Age Is Only A Number!, chapter 5
The guys were stuck in a rut, it was already 1993 and they were selling out at the local clubs, there fans wanted more and also they had grown out of the underground scene. The music that was popular at the moment was the whole grungee thing and that wasn't Green Day but they had to do something otherwise they'd lose out. The only other problem was that Gilmans hated major labels and they'd lose all fans in the underground scene. It was a sacrifice they needed to make.
Katie on the other hand was doing well. Her grades were up, she was beautiful, and she single-handily became one the years biggest vixens, she wasn't being asked out a lot but the few people who did ask her out had a hard time doing it. With one boy she made him get on his knees and beg in the middle of the corridor, scream out that he wanted to ask her out and even had to admit he was a wiener which is hard for boys, she then came down to his eye level and whispered in his ear "No way josé". She then left him there to collect his thoughts and walked off in the blink of an eye. She still wasn't popular and was bullied from time to time but she still didn't care, she had Aaron and Abi by her side and that's all that really mattered to her.
One evening she didn't know why but she had an urge to go to the beach. She went down there and took her shoes off and carried them while her feet sunk into the sand every time she stepped. Mike was also there but for another reason, he went down to the beach when he was confused or upset about something. This time he was confused. Katie saw him from a distance and went up to him he was by the tide; she sat down next to him and put her shoes down. She could tell he was in deep thought; she decided to break the ice and asked "What's up you seem kinda down?"
"Nothing... Well not nothing, me and the guys are thinking about going major" Mike answered still looking towards the oceans. Katie knew what he meant but just too make sure said "Major label?" he nodded and she then said "Well of course you should, it's a life-time opportunity". Mike disagreed though, he faced her and looked into her eyes, they were intriguing; they were hazel, he stared for a moment and then replied "But what about the underground punks, you know Gilman's hate majors we'll never be able to go back"
"Who cares about them, they don't matter, being punk isn't about if you hate majors, its about thinking for yourself and not caring about what others think of you, if you don't go on the major label and listen to them your not following your hearts desire, if you go onto a major people all over the world will be listening to you even places you haven't heard of, like Belarus" Katie explained
"Bela-who" Mike questioned
"Did you even listen?" Katie asked
"Yes, I wanna know what the heck has happened to you when I went" Mike replied
"Maybe nothing, maybe everything" Katie answered mysteriously "When you refused to go out with me I was upset, when you went on tour I looked myself in the mirror and saw myself, I knew something had to change, I'm in my second year of high school and I looked like I was still thirteen, I didn't change really just let more of me out" Katie explained then saying "Look I have to go, just sign onto a major label trust me".
She stood up picked up her shoes and walked off, Mike was even more mystified than he was to start with.
Soon February turned into June and Green Day had come to a decision. They decided to go major label, Warner Bros/Reprise and were going to start recording once all the songs were together. Billie Joe was going to write most of the songs, Mike and Tre each had a song each, Tre decided to have it as a secret song. Mike didn't know what to do about it though. One day he and Tre were at Tre's apartment and they were talking about Mike non-written song. "Dude you know it has to be written soon, c'mon Billie has already most of his songs done I have mine done" Tre quipped out at Mike.
"I know but for one Billie is better at song-writing and two your song is all about masturbation and barely goes over 1 minute" Mike defended himself.
"I guess" Tre replied.
"Have you seen Katie lately?" Mike asked.
"Ye she's changed a lot, I might even ask her out" Tre told Mike
"You shouldn't she's still so clingy and annoying and also she hates drummers" Mike said very quickly, he even blushed a little. He didn't like Katie in that way... At least he didn't think he did. Tre knew something must've been up but didn't question and replied "Ok I won't ask her out"
"Look I have to go, see you later" Mike told Tre walking towards the door and going out of the apartment quickly even before Tre said "Sure bye"
Mike went back to his house and went up to his room; he grabbed his notepad that he used for the odd doodle and songs. He had a couple of songs in there and mostly doodles including the one which he had tattooed on his right upper arm. He was up there for around 10 minutes with nothing near to a song when his mum called him down. He wondered why and went downstairs to the hallway, he saw his mum and Katie's mum Jan grinning like there was no tomorrow. He asked them "What's up?" as he said it Katie came through the front door and looked at Mike's wierded-out expression and at Mike's mum and her mums expression and assumingly said "You haven't told him yet".
"You tell him then" Jan said still with her psychotic grin
"Sure, well you know that I want to become an artist or photographer" Katie told him, Mike nodded and she carried on "Well I have an early scholarship for art and photography to Berkeley University, yes it's a bit early considering I'm only 17 this October but it's a lifetime opportunity". Mike couldn't believe it, Katie was growing up so fast, faster than the usual teenager, she was only 16 and she already had a scholarship, he was nearly speechless but did say "Well done that's great", it was then he had an idea for a song and said to the grinning mothers and to Katie "I have to go band issues" and zipped off upstairs to his room.
He sat down on his bed and grabbed the notepad and thought up two lines on the spot 'I saw my friend the other day and I don't know, exactly just what he became', yes Katie was a girl but he didn't want it to be a love song. He wrote them down and then thought of another few lines 'It goes to show, it wasn't long ago, that I was just like you, and now I think I'm sick and I wanna go home'. He thought up another verse and then the chorus 'I knew you back when, and you... You knew me, and I think I'm sick and I wanna go home'. Yes the song wasn't entirely true to the meaning but it fitted better that way. The next day he showed it to Billie Joe and Tre, they liked it but they didn't know who is was about.
