"Green Day": American Idiots and the New Punk Explosion

After I read the terrific biography of Marilyn Manson, I decided to purchase American Idiots & The New Punk Explosion - The Unofficial Biography of Green Day. The book is written in the third (or in this case fourth) person style by the author Ben Myers.

I felt very anxious to read this book as it is about one of my favourite groups and inspirational to me when it comes to playing the guitar. When I read the author's note it stated 'this is his take on the story of the band', so from that point onwards, I knew basically this is not like The Long Hard Road Out of Hell.

I have to say Myers, despite being a major fan of the group, does not show any signs of being biased in the comments he makes. The book tells you about the early days, the times of 924 Gillman Street, the tragedies, the marriages and background on basically every record up to American Idiot. The book also contains regular quotes/comments from each member on certain aspects, which makes this far more interesting than it is.

I think what it brings it down a bit, is the fact that sometimes Myers will completely go off into another territory (The US Election being a prime example) or completely waffle on about certain topics (The Gillman Street subject becomes nearly tedious by the end).

I think overall I was looking forward to the inspiration behind some of their songs, and I was amazed when I read the Los Angeles riot during the production of 2000's Warning album. I learnt a lot about the group from this book and it does not disappoint in the long run.

There is also a little section on their discography which I mainly skipped through, although I was happy to find where the songs from Shenagians were in the singles over the years.

Its biggest punk biography on the biggest punk band in the world, depending on your take on Green Day, this is a good reference point and a worthwhile purchase.

Good Book (2/3 people found this helpful)

it is a good book...im about half way through.
the other guy is right tho, he goes on and on about how they were influenced by nirvana ,husker du, etc etc...it was cool learning who they're inspired by but it gets repetitive after the 20th time he's said it.
good book on the whole though, worth gettin if you're a big fan and want to know more about them.

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (4/5 people found this helpful)

This book was one of the best biographys i have ever had. i dont really read that much so for me to get gripped onto this book was amazing. The only thing i wish it did was go on for longer because its so addictive. If you are a green day fan then this is a essectial because of how it tells you how they started and how Tre Cool was there original drummer!!!

Nirvana Day Book NOT Green Day (2/6 people found this helpful)

The author concentrates too much on other bands at the time, if i wanted to read about nirvana i would of brought a nirvana book but i wanted to read about green day which is supposed to be the subject of this book but i found it a bit vague to say the least. The author talks about his own experiances, he builds green day up to be a brilliant band but the more you read the more he is just knocking them down as they he wrote this book for a laugh. I seriously wouldn't reccommend reading this book unless of course your a nirvana fan.

The best green day book around (5/5 people found this helpful)

You won't want to put this book down, if you're a true green day fan you should read this. The author gives a detailed history of punk/rock as well as the stories of billie,mike and tre and of course the band green day. Every little bit of information you wanted to know is cleared up in this book, with endless quotes from the trio and pictures in chronological order. The best part about it is, that it is set out like a book instead of the magazine biographies you can find but it overrules them totally. Through only this book you can get to know the band in depth, it is totally worth every penny you spend. Buy it!

"Green Day": American Idiots and the New Punk Explosion

Ben Myers

Reader Reviews:

From Rebellion To Stardom.. (2/2 people found this helpful)

Good Book (2/3 people found this helpful)

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (4/5 people found this helpful)

Nirvana Day Book NOT Green Day (2/6 people found this helpful)

The best green day book around (5/5 people found this helpful)

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