Let me start by saying I'm not a fan of Green Day. I didn't mind some of their earlier stuff, but I think American Idiot is quite likely the most overrated album of the decade. In fact, when I become the Master of Time Space & Dimension among the things I will ban from the planet are bands creating "rock operas." It's been done, fellas, and unless you're gonna improve upon what The Who have done - and you did not - then what the hell is the point? Does anybody really want a state of the union from a guy named Billie Joe?
Of course, many people disagree with me and the album went on to sell millions of copies despite being filled with generic faux-punk music, almost comically pretentious lyrics and a cheesy story line about "Jesus of Suburbia." Now Green Day have moved on to a new shitty rock opera album (I'm just guessing on the shitty part) it would seem American Idiot is a thing of the past.
But no... In September a stage musical version of the album will launch at Berkley Theatre in California; which is easy enough to avoid, but now comes news that Billie Joe wants to do a film version of it as well. A film version?!? Really? Does this lame 'story' need to be told in another medium? Wasn't it already enough of a pointless mess on the album? Why spread this crap elsewhere?
It gets worse.
Billie Joe - in all of his wisdom - feels that American Idiot has a kindred spirit with another pop culture favorite. "I thought American Idiot had a lot in common with something like the Rocky Horror Picture Show" he told the Associated Press. Yes this bozo thinks his cliched story of disenchanted suburban youth is similar to the story of a transvestite Dr. Frankenstien. Plot-wise, he can't possibly think these two things are entwined, so perhaps he's simply (and naively) saying that he wants to make an enduring cult-classic midnight show type movie. What is this clown talking about? I thought the idea of turning this sub-par shitty generic punk-pop record into a movie was truly horrible, but if this egomaniacal ass clown actually tries to fuse it with elements of Rocky Horror, he could create a shitbomb so big that he and his overrated band may never recover. So, reluctantly, I'm all for it.
What Billie Joe doesn't understand - and I suspect there is a long list of things he doesn't understand - is that you can't set out to make a cult classic like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In fact, even the makers of the movie couldn't come close to recapturing it. Rocky Horror actually has a sequel, titled Shock Treatment, that came out in 1981 and most people don't even know exists cause it bombed hard. It seems likely a movie version of American Idiot will actually have a lot more in common with Shock Treatment then Rocky Horror.
But what do I know?
When Green Day began applying guyliner, I was skeptical. With the release of American Idiot, I was repulsed. Seriously guys, a "war" album full of tired cliches and NO direct criticism of the Bush administration? Weak, especially if you're calling yourself punk rock.
ReplyDeleteAgreed ... its "social commentary" was diluted at best. The whole thing was just weak. Who interested in a passive "punk" band? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?
ReplyDeleteThe whole thing was pretty lame, and to follow it up with another alleged "rock opera" while they're still milking the last one? Seems like a shark jump to me.