“Punk is not just the sound, the music. Punk is a life-style. There are a lot of bands around who claim to be punk and they only play the music, they have no clue what it’s all about. It’s a life-style I chose for myself. It’s not about popularity and all that crap. When we started out as a band, we played punk rock, the music. [Then] we changed our sound, but we didn’t change. We’re just as much punk as we used to be. We got a lot of shit, and we’re still getting it, for being signed with a major label. So what? We didn’t start the band to cash in a lot of money. When we started out, punk was probably the most unpopular music around. What annoys the hell out of me is the arrogance of some people. They don’t even listen to our music, they decided in advance that they don’t like it. You know even before we finished the album, before anybody ever heard just one track, some people had decided that it will suck. I don’t give a shit about them. If they can’t appreciate good music, it’s their own fault.”—Billie Joe Armstrong