Editing Mike Dirnt (section)

== Career ==
While at Pinole Valley High School, Dirnt and classmate Armstrong formed a band called Sweet Children.<ref name="Spitz16" /> Dirnt's mother struggled to provide for him and his sister as a single parent and eventually had to leave Rodeo in 1987 to look for work. Unwilling to leave Sweet Children, Armstrong and Dirnt convinced each other's parents to allow Dirnt to move into Armstrong's garage.<ref name="Spitz42">Spitz, 2006. p. 42</ref>

After drummer [[John Kiffmeyer]], who was also known as Al Sobrante, joined the group and replaced original drummer Raj Punjabi, Sweet Children began performing at 924 Gilman Street. The band performed several well-received sets, which encouraged Armstrong to drop out of high school to focus his energy on music.<ref name="Spitz46">Spitz, 2006. p. 46</ref> Dirnt, however, worried that he needed a backup plan and continued his studies.<ref name="Spitz47">Spitz, 2006. p. 47</ref>

Bass player Sean Hughes, who was not as dedicated to the group as the other members, left Sweet Children, leaving Dirnt to play bass. Dirnt often brought his bass to school, and the plucking noise of the unamplified strings led classmates to jokingly call him by the [[onomatopoeia]] "Dirnt".<ref name="Spitz4950">Spitz, 2006. pp. 49–50</ref> After changing its name to [[Green Day]], the band recorded its debut album ''[[39/Smooth]]'' over the 1989 Christmas holiday break and went on its first van tour in June 1990, leaving the day that Dirnt graduated from high school.<ref name="Spitz67">Spitz, 2006. p. 67</ref>

At [[Woodstock '94]], Green Day started an infamous mud fight, during which several fans invaded the stage. Overwhelmed by the chaotic situation, concert security mistook the mud-soaked Dirnt for a fan and tackled him, knocking out one of his teeth. Dirnt required emergency orthodontia due to this incident.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ram.org/music/woodstock/woodstock.html|title=Woodstock 1994 concert review|last=Samudrala|first=Ram|date=August 1994|access-date=December 19, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128222654/http://ram.org/music/woodstock/woodstock.html|archive-date=November 28, 2010}}</ref>

While performing at the 1998 [[KROQ Weenie Roast]] in Irvine, California, [[Third Eye Blind]] bassist Arion Salazar ran onstage and "[[Bear hug|bear-hugged]]" Dirnt, who was caught off-guard.<ref name="Meyer153154">Meyer, 2006. pp. 153–154</ref> The incident escalated into an on-stage scuffle before security escorted Salazar away. After the performance, Dirnt confronted Salazar backstage, and as the two argued, a beer bottle struck Dirnt in the head, causing a small fracture in his skull.<ref name="Meyer153154" /> Eyewitnesses{{who|date=March 2021}} later attributed the bottle-throwing to a fan of Third Eye Blind,<ref name="Meyer153154" /> though this was disputed by another eyewitness on the following day's Loveline broadcast.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lovelinetapes.com/shows/1998-06-21-no-guest/|title = 1998-06-21 (No guest) – Loveline Tapes| date=December 6, 2010 }}</ref> Salazar and the band's management soon released a statement: "I am sorry that my attempt at doing something I thought would be funny escalated into Mike getting hurt. That was never my intention. I simply had too much to drink and made a very bad decision. If I had been in Mike's place, I am sure I would have acted similarly. My heart goes out to him and I hope he recovers quickly."<ref name="Meyer153154" />
[[File:Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool.jpg|thumb|Dirnt performing in 2006]]
Dirnt helped form the secret Green Day side project [[The Network]] during the summer of 2003. The six-piece [[New wave music|new wave]] band consists of the members of Green Day, along with touring members and friends of the band. They released their debut album ''[[Money Money 2020]]'' on September 30, 2003. After a seventeen-year hiatus, the band released their second album, ''[[Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So!]]'', on December 4, 2020. In addition to playing bass for the band, Dirnt also provides lead vocals on many of their tracks (in contrast to his work with Green Day, where he primarily provides backing vocals).{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

