Green Day Says FU Wal-Mart
If you haven't gotten Green Day's new album, 21st Century Breakdown, go get it - but don't expect to get it at the everyday low prices of Wal-Mart.
You won't find it!
The band refuses to let the superstore distribute the album because they were asked to provide a censored version.
Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong reveals in an interview: "They want artists to censor their records in order to be carried in there. We just said no. We've never done it before. You feel like you're in 1953 or something."
The company has a long-standing policy not to stock any CD with a parental advisory sticker, but the guys aren't too concerned with it. They are just pleased with the music and will stand behind it, no matter who sells it.
Guitarist Mike Dirnt said: "As the biggest record store in the America, they should probably have an obligation to sell people the correct art."
Damn straight!
It seems pretty foolish to lose business over something that could and should be just moderated. How hard is it to ask for ID before selling a kid something considered 'adult content'?
It's really not, lazy bastards.
Your loss!
[Image via WENN.]
LOLs
The Philippines Tells Alec Baldwin To Kindly Fuck Off
*YAWNS!
I hate wal-mart!
Um…I bought it at Wal-Mart here in Canada.
nice…. i'd say the same thing! …. if i had a record…. lol
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WALMART AND ITS SHOPPERS EAT SHIT!
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hasbeens!
Wal mart in canada sells perantal advisory just bought Eminems Relapse with the adult content there
good for green day! FUCK WALMART.
you know they also are proud to put those signs up saying that if their pharmacist wants to deny you birth control they are behind the pharmacist 100%.
but they sure are happy to sell the fuck out of guns.
Long time Green Day fan here and I think the new record sucks nuts. I couldn't find one redeeming song. Fuck 21st Century Breakdown! I' ve never been more dissapointed in a CD. Go Wal-mart!
Good for them.
I've never shopped at a Walmart or Sam's Club and never will.
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THE SHIT-A-TORIUMS SELL GUNS THOUGH!!!
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Ironically Wal Mart sells R rated movies…
Bad ass.
more like walmart said fu green day!!!
this is obviously a band that truly values their fans and is trying to be really considerate of them in the economic crises . . .
WHAT A BUNCH OF ASSHOLES.
Mike Dirnt is the BASSIST
Billie Joe is the GUITARIST
Uhm, they do it so their music is always family friendly. Everyhing in their store is family friendly. Not all cashiers ask for ID. It's not Wal-Mart that is lazy, it is employees. And it's not just Wal-Mart employees that are like that. Come on Perez. You are just looking for something to pick on them.
This is why I've loved Green Day since birth.
Re: dlawton17 –
LOL me too!! ive bought several things with "parental advisory" at wal-mart. i have noticed that a lot of things that are censored in the US are not censored here in Canada. Woot we are better hehe.
GOOD FOR THEM.
FUCK WAL-MART!!!
This CD ROCKS!!!
GREEN DAY ROCKS!!!
WHAT MORE CAN I SAY?
DID I MENTION THEY ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????
Screw Walmart. They can sell guns and violent video games, but not a CD with the work FUCK in it. They suck.
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Walmart Sucks
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So true Perez! Their loss!
I LOVE WAL-MART! They sell cheap shit! I bought 3 t-shirt's for $9.00 each. Greenday can take they're pretentious shit and sell it at flea markets!
They are totally right. Censorship is lame and outdated, wal-mart sucks, and good for them :p FUCK WAL-MART!
BAD MOVE Green Day. Walmart is one of the few places people still BUY music. That and Target. There are a couple other places not worth mentioning.
MIKE PLAYS BASS, NOT GUITAR. And you go, guys!
I'm pretty sure in Canada we can buy the "bad version" of CD's or whatever because the ratings are different.
I used to work in a movie store and if something was rated 18A in the states, it was 14A here.
