To say “American Idiot” gave Green Day a second wind is a massive understatement - it’s the massively successful comeback album that cemented the punk trio’s legacy as one of rock’s biggest acts. And yet it almost never came to be - just a year prior to “American Idiot” coming out, Green Day decided to start creating a new album from scratch after the masters to a different nearly finished album “Cigarettes And Valentines” were mysteriously stolen… But what if the band decided to re-record “Cigarettes And Valentines” instead (or if the masters were never stolen to begin with), and in turn never recorded “American Idiot”? How could never releasing the landmark punk rock opera not only impact Green Day’s legacy, but also the entire rock scene of the 2000s and beyond?   That's what Matt and Zach discuss during a new episode of "What If?" In this podcast series, we analyze hypothetical scenarios surrounding moments in music history that nearly happened, and hypothesize what the outcomes could’ve been if that “what if” became a reality.   Also listen to a ton of other episodes where Green Day is heavily discussed: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMDTLLqaGPtjVZNULUo_rDzcCG5bj4heg    Want to buy some exclusive Epic Footnote merch, or listen to our episodes on another streaming platform? Visit https://linktr.ee/epicfootnote    Sponsored by Lucky 13 Beard Co.: head over to https://lucky13beardco.com/ and listen to this episode for a special code that will give you 10% OFF your order of quality, made-to-order beard care products! And also try our VERY OWN beard oil inspired by the legendary Lemmy Kilmister:  https://lucky13beardco.com/products/1oz-beard-oil-lemmy   #WhatIf #GreenDay #AmericanIdiot #CigarettesAndValentines #BillieJoeArmstrong #MikeDirnt #TreCool #Youngblood #JesusOfSuburbia #Holiday #WakeMeUpWhenSeptemberEnds #Punk #PunkRock #PopPunk #RockOpera #Podcast #MusicPodcast