Only Mike did.
Katie on the other hand was doing well. Her grades were up, she was beautiful, and she single-handily became one the years biggest vixens, she wasn't being asked out a lot but the few people who did ask her out had a hard time doing it. With one boy she made him get on his knees and beg in the middle of the corridor, scream out that he wanted to ask her out and even had to admit he was a wiener which is hard for boys, she then came down to his eye level and whispered in his ear "No way josé". She then left him there to collect his thoughts and walked off in the blink of an eye. She still wasn't popular and was bullied from time to time but she still didn't care, she had Aaron and Abi by her side and that's all that really mattered to her.
One evening she didn't know why but she had an urge to go to the beach. She went down there and took her shoes off and carried them while her feet sunk into the sand every time she stepped. Mike was also there but for another reason, he went down to the beach when he was confused or upset about something. This time he was confused. Katie saw him from a distance and went up to him he was by the tide; she sat down next to him and put her shoes down. She could tell he was in deep thought; she decided to break the ice and asked "What's up you seem kinda down?"
"Nothing... Well not nothing, me and the guys are thinking about going major" Mike answered still looking towards the oceans. Katie knew what he meant but just too make sure said "Major label?" he nodded and she then said "Well of course you should, it's a life-time opportunity". Mike disagreed though, he faced her and looked into her eyes, they were intriguing; they were hazel, he stared for a moment and then replied "But what about the underground punks, you know Gilman's hate majors we'll never be able to go back"
"Who cares about them, they don't matter, being punk isn't about if you hate majors, its about thinking for yourself and not caring about what others think of you, if you don't go on the major label and listen to them your not following your hearts desire, if you go onto a major people all over the world will be listening to you even places you haven't heard of, like Belarus" Katie explained
"Bela-who" Mike questioned
"Did you even listen?" Katie asked
"Yes, I wanna know what the heck has happened to you when I went" Mike replied
"Maybe nothing, maybe everything" Katie answered mysteriously "When you refused to go out with me I was upset, when you went on tour I looked myself in the mirror and saw myself, I knew something had to change, I'm in my second year of high school and I looked like I was still thirteen, I didn't change really just let more of me out" Katie explained then saying "Look I have to go, just sign onto a major label trust me".
She stood up picked up her shoes and walked off, Mike was even more mystified than he was to start with.
Soon February turned into June and Green Day had come to a decision. They decided to go major label, Warner Bros/Reprise and were going to start recording once all the songs were together. Billie Joe was going to write most of the songs, Mike and Tre each had a song each, Tre decided to have it as a secret song. Mike didn't know what to do about it though. One day he and Tre were at Tre's apartment and they were talking about Mike non-written song. "Dude you know it has to be written soon, c'mon Billie has already most of his songs done I have mine done" Tre quipped out at Mike.
"I know but for one Billie is better at song-writing and two your song is all about masturbation and barely goes over 1 minute" Mike defended himself.
"I guess" Tre replied.
"Have you seen Katie lately?" Mike asked.
"Ye she's changed a lot, I might even ask her out" Tre told Mike
"You shouldn't she's still so clingy and annoying and also she hates drummers" Mike said very quickly, he even blushed a little. He didn't like Katie in that way... At least he didn't think he did. Tre knew something must've been up but didn't question and replied "Ok I won't ask her out"
"Look I have to go, see you later" Mike told Tre walking towards the door and going out of the apartment quickly even before Tre said "Sure bye"
Mike went back to his house and went up to his room; he grabbed his notepad that he used for the odd doodle and songs. He had a couple of songs in there and mostly doodles including the one which he had tattooed on his right upper arm. He was up there for around 10 minutes with nothing near to a song when his mum called him down. He wondered why and went downstairs to the hallway, he saw his mum and Katie's mum Jan grinning like there was no tomorrow. He asked them "What's up?" as he said it Katie came through the front door and looked at Mike's wierded-out expression and at Mike's mum and her mums expression and assumingly said "You haven't told him yet".
"You tell him then" Jan said still with her psychotic grin
"Sure, well you know that I want to become an artist or photographer" Katie told him, Mike nodded and she carried on "Well I have an early scholarship for art and photography to Berkeley University, yes it's a bit early considering I'm only 17 this October but it's a lifetime opportunity". Mike couldn't believe it, Katie was growing up so fast, faster than the usual teenager, she was only 16 and she already had a scholarship, he was nearly speechless but did say "Well done that's great", it was then he had an idea for a song and said to the grinning mothers and to Katie "I have to go band issues" and zipped off upstairs to his room.
He sat down on his bed and grabbed the notepad and thought up two lines on the spot 'I saw my friend the other day and I don't know, exactly just what he became', yes Katie was a girl but he didn't want it to be a love song. He wrote them down and then thought of another few lines 'It goes to show, it wasn't long ago, that I was just like you, and now I think I'm sick and I wanna go home'. He thought up another verse and then the chorus 'I knew you back when, and you... You knew me, and I think I'm sick and I wanna go home'. Yes the song wasn't entirely true to the meaning but it fitted better that way. The next day he showed it to Billie Joe and Tre, they liked it but they didn't know who is was about.
Only Mike did.
