Tuesdays with Tom: Green Day's Dookie Changed Punk Music Forever
Reviewing Green Day's legendary album from 30 years ago; plus thoughts on True Detective, comedic thrillers and Amazon's sports play
One of the first albums my parents bought me as a youngster was Green Day’s Warning. I was in third grade. The lead single was “Minority” -- a song about paving your own way and being proudly different from others. The message was either subconsciously absorbed or went way over my head as an 8-year-old boy. I just loved the way it sounded. Matt Meindl and I would march around in my bedroom singing along to the album. I instantly fell in love with Green Day.
Because of my age, my introduction to the band skipped ahead in their timeline as musicians. The next Green Day album I got was International Superhits!, a greatest hits compilation that came out the next year. I experienced several other songs outside of the Warning catalog, but I was too uneducated on the band to realize where they originated. Green Day is the only band I’ve been forced to re-introduce myself to several times in my youth. When I was inspired to learn bass, it happened again as I became determined to be the next Mike Dirnt. No band had a greater impact on my self-education in pop punk music and no album personified this better than Green Day’s album Dookie.
It’s been 30 years almost to the day since Dookie was released. I was way too young to remember anything about that time in 1994, but the cultural impact of Dookie has stretched well beyond its initial release. It’s hard to picture Green Day as a scrappy, underdog band today, but allow me to re-introduce you to their story. Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Pritchard met in fifth grade and soon began playing Van Halen songs together on guitar for fun. As 15-year-old students at Pinole Valley High School in the Oakland area, the two formed a band called Sweet Children with two other friends. Their bassist quit and Pritchard stepped in on bass alongside drummer John Kiffmeyer. Pritchard became so obsessed that he brought his bass to school often and his classmates started calling him “Mike Dirnt” based on the sounds his bass made when he played. He decided to adopt the name for himself on stage.
In 1989, the band changed their name from Sweet Children to Green Day: a slang term for a marathon day of smoking weed. Green Day quickly made a name for themselves at 924 Gilman Street playing punk shows with other local acts. Gilman Street was a legendary underground punk rock haven in the East Bay perfect for bands in the style of Green Day. They caught the attention of Bay Area independent label Lookout! Records. Green Day signed with Lookout! Records in 1990 and together they produced their first studio album 1,039/Smoothed Slappy Hours -- a combination of various demo tracks mashed into a sloppy sounding album. Armstrong never graduated from high school, but their drummer Kiffmeyer went to college after their first nationwide tour. The Lookouts drummer Tré Cool was filling in for Kiffmeyer and eventually Armstrong and Dirnt offered him the gig full-time. Kerplunk was the second Green Day and Lookout-produced record that showed a step up in musical maturity, but a similarly choppy sound to their initial album. It sold 10,000 copies on its first release day and it had massive street credit with the Gilman Street faithful. In particular the song “Welcome to Paradise” which Armstrong wrote about his decision to leave home, drop out of high school and live in squalor with his bandmates.
Green Day was the poster child for the indie-label punk rock movement in the early 1990s. They represented the proudly rebellious spirit of punk rock music that many strived for within the genre. But as Dan Ozzi wrote in his book Sellout: The Major Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994-2007), Green Day privately aspired to be a bigger band. Major labels were scouting for the next Nirvana and they were ready to pounce on Green Day once their departure from Lookout! appeared imminent. When Green Day signed with Warner Brothers-owned Reprise Records, they enraged the anarchic punks who supported them on Gilman Street and ignited a philosophical debate about being considered sellouts to the scene. As part of the arrangement, Lookout! Records retained the rights to their first two records, but Green Day signed a five-album contract with Reprise. Producer Rob Cavallo was the man who sealed the deal and the band felt confident about his vision for them. But they were banned from Gilman Street and it hurt them tremendously to see their fans turn on them. As Armstrong said in an interview with Spin years later, “I couldn't go back to the punk scene” and they moved forward with the production of their first Reprise-produced album in 1993.
One of the reasons Cavallo was bullish on Green Day’s potential was a collection of 4-track demos that the band recorded prior to making Dookie. But despite their obvious talents, they were inexperienced with professional recording. This was also one of their motivations for signing with a major label. They wanted the recordings to sound bigger, fuller and more polished. Cavallo served as their producing mentor and the team at Reprise worked with Green Day for three weeks at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California to record the album. They were kept on a strict schedule and challenged to push themselves beyond the chaotic thrash of typical punk outfits.
Cavallo wanted Green Day to think more intensely about the meaning of the lyrics and the broader message of their music. With a title like Dookie, a direct reference to a piece of shit, you’d be forgiven if you thought Green Day had nothing serious to say with these songs. But Armstrong’s lyrics had surprising depth about topics like boredom, anxiety, relationships, domestic abuse, outcasts and sexuality. Dookie was the culmination of several years touring across the country, living in poor neighborhoods and being surrounded by some of the lunatics in the hardcore scene. Most notably, Green Day was determined to bring a more melodic sensibility to the notoriously harsh sounds of punk music at the time. Whether they realized it or not, Green Day was inventing a new genre of pop punk with Dookie.
