Green Day Band • Page 13

Just to be clear I love @Craig Manning @FTank and @callumnmacleod yall are good friends but man this makes me uncomfortable and I'm a white guy lol

 

Maybe I'm just off base. @Anna Acosta and I had a good discussion about this on Twitter. If we all got mad at every problematic rock band from this scene we'd all have no roots. I get that this band is important to a lot of you and sure the context IS important, but for me and I'm sure many people, using those slurs is a bit much.

 

Let me clarify: @CoffeeEyes17, I am by no means advocating for the use of the word. But in situations where it is used, I would rather look at context and ask "why did this person do this?" than make assumptions about that person's beliefs. Especially in something like songwriting--where many writers weigh every single word very heavily before finalizing a work--I think the intention matters. Because, yes, Billie Joe used the word. But if you look at how he used it, I don't think his intention was to be malicious toward anyone but the people who still use that word to dismiss and oppress. Does that intention make the use okay? I don't know, and I'm not the person who should decide. What I'm saying is that, for me personally, it was important to look at why he used it to know what he actually believes and to still feel comfortable supporting him and his work.

Does that make sense? Really not trying to steamroll anyone else's viewpoint here. I understand why you feel the way you do, and that's totally your prerogative. If you can't support BJA and Green Day because they've used those words, I think everyone should and will respect that.

 

I agree with this. I don't think Billie Joe had bad intentions but that doesn't matter even a little bit, he quite simply should not have used the word

 

I'm not saying BJA is racist or anything, but there's no context where a white guy should use that word on any song or story he's telling. Let the oppressed people use their voice for these situations, not a white guy talking over them.

Ty for clarifying though I by no means meant that you or anyone in here was racist

 

Oh, I agree. I think what he's trying to do with that song would still come across and be more powerful with a different word there. I don't necessarily see that song as him talking over anyone. I think think that Katrina was an example of how the Federal Government fails in even their most fundamental task (to protect the people) and I think the long-term implications of that failure extend to all races and classes--even if they disproportionately affect minorities. So I still think what that song is saying is valid and compelling coming from Billie Joe, but the use of the n-word is hamfisted and unnecessary. He could have approached the same subject with different words.

 

I don't necessarily disagree, but it definitely comes across as him talking over these minorities but not only using a word that oppresses them, but also speaking out on something that did not affect him. That's kind of fucked up

 

Turns out that leak was a fake, though it was pretty expertly mixed using parts of other Green Day songs. Impressive troll job, honestly. Haha.

That being said: Looks like the new single is premiering on Live105 on Thursday (10am EST/7am PST).

 

How do you feel about the word being used in movies like Tarantino's?

 

About the same. When a white guy says it, or any non-black person, it just rubs me the wrong way. I definitely understand the historical context and the meaning, but it still makes me (and many others) feel very uncomfortable. I still like his movies, hell I still like Green Day for what it's worth, but it's an issue worth talking about. Frankly I feel I've said too much, I'm a white guy who lives in the southern Bible Belt of America so I really have no room to talk since I hear that word every day spoken by several white people

 

Yeah, I've always felt weird about it being said by actors since its such a powerful and negative word. Do you feel any differently about it being used in historical films about those times that are supposed to show how horrific it was? Or if the director/writer is black but the actor saying the word is white? I don't think you've said too much at all because like you said it's definitely a subject worth talking about and I think the more white people that question the use of that word the better, especually if you're living in a place where people are using it often because you might be able to make a difference even if it's a small one.

 

If it's written or directed by a black person, or used in a more historical context then I can forgive it a little more easily because I get that it's being use to illustrate a very dark time in American history. It's still rough to hear even for me so I can't imagine how someone who is black might feel.

 

Honestly really happy to see this discussion here, I think it's important to have. I don't have much to contribute unfortunately, but I'm glad it's happening.

So what do people on here hope Bang Bang/the new album sounds like?

 

Wouldn't mind more exploring on a "Brutal Love" esque ballad style, but a big, almost arena style record would be really cool to hear. Expecting it to get political and I'm always for it.

 

Yeah, I agree. I think a lot of the sounds on Tre are worth exploring further (Brutal Love, Dirty Rotten Bastards, Walk Away, The Forgotten). I'm expecting heavier guitars as well. I'm sure they took a lot of the trilogy criticism to heart.

 

Political, with sounds of AI, Nimrod, and Insomniac. With some Warning thrown it. Probably won't, but as long as it's better than the trilogy.

 

I'd say this is almost guaranteed to be a political record at this point, which I'm actually very happy about

 

Billie Joe literally hijacked the Green Day Facebook a couple of times to post about political stuff during the primaries, so yeah, it'll be political.

 

I think they're more effective when they are channeling the zeitgeist without necessarily making overt political statements. American Idiot is way more effective as a "living in the time of George W. Bush" album than it is as a "protest against the Bush administration" album. That's the kind of political I'd like, though I'm skeptical about how well they can do it if they don't go the rock opera route. We'll see.

 

I hope this somehow is released today.

 

BANG BANG - Green Day 5 second clip

Click if you dare.

 

sounds like green day idk

 

Sounds fucking awesome.

 

I'm excited!

 

Not gonna listen, we're in the home stretch