Before I start telling this story I would like it to be known that I have always disliked Green Day and their music. I used to attend 924 Gilman, the famous punk club in Berkeley, around 90-91 and Green Day would always open for the bands I wanted to see. This was before they were signed to a major label and I always found their music to be bland and boring. It was basically pop music and I had a discussion with the guy who was in charge of Gilman at the time about that. He didn’t like them either but he predicted that they would get signed to a major label because they were boring and safe. He was right.
The members of Green Day were major assholes to just about everybody during that time. Despite what they have said in interviews I never once remember them hanging out after they played. They would play and then disappear. One time I yelled really loudly there that Green Day sucks, and they happened to be standing next to me. One of them said ‘We’re Green Day.’, and I responded with the word ‘So.’. I still crack up thinking back on that because they walked away without saying a word in response.
Around 2001/2002 I was at a show at Gilman with a boyfriend and a roommate to see a mutual friend’s band play. There were maybe thirty people there since they weren’t famous or anything. Guess who showed up that night…Green Day. They set up their gear on the stage a proceeded to play a surprise set. What you have to understand is that they were actually banned from ever playing there again because they signed to a major label and major label bands were not allowed to play there. So, nobody knew that this was going to happen. The younger part of the crowd were all happy and excited while I just stood there bored out of my mind.
After Green Day played my then boyfriend started kissing their asses and chatting them up. The funny thing about it was that he would always talk shit about pop-punk, yet there he was acting like he thought they were cool. I can honestly say that it was one of the most pathetic things I have ever witnessed. A few minutes after this the boyfriend comes up to me and tells me that Green Day have invited the three of us to hang out with them at their warehouse. My response was basically the following statement.
They were assholes ten years ago and they are still assholes. I’m not going to hang out with them just because they are famous. Fuck them, I’m driving home.
He stared at me like I was nuts. There was no way that I was going to be a giant hypocrite and hang out with musicians that I heavily disliked just because they were famous. Hell no. I then turned around and drove home. The next day the boyfriend and roommate told me that Green Day bought them breakfast at Denny’s and that one of them actually wanted to hookup with me. I honestly don’t remember which one but I still find that bit of it hilarious.
The moral of this story is that you should never kiss the ass of musicians just because they are famous. This is especially true when you heavily dislike the music that the band plays. Have some dignity and walk away.
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