Green Day frontman and guitarist turned to Beatlemania phenomenon for excited comparison in interview
The Beatles represented what was perhaps the greatest musical phenomenon in history. The popularity of the band formed by John Lennon,Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, especially in the period they were active, it will probably never be reproduced by any other artist.
Even so, the comparison made by Billie Joe Armstrong in a 2014 interview with Team it may sound out of place if taken literally. However, it is important to point out that the vocalist and guitarist of green Day used a figure of expression.
In this ocasion, armstrong was invited along with other musicians to express their memories about Kurt Cobain, also vocalist and guitarist, but from Nirvana. The frontman passed away in 1994 — and the artists’ statements were used in an article that recalled him exactly two decades after his death.
Initially, the reflection of billie joe revolved around the talent of Kurt as a composer. In his view, the grunge icon “created beautiful music”.
“When someone honestly gets down to the core of who they are, what they’re feeling, and they’re able to expose that… I don’t know, man, it’s amazing.”
Then came the comparison. For the frontman of Green Day, O Nirvana it was like the Beatles of your generation.
“I remember listening to it when Nevermind (1991 album) came out and thinking, ‘At last we have our Beatles, this era finally has the Beatles themselves.’ And since then it has never happened again.”
Nirvana and “the last rock revolution”
Even during his interview, Billie Joe Armstrong pointed the Nirvana as responsible for the “last rock revolution”. The vocalist and guitarist didn’t even consider the fame of later subgenres like pop punk, a movement within which green Day ended up being “played”.
“That’s what’s interesting. I was always thinking: ‘maybe in the next 10 years there will be another revolution’. ‘Okay, maybe in the next 10 years’. ‘Okay, maybe.’ In the end, this really was the last rock ‘n’ roll revolution.”
In just seven years of activity, the Nirvana released albums that, together, account for 75 million copies sold worldwide. Nevermind, cited by armstrong, is his best known work. With 30 million units sold, the disc presented songs of the size of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, “In Bloom”, “Lithium”, “Come As You Are”, among others that have certainly withstood the test of time to become classics.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
