Mike Dirnt

Michael Ryan Pritchard (born May 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Mike Dirnt, is an American rock musician who is the co-founder, bassist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of Green Day. He has also played in several other bands, including the 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.

Early life and education

Pritchard was born in Oakland, California on May 4, 1972. 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.Spitz, 2006. p. 13 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 to Rodeo, California, while he stayed in El Sobrante, California, with his father. 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 Having been previously described as bright and fearless, Dirnt became sullen and withdrawn after the divorce.

In the cafeteria in Carquinez Middle School, ten-year-old Pritchard met Billie Joe Armstrong, with whom he bonded instantly. Armstrong began to play guitar with Mike, and the two spent time together at Armstrong's house learning songs by the Ramones, Ozzy Osbourne, Def Leppard, Hüsker Dü, AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Replacements, the Who, and Van Halen.Spitz, 2006. p. 14 At the age of 14, they formed a group named "Sweet Children."

After attending Salesian High School, an all-boys Catholic school for his first year, Pritchard transferred to Pinole Valley High School, where Armstrong had also recently transferred from John Swett High School.Spitz, 2006. p. 16 Pritchard's family struggled with financial troubles; in an effort to help out, he worked as a chef at Nantucket, a seafood restaurant in Crockett.Spitz, 2006. p. 20 He eventually saved enough money to purchase a used pickup truck that he and Armstrong often drove to Berkeley, where they attended shows at 924 Gilman Street, an influential DIY punk club. 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."Spitz, 2006. p. 35

Career

While at Pinole Valley High School, Dirnt and classmate Armstrong formed a band called Sweet Children. 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.Spitz, 2006. p. 42

After drummer John 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.Spitz, 2006. p. 46 Dirnt, however, worried that he needed a backup plan and continued his studies.Spitz, 2006. p. 47

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 the onomatopoeia "Dirnt".Spitz, 2006. pp. 49–50 After changing its name to Green Day, the band recorded its debut album ''39/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.Spitz, 2006. p. 67

At Woodstock '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.

While performing at the 1998 KROQ Weenie Roast in Irvine, California, Third Eye Blind bassist Arion Salazar ran onstage and " bear-hugged" Dirnt, who was caught off-guard.Meyer, 2006. pp. 153–154 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. Eyewitnesses later attributed the bottle-throwing to a fan of Third Eye Blind, though this was disputed by another eyewitness on the following day's Loveline broadcast. 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."

Dirnt helped form the secret Green Day side project The Network during the summer of 2003. The six-piece new wave band consists of the members of Green Day, along with touring members and friends of the band. They released their debut album ''Money 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).

In the live album, '' Bullet in a Bible,'' Armstrong calls Dirnt "the best bass player in the history of punk rock".

In 2007, during the recording of Green Day's eighth studio album '' 21st Century Breakdown'', Dirnt, Armstrong, and drummer Tré Cool formed the garage rock side project, Foxboro Hot Tubs. In addition to the three members of Green Day, the band also includes Green Day touring members Jason White, Jason Freese and Kevin Preston. They released their debut album ''Stop Drop and Roll!!!'' in 2008. Dirnt played bass and provided backup vocals on the album.

In 2012, during the iHeartRadio 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.

On April 18, 2015, Dirnt and his Green Day bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

On May 1st, 2025, Dirnt and his Green Day bandmates got their star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Songwriting and lead vocals

Although Armstrong is Green Day's main lyricist, Dirnt has written lyrics for "Emenius Sleepus", " J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)", "Scumbag", "Ha Ha You're Dead", the subtrack "Nobody Likes You" from the medley "Homecoming" and the B-side "Governator", American Idiot (CD liner). Green Day. Reprise Records. 2004. He also co-wrote the lyrics to "Best Thing in Town", "The One I Want", and "Panic Song" with Armstrong, and writes all the bass lines for Green Day songs. Mike also composed the intro to "Desensitized" from ''Shenanigans'' using a baseball bat and an old cathode ray tube television.

Dirnt sings lead vocals on "Governator", part of the third verse of "Outsider" on the '' Shenanigans'' album, the "Nobody Likes You" subtrack of "Homecoming". He also sings the subtrack "Modern World" from the medley "American Eulogy" from '' 21st 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".

Musicianship

Originally a guitar player, Dirnt switched to bass when Green Day became a power 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." In a 1994 interview with '' Bass 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." Dirnt plays with a pick, using his arm more so than his wrist, unlike most other bassists. "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."

