Longview

Now, depending on when you discovered Green Day, you probably have a very different idea of what this band represents.

Maybe you remember the first time you heard Longview on the radio.

Maybe you were watching MTV when Basket Case came blasting through the television.

Maybe you discovered them through Good Riddance, Time of Your Life, a song that somehow became the soundtrack to practically every high school graduation in America.

If you ever needed proof that Trey was more than just the band's resident comedian, there it is.

The guy can flat out play.

Now let's talk about Longview.

Because this song is one of the greatest examples of turning absolutely nothing into something brilliant.

But, but, but, but if you'd asked me...

Like, Green Day, when we played Lollapalooza, when it was traveling in the '90s, '94, Green Day was like, they were the second-stage baby band, and, like, Longview had just kinda come out.

If you had told me that not only was Green Day gonna be a huge stadium band, if you had told me that, like, let's call it SoCal or California power pop punk, whatever that is, was gonna be huge as it became, especially with you guys, I would have bet a lot of money against it.

Yeah.

And I saw a bunch of... my dad got me into like glam rock you know in the 80s okay rat poison tesla motley crew kicks you know all the bands cinderella um and i just i fell in love with that stuff and there was always musical instruments around the house and then um i saw rat and poison when i was six my brother was four i think and i was like i want to do that that's what i want to do and then uh So we started playing band and stuff in the bedroom, like line up our teddy bears and stuff and like play concerts for, you know, like front playing, you know, Motley Crue's like Shout at the Devil front to back, you know, just like being like we're on stage.

And finally, once I got into teenage years, like 12, 13, 14, Green Day came out with Longview and then Basket Case.

And I was like, OK, I definitely want to do this now.

We should do this for real.

I sit around and watch the tube, but nothing's on.

Which is Longview.

It begins with no break.

The verses are Carried by a Trey Cool on the toms and Mike Dirnt's bassline, while Billie Joe sings about the unsatisfying monotony of his life, TV, weed, and jerking off.

Blew my mind.

So Green Day, I knew of like Longview and stuff, but I went back and bought the Lookout stuff.

And I was like, these guys have been amazing for forever.

And that was a huge influence.

It was the Smells Like Teen Spirit music video, which I think probably, what, 10 billion teenagers had that exact same experience.

And then the other one was actually the Longview video by Green Day, which there was something really cool about the Longview video that immediately, it was like a mind-blowing moment for me.

which I was like, what is that guitar with the four thick strings on it? What in the world is that? It looks so cool when his fingers go against it.

And so that's something I, there was the desperation That helped me through it.

So let's see.

1994, we got Longview, Basket Case, Welcome to Paradise, When I Come Around...

J-A-R, Jar Geek, Stink Breath, Stuck With Me, Brainstew, Slash Jaded, Hitch and a Ride, Good Riddance, Time of Your Life, Redundant, Nice Guys Finished Last, and then into the 2000s.

We have Minority, Warning, Waiting, Pop Rocks and Coke, I Fought the Law, and then American Idiot, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Holiday, Wake Me Up When September Ends, Jesus of Suburbia, The Saints Are Coming With You Too, Working Class Hero, I think that's a Bob Dylan song, isn't it? John Lennon song, that's what it is.

Back to one point for question four.

Which American rockers made their UK Top 40 debut in 1994 with the song Welcome to Paradise and then had hits in 95 with Basket Case and Longview? That's Green Day.

Certainly is Green Day for a point.

For two points, complete the title of this Dusty Springfield classic from 1968.