+Jenn+
the only american idiot here is billy joe and his gang of losers
Re: Breathe – so youve bought lots of american bands at walmart, an american owned company, in canada?
oh yeah you guys are TOALLY better . . .
unless those were cleine dion youve got some explaining to do!!! lol
Rock is supposed to be about individualism and rebellion…not about sucking the corporate cock. Artists who change their music to suit the audience or the business men are not true artists, they are sell-outs. Walmart sucks ass…if they were truly family friendly, they wouldn't have their products manufactured in third world sweat shops where abuse and cruelty are the norm…I guess they're only friendly to American families. Well done Green Day!
Most people will download it anyway… so there's no point! I wouldn't buy it!
Walmart is one of the worst companies out there. Their "family friendly" store doesn't seem to include their employees who they treat like shit. Good for Green Day!
FUCK WAL-MART AND THERE RED NECK AGENDA!
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LET YOUR STAFF UNIONISE YOU PRICKS!
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I DONT SHOP THERE NEVER WILL!
too bad green day obviously could not give a flying fuck about all the losers on her proclaiming how awesome they are, as they really dont care how much more people have to pay for it by not selling it at walmart.
how pathetic.
It's their store, they can sell what they want. I'm sure Walmart executives aren't losing sleep over it. I like Walmart and Sam's club. Got my monitor from Sam's at $50 less than it was being sold locally at Office Depot. Office depot was the only place that had the same model; they wouldn't meet Sam's price, so HELL YEAH I bought at Sam's.
Wal-Mart's loss? Hardly…Green Day's new cd is complete shit and not even worth the hard drive space (nor money) if you get it through itunes.
And it looks like a lot of people here value the freedom of a rich band than those who prefer to be steadfast in their morals. Are you people so proud of being such fucking apes beating on your chests over "Wal-Mart shoppers" and your stereotypes of them? It's more like Wal-Mart said FU to Green Day
Come on people don't buy into this. It's just Green Day creating controversy to get attention. It's free publicity, promotion and marketing for the new CD. They need that to stay hip and cool, like they did with the last album and the politics around it.
Its not the freedom of speech, its not their rights as a artist and all that BS. If so, are they not going to have songs on the radio, videos on MTV??? I mean, those have to be edited too.
They should just ask for ID….they do for certain movies.
Re: SWEETPIECE! – #22.
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HEY SWEET!!!
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XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO,
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I'm glad Green Day isn't censoring their music.
And I totally knew this was coming.
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BITCHES CAN'T EVEN PURCHASE A DECENT VIBRATOR IN ARKANSAS–EAT SHIT MIKE FUCKABEE, YOU HORNED UP CLOSET CASE!–AND HAVE TO IMPROVISE FOODSTUFFS IN THE VEGETABLE BINS!!!
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I'm sure Wal-Mart could give a tiny rat's ass that they can't sell this album. Green Day sucks.To the person who was calling Wal-Mart shoppers names, screw you asshole. Do you have something against poor people? Where are they supposed to shop. Some people can't afford a five dollar banana at Trader Joe's.
Right, so you can buy a big fuck off gun or hunting knife in Wal-fart but you can't listen to a CD with some itty bitty swear words on it. I bet you can also buy ultra violent movies there too. Sounds like a republicans dream store. Ass holes
Um . . . yeah . . . except I got carded at wal mart for WHITE OUT and buy a hell of a lot of movies that are probably worse then this CD. Anytime the movie is rated R the cash register asks the cashier if the person is over 17 (or 18 whatever it is), so this could easily be fixed by Wal-Mart. BTW in this "shitious economy" not all of us can afford to shop at stores with bloated prices where a CD costs $30, it doesn't make us bad people or rednecks.
Here in Dearborn,Michigan we have TWO Mother F'n Wal- Marts and I am proud to say I have never {And Never will} set foot in either one of them!Now if Green Day were really "Punk" they would be proud of the fact that you can't get their cd at Wal-Mart but nope.They are just being cry babies because they won't get any Wal-mart money.Boo Hoo what ever are they going to do now?What they should be really pissed about is people getting it for free on the net!
Eff Wal-mart… don't shop at wal-mart!
