Welcome to Gaia! ::

Please read and follow the rules as they will be enforced.

If you fail to comply with the rules, I will send you a warning via PM. If you still fail to comply with the rules, depending on the crime I will ban you from the thread either temporarily or possibly even permanently.



No Flaming. We all understand that Green Day might not be one of your favorite bands, but please do not come in here and just flame them. If you wish to post some reasons for disliking them and then hang around to have an intelligent discussion, we'd be more than happy to have you. This also goes for the more seasoned fans...do not flame Green Day newbies. They are people too, and hopefully we can help turn them into seasoned fans as well.

No Bumping. Even if this thread falls off of the first few pages, there shall be no bumping whatsoever. If you want to bring the thread back to the first page, why don't you start a conversation pertaining to Green Day?

No Spamming. This has been a major issue in the past few threads and will not be tolerated here. We don't care what you had for breakfast. We don't need you to post random lyrics...most of us already know them. We also don't need nonsensical chatter, meaning don't just post "hi" or "I'm back." If you feel the need to say those things, make sure you have them in a post that also has something to do with Green Day. And by this, I don't mean just posting a picture of one of the guys, or saying what song you're listening to. You should take part in whatever Green Day conversation is going on.

No Quote Pyramids. Please don't continue to quote others. A few quotes every now and then are fine...just don't have giant quote pyramids. Just quote whatever you are directly responding to.

Do Not Post About How "Hott" the Band Members Are. This is the music forum after all, so let's try to keep the conversations on the music. Please go to the Celebrities Forum for discussion soley focused on the members.

Do Not Stretch The Page. So, do not post anything that will stretch the page. Mainly, this has to do with pictures of the guys, but if you really want to show us some specific picture, but it's too big, please resize it or just post a link to it. That way we can enjoy the picture as well as keep the thread neat.

Be Literate. Try to refrain from using chatspeak/1337. Not only does it make it more difficult for us to understand what you are saying, but it makes you look rather ignorant. A mistake every once in a while isn't the end of the world, but please try spell and punctuate correctly.

No Hit And Runs. What's the point of coming in and posting that "Green Day rocks!" and then leaving? We already know that they rock and you don't contribute to any conversation...so this would be considered spam.

No Fighting. I didn't think that I'd need to explain this, but oh well. No fighting. This means no fighting with spammers. Just explain the rules to them and drop it or ignore them all together. But most of all, no fighting amongst each other. If you create problems and disrupt other people from enjoying the thread, you will be banned from it. If somebody is causing a problem, use the nifty little "report post" button.

No Off-topic Chatter. Even if you're talking about something somewhat Green Day related, you're most likely stretching it. I understand you want to talk to all of your friends in the thread, but we need to keep spam out of the thread.
Redirect all off-topic chatter to the The Official Green Day Thread's Official Off-Topic Thread

Are you new to the thread? Just want to get a Green Day discussion going? Try some of these jumping off points.

What's your favorite Green Day song?
Favorite album?
Favorite member?
Favorite music video?
Favorite video director?
What's the first song you heard?
Any new or interesting Green Day news?
Did you go to one of their concerts?
Have you met any of the guys?
Any autographs?
What would you say to the guys if you met them?









Reminder: The above suggestions are not meant to be a form. Merely ideas off which you should base your own discussions.

July 2009
3rd Seattle, WA
4th Vancouver, BC
6th Edmonton, AB
7th Saskatoon, SAS
9th Winnipeg, MAN
10th Fargo, ND
11th Minneapolis, MN
13th Chicago, IL
14th Detroit, MI
16th Hamilton, ONT
17th Ottawa, ONT
18th Montreal, QUE
20th Boston, MA
21st Philadelphia, PA
22nd Pittsburgh, PA
24th Hartford, CT
25th Albany, NY
27th New York, NY
29th Washington, DC
31st Nashville, TN

August 2009
1st Atlanta, GA
3rd Tampa, FL
4th Miami, FL
5th Orlando, FL
7th New Orleans, LA
8th Houston, TX
9th San Antonio, TX
11th St. Louis, MO
12th Kansas City, MO
13th Omaha, NE
15th Denver, CO
16th Salt Lake City, UT
18th San Jose, CA
20th San Diego, CA
21st Las Vegas, NV
22nd Phoenix, AZ
24th Sacramento, CA
25th Los Angeles, CA

