Despite Armstrong’s penchant for the limelight, the impact of bassist Mike Dirnt within the context of the group should certainly not be overlooked. An essential aspect of Green Day’s signature sound, Dirnt’s bass playing is one of the most attractive parts of the band. Raised on a healthy diet of punk and hard rock, the Californian met Armstrong at the age of only ten, beginning a musical lineage that has followed the pair into the modern age, still performing together to this day.

Among Dirnt’s most memorable works is the bassline for ‘Longview’. The band’s debut single, and the fourth track from Dookie, helped to establish Green Day among the American rock scene by topping the alternative charts and reaching an impressive 30 in the UK singles chart. What’s more, the track even landed Green Day a Grammy nomination for ‘Best Hard Rock Performance’, though they ended up losing out to Soundgarden. 

So, what were the origins of this pivotally important track? Well, speaking to Rolling Stone in 2020, Billie Joe Armstrong revealed that the song’s roots lie within a Pretenders classic and an acid trip that Mike Dirnt went on. “I really loved the song by the Pretenders called ‘Message of Love,’” shared Armstrong, “and wanted to write a song like that, but we needed a bass line.” Which is where Dirnt comes in, as the frontman explains, “So I came home and Mike is sitting on the floor in the kitchen tripping balls, and he had his bass on, and he goes, ‘I figured it out, man! I figured it out.’” 

All the while tripping on acid, Dirnt proceeded to perform his newly discovered bassline to his lifelong friend, who initially had mixed feelings. “I didn’t know what to think about it,” said Armstrong, “because I was like, “Well, he’s on acid, so I can’t tell if he’s even going to remember it.” Then we ended up playing it the next day, and it just stuck.”

That fateful trip into the world of psychedelia has a lot to answer for; not only did ‘Longview’ provide Green Day with their first hit single, but it also brought their punk revival into the mainstream consciousness of the US. Clearly, it was not all down to the bassline alone, but without that acid-induced inspiration, it is entirely possible that none of us would have ever heard the name Green Day. 

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