- NIMROD
I've never really understood the abuse that Green Day has
received since their inception in the early 90's. This abuse usually originates
from two sources: sour rock critics who complain that their music doesn't qualify
as real "punk", and sour old mowhawked punks who like to slam the band to justify
their own dated punk rock credibilities. One rock critic in a local mag here
once deemed Billie Joe Armstrong pathetic for being a guy in his 30's still
writing songs about jerking off. To that critic I say "at least he's honest
about his writing and like YOU don't do it you hairy palmed liar." To the old
punks I say: "Go home to your mommies whom you probably still live with and
are probably very nasty to (cause that's the punk thing to do). While you're
at it have your mom explain to you that 1977 has been over for about, oh 25
years.
Obviously it was never probably Billie Joe's intention to become a bile-spewing
safety-pinned punk, but he most likely did want to start a band celebrating
that bands he loved such as The Clash, Buzzcocks, Descendents and others. And
who could blame him? The Descendents started out as snot-nosed Californian brats
writing great sarcastic little ditties and Pete Shelley's Buzzcocks were considered
punks by most, even though Pete's lyrics often lamented the state of love gone
wrong or basked in the glory of love gone right - definitely not very punk things
to write about. Anyway, somewhere along the line Green Day became huge. Thirteen
year old boys dyed their hair outrageous colours, thirteen year old girls painted
their fingernails black and pinned Billie Joe's picture to their bedroom doors.
Some bastard coined the phrase "mall punk". Parents drove and accompanied their
kids the Green Day shows. This may be the reason for the backlash, since punkers
and hipsters rarely love mass appeal - they hate it in fact. None of this newfound
popularity really seemed to affect the band's music, and they blazed along with
great chemistry and jumpiness.
Producer Rob Cavallo has always been to the band as George Martin was to the
Beatles, putting Billie Joe's spastic guitar chording up front and maintaining
Tre Cool's hyperactive skin pounding. "Nimrod" was a largely ignored record,
as the band's time in the spotlight was quickly running out in 1997. Unfair
really, because it's a really good record, perhaps misrepresented by the over
played (and 1997 graduation theme song everywhere I'm sure) Good Riddance (Time
Of Your Life). Hey wait, I graduated in 1997...oh that was university...guess
my mates were listening to Sebadoh or some shit like that.
The album is clever, loud, and damn good fun. Billie Joe's songs are simple
but that doesn't mean that he's a bad songwriter - he's just a great songwriter
of simple songs that have hooky choruses. The chemistry of the band is undeniable.
There are countless punk pop bands presently out there whining about pimples
or parents or whatever, but few have the chemistry of Green Day. As the great
Duke Ellington said: "it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" and
GD don't exactly swing but they click like two skinny fingers in light socket.
"Nice Guys Finish Last" is a great opener with the lyric highlight "I'm so fucking
happy I could cry". Next up is "Hitchin' A Ride" which contains a Stray Cats
type rockabilly feel. "The Grouch" laments turning old: "omigod I'm turning
into my dad". "Redundant" slows things down a bit, but contains a great Beatles-like
chorus. "Scattered" contains a blistering riff at the chorus amidst the trademark
power chord chugging of the verses. "All The Time" and "Worry Rock" are two
of the album's greatest tracks. Great melodies on both tracks. "Uptight" seems
to be a response to Stevie Wonder's song of the same name, but the suicidal
narrator states that he's "uptight, all night on the side of a gun". Hmm...ok
then. The album kind of lags near its end, but "King For A Day" is a great skanking
ditty about a cross dresser and "Prosthetic Head" is a great rocking closer
to the album.
Billie Joe's guitar playing may not magically turn into Steve Vai's in the near
future, nor will he start to write rock operas, but he's proved to be a very
inspired personality in this band. I like him, or at least what I've seen of
him in interviews. Very modest, un-rockstar-like and a great sense of humour
which is something those old punks who hate him seem to lack.
Any comments or reviews to grant us with?