TOTAL GUITAR MARCH 2020

50

father of all...

For the new album, Billie Joe

was keen to return to the

‘anti-solo’ styles of Dookie

and Insomniac

INTERVIEW

G

reen Day have always been,

firstandforemost,a punk

rockband.Thiswouldseem

tobe stating the obvious. But

it’salsobeenclearthatthe

spiky‑hairedthree‑piece

fromCalifornia’s East Bay

don’tfit easilyintothe

genre’sconfines. Consider

1997’ssmashacousticballad(andenduring

high‑schoolpromanthem)GoodRiddance

(Timeof Your Life)or 2004’spoliti‑rock opera

concept album American Idiot. At the very least,

castyourmindbackto 2010,whenthatmulti‑

Platinum‑selling,GrammyAward–winning

recordbecamea full‑blown Broadway musical.

Of course, singer and guitarist Billie Joe

Armstrong,bassistMikeDirntanddrummer

TréCool have shown as recently as 2016’s

RevolutionRadiothatthey’restillcapableof

churningoutturbocharged,three‑minute,

three‑chordanthemswithunbridledenergy

andemotion.Butnoonewhohasfollowed

GreenDayall theseyearswouldexpectthe

bandto stay within those confines for long. As

Armstrong says, “I think that for Green Day, the

onethingthatsetsus apartis thatwegetaway

withmoreexperimentsthanmostbandsthat

come from punk rock.”

As forGreenDay’snewestexperiment,looknofurtherthan

FatherOf All Motherf*ckers(Reprise),theband’sboldlynamed

13nthstudioalbum.Whiletherecordis jam‑packedwiththe

sortof laser‑cutriffing,precision‑throttle rhythms, hooky

melodies and airtight arrangements that have long

characterisedBillieJoeandCo.’swork,there’salsosomething

newat playthistimeout.Forstarters,checkoutArmstrong’s

falsetto‑fueledvocalsonthegarage‑rockingopener,Father

Of All...There’salsothelaconichip‑hopbluesjamJunkiesOn

A High, theJoanJett‑samplingstadiumstomperOh Yeah!,

theMotown‑soulgrooverMeetMe On The Roofandthe

earlyrock’n’roll/R&BfreakoutStab You In The Heart.

It’sa wide‑ranging mix of sounds and styles, and perhaps

one of the most downright fun albums Green Day have ever

made. As for the impetus behind the band’s newest musical

adventures?“I justlikemixingthingsup,”Armstrongsays

simply.“Themostimportantthingis notto be boring.”

WhileFatherOf All...mightbe a longwayfromtheGreenDay

ofDookieorAmericanIdiot, muchlikethoseseminalrecords

itmanagesto obliterateanypreconceivednotionsof what

apunkrockbandcanandshouldsoundlike.Andtrueto

BillieJoe’s word, it’s also most definitely not boring.

“I just like mixing things up – It's important to not be boring...”