Green Day's latest more Dylan than ‘Dookie’
■The sometime punk band
branches out into Paul Simon
and Elliott Smith territory
Green Day‘Warning’
Reprise
By Josh Ryneal
Oregon Daily Emerald
It must be hard getting old. At
least, it must be for Billie Joe Arm
strong, lead singer of Green Day. On
“Warning,” the band’s sixth album,
he seems to be experiencing a mid
life crisis with all its awkward tran
sitions.
There must be a point in all
adults’ lives when they have put
away the hard-rockin’ music of
their youth and embraced music
easier on aging ears, such as James
Taylor or Steve Miller.
When Green Day exploded into
the national spotlight with 1994’s
“Dookie,” mallrats everywhere
were taken with the band’s punk ni
hilism and snarling lyricism. The
grinding bass, speed-freak guitars
and Billie Joe’s hoarse yet tuneful
voice were the perfect recipe for
success during the mid-’90s punk
boom. But Green Day came from
California, not Never-Neverland, so
it was inevitable that they would
grow up sometime.
Fans should have seen it coming.
On their last album, “Nimrod,” the
only big single was “Good Riddance
(Time of Your Life),” a catchy mid
tempo ballad that was a startling de
parture from the snot-nosed bub
blegum punk of “Dookie.”
Now, the trio has sold its Sex Pis
tols and Clash albums, and from the
sound of “Warning,” they used the
money to buy up the entire Bob Dy
lan back catalog, with a used copy
of Paul Simon’s “Graceland” for
good measure.
“Hold On,” with its strumming
guitars and harmonica solo, sounds
like a cover of a Bruce Spring
steen/Tom Petty collaboration.
Sure, Armstrong is a wealthy family
man now, so now he’s tackling more
complex themes than “I hate you, I
hate you, I hate you,” but the band’s
transition from punk standard-bear
ers to melancholy baby-boomers is
not always believable.
At times, Armstrong seems
caught in limbo. The confusion of
middle age has never been captured
so well as when he whines about
rules and authority on the title track
and “Minority,” then switches gears
into the accordian-fueled gypsy
tune of “Misery.” That song would
sound as though it came from a col
lection of Paul Simon B-side — if
Simon had developed a sudden
penchant for baseball-bat violence
and drug deals gone wrong.
“Fashion Victim” is an old-man
rant on “those kids today.” Who
would have thought a punk-rock
singer could sound so crotchety?
The album’s
best track,
“Macy’s Day Pa
rade,” which
sounds like a lost
Elliott Smith
song, is so totally
out of character
for the band that
listeners may
check their CD
players to make
sure tney naven t -
put the wrong album in. However,
the song is definitely an achieve
ment, a rumination on mortality
with glorious guitar strums, and it
ranks among the band’s best.
It’s not that these songs are “soft”
or even that bad; they still carry a
hint of the old Green Day if you lis
ten closely. The album even has a
few old-school rockers, such as
“Castaway” and “Deadbeat Holi
day,” but the biggest surprise is the
kinky “Blood, Sex and Booze,” an
ode to bondage and domination that
seems out of place compared to the
rest of the “adult” tracks.
“Warning” is not a terrible al
bum, but it suffers from the “transi
tion curse.” Most bands that live
past their third records inevitably
put out albums that reflect a
“broader perspective” and “grow
ing maturity.” Some are bad, some
are good, and this one still has
some growing up to do.
Those who liked the whiplash
inducing punk rawk of “Dookie”
will be somewhat disappointed,
but give it a chance. Remember,
you’ll be old some day too.
THEATRE
University
Theatre
presents
The Art Of
Saturday, Oct. 7
7 pm
ALL TICKETS $5
GENERAL ADMISSION
A Mask/Mime/Puppet
show for the entire family
IS ll?>|686-2458
■ m 492 E. 13th Ave
www.bijou-cinemas.com
ftenttha Bijou any morning
or afternoon for parties, ale.
THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FILM LOVERS!
21 YEARS OF WONDERFUL FILMS!!
WHY DO WOMEN FIND
THIS MAN IRRESISTIBLE?
ij
1
TWO THUMBS UP!
A REAL TREAT!”
Roger Ebert t Richard Roe per
ROGER EBERT l THE MOVIES
TAO OF STEVE
5:05, 7:15 & 9:25pm Nightly gy
Sun Mat 3:00pm-SOON. Girt On The Bridge
4:45, 7:00 &£10pm Nightly |ig
Sun Mat 2:30om-SOON. Ballad Of Ramblin' Jack
JIJOU LateNite $3 TH-SA/S2 SU-WE
Directedby KeenenIvory Wayana . .
Scary Movie 11:20pm
“SKMiHI Nightly
Writton l Diroetod by John WHort 11:30pm
CECIL B. DEMB^TE&b Nightly
Oregon daily emerald
WORLDWIDE
www.dailyeimrald.com ||
all events are FREE
JFJH
h fas
jamie rust
thu | oct 5
8-1 Opm
4*
ethan daniel davidson
acoustic folk/rock
fri l°ct 6 eclectic open mic
9pm-midnight music | performance art | theatre
Sign-up to perform at The Break (located next to The Buzz)
For more info call Jessica at 346-3725
sat | oct 7
9-11pm
mon | oct 9
9pm-11:30pm
jamie rust
acoustic rock
poetry open mic
Sign-up to perform at The Break (located next to The Buzz)
For more info call Jessica at 346-3725
the buzz | emu ground floor
www.emu.uoregon.edu/buzz
HOUSE OF
RECORDS
mmm, good, vinyl!
BUY, SELL
& TRADE
NEW AND
USED
CDS, VINYL
& TAPES
♦ plVIenamins ♦
.
pm™
A Place for Families ft Friends
Delicious Pub Fare
Handcrafted Ales and Wines,
East 19th Street Cafe
1485 E. 19th Street 342-4205
North Bank
22 Club Road 343-5622
High Street Brewery & Cafe
1243 High Street 345-4905
ALL i^OOD. ALES AND WINES AVAILABLE TO GO
WWW.MCMENAMINS.GOM