In the midst of the grunge-laden music scene of the 90s there was a quiet rebellion happening. Bands like The Offspring and Rancid and The Goo Goo Dolls began to shake their fists in the faces of Nirvana and Pearl Jam and Soundgarden and proving to the world that Punk Music will indeed never die. Ushering in this “punk revival” was a trio out of Berkeley, California called Green Day. The band instantly gained attention with songs such as “When I Come Around” and “Basket Case”. The trio, made up of frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool gained their notoriety and demanded attention with each outing they made—“Brain Stew”, “Good Riddance (The Time of Your Life)” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” being only highlights in a catalog of hits.
Throughout their career they have never been afraid of making bold statements, flying in the face of convention and politics—and this started at the very beginning. In 1994, following the release of their inaugural album “Dookie”, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong revealed in an interview with The Advocate that he was bisexual, saying:

“I think I’ve always been bisexual. It’s ingrained in our heads that its bad but it’s not bad at all. It’s a beautiful thing.”

In a business that had (at the time) exactly 2 other out musicians—Elton John and Melissa Etheridge—that were playing sold out arenas, this did little to cement Green Day’s career. Never to be undone, however, Billie Joe and Green Day soldiered on, producing hit after hit, with an attitude of—in his own words:

“… if these mainstream kids who are seeing us on MTV are going to accept us, then they have to accept that where we come from there’s a lot more to the scene.”

Throughout their career, Green Day has continued garnering attention within the industry. Billie Joe Armstrong has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. He is 38 with two teenage sons but says of himself,

“You have this image of yourself that you’re kind of stuck with. I still wear Chuck Taylors, and I wear pegged pants and I play Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

And on the topic of his sexuality he is more subdued, but still vocal,

“There were a lot of people who didn’t accept it, who were homophobic. The fact that it’s an issue is kind of phobic within itself. At some point, you gotta think, this should be something that’s just accepted.”

The band’s most recent offering, “21st Century Breakdown” proves with its first single “Know Your Enemy” that this trio remains relevant and intends to continue making statements about the world around them. And it’s the nature of this band that you listen—they demand it of you.