Superlatives
A Vulture series in which artists judge the best and worst of their own careers.
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Best Green Day song
Jesus of Suburbia is the one that sticks out.
Its one of those moments where I was feeling like I wanted to take a big risk.
Its so fun to play live, seeing how the entire crowd sings along.
Its just one of those songs.
Favorite Green Day album
At the moment, Im going to say [1991s]Kerplunk.
Its kind of autobiographical.
Theres something about it that feels like a fanzine.
All of us were living together, living in bands together.
It was a coming of age in a way.
A song like Welcome to Paradise wasnt just about teenage heartbreak anymore.
It had a lot more to do with life slapping you in the face.
Song from the Lookout!
It was an all-new experience that I really learned a lot from.
Favorite Gilman Street band youre not a member of
Quintessentially, I would have to say Crimpshrine.
They were a real East BayBerkeley band.
They were from there; they went to Berkeley High together.
[I liked] Aaron Cometbuss lyrics and how it was a true testament to DIY.
They were dirty, and they really cared about the scene.
They toured in a Pinto.
The night ended in our house.
Just, Oh my God, this is crazy!
That was a nice way to roll out of bed, having all my friends painting the walls.
Single you didnt expect to be successful
I never expected Basket Case to be a single.
I think I would have probably chosen, like, Burnout or She, something like that.
Thank God I got outvoted for that single.
[But] it was anoh shitmoment.
Its about an ex-girlfriend that I had at the time who had a really positive impact on my life.
This is something that wasnt a part of our merchandise at all.
It was just this bootleg freshener.
And that moment really sticks out for me.
Regrets about the mainstreaming of punk rock
I dont regret anything.
I think Green Day wanted to be independent from [everything].
We wanted to do our own thing, just be green.
We never really were like, Okay, were going to become …
I never thought,Were going to push punk into a new, different level.
Were going to represent all of punk.That was never what our mission was.
We wanted to play music for the rest of our lives.
We wanted to be Green Day in the same way the Who was the Who.
Sometimes I feel like I maybe prematurely took myself out of that.
We really were trying to do something that was more acoustic.
It has an audience …
I guess thats the one thing about records and time.
They want to be different, you know?
I never thought of myself as a pop artist.
Ive always been left of center.
To say youre a pop-punker … it never sat well with me.
Im very proud that we came from a diverse scene.
We played with Fuel, which sounded more like Fugazi.
I feel the same way about, like, ska-punk.
It seemed like a silly way of trying to kind of create a genre or a sub-genre.
The guitar playing is unreal, and Billy [Idol]s voice sounds amazing.
Its one of my favorite punk songs of all time.
Toughest song youve written
21 Guns happened at a time where I was feeling really low.
I didnt know if that song was even going to be on [2009s21st Century Breakdown].
But you learn lessons through life and just kind of keep moving and, shit, it gets better.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
