Written by Angeline.

The interview's around the time of Insomniac. The guys are slouched up against a bathroom wall - how many photoshoots over the years, new look for every era, putting a mark on time, putting a mark on your skin, blood and ink of another rite of passage? So Billie Joe says 'I have nothing really to be proud of, except for the fact that I happen to be a punk'. Ignore the screaming lack of self-worth in this statement - or maybe not, because 'worthless' is punk's dictionary definition - this is what it comes down to for him, the essence of how he sees himself. Then remember that this guy saying these words is the guy with a ground-breaking mega-hit album called 'Dookie' under his belt, a string of hit singles, cool videos, never off MTV - nothing to be proud of ? Not when it means that the thing he values more than all of that is being torn away from him - his identity, the right to say 'I happen to be a punk'. I didn't get to hear if he had a definition of what punk is - I don't think the guy is about definitions anyway. But to me, punk is whatever he is, and if anyone has a right to the name, it's Green Day.