SEPTEMBER
28 Lisbon, Portugal, Atlantico Pavilion
29 Madrid, Spain, Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad

OCTOBER
01 Barcelona, Spain, Palau Sant Jordi
02 Toulouse, France, Zenith
04 Paris, France, Bercy
05 Cologne, Germany, Cologne Arena
07 Berlin, Germany, 02 World Arena
08 Hamburg, Germany, Color Line Arena
09 Copenhagen, Denmark, Forum
11 Stockholm, Sweden, The Globe
12 Oslo, Norway, Spectrum
16 Rotterdam, Netherlands, Ahoy
17 Antwerp, Belgium, Sportpalais
19 Glasgow, Scotland, SECC
20 Belfast, Northern Ireland, Odyssey Arena
21 Dublin, Ireland, The 02
23 London, England, The 02
24 London, England, The 02
26 Sheffield, England, Sheffield Arena
27 Birmingham, England. LG Arena
28 Birmingham, England, LG Arena
30 Manchester, England, MEN Arena
31 Manchester, England MEN Arena

NOVEMBER
03 Munich, Germany, Olympiahalle
06 Vienna, Austria, Stadthalle
08 Zurich, Switzerland, Hallenstadion
10 Milan, Italy Datchforum
11 Bologna, Italy, Futur Show
12 Turin, Italy, Palaolimpico

All US venues currently TBA.

Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt are the actual founders of the band Sweet Children, which we know today as Green Day. When they were ten years old (1982), the duo met in the cafeteria of John Sweet High School in Crockett, California. During sleepovers at each other's houses, they played songs by old heavy metal warhorses such as Ozzy Osbourne, Def Leppard, and Van Halen. Other influences would be the "thrash and drang" of the Bay Area's alternative music culture percolating throughout the eighties. Clubs such as Mabuhay Gardens and Berkeley's 924 Gilman Street regularly showcased local groups like the Dead Kennedys and Buck Naked. Billie Joe was 14 when he wrote his first song, "Why Do You Want Him?", a song about his mother and stepfather. In 1987, Billie Joe and Mike recruited drummer John Kriftmeyer (aka Al Sobrante) and formed the band Sweet Children. They played their first official gig at Rod's Hickory Pit in Vallejo, CA. Soon, they started playing at clubs on the infamous Gilman Street in Berkeley, CA.

As Green Day, they recorded their first EP, 1,000 Hours, in two days when they were 17 and seniors in high school. Soon, Mike graduated, however Billie Joe dropped out one day prior to his 18th birthday. They followed up the 1,000 Hours EP with numberous pressings of the "Sweet Children" EP, and also the "Slappy" EP. Their official debut album came in 1990, a combination of all the previous EP, and named "1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours". The album was released by local indie label Lookout! Records. Soon after, John Kriftmeyer decided to leave the band to presue college, so Billie and Mike recruited Gilman Street vetran, Tre Cool. Tre had been playing in the band, The Lookouts!, since he was 12. Members of The Lookouts include Lawrence Livermore, the owner of Lookout! Records. In 1991, Tre debuted on Green Day's second album, "Kerpunk!".

Green Day built its following the old-fashioned way -- they earned it. Before they even hooked up with a major label, the band had already completed five national tours, driving their renovated bookmobile (with Tre's father at the wheel) coast to coast and crashing on friends' and fan's floors. After capturing the attention of producer Rob Cavallo of Reprise Records. Faced with a hard choice, the guys decided to sign onto a major label in April 1993, and soon started recorded the album that would through them into stardom, 1994's "Dookie".

Pandemonium struck when their Reprise debut, "Dookie", was released and Green Day introduced an ever-expanding audience to the energy and insanity of punk rock. With the 14 loud'n'fast tunes of "Dookie" clocking in at only 39 minutes, 1993 suddenly sounded more like 1977. Soon, Green Day's songs about picking scabs, pyromania and masturbation had become unofficial national anthems. Green Day was singing about its own distinct form of malcontent, but it seemed there was a world of followers who felt their pain and wanted to laugh --and mosh -- along with it. Immaturity was cool again. "Dookie" went on to sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. alone, and Green Day won a Grammy in 1994 for "Best Alternative Music Performance." Of course, this led some of the gang back on Gilman Street to cry "sell-out" and "mainstream," but one listen to Green Day and you'd know this wasn't some watered- down white-bread punk designed to impress your parents.

