What’s your name?

Cathy Bouris

What’s the most unusual item on your dresser?

2 year old Easter eggs… ewwww

How long have you been a Green Day fan?

Since I was 4, so.... 9 years!

What song got you started as a fan?

Time Of Your Life, I LOVED it when I was 4.

Do you get upset when people call Green Day pop-punk? Why or why not?

I think ‘pop’ means ‘popular’ and their roots lie in punk, so unless they mean that Green Day market things for the teenies, then no, I don’t get upset.

Green Day started before the internet, back when punk spread exclusively by word of mouth and touring in person. Do you think that now they use the internet, do they get it? What could they do better? Do they use MySpace effectively or is it just their fans?

Green Day hardly ever go on MySpace and I think that’s a breath of fresh air, as everyone and the kitchen sink AND THEIR DOG go on MySpace nowadays, so having my 3 favourite bands practically steer clear of it is good.

Comment on the whole argument that Green Day have “sold out”.

People say this about ANY of their little home-town/garage/PureVolume (website where panic! at the disco were first heard) bands get big. They’re upset that the shows won’t be as small anymore, the band members not as open or as poor as they were. Saying that a band are ‘sell-outs’ just proves that whoever said it is a selfish, pretentious whinger.

If Green Day have not sold out, give examples of ways in which they have stayed true to the essence of punk.

They still trash their guitars, they do whatever the hell they want, they write anthems like it’s breathing, their attitude still cries ‘I’M A PUNK! BITE ME!’

What is the essence of punk anyway?

I think the essence of punk is DIY ethics, an independent attitude, a disliking of the people in power haha and being crap musicians e.g Sex Pistols. But Green Day are awesome musicians so they could be considered new-age punk or something.

There is something very “male” about Green Day’s songs. Perhaps because they are written by Billie Joe, and Billie Joe is male. Do you agree with this statement? Do you think this is a good thing?

Well yeah. If you’re a guy who’s in love with a girl then you’re going to write about that girl. If you’re a girl who loves a guy then you’re going to write about that guy. Billie Joe sees things from a male perspective, so that’s how he writes. Do you want him to write songs about being able to ‘step out with the girls for a public affair’?!?!

Which of these statements do you agree with more?

- It’s really important and interesting to trace the influences between Green Day and other punk bands: who did something first, who copied who…

OR

- For me it’s all about the music. If the music’s good, that’s all that is important.

The second statement, definitely. The first one is absolute tripe. Who cares who did what first? It only matter who’s doing what now. The music is brilliant, and yes, it is capable for other punk bands to have had good music too. But I honestly doubt Green Day sit around going ‘OH GOLLY! We can’t write about the government, the [Sex] Pistols did that first. Oh drat!’

How has starting to play the guitar changed the way you listen to bands? (Or if it hasn’t yet, say that.)

I haven’t practised the guitar much this year, but it has changed how I listen to bands in a way, I pay more attention to their chords and their riffs.

Early Green Day EP and album covers mostly had cartoons with inside jokes on them. What’s with the black white and red colour scheme they’re using now? How did it evolve?

I think it just shows that they’ve matured. They tend to wear black, red and white more often now, so the American Idiot colour scheme was just the beginning of their new image.

Do you know the original meaning of “Green Day”? What does the band name mean to you?

On 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, they have a song called ‘Green Day’ on it. It talks about drugs. A ‘Green Day’ is a day where you do nothing except smoke pot.

How do you feel about Green Day being almost old enough to be your parents?

Well all 3 of my favourite bands are all over the age of 30 (Green Day, Beatles & U2, and 2 of the Beatles are dead), so I think it’s good that they can still make music as good (possibly better) as when they were 17!