Alternative Press Segment #2

Here is the second segment from the same issue of Alternative Press (October 2004) and the topic is about the Green Day copycat bands who were around at the time and how Green Day felt about them. Written by Tom Lanham.

When They Come Around (Again)

Rob Cavallo is the first to point out the obvious. All you have to do is switch on MTV, VH1 or any allegedly alternative radio station, and you'll witness echo after Green Day echo. So many, in fact, that it seems almost criminal. "Just look at all those copycat soundalikes out there," the producer growls. "You can't point to one—at least in the modern era—that actually came before Green Day." But how do the boys feel about such blatant plagiarism? They weigh in on the issue:

[Tré] Cool: "My thing about that is, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. But these bands might need time. When we were doing Dookie, that's what we sounded like. So you've gotta give [the new bands] a chance to develop."

[Mike] Dirnt: "I'll give you a good example. I think the new New Found Glory single is a really good song. It's a poppy melody, but they're actually saying something. And myself, I really love the Dickies, but I discovered 'em—believe it or not—after we recorded Dookie. And when we finally met 'em, they naturally assumed that we knew their band, but I was like, 'Dude, I was too poor to buy records!' But they were probably thinking, 'Hey, those guys totally ripped off our songs!' But actually, I was probably ripping off Crimpshrine more than anyone. Them, and the Replacements and Hüsker Dü."

[Billie Joe] Armstrong: "Well, the thing about the pop punk bands is, there are so many, and they're all getting signed to major deals right from the beginning, with no time to develop their craft. So they have a bit of a formula before they even develop a formula. I don't like baggin' on the pop punk bands, though; I know what it's like to be on the receiving end, where people were slagging me off.

"So, what I've decided is that these bands need time to develop, so let's see what happens to 'em five, six years down the line. In 2009, a band like Good Charlotte isn't gonna be the same Good Charlotte that they were in 2003. And it's not up to me whether or not they last; it's gonna be up to what kind of music ends up coming out of 'em. They say all the right things, and it seems like their heart's in the right place. But it all depends on if they've got the talent and that ability to just say, '[__] it! I'm gonna do whatever I want!'" [TL]