The clip of Billie Joe from Green Day reminds me of the time I went to see Goddo at the Body Shop back in the late '70s. The bassist, Greg Godovitz, got so pissed off at someone in the crowd that he pulled off his bass and leapt out at him off the stage, which was kind of like a catwalk. I was checking out the action from the front row, and when he pulled off his bass, he accidently clubbed me in the head with it. I was kinda proud of that.

The first (and, come to think of it, only) time I saw Green Day in concert, they were opening for Bad Religion at 86 Street or the Rage or whatever it was called at that point. Which tells you how long ago this was. Billie Joe was on the receiving end of an endless stream of spit from the self-righteous punks down front, who also gave him the finger and called him a sell-out. (Green Day had recently left the indie label Lookout! and had just put out an album on Reprise. This was back before the Warped Tour, when even the poppiest of punk bands was expected to stay "hardcore" by refusing to sign with the majors. Oh, how quickly things changed.) But Billie Joe didn't react at all. He just kept playing, with loogies dripping down his face. This was probably wise, since the audience was clearly against him. I sort of felt sorry the guy. But mostly I just wanted Green Day to get off the stage so I could see Bad Religion.