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Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong Looks Back at Dookie 20 Years Later

04/08/2014
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(Gibson) Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong has talked to Rolling Stone about the band's breakthrough Dookie album of 1994. Dookie has now sold an estimated 20 million copies worldwide, and turned Green Day from a fringe "punk" trio into major stars.

Of the record label bidding war around Green Day just before, BJA says: "We didn't know what it meant. We thought it was prank calls. There were a lot of those second- and third-rate Nirvanas and Soundgardens around - we didn't fit that mold. The labels weren't really looking for us."

For Dookie, Green Day recorded - for the first time - in a lavish studio. Armstrong says, "Our first album [1990's 39/Smooth] cost $700 to make. Kerplunk! was like $1200. "Let's record these as fast as we can - because we don't have a choice." This time, I learned how to dial in good sounds, get the best guitar tones. I was able to take a little time doing vocals. I loved that experience."

That said, Armstrong says the band had no real plan. "Let's just record this thing, and make sure we have money left over, so we can pay our rent, in case anything happens."

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