Wired and Retired - Comments

this is a brilliant take spotlighting one of my faves who sang most of my emo anthems during my middle school explorer days.

i do agree w/ folie a dru. to a degree. who knows why people start doing drugs or what makes them turn to it. in the case of a few of my friends who were peer pressured into it or wanted to look "in" to the case of billie joe who, as stated in the comment below, "is not some partier who wants to fuck up his kids lives"

i commend his tremendous efforts in cleaning up his act, but when it comes down to something as sensitive as drug addiction, it doesn't take much to go back & start abusing the cycle again. as per the older fans, it's upsetting that they see him as an embarrassing icon. all people: from billie to his wife & his kids - they're all affected by his outburst/breakdown & it's not that his wife would be fed-up w/ his "antics" or that he's setting a bad image for younger role models or his sons. this is, to an extent, a mental health problem & should be seen as such. & yes, he's not the first person to be under fire in the rock n' roll industry. every band i've touched base on has one or few members who've succumbed to this problem. it took kurt cobain's life & the lucky one's like shaun morgan found himself strong enough to overcome.

Ultimately, it shows older people don't understand mental illness. A drug addiction is a mental health problem, not some partier who wants to fuck up his kids lives. If they knew that, they wouldn't be so judgmental. Because they are ignorant, they judge.

Actually I have the opposing opinion of the article. I consider myself a young fan (although I've been listening to Green Day for seven years). It was actually exceedingly disappointing for me to have someone I had once looked up to so much fall so harshly. I'd always viewed Billie Joe in a heroic light because he had cleaned up for his family, matured in a band to speak out about politics, and made me more aware of the world around me (by way of listening to his music). So when he went back to rehab, I was pretty disappointed. Mainly my disappointment came from him not fitting the ideal picture I'd made of him in my childhood. Maybe that was just me though. Maybe I was just being naive.

With that being said I did like the article. It was well written, and I find the topic to be quite interesting.

i can understand why the younger fans think drugs isnt that much of a big deal, drugs are everywhere. you see people in most of teenaged aimed movies and tv shows, soaps. im only 20 but i was so shocked to hear billie went into rehab for drugs. i always respect the musicians more if they have never done or have overcome drugs

@ Necromanced.
Thank you so much! Genuinely means a lot to me :)

This article was fantastic, probably one of the best I've read on here in a while. I'm not a big journalism buff, but I know a good article when I read one, and this one was great. The title interested me the most!

Fans saying things that seem ignorant, like the sobering up quote, is probably due to their maturity level from life experiences, or lack thereof. I can't count on my fingers how many times I hear people say, "I'm gonna kill myself," or, "Go kill yourself," in a single day at my school, but I've given up on getting mad about it, because those kids don't have the same experience as I do. I know what it feels like to have somebody very close end their life, and so it hits home with me. What I'm trying to get at is that the older fans probably have families, and/or know what it's like to know someone who struggled with addiction, so they're more sensitive to the issue, whereas some younger, or perhaps less mature fans, just brush it off as something in a "rock lifestyle".

I actually don't even like Green Day that much, but I want Billie to get sober for his family, himself, the band, and his fans. Two friends of mine were so heartbroken when they found out the concert they had tickets to was cancelled. Of course they blame his addiction all on pop culture, and the pressure to fit in and stay relevant, but that's beside the point.

Again, loved the article! Great job!

@ ashleeinwonderland
Anytime! You did a good job :)

@ lozzieee wants.
Thank you for reading ;D

@ Back.Pocket.Believer
Thank you! I'm a huge Green Day fan so I was scared that it might be a little biased, but I did try to balance it out (:

Drug Awareness was massive back in the 60's and 70's so I don't think that is a huge problem with this case. I think as people mature they have a differing set of priority's and assume others do too. As a big fan of Green Day I've always been in 'awe' of Billie Joe's ability to connect onstage etc and the band's ability to stay 'current', I've had a respect for them that they have matured as people and not lost their attitude and energy for music but have stayed true to themselves proving that it isn't all about 'hard' drugs in the music business.

However this goes to show that band members and musicians are only human and make mistakes, 'blaming and shaming' Billie Joe (as I have seen in other articles) isn't going to help, support is what him and his family need.

I am rambling now, but this is a great article and very well written in comparison to some articles you read online, I like the balanced view it gives!

