Synopses & Reviews
Combining unique access to Green Day with a journalist's nose for a great story, Mark Spitz tells the complete account of the band Green Day from their earliest days to their most recent explosion in popularity--achieved after many in the business had written the band off as old news. It??'s hard to believe that in early 2004, Green Day was considered pass??--a strictly 90s phenomenon. Since then, they have rewritten the rules of rock???namely the rule that says: no comebacks allowed. Sure, there are second acts in rock, but usually they???re embarrassing. ???American Idiot??? has sold 4 million copies in America???the biggest selling rock record of the year. It??'s currently at number 20 on the charts???57 weeks after debuting at number 1. The band was awarded a Grammy for rock album of the year and seven MTV video music awards including video of the year. NOBODY LIKES YOU is a story of friendship and the transporting power of playing very loud music. It is the story of how high school drop out Billy Jo Armstrong came to write song lyrics that inflamed the political conscience of fans in a way that two Yale graduates couldn???t. Green Day??'s story???from rise, to fall, to rise again--has never been fully told, and Spin journalist Mark Spitz has exclusive access.
Synopsis
The full story of the rise and spectacular comeback of the band hailed as the saviors of punk rock
Its hard to believe that in early 2004 Green Day was considered over--the band was still together, but they were dismissed as a strictly 90s phenomenon, incapable of re-creating the success of their groundbreaking album Dookie. Then American Idiot debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts, stayed on the charts for nearly 18 months, and went on to sell more than four million records and to win Record of the Year (for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams") at this year's Grammys.
Combining unique access to Green Day with a seasoned journalists nose for a great story, Marc Spitz gives the complete account of the band, from their earliest days to their most recent explosion of popularity and critical acclaim. Foremost, Nobody Likes You is a story of friendship and the transporting power of playing very loud music. It is the story of how high school dropout Billie Joe Armstrong came to write song lyrics that inflamed the political conscience of fans in a way that two Yale graduates couldn't. Green Days story--from rise, to fall, to rise again--has never before been fully told.
About the Author
Marc Spitz is one of only two senior writers at Spin magazine, and has conducted in-depth interviews with some of the biggest modern cultural icons, including Courtney Love, The Strokes, Nine Inch Nails, and Morrissey. The January 2006 issue, featuring The Killers, will be his 13th Spin cover story. Spitz has also contributed features and reviews to The New York Post, Maxim, Nylon, The Washington Post, and GQ and has appeared on CNN, VH1, and MTV. He lives in New York City.