Dirnt prefers a "warm and round" bass tone with enough upper midrange to contend with Armstrong's guitar tone. He primarily recorded ''Dookie'' with a 1985 Fender Precision Bass, although he used a mid-1970s Gibson G3 for songs like '' Longview'', the walking bassline of which was inspired by Dirnt's interest in jazz. Between ''Warning'' and ''American 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. All of Dirnt's basses are strung with .045–.105 gauge Fender Super 7250 roundwounds.

For most of the 1990s and early 2000s, Dirnt favored Yamaha G100 amplifier heads through 6x10 Mesa/Boogie cabinets, although he has also incorporated other amps into his rig at different times, including models from Ampeg and Sunn. He switched to Fender amps in 2003, using Bassman Pro and TB-1200 heads with 8x10 Pro cabs. In 2010, Dirnt helped develop an updated Super Bassman model, which has since become his main amplifier.

Personal life

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 in Oakland.

In 2004, he married girlfriend Sarah Garrity in a private villa in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The two divorced that same year.

On March 14, 2009, he married Brittney Cade in a private ceremony in Brittney's hometown of Ojai, California. 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 a ''Star Wars'' fan; he stated jokingly in an interview that he bases "most of his religious beliefs" on ''Star Wars''. His birthday is on Star Wars Day. Dirnt's favorite bass player was Cliff Burton.

Dirnt was adopted; his biological mother died on January 9, 2013. Dirnt only managed to meet her one month before her death.

In July 2014, it was announced that Dirnt would co-produce the Indie film ''Crickets'', with Green Day manager, Pat Magnarella.

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.

In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic Armstrong noted that Dirnt is "basically becoming a farmer".

Discography

Green Day

* ''39/Smooth'' (1990) – bass guitar, backing vocals
* '' Kerplunk!'' (1991) – bass guitar, backing vocals
* '' Dookie'' (1994) – bass guitar, backing vocals
* ''Insomniac'' (1995) – bass guitar, backing vocals
* ''Nimrod'' (1997) – bass guitar, backing vocals, baseball bat (as written in the album's liner notes)
* '' Warning'' (2000) – bass guitar, backing vocals, Farfisa on "Misery"
* ''American Idiot'' (2004) – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Nobody Likes You" and the deluxe bonus track "Governator"
* '' 21st Century Breakdown'' (2009) – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Modern World"
* ''¡Uno!'' (2012) – bass guitar, backing vocals
* ''¡Dos!'' (2012) - bass guitar, backing vocals
* ''¡Tré!'' (2012) - bass guitar, backing vocals and lead vocals on part of "Sex, Drugs and Violence"
* '' Revolution Radio'' (2016) – bass guitar, backing vocals
* '' Father of All Motherfuckers'' (2020) – bass guitar, backing vocals
* '' Saviors'' (2024) - bass guitar, backing vocals

Foxboro Hot Tubs

* ''Stop Drop and Roll!!!'' (2008) – bass guitar, vocals

The Network

* ''Money Money 2020'' (2003) – lead vocals, bass guitar, backing vocals (as Van Gough)
* '' Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So!'' (2020) – lead vocals, bass guitar, backing vocals (as Van Gough)

The Frustrators

* ''Bored in the USA'' (EP) (2000) – bass guitar, backing vocals
* ''Achtung Jackass'' (2002) – bass guitar, backing vocals
* ''Griller'' (EP) (2011) – bass guitar, backing vocals

Screeching Weasel

* ''How to Make Enemies and Irritate People'' (1994) – bass, backing vocals
* " Suzanne Is Getting Married" (single) (1994) – bass and backing vocals on track 1

Squirtgun

* '' Squirtgun'' (1995) – bass and backing vocals on "Make It Up"

Other media appearances

* ''King of the Hill'' – (TV series – 1997) – teenager
* '' Riding in Vans with Boys'' (film – 2003) – himself
* '' Live Freaky! Die Freaky!'' (film – 2006)
* ''The Simpsons Movie'' (film – 2007) – himself
* '' Heart Like a Hand Grenade'' (film – 2008) – himself
* '' Green Day: Rock Band'' (video game – 2010) – himself (Voice, likeness, and archive footage)
* ''¡Cuatro!'' (film – 2013) as himself
* '' Broadway Idiot'' (film – 2013) as himself

References

External links

*

Mike Dirnt
at AllMovie

Mike Dirnt Road Worn Precision Bass
by Fender

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dirnt, Mike
1972 births
Living people
Alternative rock bass guitarists
American alternative rock singers
American adoptees
American agnostics
American alternative rock musicians
American male singers
American punk rock bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
American punk rock guitarists
Green Day members
Musicians from Berkeley, California
Musicians from Oakland, California
People from Rodeo, California
Guitarists from California
Screeching Weasel members
21st-century American singers
21st-century American bass guitarists
20th-century American bass guitarists
Reprise Records artists
Adeline Records artists