Viewer Advisory Week 2 Responses!

Question: The opinions toward the "Wake Me Up When September Ends" video are very mixed - what do you think of the concept? If you were Samuel Bayer (video director), would you have made the same video or have made something totally different? What would your concept be for the video (this explanation can be as long or short as you want)? Finally, what do you think of Sam putting more couple than Green Day / why do you think he did this?
   

From Theresa B:

     I personally loved the "Wake Me Up When September Ends Video". I loved how it was 7 minutes long because that tells me that a point was trying to get across that a real story is trying to be told and it is important. I
think that it is great how it relates to the story of the American Idiot cd
(in the song it is about a breakup). It is not exactly how the cd describes
it however, the love never dies in the video and I don't think the love
between (Jesus and Whatsername) dies in the cd either. This is one main
point I think was trying to be shown. Um....If I was the director I would
not have created anything different at all. The video portrays perfectly how
over a short period of time your life can change (summer is meaning the
short period of time and September is when a new beginning is starting and
things come crashing down.) The fact that the couple was in the video more
than Green Day tells me that it is about their relationship never-ending. The
couple gives us more detail about the song meaning then Green Day just
singing it. The song meaning is about love never-ending but things sometimes changing for the better or for the worse. The song "Wake Me Up When September Ends" relating to the story of Jesus of Suburbia is about how his love never dies for Whatsername but things just changed. Well that is what I think, I wont make this thing too long. I hope you understand what I was trying to say! I hope this video is on TV soon and they show the whole thing because people really will be touched by it! Since this song relates to Billie Joe's loss it is even more sentimental.

From Katie P:

     I think that this video is extremely relevant to what’s going on in today’s society. Although many, if not all Green Day fans know that what this song is truly about is Billie Joe’s father passing away, I think that more people would be able to relate to the war conception in the video. Not only Green Day fans will watch this, but many people will, and I believe that they will relate to it much easier the way it has been made.
     Even though it is more work, I probably would have made two videos. I would have made one somewhat like the one that has been released, but also another video that would be a bit more personal for Billie Joe.
    I would have the members of Green Day in some different random spots for some of the shots, and then them together in a different random spot playing their instruments and singing and all that good stuff. I would also try to get some of Billie Joe’s actual home videos with his dad in it, and then maybe make some pretend home videos. Also in part of the video, I would want to have stuff that would be representative of Billie Joe’s father. He would have to do a lot of stuff in this video, seeing as it’s a very personal song for him. 
     I think that he should have put more Green Day in the video, but not all in that location where they were. Maybe some of them performing in the fields where the couple had been, or some where the boy was fighting in the war. They should have been playing in the locations of the couple. I’m not sure why he put more of the couple in it then Green Day. I’m thinking that he wanted it to be more of a mini movie, and not a music video.

From "Wattzername" Stephanie:

I think that the “Wake Me Up When September Ends” video is really good. It’s not like most green day videos, and has a very deep meaning to it. As most fans no, the song is about Billie Joe’s father and his passing away. But the video is about a teenaged boy joining the army, leaving all his loved ones, and gets killed in a war. many people can relate to the loss of a loved one. The part I like about it is that it is also different from music videos altogether. At about seven minutes long, it tells a short story, a "mini-movie". Some people when they watch this video can be very emotional. Most of my friends said it was very sad when they saw it on this site and some even cried.
Um.. I don’t think I would have changed the video if I were the director. But I do agree with Katie. He should have put the guys in gd as extras in the background or something not just performing on the stage thing. And the two video idea is good as well. It would have been cool for them to of made two videos. The one they have and one that maybe was more personal. It would have shown a side of Billie that the media or his fans haven’t seen yet. Anyway, that just my opinion!