Pothead Poltergeists
Kiss Up
Eventually, we stopped that shit and went to get some food and started digging through the kitchen. We – mostly me – decided on noodles because Adrienne and the boys would be out late. It is a Friday night so Jake is spending the night at a friend’s and Adrienne had an Adeline emergency or something along those lines, which is really a fun thing in her terms. Joey was helping her. Probably modeling.
That left me and Billie at home. I made the pasta. Why not? I could, and I was sort of still invading Billie Joe’s house so it was the least I could do.
“So what did you do all day?” Billie asked.
“Oh, not much. I did some thinking…and some drinking,” I added quietly. Suddenly, I was a lot more embarrassed about it than I should have been. I mean, come on. This is Billie Joe Armstrong. He is the last person who is going to care and the first who is really to understand.
He laughed, “That still works as a ghost?”
I relaxed at that. I’m dead anyway I guess. Who cares when you’re already dead? “Apparently it does. I didn’t think it would either. Wore off faster though, a couple hours back.”
“Well, I don’t blame you. I did more than that in high school so it’s not like I can say anything.”
“Oh yeah, $2 Bill was it?” Yes, I’m corny and snuck that one in.
He shrugged but with a sly smile he was unable to hide in time, “Yeah, that.” He was grabbing two bowls off the shelf and two large silver spoons out of the drawer.
“Well, there would have been a lot more done on my part if I didn’t have your guy’s music.” I was stirring the pot of pasta and the steam was building up in front of my face. I turned on the fan above, and some began to sweep away.
“Really?” he hummed picking silverware out of the drawer.
“Yeah, you guys save my life everyday. I mean it. Even if I don’t hear any music that day, I know you guys are thinking the same thing. I start wanted to do more creative things with my time instead. And your music really brought me back to rock and punk especially. There is so much music out there with people who mean something in their lyrics if you look beneath all the shit on MTV and pop culture.”
“That’s what we were sick of. We just made music for ourselves.”
I poured out the pasta into a strainer over the sink. “You know, I was so happy when you guys started getting some recognition for American Idiot, but I hated the people who saw you as another fad. And they said you were overplayed on the radio and you sold out. All that stupid shit.”
“Yeah, people always say that about everything. We had nothing to do with that part of it, and it was played on the radio and TV and junk because people wanted it to be. Not our fault. Did you ever think the whole thing was overplayed?”
“No, as far as I’m concerned, you guys could have done a whole nother tour. You could stop making music now and I would be happy. But I’m excited that you won’t stop. I don’t know what more you can do, but somehow you do keep making albums.”
“Well, I don’t know what I would do if we stopped now.”
“And a lot of people are saying thank you. We’ll be there the second your next albums come out ya know.”
“I’m glad we have someone. You know, we feel like we actually have a point to this as well and that’s a bonus, but it’s great.”
“This is still so weird. Knowing you I mean. I have always wanted to meet you, and now I feel like I know you so much better.”
“It’s pretty funny. Some people come up to us and call us like, gods of stuff. It’s kinda embarrassing. Sweet though.” He looked embarrassed now that he’d said it. “I don’t mean to be pompous or something like that, but people really do that, and it’s weird. It’s always going to be weird. For once, we weren’t the underdogs though, and that did feel pretty good. I never minded either way though. Do you have any idea what I mean?”
I really like talking one-on-one with Billie like this. You get what is true and only what is true straight from his mouth and not worded by a magazine writer. “I do. You know, I think I like the fact that you’re just people and not gods. There is so much more to relate to knowing you’re just another person and I’m lucky enough to live around the same time and see what happens in the world at the same time.”
“You sound like you could be my daughter. You know that? It’s so funny the things that come out of Joey and Jakob’s mouths. They’re so smart like that and all. It still amazes me.”
That left me and Billie at home. I made the pasta. Why not? I could, and I was sort of still invading Billie Joe’s house so it was the least I could do.
“So what did you do all day?” Billie asked.
“Oh, not much. I did some thinking…and some drinking,” I added quietly. Suddenly, I was a lot more embarrassed about it than I should have been. I mean, come on. This is Billie Joe Armstrong. He is the last person who is going to care and the first who is really to understand.
He laughed, “That still works as a ghost?”
I relaxed at that. I’m dead anyway I guess. Who cares when you’re already dead? “Apparently it does. I didn’t think it would either. Wore off faster though, a couple hours back.”
“Well, I don’t blame you. I did more than that in high school so it’s not like I can say anything.”
“Oh yeah, $2 Bill was it?” Yes, I’m corny and snuck that one in.
He shrugged but with a sly smile he was unable to hide in time, “Yeah, that.” He was grabbing two bowls off the shelf and two large silver spoons out of the drawer.
“Well, there would have been a lot more done on my part if I didn’t have your guy’s music.” I was stirring the pot of pasta and the steam was building up in front of my face. I turned on the fan above, and some began to sweep away.
“Really?” he hummed picking silverware out of the drawer.
“Yeah, you guys save my life everyday. I mean it. Even if I don’t hear any music that day, I know you guys are thinking the same thing. I start wanted to do more creative things with my time instead. And your music really brought me back to rock and punk especially. There is so much music out there with people who mean something in their lyrics if you look beneath all the shit on MTV and pop culture.”
“That’s what we were sick of. We just made music for ourselves.”
I poured out the pasta into a strainer over the sink. “You know, I was so happy when you guys started getting some recognition for American Idiot, but I hated the people who saw you as another fad. And they said you were overplayed on the radio and you sold out. All that stupid shit.”
“Yeah, people always say that about everything. We had nothing to do with that part of it, and it was played on the radio and TV and junk because people wanted it to be. Not our fault. Did you ever think the whole thing was overplayed?”
“No, as far as I’m concerned, you guys could have done a whole nother tour. You could stop making music now and I would be happy. But I’m excited that you won’t stop. I don’t know what more you can do, but somehow you do keep making albums.”
“Well, I don’t know what I would do if we stopped now.”
“And a lot of people are saying thank you. We’ll be there the second your next albums come out ya know.”
“I’m glad we have someone. You know, we feel like we actually have a point to this as well and that’s a bonus, but it’s great.”
“This is still so weird. Knowing you I mean. I have always wanted to meet you, and now I feel like I know you so much better.”
“It’s pretty funny. Some people come up to us and call us like, gods of stuff. It’s kinda embarrassing. Sweet though.” He looked embarrassed now that he’d said it. “I don’t mean to be pompous or something like that, but people really do that, and it’s weird. It’s always going to be weird. For once, we weren’t the underdogs though, and that did feel pretty good. I never minded either way though. Do you have any idea what I mean?”
I really like talking one-on-one with Billie like this. You get what is true and only what is true straight from his mouth and not worded by a magazine writer. “I do. You know, I think I like the fact that you’re just people and not gods. There is so much more to relate to knowing you’re just another person and I’m lucky enough to live around the same time and see what happens in the world at the same time.”
“You sound like you could be my daughter. You know that? It’s so funny the things that come out of Joey and Jakob’s mouths. They’re so smart like that and all. It still amazes me.”