Green Day Mind’s Breakdown Diary Blog Redesign

So I was messing around the last two days updating this blog’s layout. The Green Girl was fun, but the green color was getting to me. Sorry, sometimes when there’s too much green, there’s just too much green.

Being that I’m not the best wizard of HTML and XML and CSS and all that crap, I decided to go with this nice customizable header template called “ChaoticSoul” (why, of course) from WordPress. You’ve probably seen it around out there on the Blogdom somewhere or the other. I also bought the customizable CSS, and I’d love to tweak some things, particularly size to the titles to entries, so as soon as I figure out where WordPress keeps saving my stylesheet, I’ll get right on that.

The logo photograph above is one that I took from the first Green Day show at Madison Square Garden. (See larger version below.) It’s during “Minority” and Billie Joe is standing at the end of the catwalk in a haze of confetti. I love the way the blog template breaks up the one large photograph into two frames because this photograph becomes a reminder of the thing that I love most about a Green Day performance: the band’s ability to break through the barrier of the theatrical fourth wall between audience and band whereupon (fancy word), they become one during the course of a show.

And having Billie stand past that wall is a reminder to me that his energy is so outstanding as a performer that this barrier goes down about 65% of the effort due to him. It’s a reality that should not be taken for granted or lightly. It’s rare when a generation gets a performer like BJA. Love him or hate him, he knows how to perform.

At the same time, the erupting pyrotechnics on stage is also indicative of the energy vibrated by Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool and the entire production crew of a Green Day show. Good work all around, boys (cause most of the crew is guys… erm.)

Anyway, I hope you like the redesign. I do!

Green Day at Madison Square Garden, July 27, 2009

For a gallery of photographs that I either took at Green Day concerts and events or were used in some way in this blog by the rules of Fair Use, can be found here.