Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong reflects on 25 years of ‘Dookie’

In an Instagram post, Billie Joe Armstrong reflects on the past quarter of a century since the release of Green Day‘s legendary album Dookie. The record was released on this day back in 1994.

The post lists the many things Armstrong remembers about that time in his life including, “fist fights at Gilman street,” “tuning 21,” and “wanting and dreading to be a rockstar.”

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“You have to have gratitude for the bad and the ugly too,” Armstrong says of the past 25 years. “I hope people keep listening.. cause we’ll keeping playing.”

Additionally, in celebration of the 25th-anniversary of their first album, Armstrong admits that they tried to come up with something special. Unfortunately, the band couldn’t create anything that felt right. However, Armstrong assures fans that there is a lot of time left in 2019.

 

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Random thoughts and gratitude for the 25 year anniversary of the big D: We wanted to think of something special to do but we couldn’t quite come up with anything.. Maybe play the record in its entirety at the pyramids in Egypt. Or jam it Machu Picchu ? Exclusive in Viggiano.? Never quite came to fruition.. But never despair. 2019 still has time.. Dookie makes me think about Berkeley a lot. Our house on Ashby and Ellsworth a block from telegraph avenue. Living in a basement with a band called East Bay Weed Company. Our friend Ben Mattick… socialist college girls living up stairs. Coming up with she and coming clean. Riding bikes and bong hits. Turning 21. Pete’s Wicked Ale. Hysterical laughter. Maniacal laughter. Butterball turkey. “The Ashby house” was our little punk house. I would write songs all night and wake up at 2:00 pm. Have a bagel and a coffee on the front steps.. debilitating panic attacks.. my guitar, my Marshall, my 4 track tape recorder. Weird A &R dudes sniffing around. Eventually Meeting producer Rob Cavallo.. we learned so much from him. Playing Beatles songs over and over… Richie Bucher’s amazing ep cover he did for a band called Raúl inspired us to ask him to do the cover art for Dookie. Mike’s G3 bass. Tre’s Noble coolly snare… driving in my old Ford Fairlane hearing Longview on the radio for the first time. Blair Hess. our first show in Italy at a place called in bloom. Wild nights in Barcelona.. having a lot of uncertainty about our future but not giving a shit. Wanting and dreading to be a rock star.. if that’s even possible.. Local punk scene backlash… Fist fights at Gilman street… stress stress stress!! You have to have gratitude for the bad and the ugly too.. Well… that’s the random thoughts I have for now… I hope people keep listening.. cause we’ll keeping playing… love BJ

A post shared by Billie Joe Armstrong (@billiejoearmstrong) on

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Recently, Green Day announced that they would be selling some of their used Dookie instruments and memorabilia. Of the instruments that are gearing up to be sold, Billie Joe Armstrong has listed his very first guitar, a Harmony Stella Parlor acoustic, which was also used to record “F.O.D.”

However, Green Day aren’t the only ones celebrating 25 years of Dookie. The folks over at Asian Man Records have announced that a group of 924 Gilman St bands will cover the record for a compilation album.  

What are some of your fondest memories associated with Dookie? Let us know in the comments below.

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