Discography Albums Green Day |
InterviewOor Magazine, 1995 This interview appeared in August 1995 in a Dutch magazine called OOR. The interview is taking place in the studio where the band is still recording (Insomniac). Pictures: 1, 2 Interviewer: Are there any big bosses from record company's who have been watching here now and then? Tre: There's some one waiting outside for me with a gun. Mike: No Way. You are lucky to be here. Interviewer: Can you say something about your new album? Tre: Compared to Dookie its just a step further, but actually its more of the same. We play the same chords. It maybe forms a whole a bit more. And there are some more songs on it. Its just our next album. Billie Joe: It's more agressive. Mike: The album leaves a trail of black burned rubber behind. Interviewer: Some bands tend to go into other directions after they have succes. Mike: On this album i got the chance to develop my French Horn talents. Interviewer: During your European Tour you seem to have a lot a fun. Are you still having fun? Billie Joe: We're a bit fed up at the moment. Tired of all the hard working. But I cant wait to go on tour again. Thats the best thing there is and were on our best then. Interviewer: Is there a lot of pressure on you? Tre: Yeah, all the time. Mike: There is a lot of pressure on us. We try not to pay attention to it. We take it seriously, but on the other hand not. Care but dont care. Do you understand? Interviewer: That must have influence on the lyrics. The Dookie lyrics were most about being bored, frustration and loneliness. The telephone will ring a lot more now I guess. Billie Joe: Yes. But the lyrics can still be understood by everyone. They are about accepting concequenses, searching for the meaning of life, and theres a lot of anger in it. Interviewer: Where does this anger come from? Billie Joe: Just from life. Moments in life that piss me off because of things happening around me. It makes my cynical. I even thought about leaving the band. Mike: It's no use analysing your life the whole time. Those analyses wont help you when youre dead. Billie Joe: And eventually we all die. Tre: Life is like breakfast. You just mix all ingredients, cuz in your stomach it will all come together. Interviewer: A few years ago you were part of the whole punk-scene. Band helping each other. Are you still in contact with those bands who werent so lucky? Tre: Were taking the Riverdales (formerly known as Screeching Weasel) with us on tour. That band is really unlucky. They are all physically handicapped and perform in wheelchairs. We get lots of demo's from bands, they want us to do something for them. Billie Joe: I've done some production work lately. For free. Just because I like doing it. Interviewer: We ask this because we know from experience that best friends from the past dont want contact anymore when you are famous. As result: celebrities who are totally isolated. Tre: Keeping in touch with old friends has the highest priority at the moment. The Riverdales are a good example of that. Billie Joe: Riverdales, Riverdales, Riverdales. It's an honour to be on stage with them. Interviewer: Youre the first punkrockers with lots of money. What are you doing with all that money? Mike: No, were not the first. That was the Offspring. Billie Joe jumps out of his chair: Whaaaaat!?! Mike laughs and says: Look, look, look! Billie Joe: Shit Mike: I bought a house for my mom. Thats what ive done with the money. Billie Joe: I dont know. Life. Im glad I dont have to work for my money. Mike: Im gonna buy diamond rings and gold necklaces now. Im also thinking about some Ferarri's and expensive perfume. Interviewer: Punk always had this fuck the power attitude. Youre the ones to put that into practice. You like a good joint. And thats illegal in the US. Tre: We once lighted this very big joint on stage. Mike: Yeah that was a good one. Tre: It can do no harm to shoot a cop now and then. Billie Joe: We performed for a project called Food not bombs. And we once gave away our salary to a agency for free medical help. We gave money to homeless people. People who are always the victim of everything. I can express myself. Being famous stands sure for attention. When I say something, people listen to it and they take it seriously. Even if it doesnt mean anything. Tre: Having power puts pressure on you. People expect us to better the world. I have enough trouble with my own life. Billie Joe: I refuse to be some sort of politician. I feel sorry for politicians. When they speak out in precense of friends, it will be in all newspapers the next day and it will become a scandal. It works the same for rockstars. Interviewer: Some people say you guys are only doing it for the money. And it really looked like it. But last week you suddenly fired your management. Why? Billie Joe: We had different interests. We try to have as few agents as possible. We do our management all by ourselfs now. Mike: We played gigs in Arena's for 10 dollar. That never happened before. The only way to do that was to sacrafise our own part of the money. But thats not good enough. Sorry people, for letting me pay for what I do. Thats the biggest mistake i have ever made. When you get as big as we are now, you lose control. However. The name Green Day is living a life of its own now. Green Day is now an item to describe something, to support an idea or whatever. But I know what Green Day really is: three guys in a room and Billie Joe writing the songs. Interviewer: Have you ever thought about how many people bought Dookie because of the music. And how many only because of the marketing? Tre: Have to check my computer for that. Hmmmmm, I would say 100% because of the music and 0% because of the marketing. Mike: I know we would never have sold 8 million copies of Dookie on Lookout Records. But I'm convinced you cant let people buy shit. Of course, the succes of Dookie suprised us. I dont give a shit about how many copies the new cd will sell. Billie Joe: History will tell if we were really a good band or just a one day fly. Interviewer: What do you know about Lowlands (Dutch Festival)? Tre: They placed us in a small tent first. But they were afraid there would be disturbance, thats why were now in the big tent. After that we leave, we dont like festivals. Mike: It's really not nice. All these bands together trying to be cool and saying you are cool. Its one big ego competiteon. I dont like that. Tre: The audience is nice tough. Only backstage sucks. Billie Joe: I see it as a Lollapalooza goes Europe. And one thing we dont want in Europe is meeting other Americans. Interviewer: Though it looked very arrogant to claim the whole tent where no other bands could play. So that they had to play in smaller tents. Billie Joe: I didnt know that. We just wanted to tour as comfortable as possible. We take our families on tour with us. Including two babies. It just has to be easy. We didnt want to go to Festivals in the first place, only Reading. But we did Lowlands, because its Holland. Holland is fun. The last time we played there, I bruised my ankle so we could only play two songs. So we had to come to Holland. The end. Back to top |
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