On their next few albums, "Insomniac" and "Nimrod", Green Day has managed to stay true to the punk attitude while proving they're not just one-trick ponies or even three-chord monkeys. On Nimrod, note the surf-style instrumental, "Last Ride," and the string section of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", which was featured prominently on an episode of ER and the final installment of Seinfield. By this time, the members were starting families, and it was becoming apparent that they were maturing as individuals and as a band. They wanted to take some time off to be with their families and enjoy life. So after the success of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", Green Day took a two year break.

In 2000, Green Day hit the music scene once again with their album "Warning". The album is a different sound for the band, a more mellow punk if you will. Unfortunatly, the album wasn't very well accepted by critics and fans alike. The biggest hit from the album was the song "Minority".

So after another four years with a few tours and a couple of compliation albums (International Superhits! in 2001 and Shenanigans in 2002), but no new material from Green Day, fans were hit with the September 2004 released of "American Idiot", an album which lashes out against the American government and the media. "American Idiot" was the first Green Day ever to debut at #1 on the Billboard Charts, and other music charts around the world. The album's title track, was an instant success. The follow up single, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" experienced a must greater success. "American Idiot" was nominated for seven Grammy awards, and took home one, "Best Rock Album". The release and success of this album proved that Green Day are indeed the biggest rock band in the world.

So do you have the time to listen to me whine? We still answer with a resounding yes.

(Source - The Green Day Authority)

FULL NAME: Michael Ryan Pritchard (Dirnt)
AGE/BIRTHDATE: 38; born May 4, 1972
HOMETOWN: Berkeley, California, USA
EYE COLOR Blue
NATURAL HAIR COLOR: Brown
HEIGHT: 5'10
MARTIAL STATUS: Mike recently got married in 2004, but is now divorced after his wife left him because "he was spending too much time in the studio." Mike has a new girlfriend.
CHILDREN: Estelle Desiree (Stella); born April 1997, to ex-wife, Anastasia
FAMILY: Mike was adopted. His adoptive parents divorced when he was 7, and both are now remarried. I know Mike has at least one step sister, named Myla, but I don't know of anymore.
RESTAURANT: Rudy's Can't Fail Café in Emeryville, CA.
WHEELS: A BMW.
INSTRUMENTS: Bass, farfisa, guitar, drums, and a baseball bat.
OTHER BANDS: Mike still plays with The Frustrators. He has also played with the Screeching Weasel, Crummy Musicians, and Squirtgun.


Michael Ryan Pritchard, now known as Mike Dirnt, was born on May 4, 1972. Mike's mother was a heroin addict. He was given up for adoption when he was a baby, to a Native american mother and a white father. When he was 7, his adoptive parents got a divorce. Mike lived with his father for awhile, but confrontations sent him back to his mother. He lived there on the borderline of proverty, while his sister left home at the age of 13. "There were all sorts of things happening," says Mike. "When I was in fourth or fifth grade, my mom stayed out all night, came home the next day with a guy, and he moved in. I'd never met the guy before, and all of a sudden he's my stepdad. We didn't get along for years. Later on, when I hit high school, my mom moved away from us, and me and my stepdad got real close. He instilled a lot in me. The one thing my family did give me is blue-collar morals. But then he died when I was 17."

By that point, Mike had already moved out, leaving home when he was 15 to live out of his truck. He then rented a room in Billie's house, and later he lived in a punk squatter building. Billie and Mike began living for their weekends at the Gilman Street Project. Mike still continued to go to school, play in Sweet Children (which later became Green Day of course), and live on his own. He supported himself by working as a cook. Mike almost didn't graduate from high school, because his mother refused to sign one of his mandatory-attendance forms. "I took my mom aside," Mike says. "I said, 'This is how it is. You have so much s**t going on in your life, so if once every semester you ask me if I've done my homework and jump all over my case, that's not right. Have I failed yet? No. And I'm going to graduate if you stay off my back. The one time in your life you chose to have morals, and it's going to ******** me up. Don't play mom once a year. It doesn't ******** cut it.'" In the end, Mike did graduate from high school, and he even took more than a year's worth of courses at a community college. Then Billie and Mike moved into a squat in Oakland, California (the inspiration for "Welcome to Paradise" wink .