In the live album, ''[[Bullet in a Bible]],'' Armstrong calls Dirnt "the best bass player in the history of punk rock".{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

In 2007, during the recording of Green Day's eighth studio album ''[[21st Century Breakdown]]'', Dirnt, Armstrong, and drummer [[Tré Cool]] formed the [[garage rock]] side project, [[Foxboro Hot Tubs]]. In addition to the three members of Green Day, the band also includes Green Day touring members [[Jason White (Green Day guitarist)|Jason White]], [[Jason Freese]] and Kevin Preston. They released their debut album ''[[Stop Drop and Roll!!!]]'' in 2008. Dirnt played bass and provided backup vocals on the album.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

In 2012, during the [[iHeartRadio Music Festival]], Dirnt and Armstrong smashed their respective bass and guitar after Armstrong became agitated onstage and ranted about Green Day's set being cut short.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9zogQOmQVM/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/g9zogQOmQVM| archive-date=December 11, 2021 | url-status=live|title= Green Day Billie Joe freaks out at the I Heart Radio Music Festival and smashes guitar| date=September 22, 2012|access-date= October 16, 2013|via= YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

On April 18, 2015, Dirnt and his Green Day bandmates were inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in their first year of eligibility.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/read-fall-out-boys-loving-green-day-tribute-at-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-20150418|title=Read Fall Out Boy's Green Day Rock Hall of Fame Induction|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=April 19, 2015|access-date=April 19, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419100122/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/read-fall-out-boys-loving-green-day-tribute-at-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-20150418|archive-date=April 19, 2015}}</ref>

On May 1st, 2025, Dirnt and his Green Day bandmates got their star in the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].

=== Songwriting and lead vocals ===
Although Armstrong is Green Day's main lyricist, Dirnt has written lyrics for "Emenius Sleepus",<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gaar |first1=Gillian |title=Green Day: Rebels With a Cause |date=2009 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-0857120595|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bbkSCgAAQBAJ |pages=85–86}}</ref> "[[J.A.R.]] (Jason Andrew Relva)",<ref>{{cite web | url=https://genius.com/Green-day-jar-jason-andrew-relva-lyrics | title=Green Day – J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva) }}</ref> "Scumbag", "Ha Ha You're Dead", the subtrack "Nobody Likes You" from the medley "Homecoming" and the B-side "Governator",<ref name= "AI liner notes"> American Idiot (CD liner). [[Green Day]]. [[Reprise Records]]. 2004.</ref> He also co-wrote the lyrics to "Best Thing in Town", "The One I Want", and "Panic Song" with Armstrong,<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Insomniac |others=[[Green Day]] |date=1995 |type=CD liner notes |publisher=[[Reprise Records|Reprise]]}}</ref> and writes all the bass lines for Green Day songs. Mike also composed the intro to "Desensitized" from ''Shenanigans'' using a baseball bat and an old cathode ray tube television.<ref>''Nimrod'' liner notes. Retrieved October 13, 2011</ref>

Dirnt sings lead vocals on "Governator",<ref name= "AI liner notes"/> part of the third verse of "Outsider" on the ''[[Shenanigans (album)|Shenanigans]]'' album, the "Nobody Likes You" subtrack of "Homecoming".<ref name= "AI liner notes"/> He also sings the subtrack "Modern World" from the medley "American Eulogy" from ''[[21st Century Breakdown]]'' and sings lead for exactly 10 seconds in "Sex, Drugs, and Violence" from ''[[¡Tré!]]''.

For the Green Day side project The Network, Dirnt shares lead vocal duties with Armstrong. Some notable tracks that feature Dirnt as the lead vocalist include "Joe Robot", "Reto", "Money Money 2020", "Trans Am", and "Digital Black".

