Mike Dirnt | |
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_(53818595884)_(cropped).jpg) Dirnt performing withGreen Day in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Ryan Pritchard |
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| Born | (1972-05-04)May 4, 1972 (age 52) Oakland, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1986–present |
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Michael Ryan Pritchard (born May 4, 1972), better known by his stage nameMike Dirnt, is an American rock musician who is the co-founder, bassist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist ofGreen Day. He has also played in several other bands, includingthe Frustrators. His stage name Dirnt was originally a nickname that his friends from grade school gave him, as he constantly played "air bass/guitar" and made a "dirnt, dirnt, dirnt" noise while pretending to pluck the strings.
Pritchard was born inOakland, California on May 4, 1972.[1] As a child, his father was often away obtaining a degree, while his mother stayed at home to care for him and his sister Myla.[2] Pritchard excelled in school, despite often missing classes as a result of various illnesses attributed to his biological mother's drug use.
After an argument between his parents led to a call to the police, the couple divorced. His mother and sister moved toRodeo, California, while he stayed inEl Sobrante, California, with his father.[2] However, missing his mother, he eventually moved in with her and Myla. Having been previously described as bright and fearless, Dirnt became sullen and withdrawn after the divorce.[2]
In the cafeteria in Carquinez Middle School, ten-year-old Pritchard metBillie Joe Armstrong, with whom he bonded instantly.[2] Armstrong began to play guitar with Mike, and the two spent time together at Armstrong's house learning songs by theRamones,Ozzy Osbourne,Def Leppard,Hüsker Dü,AC/DC,Lynyrd Skynyrd,the Replacements,the Who, andVan Halen.[3] At the age of 14, they formed a group named "Sweet Children."
After attendingSalesian High School, an all-boys Catholic school for his first year, Pritchard transferred toPinole Valley High School, where Armstrong had also recently transferred fromJohn Swett High School.[4] Pritchard's family struggled with financial troubles; in an effort to help out, he worked as a chef at Nantucket, a seafood restaurant inCrockett.[5] He eventually saved enough money to purchase a used pickup truck that he and Armstrong often drove toBerkeley, where they attended shows at924 Gilman Street, an influentialDIYpunk club.[5] The pair got jobs at the club as security guards, despite their small physiques. Mike recalled, "We lived and died for that place. At that time, it meant everything."[6]
While at Pinole Valley High School, Dirnt and classmate Armstrong formed a band called Sweet Children.[4] Dirnt's mother struggled to provide for him and his sister as a single parent and eventually had to leave Rodeo in 1987 to look for work. Unwilling to leave Sweet Children, Armstrong and Dirnt convinced each other's parents to allow Dirnt to move into Armstrong's garage.[7]
After drummerJohn Kiffmeyer, who was also known as Al Sobrante, joined the group and replaced original drummer Raj Punjabi, Sweet Children began performing at 924 Gilman Street. The band performed several well-received sets, which encouraged Armstrong to drop out of high school to focus his energy on music.[8] Dirnt, however, worried that he needed a backup plan and continued his studies.[9]
Bass player Sean Hughes, who was not as dedicated to the group as the other members, left Sweet Children, leaving Dirnt to play bass. Dirnt often brought his bass to school, and the plucking noise of the unamplified strings led classmates to jokingly call him by theonomatopoeia "Dirnt".[10] After changing its name toGreen Day, the band recorded its debut album39/Smooth over the 1989 Christmas holiday break and went on its first van tour in June 1990, leaving the day that Dirnt graduated from high school.[11]
AtWoodstock '94, Green Day started an infamous mud fight, during which several fans invaded the stage. Overwhelmed by the chaotic situation, concert security mistook the mud-soaked Dirnt for a fan and tackled him, knocking out one of his teeth. Dirnt required emergency orthodontia due to this incident.[12]
While performing at the 1998KROQ Weenie Roast in Irvine, California,Third Eye Blind bassist Arion Salazar ran onstage and "bear-hugged" Dirnt, who was caught off-guard.[13] The incident escalated into an on-stage scuffle before security escorted Salazar away. After the performance, Dirnt confronted Salazar backstage, and as the two argued, a beer bottle struck Dirnt in the head, causing a small fracture in his skull.[13] Eyewitnesses[who?] later attributed the bottle-throwing to a fan of Third Eye Blind,[13] though this was disputed by another eyewitness on the following day's Loveline broadcast.[14] Salazar and the band's management soon released a statement: "I am sorry that my attempt at doing something I thought would be funny escalated into Mike getting hurt. That was never my intention. I simply had too much to drink and made a very bad decision. If I had been in Mike's place, I am sure I would have acted similarly. My heart goes out to him and I hope he recovers quickly."[13]
Dirnt helped form the secret Green Day side projectThe Network during the summer of 2003. The six-piecenew wave band consists of the members of Green Day, along with touring members and friends of the band. They released their debut albumMoney Money 2020 on September 30, 2003. After a seventeen-year hiatus, the band released their second album,Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So!, on December 4, 2020. In addition to playing bass for the band, Dirnt also provides lead vocals on many of their tracks (in contrast to his work with Green Day, where he primarily provides backing vocals).[citation needed]
In the live album,Bullet in a Bible, Armstrong calls Dirnt "the best bass player in the history of punk rock".[citation needed]
In 2007, during the recording of Green Day's eighth studio album21st Century Breakdown, Dirnt, Armstrong, and drummerTré Cool formed thegarage rock side project,Foxboro Hot Tubs. In addition to the three members of Green Day, the band also includes Green Day touring membersJason White,Jason Freese and Kevin Preston. They released their debut albumStop Drop and Roll!!! in 2008. Dirnt played bass and provided backup vocals on the album.[citation needed]
In 2012, during theiHeartRadio Music Festival, Dirnt and Armstrong smashed their respective bass and guitar after Armstrong became agitated onstage and ranted about Green Day's set being cut short.[15]
On April 18, 2015, Dirnt and his Green Day bandmates were inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.[16]
Although Armstrong is Green Day's main lyricist, Dirnt has written lyrics for "Emenius Sleepus",[17] "J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)",[18] "Scumbag", "Ha Ha You're Dead", the subtrack "Nobody Likes You" from the medley "Homecoming" and the B-side "Governator",[19] He also co-wrote the lyrics to "Best Thing in Town", "The One I Want", and "Panic Song" with Armstrong,[20] and writes all the bass lines for Green Day songs. Mike also composed the intro to "Desensitized" fromShenanigans using a baseball bat and an old cathode ray tube television.[21]
Dirnt sings lead vocals on "Governator",[19] part of the third verse of "Outsider" on theShenanigans album, the "Nobody Likes You" subtrack of "Homecoming".[19] He also sings the subtrack "Modern World" from the medley "American Eulogy" from21st Century Breakdown and sings lead for exactly 10 seconds in "Sex, Drugs, and Violence" from¡Tré!.
