Linda Perry Fires Back at Billie Joe Armstrong After Alleged American Idiot Sequel Exit

Linda Perry has publicly called out Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, claiming she was unexpectedly removed from producing the band’s planned follow up to 2004’s American Idiot.

The 61 year old songwriter and producer, known for writing and producing major hits like Beautiful for Christina Aguilera, What You Waiting For? for Gwen Stefani, and Get the Party Started for Pink, alleged the situation cost her months of work after the collaboration suddenly fell apart.

In an interview with NME, Perry explained: “I had a full calendar and cancelled six months of work to do it.

“I met with Billie Joe [Armstrong], and we talked for three hours … Like every artist, I think he had got to a point where you feel like, ‘I have nothing to say and need help’ – there’s a therapy aspect to producing too.”

According to Perry, things shifted after Courtney Love publicly revealed that she was set to produce the project, which she claims sparked criticism from Green Day fans.

Linda said: “Then Courtney blabbed her mouth that I was producing. Suddenly they started getting backlash from their fans, upset they were ‘bringing in Linda Perry, who produced Pink and Christina Aguilera’.

“And then those guys just stopped calling me.

“I would reach out to figure out what was going on. Nobody called. I lost six months of scheduled work. That was f***** up all because Billie Joe’s a little p***y and got all this backlash from his fans and didn’t like it.”

Representatives for Green Day denied that Perry was officially attached to the album and stated the band had chosen to work with Rob Cavallo instead, although Butch Vig eventually produced 2009’s 21st Century Breakdown.

The 4 Non Blondes musician admitted the part that bothered her most was being ignored entirely by Billie Joe, while also blaming Courtney Love for revealing the news too early because she believed strongly in what the album could have become.

She continued: “Whatever! I’m good with it, but it was harsh and rude to do that.

“Just call me and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to go a different way. I’m not digging this backlash we’re getting’. Just balls-up, man. Not returning my calls was such a p***y move, and I lost a lot of respect for Billie Joe.

“It happened because I was a woman and I’d written pop songs. I was disappointed in those guys, and then I was mad at Courtney because if she would have just shut up, we would have made the record and it would have come out and it would have spoken for itself. I had a vision and knew I was going to kill that record.”