I am all for freedom of speech and not for censorship but I am parent, and as a parent I only buy the censored version of any album. If it's not available then i just don buy it. Their choice not to have a censored version, my choice not to buy end of story.
for the record, mike dirnt is the bassist. and, i got my cd the day it came out in canada (may 15th) and they only had like 15 copies whatsoever. at opening the day sales started.
They already ask for ID…when they sell GUNS!
Re: phxfan –
You wrote : "Their choice not to have a censored version, my choice not to buy end of story."
The whole point is Wal-mart doesnt give people Who do want to by the album as the artist intended it to be… The choice to buy it!!
I wouldnt shop there anyway!
not true. there was a censored version of American Idiot, my cousin has it.
I've never bought music from a Walmart because of their censorship.
It's not like I have to go outta my way to avoid it either.
Good for Green Day.
these comments are hilarious. let me sum up the generic things people are saying:
green day rule/suck
walmart rule/suck
canada rule/suck
So lets get the facts straight. Green Day are amazing. Walmart is walmart is walmart, let the people who want to work/shop/consume mcdonalds there go for it. As for Canada, nice fuckin' country Ehh
Walmart is not a governmental institution and can sell or not sell whatever it wants.
That said, it is their loss and even though it is their right I think it's ridiculous.
I love it that Walmart gets all moral like about Parental advisory music but yet their the biggest distributor of guns and the Morning after pill go figure!!
The best part is that you can't buy an unedited CD at Wal-Mart, but you can but the uncut edition of Reservoir Dogs for $5 and almost any other unrated movie is available.
Wow, living in the states must suck. All you American's talk about "free speech" and "land of freedom" when really if you think about it; you're censored. Perfect example is this CD situation. You can clearly buy it here in Canada at Walmart… They even have a display for it.
I know this may come as a shock to you, Perez, but some people actually have a little something called "artistic integrity". They wrote those songs the way they expected them to be heard and censorship doesn't have a place in a democracy. If you don't want your kids to listen to it, don't buy a record with a parental advisory sticker on it. Same as any ratings system, it's there for protection and it's parents responsibilities to shoulder enforcing it, not stores or consumers. Walmart's policy is a joke. Morals, values, and anything else are things to be dealt with at home, not by any chain. Sure, someone can't say a bad word or flash a boob (yes, I'm talking about you, Janet) without conservative America filing lawsuits for emotional distress. Yet it certainly doesn't bother them to see people get maimed, tortured, and murdered on television shows everyday. HYPOCRISY AT ITS BEST.
Wal*Mart's associates are not about being lazy, it's about being respectful. Most parents don't want that content in their store, considering Wal*Mart is supposed to be all about family. Each walmart is different, and several stores don't sell guns. Plenty, actually, that I've seen don't.
It's Green Day. Their awesome for sticking by their moral but so is Wal*Mart for theirs. If you want the CD, they'll get it at any other store.
I thinkWAL-MART should mind their own fucking business - they are the devil - I HATE THEM - never shop there, even if things are cheaper - the biggest store in america - I think they started the recesion - lol okay maybe not entirely, but if all companies practiced thier business model - WE'D ALL BE FUCKED
pretty cool
how many other bands would give up precious cd sales to stick it to wart mall
wal mart did this with american idiot too. and i think if wal mart will sell rated r movies, they should at least consider selling parental advisory records.
GREAT FOR GREEN DAY. I HATE WAL MART.
btw, mike dirnt is the bassist, not guitarist. but go green day, you stand up for your music.
In case you haven't checked the Fortune top companies list lately (here's a hint, you'll only need to look down the list one line) I don't reeeeally think WM will suffer from the profits they could have banked if they had carried Green Day. Unfortunately for Green Day, numerous artists have gone platinum just at Wal-Mart alone. Is it so awful to clean up your music a little and make is accessible to more listeners?
Damn I actually agree on this one…. u Need id for cough syrup and spray paint, what the hell?
Re: NoMoreDrama – no way! there are a ton of places that buy and sell music, like best buy and other electronic stores.
