On New Year’s Eve, we learned the improbable fact that a trio of middle-aged, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted punks in notably well-tailored suits can somehow still shock and offend the masses. For Green Day, all it took was changing the “American Idiot” lyric “I’m not part of a redneck agenda” to “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda” during their performance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rocking Eve with Ryan Seacrest — a lyric tweak they’ve been using for years.
The ensuing freakout on social media and conservative news channels went on for days, with some commentators seeming to be downright stunned that Billie Joe Armstrong holds the left-of-center political views he’s been quite clear about for decades. “Green Day goes from raging against the machine to milquetoastedly raging for it,” Elon Musk wrote on X.
In the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, we try to make sense of the outsized reaction to Green Day’s performance — and take a look ahead at what it says about the role musicians might play in this year’s presidential campaign, with Andy Greene joining host Brian Hiatt for the discussion. To hear the full episode, go here for the podcast provider of your choice, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play above.)
In the episode, we look back at similar meltdowns in the recent past, including when right-wingers accused Rage Against the Machine, of all people, of “going woke” when it appeared their concerts had vaccine mandates. We also ponder how the current left-wing backlash against Joe Biden might affect musicians’ decisions about publicly endorsing him or performing at fundraisers; wonder how performers will find fresh things to say about Donald Trump in his third campaign for president; and debate what role Taylor Swift might end up playing in the election.
(Dick Clark Productions, which produces New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between PMC and Eldrige. PMC is the parent company of Rolling Stone.)
Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone‘s weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). Check out six years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Ice Cube, Taylor Hawkins, Willow, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Questlove, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Charlie Puth, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, and Gary Clark Jr. And look for dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters.
On New Year’s Eve, we learned the improbable fact that a trio of middle-aged, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted punks in notably well-tailored suits can somehow still shock and offend the masses. For Green Day, all it took was changing the “American Idiot” lyric “I’m not part of a redneck agenda” to “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda” during their performance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rocking Eve with Ryan Seacrest — a lyric tweak they’ve been using for years.
The ensuing freakout on social media and conservative news channels went on for days, with some commentators seeming to be downright stunned that Billie Joe Armstrong holds the left-of-center political views he’s been quite clear about for decades. “Green Day goes from raging against the machine to milquetoastedly raging for it,” Elon Musk wrote on X.
In the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, we try to make sense of the outsized reaction to Green Day’s performance — and take a look ahead at what it says about the role musicians might play in this year’s presidential campaign, with Andy Greene joining host Brian Hiatt for the discussion. To hear the full episode, go here for the podcast provider of your choice, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play above.)
In the episode, we look back at similar meltdowns in the recent past, including when right-wingers accused Rage Against the Machine, of all people, of “going woke” when it appeared their concerts had vaccine mandates. We also ponder how the current left-wing backlash against Joe Biden might affect musicians’ decisions about publicly endorsing him or performing at fundraisers; wonder how performers will find fresh things to say about Donald Trump in his third campaign for president; and debate what role Taylor Swift might end up playing in the election.
(Dick Clark Productions, which produces New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between PMC and Eldrige. PMC is the parent company of Rolling Stone.)
Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone‘s weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). Check out six years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Ice Cube, Taylor Hawkins, Willow, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Questlove, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Charlie Puth, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, and Gary Clark Jr. And look for dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters.