Billie Joe Armstrong Explains Why The Title Of Green Day's New Album Is Censored

In the run-up to the release of Green Day's brand-new album Father Of All Motherfuckers, the Oakland trio return to the cover of Kerrang! this week to dive in deep to the band's surprising 13th LP.

Amongst the biggest left-turns they've made this time around, of course, is the record's potty-mouthed title – which was first unveiled to be Father Of All Motherfuckers, but is now more commonly just referred to as Father Of All…

Naturally, we had to ask frontman Billie Joe Armstrong about this change to the name, which is stylised with an ellipsis when written out, and has a unicorn obscuring the 'Motherfuckers' on the cover.

“For the adults, it’s called Father Of All Motherfuckers, and then for the kids and for the censorship, it’s Father Of All…" he laughs. “It’s always been Father Of All…, pretty much. I did the artwork and I scribbled ‘Father Of All Motherfuckers’ on the American Idiot album cover. Someone said, ‘You’re never going to be able to get ‘Motherfuckers’ on there,’ and I go, ‘Well, just make everybody happy and just put a fucking unicorn on it!’ And then I drew a unicorn and put it over it. So it’s kind of funny, because the unicorn has become this icon.”

Discussing the actual meaning behind the name with Kerrang! last year, the frontman smiled, “It’s just a badass title! I think it was Kerry King from Slayer – they have an album called God Hates Us All, and someone asked, ‘Do you really think God hates us all?’ And he goes, ‘I don’t know! It’s just a badass title!’ (Laughs) As soon as the title came up, I was like, ‘Oh man, this is good.’”

Order your copy of this week's issue through Kerrang.Newsstand.co.uk right now and get it delivered straight to your door, anywhere in the world. But for UK residents, it hits the shops on Wednesday, February 5 from all good newsagents.

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Catch Green Day live this summer with Fall Out Boy, Weezer and The Interrupters (U.S. only) on the Hella Mega Tour. Tickets are on sale now.

June

13 Paris, France, La Defense Arena,
14 Groningen, Netherlands, Stadspark
17 Antwerp, Belgium, Sportspaleis
21 Vienna, Austria, Ernst Happel Stadium
24 Glasgow, UK, Glasgow Green
26 London, UK, London Stadium
27 Huddersfield, UK, The John Smith’s Stadium
29 Dublin, Ireland, RDS Arena

July

17 Seattle, WA, T-Mobile Park
21 San Francisco, CA, Oracle Park
24 San Diego, CA, Petco Park
25 Los Angeles, CA, Dodger Stadium
28 Commerce City, CO, DICK’s Sporting Goods Park
31 Arlington, TX, Globe Life Field

August

1 Houston, TX Minute Maid Park
5 Miami, FL Hard Rock Stadium
6 Jacksonville, FL TIAA Bank Field
8 Atlanta, GA SunTrust Park
11 Minneapolis, MN Target Field
13 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field
15 Pittsburgh, PA PNC Park
16 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium
19 Detroit, MI Comerica Park
21 Washington, DC Nationals Park
22 New York, NY Citi Field
24 Toronto, ON Rogers Centre
27 Boston, MA Fenway Park
29 Philadelphia, PA Citizens Bank Park

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