U.K. newspaper The Guardian has accused Green Day of hypocrisy, saying that the punk rock trio has sold out its political beliefs by signing a world exclusive deal with a British tabloid, The Sun, to stream the band's upcoming album 21st Century Breakdown. The Sun is owned by Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp also owns such unapologetically right-wing media outlets as New York newspaper The New York Post and the Fox News cable channel.
The Guardian wrote, "The Sun does paranoia and propaganda better than most. Whether it's celebrating the death of enemy soldiers, vilifying strikers and 'scroungers' or raising a fuss about the perversities of Johnny Foreigner, the tabloid invariably has the first word on the lowest common denominator."
The article points out that Green Day's previous album, American Idiot, was openly critical of the Bush Administration and corporate right-wing media, most often personified by Fox News and far right mouthpieces such as Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck.
The Guardian says that 21st Century Breakdown, which comes out this Friday (May 15th) "will one day be seen as a masterpiece," adding that it "features characters who speak of class war, getting so high they can't stand up, and wearing rubber coats for the nuclear winter."
The article concludes about Green Day's arrangement with The Sun: "This, of course, is not the end of the world, and anybody with sense knows to trust the art rather than the artist. Just like Bruce Springsteen signing an exclusive deal with the militantly anti-union Wal-Mart chain, Green Day sacrificing integrity for exposure is merely a shame."
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