Billie Joe and John Roecker

-Okay, first, lemme thank you for doing this interview for GDA...we really appreciate it.

-No problem.

-Well, let's start off with the questions everyone's asking, AMERICAN IDIOT MOVIE. Any details yet? Actors? Overall plot? Release date?

-That is something Billie Joe is doing and he is talking to people about making this album into a movie which is a brilliant idea. The album always seemed
like a movie to me and I cannot wait to see it unfold on the screen. i have the utmost faith in the project and his vision. But this is not to be confused with the movie we are making which is a documentary slash mockumentary about the making of the album which will be a cross between the movies Let it Be and Head.

-People are confused about the story within the album. Is it about a schizophrenic? Is it a dream? How do you plan on tying those things into the movie?

-The concept of the record is up to anyone's interpretation. I feel once a record or any other piece of art is in the hands of the people it is up to them on how they want to read the work. American Idiot is universal and everyone can
identify with the events or characters in the album.

-I absolutely adored Live Freaky Die Freaky. Do you plan on making this another puppet controlled film?

-Okay there will be two movies. the movie we are doing is what I said before. The movie I am making will have charcters and the behind the scenes of the album etc. and it wil never have a puppet in it! After Live Freaky! I would never touch another puppet if my life.

-How is it working with Green Day? Is it as absolutely fantastic as we all think it is?

-It was beyond anything I could have imagine. The months flew by and I would do anything to go back to that. I am so glad we filmed the sessions because it
would be a travesty not having that on film. Billie called me on a
Sunday and said they were  going to be in the studio th next day and I better be there to film it! It was just like that. You don't question the master. He trusted me that I wouldn't fuck up and I hope I didn't. It is so hard for me to tell you
how it felt being alone filming Billie doing "Wake me up when September ends" just us alone  with us in the studio. Or Mike or Tre recording their parts for
the record. I felt truly honored being in the company of these geniuses. And now I have 150 hours of film to prove what incredible artist they are and it
is going to be very hard to edit this movie. The Metallica movie came out during the time I was filming this and at first I was threatened because of the reviews that the movie got.  But then I realized that the reviews were only about a band that was in conflict I didnt get so worried. My band, Green Day was
not a band in conflict. But a band that was at their peak!

-How long do you think it'll take to spit out another punk film? How long did Live Freaky Die Freaky take?

-Live Freaky took two years which is too long...this other movie will be out next year. When I did the Teenagers for Mars video for that other band The Network it was shot and edited in one day and that is how punk rock should be. Fast and no regrets.

-What are your views on the new album? How do you like the songs, the structure, the new sound?

-The album American Idiot to me is the greatest album I have ever heard. Green Day is the only band that matters and there is a reason for that. They do not stop and rest on their laurels they are always reinventing themselves. There is only one band that I can compare them to and that is the Beatles and I can
say that  because I am the proud mother that boast about her talented sons. And that it's the truth.It is a fucking fact that  there is no band out there that can touch them.

-Do you think it'll hit higher than Dookie? Dookie was record-breaking, nowadays, punk is remotely hard to come by, with all the crap out there, what're your views on the youth listening to this album?

-I was in a bit of a negative tailspin about youth and to tell you the truth i was a little scared of this ambtious project. We were in this bubble recording this album and they wrote this album like they always had. AS ARTIST! They didnt compromise on Dookie. They never softened their sound for the masses. They did what they had to do, it is all or nothing it is kiss or kill and they
are always proven right . And that is why Green Day will be remebered forever and the rest will be forgotten and left in the dust. The fact is if you love Green Day your smart and that you get it.

-Do you agree with their views about rebelling against the politics in this album. Are you looking for Bush to get the boot?

-Punk rock will always be about the PEOPLE. And Green Day speaks to the people. They speak to the kid that is alone and wants to kill himself or herself. Speaks to the kid that feels he or she is ugly and is misplaced in society, They speak to Society's outcast, the misfits and the misplaced. Someone needs to be the voice of these people and they are the voice. They offer hope. That there is an alternative. That we are strong and we are not alone.
 

-Well, on a lighter note, how's The Network DVD coming along? I heard it was outstanding, and mine is currently in transit.

-The Network movie will be out in October and is a masterpiece a great band that speaks only for themselves and Patrick Nagel.

-I'll tell everyone out there to pickup a copy. Do you like their
new-wave attitude and synthy tunes? It's fantastic. It tided all Green Day fans over 'till American Idiot. Are they still putting up the front that it's not them?

-No it is not them. They are right here licking my feet as i write this. Such good boys.

-Anyway, American Idiot is out there, and people are loving it.
Anything to say to the fans?

-I just think what fun we have in store for the future and how great it is that this band has fans that are so intelligent and get what they are doing. These time may be hard, and there are so many people out there that are going to try to shut us up.. But it aint gonna happen!

-Thanks a lot for your time and if any news progresses in the movie, please, let Green Day Authority know! You've done a wonderful job on all other projects, and we can't wait for this one. Again, we really appreciate it. Visit www.greendayauthority.com, relay the message to the guys if you can too! Thanks again.