American Idiot

In 1994, for at least a two week period, Green Day’s Dookie album meant everything to me and my clan of alterna-slackers. I had makeshift t-shirts, etchings on the underside of the bill on my hat and, most importantly, pull-out locker posters pinned all over the hideout me and my friends called “MGD.” It was our paradise, and given our current shared state of passive rebellion, punk rock was perfect; especially watered-down punk. 

Ten years and four albums later, Green Day are back on top with their second chart-topping, super-platinum-selling opus. So much has already been said about American Idiot - most compare it to Tommy, which is too obvious - I’m ashamed to have even mentioned it. Stephen King (of all people) hailed it as his favorite album of 2004 in Entertainment Weekly, alongside releases from Steve Earle and a handful of other middle-aged Americana hot shots. Avril Lavigne? Yep, her too. Even the Grammy voters are giving Billie Joe, Dirt, and Tre Cool props. So, why?

In 1994, Green Day were big for four computable reasons: catchy hooks, timing, their “punk” look and, mostly, “Welcome to Paradise.” There was nothing sophisticated about Green Day; in fact, there never has been, not even now, as they take a blatant political stance. Green Day are still approachable and fun. American Idiot plays through as a heartbroken ode to a depressed, beaten post-911 country. While it does take it’s stabs at the Bush administration, Idiot focuses more on accessibility and musicianship than on radical political statements.

It’s cool to like Green Day right now, and, yes, I’m guilty. Sure, their playing is more precise and their content more mature, but overall they’re still the same band they were in 1994. My friends still have rock posters on their walls, and most people still insist that I have a pompous disposition towards music But look, I like Beyonce and the No. 1 album in the world right now. I wish there was something that hasn’t been said about American Idiot. There isn’t. I’m reliving my youth, and it feels great to still be pretentious.

As a new generation discovers one of the more important bands of my impressionable years, I feel pretty good. I turned out okay (some might think I’m a slacker; I insist that I’m “alternative”). Yeah, the kids (and adults) could be listening to better music than American Idiot, but let’s take what we can get. With Green Day edging Eminem out for the top spot on the charts for most of the young year, 2005 looks promising. Stephen Malkmus is coming, and you can bet that Billie and his Berkeley pals will be front row.     7.5/10

Written by G. William Locke