144: Green Day - Dookie (1994)
"[Dookie] generates new fans all the time just because I think it’s so pure at heart. It’s what it’s like to feel like a young person. There’s no self-parody at all. It’s just the truth. It’s moments where you’re talking about jerking off to having a new girlfriend. Thirty years on, it’s just been a trip."
—Billie Joe Armstrong
In 1994, Green Day introduced a whole new generation to punk rock with their major label debut, Dookie. There has been a lot of discourse over the years about whether or not Green Day are “real” punk rock, but Dookie has endured as a classic of ‘90s rock, containing numerous standards that have long-since been memorized by anyone reasonably fluent in the rock of the era. Phil discovered Green Day when he was 12 years old - the ideal age for absorbing their combination of crude-but-relatable lyrics and hyper-catchy music, and he still loves them to this day, so he’s absolutely thrilled to get a chance to talk to Dan and Rich about how much he loves Dookie.
Miscellany
This album features some foul language and adult themes, so this episode has the explicit tag turned on and the bleeps turned off. So be wary if you have small children around — though to be fair, that’s how many of us got into Green Day back in 1994!
Dookie celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and the Library of Congress did indeed induct it into the National Recording Registry for 2024. Other inductees include Parallel Lines by Blondie, Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane, Arrival by ABBA, and the self-titled debut by the Cars.
At 14.6 million copies sold worldwide, Dookie is the third-highest-selling album we’ve featured on Discord & Rhyme, behind Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. (22 million) and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (30.3 million).
As per the oral history of the band linked below, it was actually Rob Cavallo who knew how to play every Beatles song by heart, not Billie Joe Armstrong, but this fact definitely explains why he had an ear for the kind of classic hooks that were part of the Green Day sound.
We didn’t realize that Heathers star Shannen Doherty had just recently passed away when we mentioned the movie a couple times, so our bringing it up was a coincidence. RIP!
Other links
The official Green Day website (greenday.com)
The oral history of Dookie, 30 years later (The Ringer)
Finding identity and inspiration in Green Day’s Dookie (The Current)
Discord & Rhyme’s Dookie playlist (Spotify)
Discord & Rhyme’s merch store (TeePublic)
Discord & Rhyme Roll Call
Phil Maddox (host)
Rich Bunnell (moderator)
Dan Watkins
John McFerrin (special guest appearance)
Dookie tracklist
Burnout
Having a Blast
Chump
Longview
Welcome to Paradise
Pulling Teeth
Basket Case
She
Sassafras Roots
When I Come Around
Coming Clean
Emenius Sleepus
In the End
F.O.D.
All by Myself (hidden track)
Other clips used
Green Day:
Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Paper Lanterns
2000 Light Years Away
Panic Song
A Quick One ... While He's Away
Welcome to Paradise (Kerplunk! Version)
She (4-track demo)
Dominated Love Slave
J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)
Bab's Uvula Who?
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
Jinx
Church on Sunday
Last Ride In
Others:
Lieut. Jim Europe’s 369th US Inf. (Hell Fighters) Band (James Reese Europe) - Clarinet Marmalade
Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian - Rose Room
Gene Autry - Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Perry Como - Catch a Falling Star
Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder
Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats - Rocket ‘88
Johnny Mathis - Chances Are
The Yardbirds - For Your Love
"Weird Al" Yankovic - The Alternative Polka
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Canadian Idiot
Blink-182 - What's My Age Again?
Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love
Operation Ivy - Sound System
Ramones - I Don't Wanna Walk Around with You
Hüsker Dü - Could You Be the One
Nomeansno - Humans
Band/album personnel
Billie Joe Armstrong – lead vocals, guitar, production, mixing
Mike Dirnt – bass, backing vocals, production, mixing
Tré Cool – drums; guitar, lead vocals (15), production, mixing
Rob Cavallo, Green Day – production, mixing
Jerry Finn – mixing
Neill King – engineer
Casey McCrankin – engineer
Credits
“Discord & Rhyme (theme),” composed by the Other Leading Brand, contains elements of:
Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf
Amon Düül II - Dehypnotized Toothpaste
The Dukes of Stratosphear - What in the World?? ...
Faith No More - Midlife Crisis
Herbie Hancock - Hornets
Kraftwerk - Autobahn
Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen
Green Day - Having a Blast (this episode only)
You can buy or stream Dookie and other albums by Green Day your local record store, or the usual suspects such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon. Follow Discord & Rhyme on Instagram @DiscordPod for news, updates, and other random stuff. Editing and production are by Rich Bunnell, and special thanks to our own Mike DeFabio, the Other Leading Brand, for our amazing theme song. See you next album, and keep as cool as you can.