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Marijuana Rock stars;

A research on the punk-rock revivalists.
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Contents
Origin of Green Day. 3
Legends of the band; background and biography 4
Billie Joe Armstrong; Retreat into music 4-5
Mike Dirnt; Eternal Bassist 5-6
Tre Cool; Coolest Drummer 6-7

Albums and hits 7-8

Awards and successes 8-9
American Music Awards 9
Grammy Awards 9
MTV Awards 9

Conclusion 10
Bibliography 11
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Origin of Green Day.

Millennials born before the 1990s and went through their adolescence during the 1990s
will surely remember the steady rise and evolution of rock. From such well-known bands such as
punk ‘Guns and Roses’ to the aggressive ‘Pearl Jam’, rock bands flourished during the age when
teenagers were restless and at their most intense rebellious instincts. Capturing the angst-ridden
restlessness, rage and addressing the chaos and confusion of pre-adulthood certainly boosted
these bands into the international stage. It puts them on par with globally popular bands such as
the ‘Beatles’ or ‘The Who’, standing shoulder to shoulder with musical giants of the time.

Among these growing dwarves there was one that was going to reach where others have
not. They are dwarves that will grow to become giants and further on to become characters of
legends and become the Hercules of their day. One band whose name is eternally associated with
marijuana due to the members’ fondness of the well-known drug: ‘Green Day’.

Green Day was officially formed in April 1989 as the band as it is known now. However,
fans have absolutely no contradictions over the fact that the Green Day originated from the band
Sweet Children when the initial members were only fifteen. They were in Pinole Valley High
School when the band was formed, and what made them reach the pedestal of fame were their
constant performances at an influential DIY punk club, 924 Gilman Street.

Sweet Children’s first (and only) members were lead guitarist and singer, Billie Joe
Armstrong; rhythm guitarist Mike Dirnt; drummer Raj Punjabi and bassist, Sean Hughes. Raj
Punjabi was later replaced by John Kiffmeyer, also known as Al Sobrante, before Sweet
Children performed their gigs at 924 Gilman Street.

Sweet Children only changed the name to Green Day only after two of its members left;
Raj Punjabi and Sean Hughes. Then, and only then, did Green Day become the famous Green
Day as it was known before 1990. Before 1990, Armstrong played the guitar and sang, Dirn
played bass and Kiffmeyer played the drum. After 1990, Kiffmeyer got busy attending college at
Humboldt State University, and so accepted when Dirnt and Armstrong wanted to replace him
with Frank Edwin Wright III, also known as Tre Cool (Tre in French meant very; Tre Cool
loosely means ‘Very Cool’). So, the popular Green Day line-up is complete. From 1990 and
beyond, Green Day will be known for its three key members. They are really loyal to each other,
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to their own band and to their music. With their friendly cooperation, they carved their names
onto stone as legends.

Legends of the band: biography and background.

It is always a shame, knowing a band and not knowing its initial members. So, a story
should be introduced of these members; members who grow tall over other dwarves of their age.
We will start with the most popular all-time member of Green Day; Billie Joe Armstrong.

Billie Joe Armstrong: retreat into music.

All members of Green Day are Californians, but the son of California who stood out the
most was Billie Joe Armstrong. Not only was he the most popular, he was the main drive engine,
the man behind the band’s success. He sweated the most for his band, risking his education and
his personal life for the sake of his music. However, all have their own dark history, and
Armstrong was no exception. He has reasons that not many know, explaining his farthest retreat
into music.

Armstrong was born into a family of eight, he the youngest. His father, Andrew ‘Andy’
Marsicano Armstrong, descended from Italian migrants, Pietro Marsicano and Teresa Nigro from
Viggiano, Baslicata, who moved to Boston, Massachusetts before settling at Berkeley, California
in 1869. For that, Armstrong received honorary citizenship as presented by the mayor of
Viggiano, Amedeo Cicala in June 2018.

Armstrong’s family was the typical middle-class working family with a lot of children.
To support his family, Armstrong’s father worked as a jazz musician and truck driver for
Safeway Inc. Andrew’s death caused by esophageal cancer when Armstrong was ten years of age
inspired Armstrong to make a memorial to his father. His memorial comes in the form of his
evergreen song ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’. Armstrong’s mother worked as a waitress
at Rod’s Hickory Pit restaurant at El Cerrito. It was here that Armstrong and Dirnt did their first
gig in 1987.
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As the youngest, Armstrong looked up to his brothers. His siblings are, from first to
second last; David, Alan, Marci, Hollie and Anna. It was from his brothers that he knew the punk
rock genre.

Armstrong’s formal introduction to music started when a teacher encouraged him to

record a song titled ‘Look For Love’ at the age of five on the Bay Area label Fiat Records. This
happened when he was attending Hillcrest Elementary School in Rodeo. His interest deepened
when he met Mike Dirnt at the school cafeteria. They immediately bonded over their love of
music.

However, the year that really kickstarted Armstrong’s ultra music personality was the
year 1986, when he was fourteen. He formed Sweet Children with his best friend, Mike Dirnt,
and his mates; Raj Punjabi and Sean Hughes. Armstrong was the lead guitarist and vocal, Dirnt
played the guitar, Raj played the drum and Hughes played bass. Both Raj and Hughes did not
take their early career seriously. As a result, both left, Raj a year after the band’s formation;
Hughes a year after that. Raj was replaced with older John Kiffmeyer, also known as Al
Sobrante. Dirnt played bass to replace Hughes, but Armstrong remained as the lead guitarist and
vocal.

Sweet Children then became a three-piece band until the year 1989. In April 1989, Sweet
Children changed their name to Green Day, due to the band member’s inclination to marijuana.
By this time, Armstrong had dropped out of high school.

The rest of Armstrong’s life was a instant success. As the lead guitarist and singer, he did
contribute to the band’s songs’ lyrics and music. When Al Sobrante went to college in 1990, he
was replaced with Tre Cool.

Other than his contributions to Green Day, Armstrong also played with other bands. He
joined the band Pinhead Gunpowder, and they released intermittent albums and plays from 1991
to the present. Armstrong too played live several times with California punk band Rancid. He
was offered to join Rancid, but he declined due to his progress with Green Day.

Armstrong is currently alive (no pun intended), still married with a son, Joseph, and no
doubt living in his native California. He is married to Adriane Nesser, sister of skateboarder
Steve Nesser. It is confirmed that Armstrong is not gay. However, the fact that he is bisexual is
speculated, with him neither denying nor confirming it.

Mike Dirnt: eternal bassist.

A native Californian like his best friend Armstrong, Mike Dirnt’s name is not Dirnt. He
was called by that onomatopoeia ‘Dirnt’ since he sometimes brought his bass to school, after
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Sean Hughes left Sweet Children. Dirnt is best known as the bassist for Green Day. He was a
close friend of Armstrong, when their friendship sparked when they met at a school cafeteria
over their love of music.

Dirnt’s real name was Michael Ryan Pritchard. He was actually adopted; he never met
his biological mother. He lived with a foster family for a long as he can remember; he only met
his biological mother a month before her death on January the ninth, 2013.

His childhood was a tumultuous one, leaving him withdrawn and sullen, even though he
was previously described as bright and fearless. He had good enough reason to become sullen
and withdrawn, because, unlike Armstrong, he suffered through the most painful episode of
marriage life; his foster parents’ divorce. The divorce left him with neither parent making an
attempt at reconciliation; they remained separate for the rest of Dirnt’s life. After the divorce,
Dirnt first stayed with his father in El Sobrante, California, whilst his mother and sister, Myla,
moved to Rodeo, California. However, he missed his mother, and so moved in with her and
Myla. Dirnt was known to have excelled in school, despite missing school for days due to his
illness. It was known to have been caused by his biological mother’s previous use of drugs.

The rest of Dirnt’s life is well-versed, right from the start of his career until now. How he
formed Sweet Children with Armstrong, having various members replaced, played bass, changed
the band name to Green Day, and become one of the most successful of revivalist musicians. He
was such a contributing factor to the band that Armstrong dubbed him as, “the best bass player in
the history of punk rock”.

Dirnt is currently single, but I speculate whether is he available now (no pun intended).
He has three children currently.

Dirnt is a known Star Wars fan. He adored Star Wars, and it was more special since his
birthday is on Star Wars Day. He even joked about basing his religious beliefs on Star Wars. The
best friend of the Billie Joe Armstrong: Mike Dirnt.

Tre Cool; Coolest Member

Frank Edwin Wright III is the only member who was born out of America in the group.
He is a West German by birth, but he was born to American Parents, Edwin Wright Jr and Linda
Wright. However, he is still originally German, since he has German heritage. He was born in
Frankfurt, West Germany. He later lived in Willits, California with his father and elder sister
Lori. His father was a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War.

Wright first rubbed shoulders with punk rock music genre when he was a kid. He was a
neighbor of Larry Livermore, who was a singer for the punk band The Lookouts at that time. He
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was recruited as a drummer for The Lookouts when he was 12. He took on the name Tre Cool,
since in French Tre means very, and by combining it with the word cool, his name loosely
translates as ‘Very Cool’. Wright became known as Tre before he added ‘Cool’, he just added
‘cool’ when he joined The Lookouts.

When John Kiffmeyer left Green Day, Green Day replaced him with Tre. Tre opted to
pursue his education while playing with the band, but he dropped out when the band became an
all consuming priority. The band did consider breaking up at that time since it is difficult to
adjust to Tre’s style of playing.

