Megan West(erby)

"American Idiot,” the song, is the opening shot of Green Day’s own “Howl.” Much like the poem by queer beatnik Allen Ginsberg, the taut, tense explosion of punk rock politics decries the loss of a generation to drugs, war, hopelessness, and the “sub-liminal mindfuck” of a nation ruled by infomercials and imbeciles.

Fifty-five seconds into the three-minute manifesto, Billie Joe Armstrong delivers a different kind of mindfuck: “Maybe I am the faggot America,” he sings, and for six years every kid at the band’s stadium-sized shows has sung right along, fists in the air."

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Out.com Features | Billie Joe Armstrong: Idiot Savant

Shana did something sublime here. I highly recommend you check it out.

15 March 2010 ·