I really enjoyed this article; it was very well written and I fully appreciate your use of quotes. Very well planned and it was structured well. Thanks for posting :)

@ This.Useless.Heart.
Yeah, that guy is an idiot haha, that quote was just found on an article about Billie Joe's admittance to rehab.

Honestly, I think the difference in the "older fans" and "younger fans" has all to do with maturity and little to nothing to do with drug awareness. I mean, really you cannot argue that people who like rock music who grew up in the 60s and/or 70s are not aware of all kinds of drug use and abuse. Based on your quotes as well, it seems to just be an issue of maturity. It's more mature to be concerned about the bigger picture, like how it affects Billie's kids and wife; that is simply a more adult priority. I mean that kid that said people sobering up ruins bands proves my point as well; frankly, that is an ignorant thing to say (sorry if that counts as bashing I am really trying to be nice) and it probably comes from a lack of education and life experience.
Well, I'm rambling. This was a good, interesting article, even if I didn't necessarily agree with all its points. I just hope Billie gets his shit together for his family AND for his band (one of my favorite bands ever, by the way.) Pot is fine if that is all he does, but, I guess, that is not all he's been doing, so hopefully he gets cleaned up for himself, his family, his bandmates, and for fans both young and old.

The best musicians are the ones who think outside the box and come up with something new. People come up with something new by putting themselves in unusual situations. Drugs put you in an unusual situation.

In the words of the great prophet Bill Hicks:

"See, I think drugs have done some good things for us, I really do. And if you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a Favour: go home tonight and take all your albums, all your tapes, and all your cds and burn em. 'Cause you know what? The musicians who've made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years...
Rrrrrrrrrrrrreal fuckin' high on drugs."

Me finding out personally, I was kind of shocked and not at the same time. If you have listened to his lyrics from the last six albums (I'm counting the trilogy in this), you can definitely, definitely tell that something has been up for a long time. I think I was just shocked at how bad of an outburst he did at iHeart. I remember one video where he is playing piano and he had three shots on the piano and drank all three of them in like a minute. I thought that was worrisome behavior but brushed it off.

I guess because we, as fans, hold him up to such high standards, thinking that he isn't human, and seeing him go through something as vulnerable as addiction, reminds us that he is human and he has problems just like all of us--if that make sense.

I just hope that he gets better. It's just...hard to kick something like this. I'm glad he has a great family and friends to support him. He definitely has the support of millions of fans behind him.

And this article was well written. I forgot that this was on mibba until I got to the end of the article! It was great!

This was very well written! And I honestly found it very shocking. I didn't even know he did pot and I consider myself a fan of the band. I sure hope he gets his shenanigans together because it's gotta be tough for his family to see him going through this.

Your welcome dear ^_^

Well, even though I definitely do not approve of the way he is setting the sort of example that drugs come with the property (the music industry/genre he is a part of), said point is completely logical (while certainly unhealthy). Also, even if he cares for his family, addictions are still addictions and aren't to be taken as lightly as if someone could just say "Okay, today I'm going to quit recreational drug use for the rest of my life" and move on.
Bottom line, I definitely think this artist should definitely keep making an effort to kick his bad habits, but on the other side of the point, fans on all the age spectrum should keep in mind that although the drug habit seems to come with the territory, it isn't a good thing, but it isn't the easiest thing to remove from your life.
Bad habits die hard, but there comes a time when you must be responsible, for the sake of your loved ones.
Sidenote: I am arguing both sides.
Live long and find slash,
-Raroman

This is a very well-written and insightful article. You did a great job backing up most of you statements with facts.

Great article!

I'm not a huge fan of Green Day, I like a few of their songs, but I like how not in just Billie's case, but most people who suffer from substance abuse all the pity and sympathy goes to the family. I get that yeah, his wife and kids must be suffering, but what about Billie? You know he has to be suffering as well.

I don't know, just a thought. Addicts don't always have the "I'm doing this for shits and giggles and to embarrass my family" but more of a "I don't want it, I just need it" attitude once they've been addicted for awhile. And I don't know specifics - but I'd say Billie has been using awhile.

I feel bad for him, not just his family, though I do feel bad for them as well.

@ Sara_K
Thank you so much! This article was actually written for uni and I'm studying music journalism, so the 'as a journalist' comment is greatly appreciated ;D I love Billie Joe so much as well, so I know how you feel from a fan's point of view.

@ NaturalBornKiller.
Thank you! That genuinely means a lot (: