This is what happens when I screw up too many times.
Know Your Enemy Blooper
Reply
Know Your Enemy Guitar Cover
Kind of behind but I’ll make up the ground in the coming days.
Letterbomb Guitar Cover
Might be my favorite song off “American Idiot.” I know it’s BIllie Joe’s at least.
Castaway Write-Up: Car Rides
Car rides in 2000 were awkward.
Our parents were pretty up on the ESRB, the MPAA and Parental Advisory stickers by the time my brother and I were performing Fatalities on our SNES. But in 1999, this little thing called Napster was released and like any impressionable, golden hearted children, we used all of the space on our Windows 95 to download as much music as we possibly could, including all the albums our parents wouldn’t allow us to have.
That brings us back to the awkward car rides.
My brother was attached to his Walkman and whenever our mom had to drive us anywhere, he’d bring the CD player. He would also bring what appeared to be a magical tape with a wire running out of it that allowed him to play his CDs through the car stereo. He, of course, played “Warning” non-stop and more than any track, I remember hearing “Castaway” the most.
Another little thing was released in 1999 and it was called “The Slim Shady LP.” With how controversial and amazingly talented Eminem was, it was a no-brainer to download his music (in secret of course). Thing is, once we had the album, my brother didn’t very much care if my parents knew it or not. He’d brazenly play the tracks through the car stereo knowing full well he wasn’t supposed to have it.
To keep the peace in the car however, my brother would hold the volume knob through the duration of Eminem’s songs and lower the volume every time an obscenity was dropped, like we didn’t already know what was being said during the late silence of “Den da den da den da, go go gadget di…”
Though I feel this with all of the tracks on “Warning,” “Castaway” especially brings back memories of attending my brother’s baseball games (against my will), having fun running to the top of giant piles of dark yellow dirt and kicking rocks up and down the sidewalks in between baseball fields to pass the time. The dirty guitar scratches that dominate the song give off a folksy rock ‘n’ roll feel that always reminds me of South Jersey and its charmingly beat-up baseball fields.
I also can’t help remembering the car rides to and fro the games where my brother’s teammate would say how much he loved “Castaway” and then my brother would yell “I know!” while holding the volume knob on the car stereo for five minutes.
By the way, “Castaway” is a solid flick, Hanks can’t be beat, son!
Castaway Guitar Cover
One of my all-time favorite Green Day songs and also one of the first rock songs I listened to.
Platypus (I Hate You) Write-Up: Mystery Behind the Nimrod Track
“Dickhead, fuck face, cock smoking, motherfucking, asshole, dirty twat, waste of semen, I hope you die, hey!”
I remember this song being an anomaly when I first heard it. First off, it was named “Platypus,” which I knew was some type of animal or mythical creature (or both) but I wasn’t completely sure why it was named that, especially since the “real” name was in these fancy parentheses I’d never seen used for a song before.
It was also mysterious because the lyrics weren’t included in the CD’s booklet. Apparently the record label wasn’t feeling the contents of the song and told them to nix the lyrics out of the booklet, which makes no sense since it’s pretty damn clear what’s being said during that bridge. I don’t know if that’s a myth or not but that’s what was cool about the song: it was an enigma.
I was pretty much used to Green Day’s style by the time I grabbed “Nimrod” but man did they go hard on that song. “Platypus” comes out of nowhere after the mid-tempo “Worry Rock” and is just a pure adrenaline rush of hate. It sounded like Billie Joe and Mike were having seizures but just in the wrist area. And that bridge will stick with you, especially when you don’t know what half of it means. There was just an aura of mystery surrounding the song and that kept me interested.
But I remember it most for being one of my favorite tracks off “Nimrod.” Songs where you can hear a physical aggression with the instruments get my heart pumping and I love that. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to say, “Dickhead, fuck face, cock smoking, motherfucking, asshole, dirty twat, waste of semen, I hope you die, hey!” in the middle of the song either.
Platypus (I Hate You) Guitar Cover
That hurt. Fun stuff though.
Basket Case Write-Up: Measuring Stick for Guitarists
What’s up with the perception that single-note riffs are more impressive than solid chord progressions?
At the very basic core of every song is some type of tempo or beat and a chord progression. It may be a stagnant note but it’s still there to influence the song’s sound.
We’re so quick to say that shredders are the best guitarists but why? Just because a musician doesn’t show-off during every song doesn’t make him or her bad at their instrument. Steve Vai can make a complex, technical and admittedly, impressive solo but how many people can honestly say his riffs are on the same level as those written by Pete Townshend and Tony Iommi; reserved guitarists that created classic after classic for years.
Point is, just because something is complicated and complex doesn’t make it better or worse than something simple. Often times, the densest pattern of notes is still not as complex as a simple chord progression.
By stripping a song of all its flash, you have a bare and fragile piece of music. It takes balls and lots of skill to take that piece of music and turn it into something special and continually listenable. It’s easy to throw some flash here and there, but to push just the right amount of buttons and going into it with full head of steam is to create something endlessly memorable.
Most of the songs on “Dookie” qualify for this description (and I’ll probably revisit this discussion after recording “When I Come Around”) but “Basket Case” in particular because of how recognizable it is. It’s tough to forget the song after the bare-bones intro explodes into “I think I’m cracking up!” as Tre Cool goes into total Garth-mode.
It’s that simple opening chord progression with the lyrics, “Do you have the time to listen to me whine about nothing and everything all at once?” that joyously causes uproar at their shows night after night.
If a guitar player can make the very standard chord progression in “Basket Case” one of the most exciting and memorable riff and track this generation, then how does that not make him or her an incredible guitarist?
Basket Case Guitar Cover
The first of many Green Day covers. Thought I’d start off with a banger. You can find the guitar tabs here.