Billy Joe looking particularly lovely
[For this interview, our own
Daniel Atwood will be interviewing pop punk star
Billy Joe, from the band Green Day]
Daniel Atwood: Hello, Mr. Joe and may I say, it
is an honor to have you here in the studio.
Billy Joe: Yes, I'm sure it is. Mr. Joe is so
formal, though, please, just call me Awesome.
DA:...
BJ:...
DA: Are you... Are you kidding?
BJ:... Why would I be kidding?
DA: That's.. not your name..
BJ: [Mr. Billy Joe is visibly upset] ...
Shut up.
DA: Moving on, your last album, American Idiot,
really angered some conservative groups, do you
have anything to say about that?
BJ: ... Um, what?
DA: Your album. American Idiot. Remember?
BJ: Oh, oh, yeah, I remember.
DA: Well do you have anything to say about it?
BJ: Go buy it! [laughs] Nah, just
kidding. But not really.
DA: Okay...... Moving on, your song 'American
Idiot' features the lyrics:
Don't wanna be an American idiot
Don't want a nation under the new media
DA: Was that maybe a little political
commentary?
BJ: [Mr. Billy Joe appears very enthused]
Absolutely, man, the war in Iraq, and George
Bush, and anyone who listens to him, they're the
American idiots, man, the war.
DA: Could you please rephrase that into a
sentence, or maybe a complete thought?
BJ: ... The war sucks, Bush ruined everything!
DA: I see, and so how do you feel about his
current foreign policy program?
BJ: Foreign policy? Is that like, um.. .. Is
that what he calls invading Iraq! Yeah! Is it!?
DA: ... ... I suppose that question is somewhat
valid. So you think we should never have been in
Iraq at all?
BJ: Absolutely. We should've left them there,
they were fine.
DA: So do you think the world would be better
off if we hadn't gone in there, with Saddam
still in charge?
BJ: Er, well...
DA: Yes? No?
BJ: ... Well, we got Saddam why are we still
there?!
DA: We're helping them stabilize a democratic
system.
BJ: ... oh.
DA: Yeah. We're running out of time though, so,
on to the next questions.
BJ: Right.
DA: So, you say in your song that you don't much
care for the 'new media'. Could you elaborate?
BJ: Yeah, there are so many mindless drones just
doing what the media tells them!
DA: Hm, that's a good point. There ARE a lot of
mindless drones just doing what the media tells
them. So, can you give some examples of media?
BJ: Absolutely, if it'll help the fight against
Bush, man. Okay, so, there's so many, like,
books, newspapers, television, art, music..
DA: What was that last one?
BJ: Art?
DA: No, no, I think you said musi...
BJ: No! No, I didn't, that wasn't what I said.
DA: Okay sure. So like you said, all of these
forms of media are actively working to make the
U.S. citizens mindless drones of George W. Bush?
BJ: Absolutely. 100%.
DA: Are you familiar with MTv's 'Rock the Vote'?
BJ: Of course, it's a great program, recruiting
young kids who wanna be hardcore to flood the
ballo... I mean... Getting young kids involved
in the democratic process.
DA: Of course, interesting our youth in the
government is great. It helps to ensure a
tomorrow where opinions are free to be expressed
without fear of harm.
BJ: Exactly man, you're always getting pushed
down for saying you don't like George W., or the
war!
DA: On a completely unrelated topic, what would
you say makes up the bulk of your listening
audience?
BJ: Hm, probably teenagers, young adults, and
tweens.
DA: ... And you're saying that all the
teenagers, young adults, and tweens in the world
aren't able to freely express their views about
the war and the President?
BJ: Uh... Well...
DA: So, if I went to an average Green Day
concert, and screamed out 'I love George W.
Bush!', do you think that I would be met with
warmth and hospitality, because you are trying
to raise awareness about tolerance and stuff?
BJ: ...
DA: That is all for this time, I think! Thanks
again for coming to the studio, we'll be sure to
buy your new CD 'Bullet In A Bible' or 'More
Uneducated Offensive Material' or whatever its
called. One thing we can be sure of is that it
will be a well-informed and well-backed CD, and
the lyrics will be at a new level of depth that
we can't even comprehend! Bye for now!