For the Green Day side project The Network, Dirnt shares lead vocal duties with Armstrong. Some notable tracks that feature Dirnt as the lead vocalist include "Joe Robot", "Reto", "Money Money 2020", "Trans Am", and "Digital Black".
Originally a guitar player, Dirnt switched to bass when Green Day became apower trio. Despite the change, he retained the dexterity and speed typical of guitar players, embellishing his basslines with fills, higher-fret runs, and quick pull-offs.Far Out described Dirnt's style and tone as "giddy, vibrant, and instantly-recognizable."[22] In a 1994 interview withBass Player, Dirnt stated that he had no specific influences and had never sat down and worked out the bass parts from another artist's album, as doing so "might have influenced me a little too much. I think my method has helped me to formulate my own style."[23] Dirnt plays with apick, using his arm more so than his wrist, unlike most other bassists.[23] "I try to be percussive with my right hand, finding something that has its own motor, with a bounce to it. I think it's all the little 'ands' and in-between notes that create a solid rhythm."[24]
Dirnt prefers a "warm and round" bass tone with enough upper midrange to contend with Armstrong's guitar tone. He primarily recordedDookie with a 1985Fender Precision Bass, although he used a mid-1970sGibson G3 for songs likeLongview, the walking bassline of which was inspired by Dirnt's interest in jazz.[23] BetweenWarning andAmerican Idiot, Dirnt developed a signature model bass with Fender. The Mike Dirnt Precision Bass was primarily inspired by the original 1951 Precision Bass design, while incorporating design elements from later Precision Bass years, like 1955-era arm contours, a 1959-style pickup, and a 1969-style C-shaped neck.[25] All of Dirnt's basses are strung with .045–.105 gauge Fender Super 7250 roundwounds.[25]
For most of the 1990s and early 2000s, Dirnt favoredYamaha G100 amplifier heads through 6x10Mesa/Boogie cabinets,[25] although he has also incorporated other amps into his rig at different times, including models fromAmpeg andSunn. He switched to Fender amps in 2003, using Bassman Pro and TB-1200 heads with 8x10 Pro cabs. In 2010, Dirnt helped develop an updatedSuper Bassman model, which has since become his main amplifier.[25]
Dirnt married his first wife, Anastasia Serman, in 1996; they divorced in 1999. Anastasia and Dirnt had a daughter together, Estelle Desiree, who was born on December 20, 1996. He won full custody of his daughter in the summer of 2008 and took her to live inOakland.
In 2004, he married girlfriend Sarah Garrity in a private villa inPuerto Vallarta, Mexico.[26] The two divorced that same year.
On March 14, 2009, he married Brittney Cade in a private ceremony in Brittney's hometown ofOjai, California.[27] Dirnt has two children with Cade: a son, Brixton Michael (born October 11, 2008), and a daughter, Ryan Ruby Mae (born November 29, 2010).
Dirnt is aStar Wars fan; he stated jokingly in an interview that he bases "most of his religious beliefs" onStar Wars.[28] His birthday is onStar Wars Day. Dirnt's favorite bass player wasCliff Burton.[29] He is a part owner ofRudy's Can't Fail Cafe, a diner inEmeryville and Oakland.[30] The diner was named after a song by punk rock bandthe Clash, "Rudie Can't Fail", from their albumLondon Calling. The menu item names are loosely based on punk themes such as "God Save the Chicken", a reference to "God Save the Queen" by theSex Pistols, and "Give 'Em Enough Meatloaf", a reference toGive 'Em Enough Rope bythe Clash.
Dirnt was adopted; his biological mother died on January 9, 2013. Dirnt only managed to meet her one month before her death.[31][32]
In July 2014, it was announced that Dirnt would co-produce the Indie filmCrickets, with Green Day manager, Pat Magnarella.[33]
In December 2015, Dirnt along with Billie Joe Armstrong announced that they would launch a coffee company,Oakland Coffee Works. The company sells organic coffee beans and is the first company to exclusively use 100% compostable bags and pods.[34]
In 2020 during theCOVID-19 pandemic Armstrong noted that Dirnt is "basically becoming a farmer".[35]
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)He is currently producing the newest Green Day album due out early next year
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