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The Green Day Album That Got Them Banned From the Punk Club That Made Them Famous

In 1993, Green Day was blackballed from their local punk rock club when they signed a major label recording contract.

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Around the age of 14, Billie Joe Armstrong began writing his own music. As a child, he recorded a local track called “Look For Love” at the age of 5. At 11, he got his first electric guitar, a light-blue Fernandes Stratocaster called “Blue” that Armstrong still owns. When Armstrong was 14, he wrote his first full song titled “Why Do You Want Him?”, about his mother and stepfather. One year later, Armstrong started a band with his schoolmate and best friend Mike Dirnt. He met Dirnt in the school cafeteria at age 10 and instantly became friends, bonding over music. Dirnt initially wanted to become a stand-up comedian long before becoming a legendary bass player.

Originally named Sweet Children, the band recruited John Kiffmeyer to play drums. At age 17, the group renamed themselves Green Day and released their debut EP, 1,000 Hours. At the time, the band........

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