is all about again. It's just a matter of time, so we can't get fed up with what's going on. Once you're fed up, you'll end up not being able to see what's on the other side of all the crap that's trending right now.」 M: 「But I'm sure when we were kids there were a lot more rock’n’roll bands. So the music that people are influenced by now is probably different from when we were kids, and I think it's even different when you're younger.」 B: 「Oh, and I think a lot of bands these days are very conscious of self-marketing. Compared to those who were active in the early 90s, for example, they have a totally different mindset, really. They're on TV all the time, and they're always praising themselves like it's a telephone shopping show.」

Yeah, and there are bands that just sing "I'm pissed off!" and don't know what to do next. B: 「I've thought about that too. I think you should always have a sense of humour no matter what.」 M: 「It's no fun to perform. Especially when you call yourself an ‘angry band’.」 T: 「People who get angry easily seem to get pissed off at everything around them. It doesn't matter what they're angry about. Of course, we're not a bunch of chumps or anything, but, you know, when it comes to ourselves, we have to look at it fairly objectively from all angles.」

I see. So, let's talk about the new album… B: 「Great! (laughs)」 M: 「Thank you! (laughs). All the songs are tremendously inspired by all sorts of things. We took a break and waited for Billie's moment of inspiration to write new songs to come naturally. We practised all the time, but we didn't force him to squeeze out new songs. So it just happened naturally. Everyone wants us to explain everything, like, "What did you write? How is it different from before? What's changed? Have you grown?" But all we can say is, "Listen, this is our next album, it's a Green Day album, it's a rock “n” roll album".」 B: 「We're really proud of this album. I think I'm at a good time in my life right now, and……. And we all worked really hard on it, so I think we deserve to be proud of it. But I don't want to hype it up or sell it. I don't need to say anything, the music and the lyrics will speak for themselves. So…… yeah…… Anyway, this time it's just the three of us and we produced it ourselves, so it's a real, how can I say……」 M: 「Personal.」 B: 「Yes, it's definitely a personal work, and the whole album is full of uniqueness and hope and humanity, and the songs are about personal issues. And it's also…… It's also a fun album.」

You say that you produced such an album yourselves. How did that come about? T: 「Because we're the best producers in the world.」

……You say you produced it yourselves, but then again, why? B: 「(laughs). We had a lot of producers' names on the shortlist, you know. Just…… this album had too much weight to bring in outside influences.」 M: 「Yeah, in the end, when you want your car to run properly and you're there and the guy who made the car is there, and someone else comes in and says, "The body colour should be like this," how would you feel? Well, maybe they're right about the colour, but in the end, the car won't run properly without the person who made it. In other words, we're the mechanics on this album. That's what we wanted to do.」

So it took you three years after "Nimrod" to start work on this album, and the reason you didn't start immediately was to prepare for that? B: 「…………I was burnt out. I felt like I was going to hate the music too, so I needed to get away for a while before that happened.」

"Nimrod" was a great album, but were you too tired to maintain the energy you showed on that album and go straight into the next one? B: 「We just needed time to get back to normal life. The difference between "Nimrod" and this album is that last time it was like our lives went through the making of the album, but this time it's like the making of the album went through our lives. Do you see the difference?」

Yes, I do. B: 「We've been able to experience friends, family and all the elements of normal life over the last three years. If we kept living 24 hours a day all immersed in music …… I thought we'd end up neglecting ourselves and our music. If I could give one piece of advice to every band, it would be to put the guitar down and go away for a while. Before the guitar crushes you.」 M: 「Then by the end you'll be so desperate to play the guitar that you'll jump at the chance to play it. That's when you get the most incredible inspiration. So for the last three years I've been so preoccupied with life that I even forgot to play the guitar for a couple of days. Then I'd suddenly wake up in the middle of the night, or in the middle of dinner I'd suddenly think, "I'm not hungry. What's going on? I know! Let's play the guitar," and I'd jump at the guitar.」 B: 「The “Nimrod” tour was too long. So, we all felt that after that cycle, we needed to go home and experience a bit of “life”. We had to get a life so that we could write songs that had something real to say, instead of just writing about rock star woes while we were still on tour. No one wants to listen to that rubbish, and no one can relate to it, right? nd most of all, I can't relate to those songs either (laughs).」

(laughs) So you needed time to face yourself and reassess the situation. B: 「Yes, I just wanted to be able to write songs about what I experienced. And in order to do that, I needed to get away from music for a while. Because, you know, when you think about how many years we've been a band and how many times we've toured and made records for how long, a year off isn't long at all (laughs).」 M: 「Plus, we hadn't really taken a break up until that point.」

You took a year off? M: 「Yeah, but we only didn't play together for two months. And after those two months, we were back to practising five days a week. But I enjoyed that pace because of the break. We didn't try to force the songs.」 B: 「Yes, I didn't want to force it. So if I couldn't think of a song, I didn't force myself to write it. Anyway, the band was becoming a source of depression for me, so I needed to do other things…… Like having time with my family.」

The huge sales made you famous whether you liked it or not, but in the past, you guys were very resistant to your fame, weren't you? Has taking a break freed you from that? M: 「I still don't think we need fame. To be honest, I have a lot of fun, but the truth is, I'm both very outgoing and very shy at times, so it's hard when I want to be alone……」 B: 「I don't think there's anything wrong with being famous or successful - as long as you're doing it your own way and not anyone else's.」 T: 「And there are different kinds of fame. There's fame like Green Day, there’s fame like Macaulay Culkin, there’s fame like Shirley Temple…」 B&M: 「(laughs)」 B: 「Well, unlike those child stars who were totally controlled by their parents, we had freedom of choice and we're happy with the way our band is and what we're doing. We don't care what other people think of us or what they say about us or anything like that. But kids don't, do they? They don't have a choice, to be frank.」

So it sounds like you guys have learnt to deal with fame in your own way? M: 「Because, you know, nobody wants to hear you whine like that, do they? In fact, I don't want to hear myself whining. That's why…… When I realised I had learned how to cope with it. And how we cope with it is that we go home for a while and get completely away from it all and get back to ‘reality’. We go back to the world of friends, music and family. That's how you give yourself substance again…… You refill your water.’

With all that in mind, I think this "Warning" is a wonderfully balanced album that truly values both "changing" and "staying the same." Well, I've only listened to six songs, so I don't know yet. M: 「(laughs). So it's like, you change your shoes but not your underwear?」 B: 「Same right! That's so cool! (laughs) ……Well, I mean, this album isn't about growing up and getting older or growing up and becoming an adult anymore. It's simply about growing up, that's what this album is all about. Always remember your roots……」 T: 「We'll play better music.」 B: 「Yeah, with the feeling that we're going to be a better band.」

I also thought that the album showed a very natural side of Green Day. B: 「It's a lot better than the “unnatural” Green Day of old, isn't it? (laughs)」 T&M: 「Hee hee hee hee!」

(laughs) I mean, before "Insomniac", you guys used the punk format to show us the sensations and ideas you'd acquired to survive on the streets. And with "Insomniac", there was an attitude of "If you're going to be negative, then go for it!" But with "Nimrod", you recovered from that kind of negativity and scaled up your expression by using strings and horns. But this time, I felt like it was Green Day's natural punk, in a way that was rather free from that kind of approach or storyline. It's not just about rushing, it's about punk. There were a lot of songs with an acoustic feel. B: 「First of all…… I don't think of Green Day as a punk band. I don't think it can be categorised in that extreme. I don't know, I just think we're a cool rock ‘n’ roll band. I don't really know what else to call it…… Well, we don't really care what other people call us, seriously, we've been called all kinds of things. We believed every single one of them at first, then we ignored every single one of them…… We just want to live. Seriously, as long as they let us live, that's all we want (laughs). But…… I'm sure I learnt from punk that it's about ‘being yourself’. So it's up to the person who goes through punk to decide what to do afterwards. And now we're just……. We're in the process of trying to grow up freely, without putting ourselves into genres or anything like that…… I think that's what this album is about.」 M: 「We are crazy punk guys, but at the same time we are very normal people. I think that part of us will continue to show up in our songs for a long time to come, just like it has in the past. We might be a little weirder compared to the old guy sitting next to us on the bus, but at the same time we might be more normal than the guy sitting at the back of the bus…… That's who we are.」

I see. The way you guys interact with music these days seems fresh in this 2000 era. T: 「That makes me happy.」

You mentioned above that the theme of punk is ‘to be yourself and live the life you want’, and that's also what you sing about in “Minority” on this album. B: 「Yes, “Minority” is about individuality, about being yourself. People don't belong to a country, they are who they are.」 M: 「That's what I've been trying to achieve in the last three years of my life - to be myself.」 B: 「Yeah, the songs on this album, “Deadbeat Holiday” is a song about not giving up on life, “Misery” is a story about people living miserable lives. And “Castaway” is…… I think it's about starting a new adventure. And “Macy's Day Parade” is about commercialism, about outside forces selling you things, but what you really want is hope for a better tomorrow. I think there are a lot of songs like that.」

…….That's amazing. B: 「That's what we're trying to do (laughs).」 M: 「It's a tough world out there (laughs).」 T: 「You have to live positively (laughs).」

(laughs) But, you know, I think you have a lot of depth when you can sing about things like that so honestly. I guess you guys really love people now. B: 「(laughs) Hmm, yes……」 T: 「Yeah, yeah, we're having sex with everyone one by one.」

