Billie, meet Billie. Billie Eilish and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day may be stars of different generations, but on a deeper level, they are very similar. In a new issue from Rolling Stone, titled Musicians on Musicians, the two artists sit down for a conversation about the industry and the pressures over the years. While Eilish has been a fan of Armstrong since she was 9 years old (thanks to her brother Finneas and his sharp taste in tunes), it wasn’t until Armstrong saw a photo of the 17-year-old’s merchandise that he was clued into the greatness that is Eilish.
In July of 2018, he saw a photo of her wearing a neon bandana that read “Billie” and he went on a mission to get one for himself. Fast forward to May of this year, Armstrong attended one of her shows and was blown away by Eilish. They met backstage and have been buddies since.
In the video with Rolling Stone, Eilish explained that she freaked out upon meeting Armstrong earlier this year, and she knew the pressure was on at that show. “I have never been so conscious of myself during a show than knowing that Billie Joe Armstrong was in the crowd,” she said, adding that the Green Day frontman was once the background of her phone. “I can’t believe I’m the room with the guy who was my wallpaper.”
When the two bonded over their experiences, they agreed that no two people are the same or have been through the same things, which is why Eilish doesn’t “really believe in advice.” She said, “Sometimes when I’m given advice, I do the opposite. It’s just how I’ve been my whole life. Nobody has ever been through exactly what you’re going through, ever. [Billie Joe] is the only person that’s ever going to live through what he has. So no one can know except this dude, and the fact that he’s still sane, he’s still gorgeous, he’s still him, having gone through all this sh*t? It’s like, I don’t even know.”
And Armstrong just values how his fans appreciate Green Day’s craft and have been with him through it all. “Even though it is tempting to sort of sell out, you have to keep being real. When it comes down to it, I have to wake up and look at myself every morning and respect what I do. And I don’t love everything I’ve ever done.” Check out the video above and see how Billie squared geek out over each other.