The opening track “Burnout” assures listeners that both their punky past will be represented on the album. The song is about an angsty rocker with an apathetic view of life. It’s a classic two-minute punk song. The next track “Having A Blast” is about a mentally ill man who is suddenly hellbent on destruction. The song is morbidly prescient of tragedies we regularly see today, but in 1994 it was just another energetic punk tune. “Chump” tells the story of a self-loathing, judgmental person, but maintains the tone of the previous two. None of these three would have felt out of place on a previous record, but they sounded much better sonically.
The evolution of Green Day really takes off with “Longview” -- the first single from Dookie. The track kicks off with a rollicking drum beat from Cool and an epic bass line from Dirnt that he wrote while on LSD. As a mainstream introduction for Green Day, “Longview” establishes several core tenets that remain with the band. Behind Armstrong’s confident melodies, in-your-face guitar strumming, Cool’s wildly creative drumming and Dirnt’s electric and quirky bass lines, this was a force to be reckoned with. “Longview” is proudly immature in lyrical content yet confidently mature in its stamp on pop punk. You’re banging your head the moment the first chorus hits.
The lone track that was featured on a previous album is “Welcome to Paradise” and it remains my favorite Green Day song of all time. It would eventually become a single and the re-recorded Dookie version accomplishes the band’s goals of giving them a stadium-ready sound behind an already powerful track. It’s quintessential early Green Day in the best ways and one of the only songs I can think of where the wordless interlude is the biggest thrill. I want to sprint through a brick wall every time I hear the “Welcome to Paradise” and Dirnt’s furiously paced interlude bass line is mesmerizing. Things slow down a bit with “Pulling Teeth”, which I’ve always found to have an adjacent country jamming sound.
“Basket Case” was the second single on Dookie. It's one of the greatest punk rock bangers you’ll ever hear. The music video sets the band inside a mental hospital and it’s a fitting scene for a song about panic disorders and the feeling of going insane. Armstrong’s palm muted guitar builds anticipation for a rambunctious chorus. The entire song is an incredible showcase for the trio’s musicianship. “Basket Case” is on Green Day’s Mount Rushmore and it’s a critical component of the Dookie journey. “She” comes right around the corner with blazing gusto. Inspired by a girlfriend’s feminist poem, Armstrong wrote “She” about a female character who feels trapped in her life and is desperate to break out of it. It’s a nice, quick blast of energy that breaks up the male voice on the record. My mom likes it, too. “Sassafras Roots” tells the story of a young couple not ready to be honest about their feelings and it feels more like a leftover track from Kerplunk than something inspired for this album. It’s fine, but compared to the next track it doesn’t stand much of a chance.
“When I Come Around” isn’t a true ballad, but it comes close and it's the final single on Dookie. It’s about Armstrong’s relationship with his now wife and maintains the high octane nature of Dookie while introducing its most vulnerable element. Dirnt is sensational on bass, with perfectly executed pulled-off and hammered-on riffs that sound like lead guitar parts while the guitar does the work of providing rhythmic background. “When I Come Around” serves as a preview for Green Day’s mournful future with songwriting and storytelling. But let’s be clear: it still slaps (almost literally in Dirnt’s case).
“Coming Clean” is Armstrong’s confessional catharsis about his own bisexuality. “Emenius Sleepus” is the only song written exclusively by Dirnt and about two friends who meet after a long absence and realize they no longer relate. “In The End” is lightning quick with a quirky interlude. All three feel like an homage to the Gilman Street punks who criticized their move to a major label. They set the stage for the album’s chaotic conclusion. That belongs to “F.O.D.” -- an acronym for “Fuck Off and Die.” This one is probably a message to the same disavowed punks, too. Most of “F.O.D.” is a quiet acoustic performance by Armstrong until the rest of the band comes crashing in to send the track into oblivion. I prefer to read it as a middle finger to Green Day’s early haters and it doesn’t hurt that it’s a blast to listen to. The album ends with the farcical, hidden joke track “All By Myself.” Maybe that was the final punchline they wanted.
The joke was ultimately on anyone who doubted Green Day’s ambitious step into the future. Dookie was an instant smash hit. With its catchy melodies and up-beat punk energy, it was a great palette cleanser to the dour grunge music that dominated the early parts of the 1990s. Green Day took it on the chin from their initial core audience, but in doing so they paved the way for a much larger one to find them and join the punk scene. Dookie hit the sweet spot that all bands desire when they make a record. Like Nirvana’s Nevermind, it received unanimous critical acclaim, incredible commercial results and invented a musical genre as we know it for the masses. Dookie is one of only 77 albums ever to sell 20 million copies worldwide. It’s featured on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums list and the same magazine proclaimed Dookie as the greatest pop punk album ever made. Green Day toured all over the world after the album’s sensational release and even headlined Woodstock ‘94 with a legendary set. Not bad for an album named after poop.
I spent a lot of hours listening to Green Day songs as a kid and nearly as many learning to play their songs on my bass. Some of them I still haven’t mastered to this day, but every once in a while I hear one of Green Day’s songs and I can picture how it is played in my head. You’ll probably see me pantomiming the notes and pretending to play. That’s how much this band meant to me. For better or worse, it’s one of the bands that other people hear and think of me. I’m happy with the connection because albums like Dookie have given me a lot of joy over many, many years.