Mike married his long time girlfriend Anastasia in 1996 and their daughter, Estella-Desiree was born in April 1997. Mike loves his daughter very much, and his nickname for her is "Hero". Today, Mike and Anastasia are separated, but still remain very good friends. He recently was remarried in 2004, however his wife left him because he spending too much time in the studio recording American Idiot. Mike is currently dating, and he resides in Oakland, California. He also owns a cafe/resturant named Rudy?s Can?t Fail Cafe after a song by the Clash. The cafe is located in Emeryville, CA.

(Source - The Green Day Authority)

Sweet Children - EP
1987
Skene Records

1. Sweet Children
2. Best Thing In Town
3. Strangeland
4. My Generation




Slappy - EP
1988
Lookout! Records

1. Paper Lanterns
2. Why Do You Want Him?
3. 409 In Your Coffee Maker
4. Knowledge




1000 Hours - EP
1989
Lookout! Records

1. 1000 Hours
2. Dry Ice
3. Only Of You
4. The One I Want




39/Smooth - LP
1990
Lookout! Records

1. At the Library
2. Don't Leave Me
3. I Was There
4. Disappearing Boy
5. Green Day
6. Going to Pasalacqua
7. 16
8. Road to Acceptance
9. Rest
10. The Judge's Daughter




1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours - LP
April 19th 1991
Lookout! Records

1. At The Library
2. Don?t Leave Me
3. I Was There
4. Disappearing Boy
5. Green Day
6. Going To Pasalacqua
7. 16
8. Road To Acceptance
9. Rest
10. The Judge?s Daughter
11. Paper Lanterns
12. Why Do You Want Him>
13. 409 In Your Coffee Maker
14. Knowledge
15. 1000 Hours
16. Dry Ice
17. Only Of You
18. The One I Want
19. I Want To Be Alone



Kerplunk! - LP
January 17, 1992
Lookout! Records

1. 2000 Light Years Away
2. One For The Razorbacks
3. Welcome To Paradise
4. Christie Road
5. Private Ale
6. Dominated Love Slave
7. One Of My Lies
8. 80
9. Android
10. No One Knows
11. Who Wrote Holden Caufield?
12. Words I Might Have Ate
13. Sweet Children
14. Best Thing In Town
15. Strangeland
16. My Generation



Dookie - LP
February 1, 1994
Reprise Records

1. Burnout
2. Having A Blast
3. Chump
4. Longview
5. Welcome To Paradise
6. Pulling Teeth
7. Basket Case
8. She
9. Sassafras Roots
10. When I Come Around
11. Coming Clean
12. Emenius Sleepus
13. In The End
14. F.O.D.
15. All By Myself (Hidden Song)



Live Tracks - EP
1994
Reprise Records

1. Welcome To Paradise
2. One Of My Lies
3. Chump
4. Longview
5. Burnout
6. 2000 Light Years Away




Insomniac - LP
October 10, 1995
Reprise Records

1. Armatage Shanks
2. Brat
3. Stuck With Me
4. Geek Stink Breath
5. No Pride
6. Bab's Ubula Who?
7. 86
8. Panic Song
9. Stuart and the Ave
10. Brain Stew
11. Jaded
12. Westbound Sign
13. Tight Wad Hill
14. Walking Contradiction




Bowling Bowling Bowling Parking Parking - EP
1996
Reprise Records

1. Armatage Shanks
2. Brain Stew
3. Jaded
4. Knowledge
5. Basket Case
6. She
7. Walking Contradiction




Foot In Mouth - EP
1996
Reprise Records

1. Going To Pasalacqua
2. Welcome To Paradise
3. Geek Stink Breath
4. One Of My Lies
5. Stuck With Me
6. Chump
7. Longview
8. 2000 Light Years Away
9. When I Come Around
10. Burnout
11. F.O.D.



