Billie Eilish Meets Bille Joe Armstrong: ‘I’m In The Room With The Guy Who was My Wallpaper’
Billie Eilish and Billie Joe Armstrong came together for Rolling Stone’s “Musicians on Musicians” feature. During the interview, Eilish received praise from Armstrong for her work. “I always gravitate toward music that sounds like freedom. And that’s what I get from your music. It’s like an earnest person that’s expressing themselves in incorporating new sounds,” Armstrong says.
Eilish said that she’d been a fan since she was nine. She also said to Armstrong, “I can’t believe I’m in the room with the guy who was my wallpaper.”
Eilish asks Armstrong about the Dookie era and if he enjoyed it. He says, “Not all the time. I was sort of lost at sea. There’s extreme highs, and you’re playing to a new audience really excited to hear you. But I think what was really important to me was being real.” Eilish echoes his sentiments and discusses her experience. She explains, “There was a period where I was like, ‘Do I even enjoy music?’ It just felt like so much touring, and I don’t mean the shows. The shows are always my favorite part.” Eilish adds, “But it was the traveling and being alone all the time, on a cold bus in Europe, horrible food, and when you come back, everyone’s kind of moved on from you.”
Armstrong also gives excellent advice on dealing with touring. He tells Eilish, “For me, it’s learning what gratitude means to you. My life could have definitely gone in a different direction. I’m just glad people show up. Now, if I have an off show, I kind of don’t care. Things are supposed to be messy. Life is messy.” He lastly adds, “But that’s the part of what drew me to punk, because it’s all one big imperfection. It’s like taking trash and making it beautiful.”
