Afternoon Snack: Green Day, “Jesus of Suburbia”

Sometime back Steve dissed Green Day.

I understand we all have our preferences, but I have been meaning to present them, maybe even with consideration as a great band.

I got to see them twice, way back when Dookie was released. In 1993, they were the opening act at the local BFD, a spring pre-cursor to Lollapalooza. That year was a heavyweight BFD, also featuring, Pavement, Luscious Jackson, Toad the Wet Sprocket, the Rollins Band, the Flaming Lips, and the Knack (who had become a sort of cool post punk retro band).

I saw Green Day again a year later, still paying dues and working at their already well defined craft/attitude presented in Dookie. When that album came out, my legs could still allow me to run 25-35 miles a week, and Dookie was a Walkman favorite for a while.

I confess that I did not buy any Green Day discs till American Idiot was released a decade later, but their doggedness, and tuneful pop hits kept right on coming.

Warning. Redundant. When I Come Around among others, are all well done power pop/punk tunes to be sure.

But, I remember my friend George Anderson, making me sit in his car after we had picked up Chinese food. Jesus of Suburbia was next cut coming on the newly released American Idiot.

“You gotta listen to this before we go in. You will love it,” George implored.

That meant Mongolian beef and BBQ pork were going to cool down some, but I listened and George was right. I loved it.

Say what you will, but American Idiot is solid album, with clever tunes, a clean sound, and a lot of punch. Maybe it was popular, or chic, but I cannot see blaming the band for actually achieving what we all aspire to: commercial success.

Here is Jesus of Suburbia

For fun,  let’s toss in the band’s treatment of the Simpson’s theme from The Simpson’s Movie.

8 thoughts on “Afternoon Snack: Green Day, “Jesus of Suburbia”

  1. My children argue about Green Day. I kinda like them although I do smirk. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t name albums “American Idiot.” This song should have been six songs or four songs. The Clash play Bryan Adams, although believe it or not they also remind me of early Jethro Tull. I think their best song is the really popular one Time of Your Life, a fave of my daughter Julia’s. Several of my children have great ears, a few others have odd but adamant tastes. We always argue about art on holidays. They’ll all be home for Christmas except Matthew but I think we’ll just open the Skype and let him and Carmen join in. We always have huge holiday blowouts, lots of people in and out. For the first time ever we are having a New Year’s Eve party.

  2. The first album my oldest daughter bought was “American Idiot.” I think she was like eight. She soon grew out of it.

    Guys from California singing with English accents. Yeah, man.

  3. I don’t have a problem with modern. But it is hard to get excited by updates just because they’re updates. I loaded Yosemite on my computer this morning and, um, what a yawn.

    Anyway, this same metaphor was worked by the Vaselines years earlier in a way better and more suburban way.

    http://youtu.be/vijEdM3tBrw

  4. Yeah, but not anywhere close to annoyingly constantly and The Ramones were good, Gene. So predictable, Lawr. Should’ve just saved you the time and written the reply myself.

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