Billie Joe Armstrong Speaks Drug Induced Blackouts
The Green Day singer opens up about his inner demons
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has opened up about the alcohol and substance abuse that landed him in rehab last year.
In candid interview with Rolling Stone, the 41-year-old said his problem got so bad he would experience complete memory blanks.
"I couldn't predict where I was going to end up at the end of the night," he told writer David Fricke. "I'd wake up in a strange house on a couch. I wouldn't remember how. It was a complete blackout."
He was finally forced to tackle his inner demons when he very publicly had an onstage meltdown at the iHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas on 23rd September.
Incensed that Green Day’s set had seemingly been cut short (it hadn’t), Billie Joe launched an expletive-strewn tirade at the startled audience before proceeding to smash up equipment.
Reflecting on the incident, Billie Joe said: "I remember tiny things. The next morning, I woke up. I asked Adrienne (his wife of 18 years), ‘How bad was it?’ She said, ‘It's bad.’ I called my manager. He said, ‘You're getting on a plane, going back to Oakland and going into rehab immediately.’
The meltdown happened four days before the release of Green Day’s album ‘¡Uno!’ and caused the band to drop out of all subsequent promo activities for ‘¡Dos!’ and ‘¡Tré!’.
Green Day reconvene their North American tour in Pomona, California next month and play London Emirates Stadium on 1st June.
Green Day ‘Oh Love’
