Mike Dirnt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mike Dirnt |
|
|---|---|
_(53818595884)_(cropped).jpg)
Dirnt performing with Green Day in 2024
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Ryan Pritchard |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | May 4, 1972 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1986–present |
Michael Ryan Pritchard (born May 4, 1972), known as Mike Dirnt, is an American rock musician. He is a co-founder, bassist, and backing vocalist for the band Green Day. Sometimes, he also sings lead vocals. His stage name "Dirnt" came from a nickname his friends gave him. He would pretend to play "air bass" and make a "dirnt, dirnt, dirnt" sound.
Contents
Early Life and How Mike Dirnt Started Music
Pritchard was born in Oakland, California, on May 4, 1972. When he was young, his parents divorced. Mike moved with his mother and sister, Myla, to Rodeo, California. After the divorce, he became quieter.
At age ten, Mike met Billie Joe Armstrong at Carquinez Middle School. They became friends right away. They spent time at Billie Joe's house, learning songs by bands like the Ramones and Ozzy Osbourne. When they were 14, they started a band called "Sweet Children."
Mike attended Salesian High School for a year. Then he moved to Pinole Valley High School, where Billie Joe also went. Mike's family had money problems. To help, he worked as a chef at a seafood restaurant. He saved enough money to buy a pickup truck. He and Billie Joe often drove it to Berkeley, California. There, they went to shows at 924 Gilman Street, a famous punk club. They even got jobs as security guards there. Mike said, "We lived and died for that place. At that time, it meant everything."
Mike Dirnt's Music Career
While at Pinole Valley High School, Dirnt and Armstrong formed Sweet Children. Mike's mother struggled to support them. In 1987, she had to leave Rodeo to find work. Mike and Billie Joe convinced their parents to let Mike move into Billie Joe's garage. They did not want to stop playing music.
Later, drummer John Kiffmeyer joined the band. Sweet Children started playing at 924 Gilman Street. Their shows were popular. Billie Joe decided to leave high school to focus on music. Mike, however, wanted a backup plan. He continued his studies.
The band's first bass player left. Mike then took over playing bass. He often brought his bass to school. The sound of the unamplified strings led classmates to call him "Dirnt." This became his stage name. The band changed its name to Green Day. They recorded their first album, 39/Smooth, in 1989. Their first tour started in June 1990, the day Mike graduated from high school.
At Woodstock '94, Green Day had a famous mud fight with the audience. Some fans climbed onto the stage. Security guards thought Mike was a fan because he was covered in mud. They tackled him, and he lost a tooth. Mike needed special dental care after this.
In 1998, at a concert in Irvine, California, another band's bassist ran on stage. He hugged Mike, who was surprised. A fight started on stage. Later, backstage, a bottle hit Mike's head. It caused a small crack in his skull. The other bassist apologized, saying he made a bad decision.
Mike helped create The Network in 2003. This was a secret side project of Green Day. The band plays new wave music. It includes Green Day members and friends. They released their first album, Money Money 2020, in 2003. After many years, they released their second album in 2020. Mike plays bass and sings lead vocals for The Network. This is different from Green Day, where he mostly sings backup.
In a live album, Bullet in a Bible, Billie Joe Armstrong called Mike "the best bass player in the history of punk rock."
In 2007, while recording a Green Day album, Mike, Billie Joe, and drummer Tré Cool formed another side project. It was a garage rock band called Foxboro Hot Tubs. They released their album Stop Drop and Roll!!! in 2008. Mike played bass and sang backup vocals.
In 2015, Mike and his Green Day bandmates were honored. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This happened in their first year of being eligible.
Mike Dirnt's Songwriting and Vocals
Billie Joe Armstrong writes most of Green Day's songs. But Mike Dirnt has written lyrics for some songs too. These include "Emenius Sleepus" and "J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)." He also helped write songs like "Best Thing in Town." Mike creates all the bass lines for Green Day's songs. He even used a baseball bat and an old TV to make the intro for the song "Desensitized."
Mike sings lead vocals on some Green Day songs. These include "Governator" and parts of "Nobody Likes You."
For The Network, Mike shares lead vocal duties with Billie Joe. You can hear Mike singing lead on songs like "Joe Robot" and "Money Money 2020."
Mike Dirnt's Personal Life
Mike Dirnt married his first wife, Anastasia Serman, in 1996. They divorced in 1999. They have a daughter named Estelle Desiree, born in 1996. Mike gained full custody of Estelle in 2008. She moved to Oakland, California, to live with him.
In 2004, he married Sarah Garrity. They divorced that same year.
On March 14, 2009, he married Brittney Cade. They had two children together. Their son, Brixton Michael, was born in 2008. Their daughter, Ryan Ruby Mae, was born in 2010.
Mike is a big fan of Star Wars. He jokes that his beliefs are based on Star Wars. His birthday is also on Star Wars Day. Mike's favorite bass player was Cliff Burton.
He is also a part owner of Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe. This is a diner in Emeryville and Oakland. The diner is named after a song by the band the Clash. The menu items also have fun punk-themed names.
Mike was adopted as a child. He met his biological mother one month before she passed away in 2013.
In 2014, Mike announced he would help produce a movie called Crickets. In 2015, Mike and Billie Joe Armstrong started a coffee company. It is called Oakland Coffee Works. They sell organic coffee beans. Their company is the first to use 100% compostable bags and pods.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Billie Joe Armstrong joked that Mike was "basically becoming a farmer."
Mike Dirnt's Music Albums
Green Day Albums
- 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
- Warning (2000) – bass guitar, backing vocals
- 21st Century Breakdown (2009) – bass guitar, backing vocals
- ¡Uno! (2012) – bass guitar, backing vocals
- ¡Dos! (2012) - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Revolution Radio (2016) – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Saviors (2024) - bass guitar, backing vocals
Foxboro Hot Tubs Albums
- Stop Drop and Roll!!! (2008) – bass guitar, vocals
The Network Albums
- 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 Albums
- Bored in the USA (EP) (2000) – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Achtung Jackass (2002) – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Griller (EP) (2011) – bass guitar, backing vocals
Other Music Appearances
- How to Make Enemies and Irritate People (1994) with Screeching Weasel – bass, backing vocals
- Squirtgun (1995) with Squirtgun – bass and backing vocals on "Make It Up"
Other Media Appearances
- King of the Hill – (TV series – 1997) – as a teenager
- Riding in Vans with Boys (film – 2003) – as himself
- Live Freaky! Die Freaky! (film – 2006)
- The Simpsons Movie (film – 2007) – as himself
- Heart Like a Hand Grenade (film – 2008) – as himself
- Green Day: Rock Band (video game – 2010) – as himself (Voice, likeness, and archive footage)
- ¡Cuatro! (film – 2013) as himself
See also
In Spanish: Mike Dirnt para niños