Tre’s father was absolutely supportive of his son and the band, making him an indirect
contributing factor. He was extremely shell-shocked when he heard that the band ‘made it’. He
was so impressed.

Tre was a really good drummer. He received worldwide attention for his eccentric
playing style. He was so aggressive when playing that he was likened to The Who’s drummer
Keith Moon. The attention spared on him was so great that it earned him a ticket to win ‘Best
Punk Drummer’ in DRUM! Magazine’s 2001 Drummies. He was coined by Greg Kot of
Chicago Tribune as ‘Green Day’s most potent weapon. The band faced several difficulties when
composing since he shared Keith Moon’s wild animal approach and unpredictable approach.

Tre is currently not really dead to the world while playing drums. He is currently married
but I do not know any children of his to speak of. The best drummer Green Day could ever have.

Albums and hits

If Alice’s father says that all the best people are as mad as hatters, then I say that ‘all
successful people are college dropouts’. I could prove that it is so. Every famous person we
know, from Albert Einstein to Bill Gates, they are all college dropouts, or at least they had the
propensity of being a college drop-out. Green Day is just as similar. Two members of the band
are college dropouts and Tre did not manage to finish his studies.

The following are all their mainstream albums and hits. They are all instant successes.

Albums before 2000s

1. 1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (1989)

2. Kerplunk (1992)
3. Dookie (1994)
4. Insomniac (1995)
5. Nimrod (1997)
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Albums after 2000s

1. Warning (2000)
2. American Idiot (2004)
3. Bullet in a Bible (2005)/(concert album)
4. Stop, Drop and Roll (2008)/(Alias Foxboro Hot Tubs)
5. 21st Century Breakdown (2009)
6. !UNO! (2012)
7. !DOS! (2012)
8. !TRE! (2013)
9. Bang Bang (2016)

Best Hits

 ‘Longview’
 ‘J.A.R’
 ‘Brain Stew/Jaded’
 ‘Kill the DJ’
 ‘Oh Love’
 ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams
 ‘Basket Case’
 ‘The Saints Are Coming’
 ‘Working Class Her’
 ’21 Guns’
 ‘Walking Contradiction’
 ‘Espionage’

These are just a few of their successes. Their lion’s share comes around the
corner. Welcome to the…..

Awards and successes

Green Day received a lot of awards, too much, I will wager you that their trophy room is
flooded with their award. Witness the lion raising its head, mane and all.
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American Music Awards

Green Day won three award nominations. In 2005, they won Favorite Pop/Rock Album
for American Idiot. In the same year, they won Favorite Alternate Artist as a group. In 2009, four
years after that, they won Favorite Alternative Rock Artist.

Grammy Awards
Green Day won five award nominations in the Grammy Awards. They won in 1995 Best
Alternative Music Performance award for their best-selling album ‘Dookie’. In 2005, their album
’American Idiot’ won Best Rock Album. The next year, their song ‘Boulevard of Broken
Dreams’ won Record of The Year. Four years later, in 2010, they won Best Rock Album for
their album ‘21st Century Breakdown’. The next year, they won Best Musical Theater Album for
‘American Idiot’.

MTV Music Awards

Green Day won seven award nominations split over three MTV award events. Three were
won at MTV Latinoamerica, one was won at MTV Asia, and they won another three at MTV
Australia.

MTV Latinoamerica

1. 2005- Best International Rock Group (Green Day)

2. 2009- Best International Rock Group (Green Day)
3. 2009- Best Music in Video Game (Green Day)

MTV Asia

1. 2006- Favorite Rock Act (Green Day)

MTV Australia

1. 2005- Best Group (Green Day)

2. 2005- Best Rock Video (American Idiot)
3. 2006- Best Group (Green Day)
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Conclusion: Why I chose Green Day?

The reason I chose Green Day as my research objective is because they produced some of
the finest pieces of music in modern history. I appreciate their music, with its rhythmic
content yet not too upbeat. It is not the normal hyper-energetic kind of punk music. Their
music fills you with music that does not elate yourself, making yourself relaxed but awake.

Their lyrics too contained various messages and stories, not meaningless lyrics. They are
not filled with elements of fun, or sex or implicit contents.

Above all, they proved to be pioneers of punk rock music. They managed to infuse
harmony with rock, managing to keep lyrics clear, at the same time putting the music in the
absolute background. They could achieve something revolutionary, by balancing both music
and content.
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Bibliography
Erlewine, S. T. (n.d.). Artist Biography. Retrieved August 21st, 2018

Green Day. (n.d.). Retrieved August 21st, 2018, from Wikipedia Web site.

Green Day . (n.d.). Retrieved August 21st, 2018, from Encyclopedia Britanica Web site.

Maddocks, F. (2018, August 21st). Green Day. Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britanica.
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