--- description: The rock band's Billie Joe Armstrong sees Harry Potter as a good role model for future generations to understand how to combat evil. title: Green Day Has Hope for the Future 'Harry Potter Generation' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong on Trump: the 'Harry Potter Generation' Will Defeat Evil  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 27, 2017 8:13 PM CUT  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 27, 2017 8:13 PM CUT Green Day—the [punk rockers](http://time.com/4147920/rare-green-day-photos/?iid=sr-link2 "undefined") who brought us 2004’s _American Idiot_ and the more recent [politically-charged _Revolution Radio_](http://time.com/4448642/green-day-revolution-radio-album/?iid=sr-link3 "undefined")—have never shied away from taking a rebellious approach to the U.S. social and political landscape. But in a new [backstage interview](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/green-day-on-trump-american-idiot-bands-future-w473166 "undefined") with _Rolling Stone_, [frontman Billie Joe Armstrong](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1997442,00.html?iid=sr-link4 "undefined") shared a somewhat more optimistic worldview. Although, at first, Armstrong did not mince words when it came to the current administration. “Bush, as far as I’m concerned, is a war criminal,” [Armstrong reflected](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/green-day-on-trump-american-idiot-bands-future-w473166 "undefined") on the era in which the band wrote _American Idiot_. “With Trump, we have no idea. Right now it’s just a freak show.” When asked about his kids’ futures (Armstrong is father to two [aspiring musician sons](http://www.nme.com/news/music/green-day-349-1192060 "undefined")), he said he looks at them as the “Harry Potter Generation,” referring to [J.K. Rowling’s](http://time.com/4713730/jk-rowling-trump-kushner-slytherin/ "undefined") ubiquitous, popular magical universe and its built-in lessons in morality and resilience. **“**There’s a sense of justice about that, in beating Voldemort,” he explained of the story’s [ultimate narrative arc](http://time.com/4607327/harry-potter-inspirational-quotes/ "undefined") of overcoming the villain. “It’s a classic tale of good versus evil. To have a role model like Harry Potter that says you can defeat evil, but still be a complicated human being. That gives me a lot of hope.” Armstrong and his bandmates Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool are in the midst of a [giant tour](http://www.greenday.com/tour "undefined") that will take them around the world through the fall. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4714252/billie-joe-armstrong-harry-potter/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4714252/billie-joe-armstrong-harry-potter/"},"headline":"Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong on Trump: the 'Harry Potter Generation' Will Defeat Evil","datePublished":"2017-03-27T20:13:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:42:18.026Z","description":"Billie Joe Armstrong thinks Harry's a good role model for fighting evil.","url":"https://time.com/4714252/billie-joe-armstrong-harry-potter/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities","Music","Donald Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4714252/billie-joe-armstrong-harry-potter/","name":"Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong on Trump: the 'Harry Potter Generation' Will Defeat Evil"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"J.K. 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