Anti-Climacus

Irony died either with the band that complained about how much money it costs to be an indie band these days, or with the guitar army playing "Time of Your Life" unironically (I think) at the end of the Broadway production of American Idiot, which I happened to see the other night.

About the latter: at first it seemed like Zoo TV, minus the irony and approximately 40 years too late to be incisive. Then it seemed like a rip-off of the Clash, which led into the sub-question of whether the Clash had a sense of humor (I'd vote no). Then this caused me to reflect on the general humorlessness of American punk music, New York excepted, which made me think of the bands that managed to avoid this problem and how they were either eccentrically artistic on their own, or else influenced by glam. And then the political themes were largely jettisoned after the first third, in favor of something more like Bruce Springsteen's The River by way of the Velvet Underground--i.e., personal stories of loss and corruption that are divested from larger social points. And then the ending, in which, I think, the pleasure of reuniting with friends is supposed to exceed the divisions forced by adult life. Or something. All of which was a little confusing because I think it was supposed to be a number of years but made a point of chronologically referencing the transition through about 9 months.

In short, I'm not sure I understand Green Day. Someone can explain it to me?