Rolling Stone has an interview up with Billie Joe Armstrong for its 40th Anniversary issue, and '' while not exactly news-breaking '' it'''s worth a read. Billie Joe'''s overall sentiment sounds just about right for a guy landing on the plus side of the world'''s biggest ''"I told you so''"''still rebellious and still angry, but certainly more than a little self-aware of the contradictions therein, and of the uphill battle facing a punk so embraced by the (approximate) majority. Oh, and yeah: ''"Fuck George W. Bush.''"
Among the interview's highlights:
On his early horse in the 2008 presidential race: ''"Barack Obama, but it's a bit early to tell if this is the guy I like.''"
On what song he'''d like played at his funeral: ''"It keeps changing. '''Life on Mars?''' by David Bowie. '''In My Life,''' by the Beatles. '''Love,''' by John Lennon.''"
On what he'''s learned about himself over the years: ''"Nihilism in punk rock can be a cliché. I need to give myself more room to breathe, to allow my thoughts to catch up with the rest of me.''"
On how pretentious, on a scale of 1-10, dropping a Nihilism reference in your Rolling Stone interview is: ''"15? 16? I dunno, man. It'''s up there.''" **
** (A joke, a joke. Keeping you on your toes.)
[Rolling Stone]