Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong Surrounded by Chaos in ‘Troubled Times’ Video
Earlier this year, Green Day used their song "Troubled Times" to bring attention to the woes of the world in a lyric video for the track, while choosing to release it on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. But these are truly troubled times we live in and one video was not enough. Green Day just unleashed a new clip for "Troubled Times" that centers of Billie Joe Armstrong, but finds the singer surrounded in a montage by some of the troubling images to have made the news of late.
The video starts simply enough with a shirtless Armstrong listening to his headphones and singing into a camera phone. But eventually the imagery expands to include an assortment of news videos including images like violence, war, drugs and a variety of stress-inducing incidents. Meanwhile, political leaders like Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and former President George Bush also make appearances in the montage.
While Armstrong is center throughout the video, the camera phone shots eventually change to a sullen Armstrong walking and singing through a cemetery. Proof that the video is fresh is that it includes scenes of the recent clash over the weekend of white supremacists and protestors in Charlottesville, Va.
Over the weekend, Armstrong addressed the incident in Charlottesville via social media. In his posting he stated, "My heart feels heavy. I feel like what happened in Charlottesville goes beyond the point of anger. It makes me sad and desperate. shocked. I f—king hate racism more than anything. music and social justice have always gone hand and hand with me. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for “the time they are a changing” .. some people don’t agree. The spirit of Green Day has always been about rising above oppression, and sticking up for what you believe in and singing it at the top of your lungs. We grew up fearing nuclear holocaust because of the cold war. Those days are feeling way too relevant these days. These issues are our ugly past.. and now it’s coming to haunt us. Always resist these doomsday politicians. and in the words of our punk forefathers .. Nazi punks f—k off."
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