I am a LONG TIME (Long long long time) Green Day fan and I think that their past couple of albums have truly been exquisite works of art and to censor music (exclusively music at that) is outrageous. How can you submit your customers to something like that. I have faith in this band and faith in their reasoning has nothing to do with not getting enough money from wal-mart's sales and it is seriously all about the art. you go boys…. =]
Re: LG HEARTS THE POSSE! – 45 Are the "bitches" even that creative? LOL!
Guys - Wal-Mart does not just do this to artists - they do it to every fucking product that there is in the store - they look at a products business model and tell them how to do stuff cheaper - if you can't make it cheap, then they either drop you or convince you to move your manufaturing to China - where they tell the Chinese to make the product, and force these Chinese companies to ignore environmental laws - WM has %90 male managers, dirt low wages, and they knock out all the cute mom and pop businesses - I'd rather be shot then shop their - Canada on US !
I haven't shopped at Walmart in 6 years. And I will never shop there again.
Re: carolineyy –
um you do realize that american bands are not the only ones who have parental advisories on them right? and i dont decide who i listen to based on what country they come from lol. nor do i shop somewhere or not shop there just because of who owns it. but yes in a LOT of ways Canada is a better place to be. my opinion you may not agree but you dont have to
Re: SWEETPIECE! – #72.
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YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED WHAT THE SHEBITCH HAS TAUGHT THEM SWEET!!
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MUAH!!!
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Hello????? This is *AMERICA* How dare WalMart try to censor shit! If you don't want to sell some product because you're so "family friendly" then don't. BTW if they were so family friendly they'd pay their employess FAIR WAGES AND BENEFITS. WalMart SUCKS!
Re: Breathe – um yeah i DONT AGREE.
of course you dont decide based on that, because if you did (and only bought them from your country) you would have shit to listen to, unless you have a fondness for "my heart will go on"
the fact is you say canada is better, when you are specifically talking about buying american products from american companies. maybe you shouldnt be such a DUMB FUCK and appreciate where your stuff comes from.
talk about BITING THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU.
you seriously must be fucking retarded!!!!
walmart isn't going to be the ones losing money…it would be such a small portion of their profits. but not selling their album at one of the largest music retailers will probably lose green day money. good for wal mart for sticking to their values. sorry that some parents feel a lot better about their kids listening to an album if it's free of vulgar language. maybe green day never realized they could have gained younger fans that way…who would then go on later in life to buy the uncensored music.
Re: Plinkie9 –
Family friendly?? They sell condoms, guns, R rated movies, birth control pills and morning after pills. Family friendly? The "Family Friendly" concept of WalMart is artificial. It is a media tool used on only certain items. Walmart wants to make the obese sheep following masses think that a retail giant is looking out to protect their children from all those terrible things in the world. That way the sloth-like parents don't have to actually do their JOB and be a parent. It is so much easier to let other people take responsibility to raise your kid for you once you squirted them out into the world. Walmart uses a pick and choose cafeteria-style approach to retail, not unlike the cafeteria-style approach to christianity used by most of their rampant mouth breathing overweight parents looking to have a retail giant lead the way to "protect our children" because they are to lazy to actually supervise their child but they keep breeding and squirting out more to make a nation of mouth breathers.
Wal-Mart could never get away with asking MOVIE companies to edit their DVD releases–they wouldn't succumb, and they actually HAVE SEX SCENES in them sometimes. WTF? I hate hate HATE Wal-Mart.
Re: biteme –
the only reason the prices are low is becasue they treat their workers like crap [no benefits unless you work OVER 40 hrs consistently, they also do not treat women and minorities equally]. Then they get material from exploited 3rd world countries who have children working in factories. and these are facts. no matter how poor i am or will ever be with this dwindling economy, i will never step foot into a wal mart.
That's Walmart's policy. The band is missing out on a lot of money. Sucks to be them.
