These days, it is strictly the boulevard of dreams.
Thirty-eight years after Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool came together to form the legendary rock band Green Day, the trio has been awarded a significant honor for their distinctive sound and commitment: a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Of course, in Green Day fashion, the musicians celebrated this prestigious honor with good food and friends.
“I tried many things that resembled Slurpees,” bass player and singer Dirnt, 52, playfully mentioned to The Post while discussing their latest Kerplunk Kandy Grape Slurpee creation for 7-Eleven at the Kerplunk Kandy Speakeasy event in Hollywood on Friday.
“Mariachi!” drummer Cool, 52, chimed in.
“Indeed, a mariachi band,” lead singer and guitarist Armstrong, 53, added. “We visited El Compadre yesterday, those guys are our friends. It was really enjoyable.”
The good times didn’t stop there as Cool shared, “I went to a basketball game.”
But when they came around, all teasing aside, Armstrong, Dirnt, and Cool couldn’t be more thankful for their star.
“Hollywood’s literally been a second home to us since we started making big records with Rob Cavallo,” Dirnt expressed. “Outside of the work and glitz and glamour, I think everybody can tell that Hollywood has a big heart too. As soon as something happens people always step up. You can see it with the fires, you can see it with a lot of different things. It’s nice to get our hat tipped like that.”
After Armstrong and Dirnt founded the group in 1987, they brought in Cool on the drums in 1990. The magic that ensued didn’t disappoint as Green Day went on to win five Grammys, with 19 total nominations. By 2015, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Now, the rockers are taking a trip down memory lane – 34 years ago to be exact – to when they released their second studio album “Kerplunk.”
In honor of the legendary record, Armstrong, Cool and Dirnt created a Slurpee with the convenience store chain.
While at the pop-up, Armstrong reminisced on making the album, recalling, “We did it in three days. I think it was like a 1200 dollar budget and we smuggled our records over to Europe and we toured there for the first time.”
He added, “It a record that’s been around for a long time and we still play songs off it.”
“I think that record is really where we decided to solidify our identity as Billie, Mike and Tré,” explained Dirnt. “And really get to know our sound.”
Looking back on the 16 track album, Armstrong feels there is a song that was underrated at the time.
“I really love the song ‘One of My Lies,’” he admitted. “We always play it.”
“They all hold a special spot,” Dirnt added. “We’ll break out songs from that record like ‘Christie Road’ or ‘Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?’ Like Billie said, ‘One of My Lies.’ It’s a treat for us to go back and play them too.”
And while a blast from the past will always hold a special place in their hearts – and in their Slurpees – the future is just as bright for Green Day.
Hot off headlining Coachella for the first time last month, fans can expect many more performances and new music from their favorite American rock band.
“We’re going to play BottleRock and Riot Fest in Chicago. We’re playing Ohana [Festival],” listed Armstrong. “We’re going to go the South America. And then we’re going to finish out the year and then we’ll see what happens after that.”
As the super star put it, “We’re always working on new music.”
Kerplunk Kandy Grape Slurpee is now available at 7-Eleven for a limited time only. Fans in Los Angeles can attend the speakeasy pop-up on Saturday May 3 and Sunday May 4 in Hollywood.
