“A Defense of Green Day”

As editor of Cheap Shot!, a site that was, at least originally, intended only to give exposure to independent and indie-ish musical artists, one might expect me to come down hard on acts who are highly commercial. That said, I have no qualms admitting that, for the past 13 years, Green Day has been my favorite band.

Yes, the band who “sold out” back in 1993 by signing with Reprise Records and who somehow “sell out” again with each new album they release. I defend my fandom of Green Day with the simple logic that I don’t need to defend a musical preference. Green Day’s songs have always been pleasing to my ears, and I connect with them on a whole ‘nother level than I have with any other artist. And, you know what else? Despite the band’s overexposure and increasingly “schticky” performances, they have done a lot for the world of music in a relatively short time.

In this article, I am going to attempt to do the unthinkable - salvage Green Day’s long forgotten “punk cred.” In order to enjoy this article, you need to suspend disbelief for a moment and pretend that punk cred still actually means something. Got it? Good. Let’s start with that “sell out” accusation from 1993.

Green Day never wanted to be indie darlings. The only public claim of adherence to Lookout Records which I’ve ever read from the band was in the liner notes to the vinyl version of 39/Smooth (1990 Lookout). And that was a written response to claims that Green Day were interested in going major, penned by former Green Day drummer, John “Al Sobrante” Kiffmeyer. Kiffmeyer recorded three EP’s and one LP with the band in its early days, but had nothing to do with the decision to sign to Reprise.

So, essentially, Green Day signed to Reprise to expose their music to a greater audience. You can argue whether or not that was necessary, as Operation Ivy’s LP, Energy, had previously gone gold on Lookout. Still, sign they did, and without violating some universally understood “punk credos.” Green Day never signed a lifetime contract, verbal or otherwise, with Lookout. And punk bands had been releasing records on major labels since the beginning of the genre.

In 1994, Dookie was released, and it changed the way music was perceived and marketed. The effects of Dookie on the music industry are still being felt, over 13 years later. And despite some “purists,” who gave the album bad reviews, it’s become something of a classic.

What’s always bugged me the most about reviewers of Green Day albums is that they usually don’t have any grasp of who the bands influences were. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read critiques, assuring me that Green Day is so in debt to the Buzzcocks, only to later put on my own Buzzcocks’ albums and struggle to find the similarities. And that joke in High Fidelity? Please. How the hell does Green Day sound ANYTHING like Stiff Little Fingers? Granted, the Oakland trio owes a debt to many artists, but I think reviewers are just too lazy to make the connection themselves, so they quote other critics. I mean, it is a lot easier to type "Buzzcocks" than "Husker Du." Who really knows how to make the little umlauts appear over the u’s anyway?

I have a suggestion for reluctant punkers. Listen to Green Day’s Shenanigans. The b-sides collection, released by Reprise in 2002, spans six years of outtakes, soundtrack additions, covers, and the like. It shows us many sides of Green Day, and, lacking the cohesiveness of one of their traditional albums, it showcases the group’s many influences under one roof. The Ramones’ “Outsider” is ably remade, along with Fang’s “I Wanna Be On TV.” Really, how many people outside of California, after 1990, would even know who Fang were, if not for Green Day? They were supposed to have been an important part of a Cali hardcore scene, but I’ve never even heard them mentioned much, outside of their connection with Green Day.

And that’s probably the biggest contribution Green Day have made to punk. They are one of the much-debated “gateway” bands, who have brought many diverse and interesting people toward the punk scene. They’ve also done so by doing things on their own terms. And you know those 10 year olds you see at Green Day shows now, wearing the American Idiot shirts their parents just bought them? Some of them will be the leaders of the punk scene of tomorrow. Learn to love it.

There are a lot of other reasons to like Green Day, even if you aren’t into their music. They’ve been a champion of important causes for years. They took legendary queercore act Pansy Division on tour with them back in 1994, and even once refused to play at a venue which banned Pansy Division. (The venue then relented, and both bands played.) Also, ask Food Not Bombs’ Berkeley chapter how they feel about Green Day, who have played several benefit shows for them.

And back, one more time, to the music. A band who has written and recorded heaps of power-pop-punk, teenage anthems, mock hardcore splurges, surf tunes, and mind alteringly catch alternative rock belongs in the annals of rock and roll history. The fact that they began as a small indie band, based out of Oakland, is more of a success story than anything else. Disagree with any path they’ve taken in their career all you want, but I dare you...DARE YOU...to sit there and honestly say, with at least a decent knowledge of their catalog, that you don’t like at least one Green Day song.

So yes, I love Green Day. AND I love independent music and media. Got a problem with that?