I will now edit a quote from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby to fit the subject of my thoughts on Green Day's "American Idiot" album. Jean Girard: Ricky Bobby! I heard the American Idiot album by Green Day. IT WAS SHIT.

Green Day succeeds at what they aim. As fathers, and aging musicians, their music reflects their basic concerns for their kids, and their maturing musical tastes. Dookie is a ridiculously over-rated album, yet Nimrod and Warning are solid works that failed to sell. I can't think of another band that writes lyrics with such eloquence and playfulness. Sure they don't have the specific and thesaurus-challenging writing of Bad Religion,but their music is so much easier to relate to on a real-life daily basis. All members are accomplished musicians and can clearly play their instruments well. And you can't deny their punk roots, but they never claim to be the most hardcore band on the scene.

They started out as just another dumb pop-punk band (nothing wrong with that), but they have morphed into a dumb pretentious pop-punk band, which is unforgivable.

Formerly the voice of an alienated generation, now just another overexposed supergroup

Incredibly overrated. American Idiot won a grammy over Good News for People who Love Bad News. They were a staple of the 80s; songs about adolescence and lazy days, and then they "evolved" into the punk voice of the generation both politically and musically charged! What a load of B.S. Also, if I have to hear "Good Riddance" again, I might die.

Juvenile,

their old stuff is so much better than the crap they make today

Lets start a band and wear lots of makeup and try to burn down all that is eveil in the world (Bush, War) Guys it's been done to death, go back to your millions and relax.

I remember hearing this band for the first time and thinking ... they can't stick around for long. Little did I know it would usher in a whole wave/genre of power-pop-punk. Blech.

Maybe I'm simple-minded, but as far as Green Day's music goes, I'm of the opinion that "who cares? It's fun." I can't imagine that anyone of voting age actually takes their political stance- which is vague at best- terribly seriously. And anyone who would (namely, their teenage fans) aren't old enough to vote anyway. So, who cares what they say or do as it is? No-one is looking to them for incisive political commentary. That being said--they are rather overrated.

I think they are cool because they are old but they dress like they are sixteen. It just goes to show how rebellious they are. What makes them more radical is the fact that they make poilitical statements with music. We should let them run our country. That would be swell.

Having flown under the radar for a few years after some real success, Green Day must have thought it was about time to make a comeback. Their white-album-wannabe epic-piece-of-shit record "American Idiot," is nothing more than cheap noise united under a semi-clever album title. It is full of un-backed claims, unsound opinions, and a spirit for revolution lacking the temperament for rational and understanding. They are washed up and "American Idiot" is just a manifestation of their collective mid-life crises; their regret over having for so long made music that was absolutely trite, meaningless, and sophomoric.