=== Musicianship ===
Originally a guitar player, Dirnt switched to bass when Green Day became a [[power trio]].  Despite the change, he retained the dexterity and speed typical of guitar players, embellishing his basslines with fills, higher-fret runs, and quick pull-offs.  ''[[Far Out (website)|Far Out]]'' described Dirnt's style and tone as "giddy, vibrant, and instantly-recognizable."<ref name="Golsen">{{cite web |last1=Golsen |first1=Tyler |title=How to play bass like Green Day's Mike Dirnt |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/how-to-play-bass-like-mike-dirnt-green-day/ |website=faroutmagazine.com |date=May 4, 2022 |publisher=Far Out Magazine |access-date=5 April 2025}}</ref>  In a 1994 interview with ''[[Bass Player (magazine)|Bass Player]]'', Dirnt stated that he had no specific influences and had never sat down and worked out the bass parts from another artist's album, as doing so "might have influenced me a little too much. I think my method has helped me to formulate my own style."<ref name="Wells">{{cite web |last1=Wells |first1=Nick |title="On Longview I used a Gibson bass. Then I broke the neck in half": Mike Dirnt on the making of Green Day's breakthrough single |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/mike-dirnt-on-the-making-of-longview |website=guitarworld.com |date=October 6, 2023 |publisher=Guitar World |access-date=2 April 2025}}</ref>  Dirnt plays with a [[Plectrum|pick]], using his arm more so than his wrist, unlike most other bassists.<ref name="Wells"/>  "I try to be percussive with my right hand, finding something that has its own motor, with a bounce to it. I think it's all the little 'ands' and in-between notes that create a solid rhythm."<ref name="Herrera">{{cite web |last1=Herrera |first1=Jonathan |title="I was playing a lot of jazz when we did Longview. I'd sit in at jazz clubs and read off the Real Book": If you think Mike Dirnt is another clueless punk, think again |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/mike-dirnt-green-day-american-idiot |website=guitarworld.com |date=January 11, 2025 |publisher=Guitar World |access-date=2 April 2025}}</ref>

Dirnt prefers a "warm and round" bass tone with enough upper midrange to contend with Armstrong's guitar tone.  He primarily recorded ''Dookie'' with a 1985 [[Fender Precision Bass]], although he used a mid-1970s [[Gibson G3]] for songs like ''[[Longview (song)|Longview]]'', the walking bassline of which was inspired by Dirnt's interest in jazz.<ref name="Wells"/>  Between ''Warning'' and ''American Idiot'', Dirnt developed a signature model bass with Fender.  The Mike Dirnt Precision Bass was primarily inspired by the original 1951 Precision Bass design, while incorporating design elements from later Precision Bass years, like 1955-era arm contours, a 1959-style pickup, and a 1969-style C-shaped neck.<ref name="Bradman">{{cite web |last1=Bradman |first1=E.E. |title=Green Day's Mike Dirnt on making ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré!, building a bass for Paul McCartney and his surprise encounter with Cliff Burton |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/green-days-mike-dirnt-on-making-uno-dos-and-tre-building-a-bass-for-paul-mccartney-and-his-surprise-encounter-with-cliff-burton |website=guitarworld.com |date=January 8, 2020 |publisher=Guitar World |access-date=5 April 2025}}</ref>  All of Dirnt's basses are strung with .045–.105 gauge Fender Super 7250 roundwounds.<ref name="Bradman"/>

For most of the 1990s and early 2000s, Dirnt favored [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]] G100 amplifier heads through 6x10 [[Mesa/Boogie]] cabinets,<ref name="Bradman"/> although he has also incorporated other amps into his rig at different times, including models from [[Ampeg]] and [[Sunn]].  He switched to Fender amps in 2003, using Bassman Pro and TB-1200 heads with 8x10 Pro cabs.  In 2010, Dirnt helped develop an updated [[Fender Bassman|Super Bassman]] model, which has since become his main amplifier.<ref name="Bradman"/>