Thursday, May 21, 2009

Green Day Soundbite

The band Green Day has a new album out, which actually is selling quite well.  But, because Walmart has an internal policy not to offer for sale in their stores albums which carry parental advisory stickers, Green Day is upset.

I’m not going to get into the issue of the foolishness of legislative parental advisory stickers, but I do want to address the following comment uttered by Green Day guitarist Mike Dirnt.

“As the biggest record store in the America, they should probably have an obligation to sell people the correct art.”

I’m sorry, Mike, Walmart should be under no obligation to sell any bands records, regardless of the fact that Walmart is the biggest retailer of albums in the nation.  Granted, being required to censor your own records, to meet Walmart’s requirements for being stocked on their shelves, is onerous, and, as your frontman Billie Joe Armstrong states, so “1953.”  The fact remains, though, that the restrictive policy is Walmart’s policy, it was not forced on Walmart by the State, and it is not being forced on Green Day, unless Green Day desires Walmart to stock their album on their shelves.

If Green Day finds Walmart’s policy offensive, refuse to comply, as your own frontman, Armstrong, acknowledges.

...It’s like a game that you have to play. You have to refuse to play it.”

Refuse to play the game.  It’s sound advice, and I recommend it highly.

Green Day lashes out at Wal-Mart policy

Posted by John Venlet on 05/21 at 07:42 AM
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