Why I don't listen to Green Day

Yes, you read the title right. The time for hypocrisy and rebellion is at an end. I've ignored God on the issue of my music for too long. I can't fool myself anymore that Green Day's rebellion is only against what's wrong with America, the fundamentalists, and the socially dead Christians. No, theirs is the original rebellion. They have thrown out the baby with the bathwater. They have thrown out Jesus Christ.

I do not mean to say that there is no legitimate reason for anyone to listen to Green Day. There may be, I just haven't found it yet. And I don't know what others do when they are listening to Green Day, but I was rebelling against the light. I was loving darkness.

So now I repent of recommending Green Day, approving what they are doing. I still believe that God has a purpose for bands like them, but this doesn't give me a reason for listening to them.

Thank the Lord for all his tender mercies. Amen.

Green Day- American Idiot

Peoples! Christmas comes early this year (Not particularly early. It should have come in about a month ago. But who cares? It's here!). That's right. . . on vinyl. . . "AMERICAN IDIOT."

Wright now, Jesus of Suburbia is blaring on the record player. This is the way punk was meant to be listened.

(Skip a bit)

Wait for it. . . Wait for it. . . OH YES, Boulevard of Broken Dreams is gracing itself across the needle. Oh, this is so totally rad.

I wish you were here.

Green Day!!!

The astute picture-viewer may notice that my bed is not made. Who cares? The "unmadeness" of my bed goes well with the Green Day poster I got today. Take a look at this and tell me that it is not wicked cool. You can't can you? I didn't think you'd be able to.

Why I listen to Green Day and U2

Most people don't have a problem that I listen to the rock band U2 a good bit. U2 is generally a pretty wholesome band, and they are mostly Christian (all except Adam Clayton). This doesn't really describe them very well, but you sort of get the idea.









Green Day, on the other hand, is not as wholesome as we might like. Here's a picture of them:


Now here's the problem most people have with Green Day: they are punk. Also, they sound angry a lot, they are not Christians, they curse sometimes in their lyrics, and they look weird (this all kind of goes along with being punk).

Okay people, I hear you but let me explain why bands like Green Day are necessary in the music industry.

Let us say, for the sake of argument, that there are a lot of run-down buildings that need to be demolished. They are pretty old and historic and they represent a lot of tradition for some people. At some point, though, we need someone to knock those buildings down. That's Green Day. They are the demolition crew. They come in with sledgehammers and knock at corrupt America and traditions steeped in injustice. While they are at it, they also attack traditional religion and start to criticize the Christian faith (this is the point where we pay them their wages, take their sledgehammers away from them, and confiscate the keys to the wrecking ball).

This is all well and good, but what happens after they get carried away? Someone needs to build and put beautiful buildings up where before there was only decrepit, moldy, and condemned public housing projects. Who is going to do this? Bands like U2.

I see U2 as a band that primarily tries to replace the old vestiges of hate with love. Even when they were being more experimental and postmodern in the 90's they were using different means of achieving the same goal (primarily irony). It is hard to go to a U2 concert without being confronted about the suffering of the world. Bono may ask "Am I bugging you? I don't mean to bug ya". The audience may reply "Yes" cut it out and play the music; but his point is ultimately taken. I can't think of a better way of getting the message of love across to 4o,ooo people at once; because 40,000 people are singing along to a song that questions "how long, how long must we sing this song."

This is not to say that hate will ever disappear, or even that there never is a place for hate. But if we keep replacing it with love, surely the world will run out, right? Perhaps not, but Christians, fools to the world, can keep trying.