Billie Joe Armstrong: Artist, Rocker, Political Activist

‘’Billie Joe Armstrong: Artist, Rocker, Political Activist’’

By Arlene R. Weiss © Copyright November 7, 2005

Our gorgeous green eyed rocker, Billie Joe Armstrong of 2005’s band of the year, Green Day, is the Cover Story/Interview of the November 17, 2005 issue of ‘’Rolling Stone Magazine’’.

A fascinating, introspective musician, singer/songwriter, Billie Joe tells his life story, and waxes poetic on finding himself as an evolving artist. Talk about a tale of triumph over tragedy.

One of 6 children, whose beloved father (also a musician, playing drums), died of cancer when Billie Joe was but a ten year old child, he and his siblings were left to fend for themselves when his mother worked as a waitress nearly 24/7, then she married a man that Billie says that he ‘’loathed’’.

Music was Billie Joe’s only sense of hope and inspiration which led him to cross paths with future Green Day musical soulmates/compatriots in arms, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool. The three became entranced and enamored with punk music for its obvious expression of outrage, defiance, and rebellion at hypocrisy and hopelessness, a musical form known already for taking the piss out of ‘’the man’’ and politics.

Hanging out at the 924 Gilman Street Project, the local club, the fledgling band bonded, already politically informed, dissing the Reagan administration and the greed fueled culture of the corporate 1980’s, honed their musical chops, got signed to a major record deal and became superstars as the growling, snot nosed, middle finger sticking poster boys of the 1990’s with albums such as ‘’Dookie’’, ‘’Insomniac’’, and ‘’Nimrod’’.

The new millennium, however, saw the band, with its members entering into their thirties, start drifting into both a creative and commercial slump, watching new, upstart 20 something bands race past them on the record sales charts and in the public consciousness.

Undaunted, Green Day transformed themselves with a comeback that literally placed them even higher in the music echelon than ever before. Gambling everything by writing, recording and releasing their openly politically pointed challenge to the Bush administration and the war in Iraq with 2004’s album, ‘’American Idiot’’, they showed the world that though in their thirties, they hadn’t lost an ounce of their edge and just how F**king loud they could still gnash their teeth and flip the bird at the Bu**shitters of the day.

But there was a huge difference in the sarcastic ‘’get bent’’ attitude to society of their bratty, weed stoked, early punk years, and now openly articulating their very personal, pissed off stance at, as well as taking on, and raising the public’s awareness and consciousness about the misrepresentation and untruths paved by President Bush about the Iraqi war, to the American public, and to the world, that had proved career suicide for other artists who had previously done so, namely The Dixie Chicks.

Did Billie Joe and company give a F**k? A freackin’ NO with a capital and you can stick that where the moon doesn’t shine was their answer. Punk, or rather rock music itself as Billie Joe says, ‘’should be dangerous’’. Following their muse and expressing outrage like punk and rock have done since the 1960’s and the Vietnam War, they parley their master ‘’shove it’’ to George W. and his manufactured war with venom, spit, piss, and vinegar.

Even the elegiac, epic, sweeping, stunning ballad/rocker, ‘’Wake Me Up When September Ends’’, which Billie Joe wrote about his father’s death, was realized in video form as a scathing and heart wrenching tale of two lovers torn apart when the hero enlists in the military and is shipped over to Iraq, showing the starkly realistic horrors of war, in this case a war America was misled to believe was about, and was bamboozled into, just like Vietnam.

Billie Joe struts through what many are saying are some of the most dazzling live concerts of any band this year, like a pissed off, preening peacock. A show stopping live entertainer and performer who rouses the crowd into singalongs while he and his bandmates tear through their sets and raise the roof off of every venue they play, from the USA to the U.K., becoming International darlings across the pond on 2 continents, winning a Grammy Award, sweeping the MTV Video Music Awards, picking up 7 honors, winning Kerrang’s! Greatest Band In The World Award, and turning in 2 triumphant performances at both the Berlin leg of Live 8 and at a sold out, still talked about legendary gig at the U.K.’s Milton Keynes Arena all during the course of 2005 from the raging flames of ‘’American Idiot’s’’ success and it’s still ongoing resonance with the public.

Slinking and stalking on stage like a rough and tumble alley cat who definitely is king of his turf, Billie Joe, wears his signature black couture, black eyeliner, and red tie, adorned with his ‘’Make Poverty History’’ armband, while cockily parading onstage as warrior, commanding the audience with such acerbic, yet whimsical mockery as stating he’s ‘’George W. Bush..but my friends call me asshole!’’ all while ripping off killer guitar chords and engaging the audience with his charismatic vocals and showmanship.

Billie Joe may be the consummate rocker, but his life, like his music, has purpose and maturity. Though thrilling squealing women in the crowds of Green Day’s concerts by grabbing his crotch and playfully yelling ‘’Somebody please f**k me!’’, he’s a happily married family man for over a decade now to his childhood sweetheart, Adrienne.

Billie Joe Armstrong and Green Day have taken up the mantle of the 60’s music artists/activists that began with Bob Dylan and John Lennon, who paved the way for Bob Geldof, for Bono, and now…a spitting, in your face shredding trio led by an enigmatic man in black who takes on politics the same way that he takes on music, with integrity, grit, passion, and fire and who totally, gives a damn.

That’s why we love best, our rockers of ideals. (Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that Billie Joe is FNG HOT!!!!) And so we nominate, ok, we Award, Billie Joe Armstrong, as our music artist/political activist who best carries forward the torch, of using music to make a difference, all while kicking f**king ass!

Muse News And Micro Muse November 7, 2005

By Arlene R. Weiss © Copyright November 7, 2005