Can the world’s biggest punk band capture the zeitgeist on their new album like American Idiot once did? They talk about staying positive in the age of Trump – and how people have forgotten to love each other
• Why Green Day and 90s punk still resonates with today’s young music fans
Green Day are in their modest rehearsal space in their hometown of Oakland, California, a little haven in a country on the turn. The trio of 47-year-olds – still the world’s biggest punk band – are posing for photos with singer-guitarist-songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong’s prized Triumph motorcycle. Then someone remembers that the band’s forthcoming Hella Mega Tour, alongside fellow alt-rock survivors Fall Out Boy and Weezer, is sponsored by Harley-Davidson. The Triumph is put back under its protective sheet.
“Welcome to Trump’s America,” sighs bassist Mike Dirnt when I tell him of my journey via San Francisco, where I was shocked to see so much desperate homelessness. “A place where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Sadly, I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet.” The band own a number of Oakland businesses – “it’s important for us to do what we can to lift up our local area,” Dirnt says – while Armstrong still goes on protests and attends local punk shows.
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