Re: notsofast – Get real, wig guy. Wal-Mart HAS NO values. And kids should not be buying Green Day albums if they have adult lyrics, but I don't need some retail godzilla telling me I don't need to buy their album. Maybe I like dirty lyrics. Nor should anyone be asked to create a family friendly version of their music. Should we create a family friendly news broadcast and not show the war in Iraq as it really is or report a child molestor in the neighborhood? She would create a family friendly copy of your angry, mouth-breeding message on here, which I would not want my kids to read? Grown TF up!
Re: fletcherfletch –
Fletcher, dude, buddy, slow down. We're on the same side. We're saying the same thing. No one needs to be "family friendly" except the parents of the kid. No store, no news cast, no movie, no musician needs to take on the job of raising other people's children. Any one that decides to spread their legs and get sperminated and let something grow inside them and then 9 months later squirt it out into the world needs to wake up and realize the village is not going to raise your child for you. If we have to assume the role of parenting everybody else's kids then we get to vote on who is allowed to breed.Parenting is the toughest job there is…but it is a job. You have to actually do it. No store has to take on the responsibility of "protect the children" by claiming to be "family friendly" on only certain items that they sell just for the sake of making customers think the store is so sweet "look how they are making the world safer for my child" . The store is saying this crap to increase sales to empty headed bible thumping mouth breathers with more brats than brains. Wanna bet OctoMom LOVES her some Walmart?You should not expect to limit the freedoms of others just so you don't have to supervise the actions of your yard monkey until he is moved out of your trailer park.
uhm… I bought it at Wal*Mart here in Canada…
I work there and I saw a bunch of CDs with the parental advisory sticker on them… so, clearly the American Wal*Marts are different from ours…
not to sound like a complete bitch but mike= bassist.. even though others have said thiis.. sorry.. it was bugging me.
I love green day and all…but seriously, like it's a surprise that WalMart asked them to have a censored version?? It's WalMart, they've had that policy for years so quit complaining!
Target anyone!
You can buy uncensored cds from WalMart.com. They just wont stock them in their stores because of all the little mommies who get upset that their kids might be listening to something naughty. Funny though, they'll sell unrated dvd's in the store & no one has said anything about that…….
I remember, not too many years ago, Green Day was selling POSTERS at Walmart, in promotion for "American Idiot". So why are they so uppity now?
Re: carolineyy – ,
Walmart is one of the main reasons America is in the economic mess we're in! Cheap prices=destroy environment, kill good jobs, low wages, discrimination, send jobs overseas, products made in China, drive local businesses out, no competition, one world, one store. They are controlling our culture, our music, our art. Even your local grocery store has been affected; Walmart now controls 40% of that. Walmart is the opposite of every American value. Wake up!
Re: carolineyy – Walmart is hardly an American company. Its headquarters may be in red neck Arkansas, but their products are made by cheap labor overseas. They treat their workers like crap and believe that Americans cannot and should not think for themselves. It's about choice! They could sell both versions, but they'd rather decide for you and hope you won't know the difference.
YEAH GREEN DAY ON COLBERT!!!
THEY FUCKING ROCKED!
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AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BUT WALMART!
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LOVE IT!
Re: BamU – 92 WAKE UP IS RIGHT!
It's my Birthday so I say Fuc* wal-mart you Go greenday
fucking walmart already DOES ask for id for EVERYTHING. i've had to provide id there when buying cough medicine, books, and movies. i've even had to provide id for a pg-13 movie once and i'm 25!!!!! if only all bands would refuse to let walmart carry them like green day does, they might change their dumbass policies. i go to TARGET now, bitches!!!
Re: Plinkie9 – oh please, walmart takes "family friendly" to another level. that's all kinds of bullshit, cause they sell r rated movies and alcohol!! i've been carded for a pg-13 movie even and i'm 25. everytime i buy a movie there a beeping censor goes off and i have to show id. i just buy everything at target now, their prices are better and they aren't douches.
I love Green Day and how dare Wal-Mart ask them or any musician to censor their music.
They sale rated R movies what is the difference?