But is that enough? Sure, it worked out great for Dee Snider and Twisted Sister, but can Green Day survive into the year 2000 with just a handful of good songs and a peppy attitude?

You decide.

Unpretentious, unpredictable, underappreciated, sometimes underwhelming, but always a hoot, Green Day is the '90s punk equivalent to, say, the J. Geils Band: good pop songs, nice guys, no agenda, no politics, just a rollicking good time. Or so it seems. But what about those of us who want a little more from their rock and than three chords and an attitude? What about those of us who want a little venom in their bite? Sure, Green Day is one of the only bands from the early-'90s punk resurgence that's actually had some staying power (anybody seen hide nor hair of the Offspring or Rancid lately? A recent Kurt Cobain sightings? Anyone? Anyone?), but that alone doesn't really make them a great band.

Yet c'mon, who in their right minds wouldn't find the wacky, no-frills antics of vocalist Billie Joe, drummer Tre Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt to be nothing less than hilarious and super-keen? Well, me for one, but that's besides the point. There are millions of young, impressionable, brainwashed kids out there who need their fix of powerpop punk just as much as us jaded old-timers. Don't they deserve a group to hang onto, a group to call their own? Well, sure they do, and Green Day is just the band for the job.

Bright, funny, yet seemingly calculated, over the phone lead vocalist Billie Joe has all the right answers to all the wrong questions. "We really try to push ourselves artistically as much we possibly can," he says. "To make the best records we possibly can and write the best songs."

After two albums on the ultra-hip indie label Lookout Records (1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours and Kerplunk), and three successful major-label albums on Reprise, Green Day have clearly proven they're no flash-in-the-pan. "It's too late, we're not a one-hit-wonder. We've already far surpassed anything we ever imagined that we could possibly do. People are just stupid," says Billie Joe. Yet, like legendary showman Rodney Dangerfield, Green Day still get no respect. Hardcore punks call 'em sell-outs and alternative rockers have moved on to the Next Big Thing, while the credibility-damaging mainstream rock fans embrace them in droves. All the while, pop critics around the world seem to be predicting their demise.

Billie just shrugs, "I never really liked those people anyway when I started getting into punk rock music. They can really kiss my ass for all I care. They can say whatever they want, but they're getting paid to say it so fuck 'em. I think that attitude about selling out in the punk rock scene and the political side of it is needed. It keeps people on their toes. If everybody agreed on everything it would be really boring."

Green Day is the classic success story, complete with tons of hard work and a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. After going the route of indie albums and van tours, the earnest threesome scored a deal with Reprise and released their 1994 magnum opus Dookie, the album that helped launch punk rock into the mainstream with the smash singles "Long View," "When I Come Around" and "Basket Case." As the album generated hit after hit, Green Day found themselves in a precarious position: trying to hold onto their old fans and indie credibility, while simultaneously trying to branch out, be successful, and have hits. Not that they're all about the Benjamins. "I just write my songs," Billie states plainly.

Since their Dookie, the band has defied all critical logic. Every time Green Day release an album, critics swear that it will flop, claiming that the group was lucky with that last one, but this new disc is sure to sink their ship. And every time, the critics are proven wrong. When Green Day's second Reprise effort, Insomniac, failed to stay in the top 20 as long as Dookie did, critics pointed fingers and screamed, "See I told ya so!" Yet the infectious single "Geek Stink Breath" just kept picking up steam and getting airplay, and the album turned out to be a steady-selling hit.

When Green Day's latest album Nimrod was released, naysayers then screamed, "Oh my God, there's a ballad with acoustic guitar! They're dead meat!" Yet the album has become a smash, and said ballad. "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)," is turning out to be Green Day's biggest hit to date. In fact, "Time Of Your Life" has become such a crossover smash, it's been featured on a recent episode of the TV hospital drama ER and in the much-ballyhooed final Seinfeld episode.

So how does Billie feel about lending out his melodious pieces of art to the mainstream media? "I think that's okay," he replies. Alright, but did he watch that heartbreaking episode of ER? "I heard that it was going to be on, but I kinda purposely didn't watch it because that show is too heavy for me and I don't like having my evening filled with people dying of fucked-up diseases, so it's cool. The kid dies and they play our song or whatever. Look, these are my songs. I can do anything I damn well please with them. And you don't like it then leave it. It's as easy as that. Start your own thing. This is my thing. This is what I've done with it and there's a certain amount of pride in invested in that...I would never sell it to a commercial. I would never sell it to a Nike ad or for a telephone company or something like that."

Fair enough. So what's the major difference between riding around in the van versus flying a charter plane whilst eating caviar? Is Billie a different person today than he was when he started out in this rat race? "Ummm...I don't know. I think I'm probably a bit more wacked-out now in some sort of ways. You sort of adapt. When everything was just exploding and getting big, you're on the road so much you never get a chance to sit around and analyze it. You just keep going and you come back home and then all of a sudden things are different and people look at you funny."

But what about what about all the great unsung, underpaid punk bands? The ones that never have a big hit single? Don't they deserve to reap some of the rewards for all of Green Day's...I mean...their hard work? "I think it's pathetic if people sort of want something or feel as if I owe them something. Everybody has their place and time and I don't really feel bad for anybody. That's just how it is. I mean I don't know why it happened to be my band, but you know...fuck off." (A little testy, aren't we? Interesting...)

			"Hitchin' A Ride"
			"The Grouch"
			"King For A Day"

But wait a second! Aren't I being a little slanted in my portrayal of Billie and the boys? Don't Green Day deserve the accolades of every other hard-working American band? Yes they do, folks. The problem isn't that they're successful, or that they've made money, or that they've "sold out." The problem is that they have no mission. I don't mean a mission like saving the whales or disarming the nukes, and no, I don't mean that they have to have a purpose, because rocking hard is purpose enough for most music-lovers. It's just that they're not putting a new spin on anything. They're not challenging anyone or breaking down any walls. What exactly is Green Day bringing to the table? Teen angst? Well, they're not teens anymore, and we've got plenty of that anyway. Shock value? No, Marilyn Manson and Trent Reznor have that pretty sewn up. A raucous stage show? Yeah, but do you really fear for Green Day's lives when they play? I mean, they might jump around a lot and break some teeth, but is anyone really scared of these guys? Like really scared, like Iggy Pop-scared? No. Green Day is a fun, upbeat little punk band, nothing more, nothing less. What they lack in the element of surprise or danger, they make up with cute little pop songs...but just barely.

But let's allow Billie Joe to have the last words. When asked what, if any, message Green Day has for their fans, Billie replies, "Click," and swiftly hangs up the phone.

There you go.