Green Day has always been much smarter than they appear at first glance. Yes, their first big hit was about jerking off, but beneath the sneering punk veneer there’s always been a sly sense of self-awareness, a thorough understanding of their musical influences, and even a bit of political relevance. (Bash American Idiot all you want, but when every other left-leaning rock band decided to keep their mouths shut during the Bush administration – looking at you, Rage Against The Machine – Green Day recorded a big “F-You” to Dubya in the form of a concept album, of all things. And the follow-up/pseudo-sequel 21st Century Breakdown isn’t exactly a love letter to Obama.)
Thankfully, that smartness extends into the band’s personal lives. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong‘s behavior last year was erratic to say the least; following a well-documented outburst at the iHeart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas (in which he cleared up any confusion on the matter by yelling “I’m not f**king Justin Bieber, you motherf**kers!”), Armstrong checked into rehab.
As Armstrong told Rolling Stone in the magazine’s March issue, “I couldn’t predict where I was going to end up at the end of the night. I’d wake up in a strange house on a couch. I wouldn’t remember how. It was a complete blackout.”
Dude’s 41, and a dad – we’ve reached the point where Green Day have grown up, and hopefully they’ll all grow old as well. From the sound of it, Armstrong’s now doing well, which is good news. The band will resume touring in support of their (¡)three(!) new albums, ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tre’!, and once again America will resume arguing over whether or not Green Day is really punk rock.
Armstrong’s full interview with Rolling Stone hits stands Friday, March 1.
Read More: Billie Joe Armstrong Freaks Out On Stage
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