Billie Joe Armstrong Pens Six New Green Day Songs While in Quarantine
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has been busy woodshedding some new tunes while under quarantine. In total, the rocker estimates he's got about six fresh jams ready to introduce to the band.
Not to say the musician hasn't kept himself otherwise occupied. Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Armstrong last month staged a charity-minded performance from his home. After that, the entertainer offered his take on a classic punk cover, and Green Day surprise-released the Big Otis Guitar Mix remix EP.
Still, Armstrong's home state of California has issued a stay-at-home order to slow the spread of COVID-19. So that means the musician has plenty of time to brainstorm new Green Day, as he recently revealed to Kerrang. All the same, it's unclear when he'll be able to reconvene with his bandmates.
"I've been writing a lot of music, and I had all these melodies in my head, so I wrote, like, six songs since all of this has been going on," Armstrong explained.
"I don't know when I can get together with Mike and Tré," he continued, "but I told them to make sure that they're quarantined for now, and then I hope down the road we can get back in the studio with [Father Of All… producer] Butch Walker."
Apart from his musical activities, however, the Green Day figurehead appears to spend his time in isolation much the same as anyone else. That means plenty of television, books and time with close family.
"I've just been indoors like everyone else on the planet right now, waiting around to see what happens next!" Armstrong said. "I've been going through The Office a lot, going through all of my punk and rock 'n' roll documentaries, trying to read a little bit here and there, and hanging out with my dogs. [My wife] Adrienne and I have just been stuck in the house the whole time."
But the musician maintains some apprehension concerning the global health crisis, and he confessed a notion of powerlessness about the situation. After all, the COVID-19 death toll is approaching 10,000 in the United States, as CBS News reported Monday (April 6). On top of that, the Green Day singer initially had to maintain distance from his children, sons Joseph Marciano Armstrong and Jakob Danger Armstrong.
"I feel pretty lost in all of this," Armstrong admitted. "I think a lot of people are trying to do the right thing and be with their families and friends as much as they can."
He added, "It’s been hard because I wasn't able to see [my two sons] Joey or Jakob at first as they were touring Europe. We had to keep a distance, and it's just been me and Adrienne. When you have that separation, you realize that we take for granted some of the things that matter most to us."
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