Bay Area heroes Green Day discuss potential collaboration with Olivia Rodrigo

frontman Billie Joe Armstrong isn't one to mince words. In an extensive interview with , he discussed everything from the band's new album "Saviors" to former President Donald Trump to pop megastar of the moment . Green Day came up in the DIY scene at Berkeley punk rock institution 924 Gilman Street, and the band still lives in the Bay Area.

In 2022, they played to in Outside Lands history, but still find the time to make rare appearances in small San Francisco venues like Kilowatt. "Saviors," to be released on January 19, is the band's 14th studio album, described as part of a trifecta with "Dookie" and "American Idiot," both of which are celebrating milestone anniversaries this year (30th and 20th, respectively).

The band will be taking the new album on the road this summer (plus celebrating those two classics) on a alongside Smashing Pumpkins. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In the Vulture interview, Armstrong spoke over the phone from his home in Oakland, describing recording the album at London's RAK Studios.

The decision to record abroad was partly to escape the polarized atmosphere of the U.S. (he calls America "a monkey on your back"). Armstrong, who has always been a fierce political critic, recently changed the lyrics to one of his songs at a New Year's Eve performance to . Speaking with Vulture, he invoked the Maya Angelou quote "when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time," regarding former President Donald Trump's comments about acting as a dictator.

| | | | Armstrong speaks candidly in the interview about his relationship with alcohol, describing his ups and downs with the substance on his way to sobriety ("The only thing alcohol was doing for me was getting in the way of the things I wanted to do and the person I wanted to be"). Older Green Day fans will be excited to read the singer go deep into demos from the "Dookie" and "Nimrod" eras, and Gen Z emo listeners will likely be interested in his thoughts on the state of the genre's revival.

He also speaks on the legacy of 924 Gilman, and the challenges of touring as a young band (like affording gas). But probably the most exciting nugget from the interview comes when Armstrong was asked about Olivia Rodrigo's style of pop punk (emphasis on the pop). Although he notes that he isn't an active listener of Rodrigo, he does like what he's heard, and most notably would be open to working with such a prominent ambassador for the next generation of pop punk fans.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad "I think it would be fun to work with her sometime. She's talented," Armstrong said. "Sometimes you can see how someone is interested in what punk rock is and maybe they don't quite have some of the influences or knowledge that I have on the history of punk rock.

I'm kind of an encyclopedia. To do something with someone like Olivia Rodrigo would be fun." Read the full Vulture interview ..