Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is thrilled with the band’s induction into the 2015 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
Formed in 1987, the San Francisco Bay-area band are headed to the Hall alongside Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Lou Reed, Bill Withers, Ringo Starr and the “5” Royales.
"I had to go for a walk," Armstrong tells Rolling Stone. "I wound up at this cafe and I sat down and my son met up with me. I told him and he was like, 'Oh my God. No way.' It just took some time to sink in. We're in incredible company and I'm still trying to make sense of this. It's just incredible."
“For me, rock & roll is not an outdated term,” he explains. “To me, it means freedom. It was a way for me to express myself and I'm eternally grateful for the fact that I've been able to do that pretty much my whole life. It's never lost that meaning for me, whether I'm a fan myself or for Green Day fans. It's just the most liberating thing in the world. The fact that we're getting recognized for it in the company we have, it's just an incredible feeling.”
Green Day first attended a Rock Hall induction in 2002.
“The first time we ever went, we played in the place of the Ramones and did a bunch of their songs,” says Arsmtrong. “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has always held something for me because my heroes were in there. I know it's still a young institution, but I look at classic rock records as being the modern classics. I look at ‘Tommy’ by The Who and think that should be played like someone interpreting Beethoven. That's what rock & roll has always meant to me. It's the modern classics of the 20th century and now the 21st.”
While the frontman says the band are “all in a surreal state right now” processing the news, he expects the group will perform at the ceremony and was asked how they’ll select the three songs for their induction performance.
“I don't know,” ponders Armstrong. “We'll get there. It's hard because there's the Lookout years that are important to us. It would be nice to play something from those years that's meaningful. We'll see.”
The 30th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 18 at Cleveland’s Public Hall.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, December 18 at 10 a.m. EST.
See also:
Stevie Ray Vaughan, Green Day lead 2015 Rock Hall inductees
Stevie Ray Vaughan tops fan vote for 2015 Rock Hall induction
Green Day leads list of 2015 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame nominees
Green Day to release demo compilation for Record Store Day
Search Green Day at hennemusic