Nimrod - LP
October 14, 1997
Reprise Records

1. Nice Guys Finish Last
2. Hitchin' A Ride
3. The Grouch
4. Redundant
5. Scattered
6. All The Time
7. Worry Rock
8. Platypus
9. Uptight
10. Last Ride In
11. Jinx
12. Haushinka
13. Walking Alone
14. Reject
15. Take Back
16. King For A Day
17. Good Riddance
18. Prosthetic Head



Warning - LP
October 3, 2000
Reprise Records

1. Warning
2. Blood, Sex and Booze
3. Church On Sunday
4. Fashion Victim
5. Castaway
6. Misery
7. Deadbeat Holiday
8. Hold On
9. Jackass
10. Waiting
11. Minority
12. Macy's Day Parade




International Superhits! - LP
Novermber 13, 2001
Reprise Records

1. Maria
2. Poprocks & Coke
3. Longview
4. Welcome To Paradise
5. Basket Case
6. When I Come Around
7. She
8. J.A.R.
9. Geek Stink Breath
10. Brain Stew
11. Jaded
12. Walking Contradiction
13. Stuck With Me
14. Hitchin' A Ride
15. Good Riddance
16. Redundant
17. Nice Guys Finish Last
18. Minority
19. Warning
20. Waiting
21. Macy's Day Parade




Tune In, Tokyo - EP
2001
Reprise Records

1. Church On Sunday
2. Castaway
3. Warning
4. King For A Day
5. Waiting
6. Minority
7. Macy's Day Parade




Shenanigans - LP
July 2, 2002
Reprise Records

1. Suffocate
2. Desensitized
3. You Lied
4. Outsider
5. Don't Wanna Fall In Love
6. Espionage
7. I Want To Be On TV
8. Scumbag
9. Tired Of Waiting For You
10. Sick Of Me
11. Rotting
12. Do Da Da
13. On The Wagon
14. Ha Ha You're Dead




American Idiot - LP
September 21, 2004
Reprise Records

1. American Idiot
2. Jesus Of Suburbia

I. Jesus Of Suburbia
II. City Of The Damned
III. I Don't Care
IV. Dearly Beloved
V. Tales Of Another Broken Home

3. Holiday
4. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
5. Are We The Waiting
6. St. Jimmy
7. Give Me Novacaine
8. She's A Rebel
9. Extraordinary Girl
10. Letterbomb
11. Wake Me Up When September Ends
12. Homecoming

I. The Death Of St. Jimmy
II. East 12th St.
III. Nobody Likes You
IV. Rock And Roll Girlfriend
V. We're Coming Home Again

13. Whatsername



21st Century Breakdown - LP
September 21, 2004
Reprise Records

1. Song of the Century

Act I - Heroes and Cons

2. 21st Century Breakdown
3. Know Your Enemy
4. ¡Viva la Gloria!
5. Before the Lobotomy
6. Christian's Inferno
7. Last Night on Earth

Act II - Charlatans and Saints

8. East Jesus Nowhere
9. Peacemaker
10. Last of the American Girls
11. Murder City
12. ¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl)
13. Restless Heart Syndrome

Act III - Horseshoes and Handgrenades

14. Horseshoes and Handgrenades
15. The Static Age
16. 21 Guns
17. American Eulogy

I. Mass Hysteria
II. Modern World

18. See the Light

International Supervideos!
Released on November 13, 2001
1. Longview
2. Basket Case
3. When I Come Around
4. Geek Stink Breath
5. Stuck With Me
6. Brain Stew/Jaded
7. Walking Contradiction
8. Hitchin' A Ride
9. Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
10. Redundant
11. Nice Guys Finish Last
12. Last Ride In
13. Minority
14. Warning
15. Waiting
(Music Videos)



Pogo Paradise
Released on November 15, 2002
(Unofficial Documentary)



Riding in Vans With Boys
Released on December 9, 2003
(Behind the Scenes Footage with Green Day and some other bands)



Suburbia Bomb
Released on July 19, 2005
(Note: Same as Pogo Paradise...just a different cover)



Bullet in a Bible
Released on November 15, 2005

1. American Idiot
2. Jesus of Suburbia
3. Holiday
4. Are We the Waiting
5. St. Jimmy
6. Longview
7. Hitchin' a Ride
8. Brain Stew
9. Basket Case
10. King for a Day / Shout
11. Wake Me Up When September Ends
12. Minority
13. Boulevard of Broken Dreams
14. Good Riddance

(First official DVD. Filmed at the Milton Keynes Bowl. Concert and Behind the Scenes footage.)