Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong getting treatment for substance abuse

Billie Joe and Green Day have always been gay-friendly / -positive. Hope all goes well. Rep: Green Day's Armstrong getting treatment Associated Press - 1 hr ago NEW YORK (AP) — Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong is headed to treatment for substance abuse. Sunday's announcement by the band's rep comes after the 40-year-old frontman had a meltdown onstage at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on Friday. As Green Day was wrapping up its performance during the all-star, two-day concert, Armstrong profanely complained that the band's time was being cut short. "One minute left, one minute (expletive) left. You're gonna give me (expletive) one minute? ... I'm not (expletive) Justin Bieber, you (expletives)!" he yelled (although Bieber was not part of the night's festivities). Armstrong smashed his guitar before leaving the stage. In a statement to The Associated Press, Green Day apologized "to those they offended at the iHeartRadio Festival" and said its set was not cut short by Clear Channel, the host of the two-day festival. The Grammy winning band also is canceling some of its promotional appearances. It is due to release the album "Uno" on Tuesday, the follow-up to "21st Century Breakdown," released three years ago. "Uno" is the first in a trilogy of albums; the second is to be out in November, and the last in January. The band is due to kick off a nationwide tour Nov. 26 in Seattle. Armstrong was hospitalized in early September in Bologna, Italy, for an undisclosed ailment, but recovered well enough to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 6. Since then, the band has made a series of performances, including a "Good Morning America" performance and a New York City concert for the launch of Nokia Music on Sept. 15. No interviews of the band were allowed that evening, but the band chatted with fans and Nokia and AT&T executives before performing for about two hours. It's unclear what Armstrong is receiving treatment for; in 2003, he was arrested for DUI, and has acknowledged in the past taking various drugs but has said he now eschews them. Green Day is one of rock's top acts and had huge success with its 2004 politically charged album "American Idiot," which went on to become a Broadway musical. Armstrong performed for a stretch in the musical. Most recently, he was a mentor on the NBC talent competition "The Voice".

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• Oh good, another book about a musician with a drug problem.

• Yep r1.

• Nah, the band's new album (three albums, actually) are a wasteland, with no singles at all. The label is pissed and now Clear Channel is too. Time for a spa vacation until things blow over.

• He's positive? Oh no.

• Seth Macfarlane could sub for him while he's away. If he learned to lip-sync, Cole Escola could sub… if he hasn't gone to fat.

• That's too bad. I like Green Day. I hope he gets well soon.

• Mabye he needs to explore the other side of his bi-ness. It is possible to have a relationship with a man Billie Joe.

• This is because of his diva moment last night?

• Have there ever been rumors of Billie with men?

• R9, he's on record as being bisexual.

• they suck always have.

• He's on record as being bisexual but has said he has not had much experience with dudes. The clip I saw of the meltdown seemed really lucid and clear eyed to me. I guess everybody is supposed to be a glass-eyed Rhianna-bot on these festival packages, grateful for ten minutes of attention and saying "Thank you Vegas, I LOVE YOU!" at the end of a mini-set.

• Boy it's been a bad summer to be an Armstrong.

• American Idiot was wonderful, still one of my favorite albums.

• I don't believe he's bi, I think he said it to sell more of his crappy music.

• Is there something going on behind the scenes with this guy? I saw the "meltdown" he had (on t.v., not at the concert) and it looked like something which was in keeping with his band's genre of music. He screamed a bit and smashed a guitar. Nothing more than that.

• Tinymeat rage?

  http://data.whicdn.com/images/5652480/Green_Day1_large.jpg%3F1292821696

• I wish the Republicans (on this thread) would just shut the fuck up.

• Explains the mess on their latest album.

• To be fair, if I were supposed to perform but then told to wrap it up because Usher went 25 minutes over, I'd have been pissed, too. Why the fuck didn't they just tell Usher to wrap it up?

• I dont think his meltdown was so bad and he did have a valid point. Something is going on though. He was hospitalized a few weeks ago in Europe and cancelled shows.

• Please. Smashing one's guitar whilst raging incoherently used to be part of the job description. Buncha pussies!

  Pete Townshend

• He's a phoney-ass, safely political (no 911 demolition talk, thanks) "punk rock" whore for Clearchannel. If he isn't self-loathing by now, he should be.

  Anonymous

• r20, it doesn't work that way. Usher's a big draw, and a lot of his act is auto-toned MJ cloned bullshit, i.e. production numbers. Young people are into the spectacle even if they don't particularly like his "music". "I've fucking been here since 19-fucking-88" Exactly, asshole! You're a greedy fuck for even gigging at an event with Rhianna and Usher on the bill in the first place. Of course you'll be the act who gets bumped.

• What are you talking about R23?

• Okay, R25...I'll spoon feed you: military-industrial-media controllers (see Clear Channel) manufacture narcissistic, "faux" rebel rockers who snarl, write rock operas about "apathetic" young people in a "cynical world where nobody cares", etc., etc., while avoiding discussing what is really important to young people and important to this country (see 911, election rigging, pharma, etc) The second "Billie Joe" writes a tune about anything truly threatening, his career plug would be pulled. And so he acts out this Hot Topic, "angry" attitude, the attitude of a spoiled child. All those pop punk bands are just cynical, fake, corporate shite to rile up, then placate, their audiences. Get. It?

  Anonymous

• r25, I'm assuming s/he's a Truther, thus the "demolition talk" reference. BTW, am I really that old that I think this is the lamest fucking tirade to put someone in rehab, ever? The poster upthread who was talking about the new material sucking must be onto something. That's just typical Mike Patton having an off day. Goes off, then the show goes on. Or not. Greatest frontman crowd berater, ever. He goes off on VIPs here, then goes into the section to make them sing to a song any true fan would know to prove his point.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DL-zJR5_3kjc

• is this a fake PR "rehab" like so many celebs go to? their music suck anyways! they are so phony.

• Play Billie Joe off, Keyboard Cat!

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DWNUqbro2X3o

• Green Day always sucked, how they got a Broadway show out of 'em I'll never know.

• I hate r23 and all idiots like him.

  Controlled Demolition, My Ass