Mike Dirnt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mike Dirnt |
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Dirnt performing with Green Day in 2024
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Ryan Pritchard |
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| Born | May 4, 1972 Oakland, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1986–present |
Michael Ryan Pritchard (born May 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Mike Dirnt, is an American rock musician. He is famous for being a co-founder, bassist, and backing singer for the band Green Day. He sometimes sings lead vocals too.
Dirnt has also played in other bands, including the Frustrators. His stage name came from a nickname his school friends gave him. He would pretend to play "air bass" and make a "dirnt, dirnt, dirnt" sound, like he was plucking the strings.
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Early Life and Friendship
Mike Dirnt was born Michael Ryan Pritchard in Oakland, California, on May 4, 1972. When he was a child, his parents divorced. He moved with his mother and sister to Rodeo, California. After the divorce, Mike, who was once a bright and fearless kid, became quiet and shy.
In the cafeteria at Carquinez Middle School, a ten-year-old Mike met Billie Joe Armstrong. They quickly became good friends. Billie Joe played guitar, and they would hang out at his house, learning songs by bands like the Ramones, Van Halen, and the Who. When they were 14, they started their own band called "Sweet Children."
Mike attended Salesian High School for a year before transferring to Pinole Valley High School, where Billie Joe also went. Mike's family didn't have a lot of money, so he worked as a chef in a seafood restaurant to help out. With the money he saved, he bought a pickup truck. He and Billie Joe often drove it to Berkeley, California to see shows at a famous punk club called 924 Gilman Street.
Green Day's Rise to Fame
While in high school, Mike and Billie Joe's band, Sweet Children, started getting serious. Mike's mother had to move away for work, but he didn't want to leave the band. Mike's and Billie Joe's parents agreed to let Mike live in Billie Joe's garage so he could stay.
After a new drummer, John Kiffmeyer (also known as Al Sobrante), joined, the band started playing shows at the 924 Gilman Street club. Their performances were a big hit. Billie Joe decided to leave high school to focus on music. Mike, however, stayed in school to make sure he had a backup plan.
The band needed a new bass player, so Mike switched from guitar to bass. He would often carry his bass to school. The sound of the unamplified strings led his classmates to call him "Dirnt," and the name stuck. The band changed its name to Green Day and recorded their first album, 39/Smooth. The day Mike graduated from high school, the band left for their first tour in a van.
Memorable Moments on Stage
At the Woodstock '94 festival, Green Day's performance turned into a huge mud fight with the audience. During the chaos, a security guard mistook a mud-covered Mike for a fan and tackled him, accidentally knocking out one of his teeth.
In 1998, at a festival in California, the bassist from the band Third Eye Blind ran on stage and hugged Mike by surprise. This led to a scuffle on stage. Later, during an argument backstage, Mike was hit in the head with a bottle, which caused a small fracture in his skull. The person who threw it was believed to be a fan. The other bassist later apologized, saying he had just been trying to be funny.
Other Music Projects
Besides Green Day, Mike Dirnt has been involved in several other bands.
- The Network: In 2003, Mike helped form this secret side project. It's a new wave band made up of the Green Day members and some of their friends. They released their first album, Money Money 2020, in 2003 and a second one, Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So!, in 2020. In this band, Mike sings lead vocals on many songs.
- Foxboro Hot Tubs: In 2007, while recording a Green Day album, Mike, Billie Joe, and drummer Tré Cool started this garage rock band. They released the album Stop Drop and Roll!!! in 2008. Mike played bass and sang backup vocals.
In 2015, Mike and his Green Day bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On May 1, 2025, they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Songwriting and Playing Style
While Billie Joe Armstrong writes most of Green Day's lyrics, Mike has written the words for several songs. These include "Emenius Sleepus," "J.A.R.," and "Ha Ha You're Dead." He also writes all the bass lines for Green Day's songs.
Mike originally played guitar but switched to bass. He plays with a pick and uses a fast, energetic style. He creates bass lines that are catchy and powerful. In an interview, he said he never tried to copy other bass players because he wanted to create his own unique style.
For his sound, Mike uses Fender basses, including his own signature model, the Mike Dirnt Precision Bass. He also uses Fender amplifiers to get a warm and powerful tone that complements Billie Joe's guitar.
Personal Life
Mike Dirnt has been married three times. He has a daughter, Estelle Desiree, from his first marriage. He has two more children with his current wife, Brittney Cade: a son, Brixton Michael, and a daughter, Ryan Ruby Mae.
Mike is a big Star Wars fan and shares a birthday with Star Wars Day (May 4th). He was adopted as a child and had the chance to meet his biological mother just a month before she passed away in 2013.
Outside of music, Mike is also a businessman. In 2015, he and Billie Joe Armstrong started a coffee company called Oakland Coffee Works (now Punk Bunny Coffee). The company is known for using bags and pods that are fully compostable.
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
- Warning (2000) – bass guitar, backing vocals, Farfisa organ
- American Idiot (2004) – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Nobody Likes You"
- 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 "..., ..., and Violence"
- Revolution Radio (2016) – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Father of All ... (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
- Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So! (2020) – lead vocals, bass guitar, backing vocals
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
- ¡Cuatro! (film – 2013) as himself
- Broadway Idiot (film – 2013) as himself
See also
In Spanish: Mike Dirnt para niños
