Billie Joe Armstrong
“I’ve been around since f***ing nineteen-eighty f***ing eight and you’re gonna give me one minute?!” were some of his closing remarks at the 2012 iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas, after his bands set was cut short. “I’m not f***ing Justin Bieber, you motherf***ers!”. It could only be one man. Ladies and gents, cue Billie Joe Armstrong: foul mouthed, obnoxious and rebellious frontman of American punk-rock band, Green Day.
Since their formation in 1986, Green Day have become one of the worlds best-selling bands of all time with over seventy-five million records sold across the globe. The band have acquired five Grammy Awards (including “Best Rock Album”, twice) as well as selling-out stadiums worldwide and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year – with Armstrong being one very important third of the acclaimed trio.
Despite being part of one of the biggest bands in the U.S., this hasn’t stopped Armstrong from becoming a successful star independently. The singer has written and recorded music for a catalogue of artists, founded his own record label and starred in numerous films and Green Day’s award-winning broadway musical, American Idiot.
However – for Armstrong – with great success, comes great controversy. The musician has become notorious for his legendary rock-star persona, including being arrested at one of his bands early Wisconsin gigs in 1996 for public exposure and being arrested for further offences, including a drink-driving charge in 2003. Armstrong is known for having a strong punk image and was caught in another controversy in 2011, after being kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight reportedly because his ‘pants sagged too low’.
In addition to this, Armstrong has fully lived up to the ‘sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll’ label, admitting to a number of alcoholism and drug-related issues which have led to stints in rehab. In spite of this, Billie Joe Armstrong still remains prominent and successful in rock music today, as well as being a husband to wife Adrienne with whom he has two sons – Joseph and Jakob – making Armstrong pretty much the coolest dad ever. All in all, he has lived quite the wild lifestyle and at the age of 43, Armstrong isn’t showing any indications of slowing down – a sign of a true rock star.
Words by Megan Wilson