(laughs). You know how? M: 「(laughs) Well, I've become a bit more tolerant, or maybe I've slowed down to the point where I can smell the roses.」 B: 「In the end, it's all about how you deal with your anger. Do you look for a solution, or do you hide in your shell and let the anger smoulder? That's what's changed a lot since before. And also in terms of how you channel your anger. Do you channel it in a positive way and make your life, and sometimes that's more important - other people's lives, better, or……?」 M: 「In short, are you going to find a proper solution or are you going to continue being an asshole (laughs)?」 T: 「Hahahaha.」 B: 「But there are times when I just want to be an asshole, of course. Like, I don't want to be in a good mood (laughs). That's seriously still there. But I think we've all become better at dealing with anger, especially in the last couple of years. I don't mean stop being angry. That's not what I want. I don't want to give up my anger. I just want to channel it in a positive way.」

I see. That's a very good state of mind. It's like all three of you are able to do punk independently of each other. M: 「Yes. —So for the next album we'll evolve even more and release a record for each of us. See, KISS did that a long time ago, right? We'll make a Billie album, a Tre album, and a Mike album like that.」 T: 「Hahahahahaha!」 M: 「And of course, the Mike album is the easiest record to listen to.」 T: 「And it's a two-disc set, right?」 M: 「Oh yeah, a two-disc set!」 B: 「Gahahaha!」 T: 「The discs are all poetry readings……」 B: 「Gahahahahahaha!」 M: 「Yes, yes, of course, the first disc is all poetry readings……」 T&B: 「Disc 2 is also a full-length reading series! (laughs)」 T: 「Hahahahahahaha! And the title will be “A truly enigmatic and brilliant man, his name is Mike”!」 M: 「Hahahahahahaha…… And also “Mike's Quick Guide” (laughs).」

(laughs) That's enough. M: 「(laughs). I think that as time goes by, we tend to lose sight of what we want most as individuals in life. But anyway, I believe that if you just keep moving forward, in the end you'll find out what you really want. That's why we took a break along the way. Not only for ourselves, but also for the people to whom we dedicate our music to. I think that's how we felt that we could keep going forward and not burning ourselves out.」

I have a feeling that you guys are trying to keep rocking out in your own natural way, while protecting your punk roots in a good way, so what do you think about that? M: 「Yeah, we're certainly at a point in our career where we can take it easy and not get too uptight.」

Do you feel you're moving forward in your career with confidence? B: 「I think so〜〜」 All: 「Ahahahahahahahaha!」 B: 「No, no, no. I don't have any confidence!」 M: 「Yes. As for us, we just have to keep working as hard as we have been working so far. That means first of all, we do what we are happy with. We always think that we are our own biggest critics, but at the same time, we are the ones who are the first to praise others and say, "Well done! You did well!"」 B: 「Well done, Mike!」 M: 「Gufufufufufufu (laughs).」 B: 「Well done, Tre!」 T: 「Billie, you too! (laughs)」

(laughs) I guess we should wrap up the interview then. So here's the last question. You are finally coming to Japan for Summer Sonic 2000, can you tell us how excited you are? M: 「It's great to be able to play at a festival.」 B: 「Yeah, yeah.」 T: 「We couldn't make it to Fuji Rock in 1998, so this time we're going to……」

Right (laughs). B: 「So, this time, we're going to give you a show that's so intense you won't be able to say a word! You guys can expect the best moment of your life at Summer Sonic.」

……Um, does Fuji Rock in '98 still have an impression on you? B: 「Yeah, I think it was terrible for the crowd. A lot of people got buried in the mud.」 M: 「And in the end we couldn't play.」 T: 「Right?」 B: 「Right? We had no choice but to stay in the hotel and shoot the people around us.」 T&M: 「Bwahahahahahahaha!」

……………………Oh, that's right. What's your hair colour going to be? B: 「I haven't decided.」 M: 「Me, I'm thinking of going for emerald green, but then again, I'm still on the fence about this one (laughs).」

Translator’s Note: KONISHIKI (originally named Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e, nowadays going by his naturalised name Konishiki Yasokichi) is a retired American-born Japanese professional sumo wrestler and still a celebrity in Japan. He was also at the time the heaviest wrestler ever in sumo, at a peak weight of 287 kg (633 lb), earning him the nicknames "Meat Bomb" and, most famously, "The Dump Truck".

Despite the journalist trying to hide when Green Day was having that particular episode of MTV Influence filmed, because he didn’t hide when that particular riot happened thanks to the Los Angeles Lakers winning the 2000 NBA Finals, I easily found that the day of the recording was done on June 19th, with the interview being done on the 20th the next day instead. So you’ve tried, Yanagi-san.

As mentioned in a previous translated post, there are at least 3 different accounts on what happened with Green Day when the first Fuji Rock Festival was cancelled back in 1997. Yes, it's 1997, not 1998 like Yanagi-san had mistaken here. The first ever Fuji Rock Festival was held in 1997 and subsequently cancelled because of how bad the location and weather was.

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#Billie Joe Armstrong #Mike Dirnt #Tre Cool #Green Day #Warning era #my scan #translation #interview #ROCKIN'ON #ROCKIN'ON September 2000

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