I wasn’t old enough to have spite for Green Day moving on from an independent label to a major label in 1994. But I have an opinion now. It’s easy to have integrity when nobody is offering you money to have an opportunity like they did. I’m glad they made the most of it. If it wasn’t for Green Day, we probably never would have seen bands like Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, Sum 41, Yellowcard, Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, and many others in the pop punk genre. All of those bands have cited Green Day’s Dookie as a source of inspiration and vital to their careers being possible. It’s never easy being first and Green Day trudged through that annoying mess to make one of the best albums of the 20th century. The craziest thing here is they were just getting started.
I doubt even they can fathom how enormous they became as a band. They’ve sold more records than Aretha Franklin, Tupac Shakur, Bob Marley and ironically, Nirvana. They’ve essentially had no lineup changes in four decades and have made 11 more studio albums since Dookie. They’re about to embark on another worldwide tour to promote yet another new album while simultaneously celebrating two noteworthy album anniversaries (can you guess the other?). They were inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nine years ago. I’d take that deal. Wouldn’t you?
Tom’s Thoughts of the Week
In the last two episodes of Friday Night Beers, Vince and I drank two beers from Portugal and a Louisville local called Baby Bean’s Stout. I didn’t like Baby Bean’s Stout, but we made it worth a listen. It’s a hater episode and we don’t hold back on the things we dislike. Our Portugal episode features two of the biggest beers from that country and it was fun to learn about how beer is consumed across the Atlantic Ocean. We get into Portugal’s global impact, too. Please subscribe, rate and review our podcast here and follow our Instagram page for relevant updates!
Ten years ago, HBO blew everyone away with the first season of True Detective. With Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson breaking the unwritten rule that A-list movie stars didn’t work in television, the gripping series was a watershed moment in Hollywood history. I suppose it’s on brand that a show as dark and mysterious as True Detective has taken a long, winding path in the years since it premiered. In 2015, the second season with Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Taylor Kitsch and Rachel McAdams was unanimously disliked. The third season in 2019 didn’t live up to the highs of the first, but it was a significant improvement on the one that came before it. Now True Detective is back once again with the fourth season called True Detective: Night Country. The original creator, Nic Pizzolatto, is no longer involved and this season’s showrunner, Issa López, takes the anthology series to the arctic, desolate tundras in Alaska. Jodie Foster is this season’s lead detective investigating the shocking deaths of eight scientists at a research base in Ennis, Alaska. Through the first two episodes, this season is leaning into some of the supernatural elements that made the first season so memorable and beloved. I’m very intrigued by the mystery of the case and the characters of this particular world. I’m not sure if anything will ever top the first season of True Detective, but so far this is gearing up to be another great detective story on TV.
I’ll have a lot to say about my favorite movies of 2023 later this year, but I’ve already got a recommendation for a 2024 film ready to go. Self Reliance is the directorial debut of Jake Johnson -- one of the stars of the hit sitcom New Girl. He’s also the writer and main character of Self Reliance. Johnson is drawn to small, independent films and the movie’s quirky premise is enough to warrant your attention for its delightfully brisk 87-minute runtime. Johnson plays a man named Tommy who is randomly whisked away in a limousine by a celebrity. He’s presented with an offer to play in a game on a dark web reality TV show. The challenge? He’s got to stay alive for 30 days while a group of anonymous hunters try to kill him. If he survives, he wins $1 million. The one catch is that they can’t kill him if he’s with someone. Looking to break out of his dull lifestyle, he agrees to play the game, fully confident that he can take advantage of the loophole and become rich. But as Self Reliance slowly reveals, 24/7 physical contact with human beings is more challenging than it seems and explaining to others why his life literally depends on it is even more difficult. It’s a juicy hook that creates a lot of hilariously uncomfortable situations for Tommy and the audience watching Self Reliance. You don’t see a lot of comedic thrillers with stakes like these and I think Johnson did a nice job balancing some tricky tones throughout the movie. It’s streaming on Hulu and definitely worth a watch on your next chilly, indoors evening.
Last year, I wrote a story about the death of the regional sports network and predicted where we are heading in the world of local live sports. We’re one step closer to that future. Amazon has invested in Diamond Sports and is saving the company from bankruptcy. It is unclear how much Amazon is spending to gain ownership in Diamond Sports, which owns 18 networks under the Bally Sports brand. But as recently as 2021, Diamond Sports was reporting over $8 billion in debt as a company. This is a major win for Diamond Sports and the NBA, MLB and NHL teams that air games on their networks. However, it also means that fans will likely need Amazon Prime Video to watch their teams play in their market. Amazon recently announced they’re introducing ads to Prime Video unless you pay an extra $2.99 per month to keep it ad free. This conveniently timed price hike bodes well for Amazon as they await an influx of new customers who will want these channels. Considering that Amazon Prime has 200 million subscribers globally, there’s a decent chance many fans of these teams already have it. But it is yet another streaming service sports fans will be tethered to as this shift in live sports rights continues to be gobbled up by tech giants like Amazon.