Before the Lobotomy

      To continue with the idea expressed by greenday2012vp, I would argue that a book for each album would not work. I also feel that as poignant as the new album can be at times,  it (even and perhaps especially if American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown are viewed as one overall artistic work) only tells one part of the Christian/Gloria story. Fully told, Christian's story would probably be a much larger piece spanning several albums. <br />      Act I would most likely begin with Longview and Who Wrote Holden Caulfield as a means of setting the stage for his disillusionment with society. Here he is simply a bored suburban kid, reduced to intermittent masturbation by a semi-dysfunctional family and environment. As he drifts through suburbia, his boredom begins to shift to discontent, at first playfully (Basket Case, Walking Contradiction, and Minority), but slowly taking on an edge as he begins to rail against traditions of all sorts, i.e. politicians (Jackass, Holiday) and religion (East Jesus Nowhere) until he finally hits a breaking point (Jesus of Suburbia) and leaves for the city.<br />       Act II would probably open with Welcome to Paradise, as Christian arrives in the slums of the city, living among the lost and damned. It is there, seeking something more, that he meets St. Jimmy, a charismatic drug dealer modeled in part on Tyler Durden (St. Jimmy). At first the fixes provide an amazing release for him, allowing him to fly higher than he's ever flown before (Best Thing in Town). However, the highs do not free him but rather cloud his mind and desensitize him to the suffering around him (Brain Stew, Desensitized). Over time he slides into a deep depression and the heroin is all he has to keep him together (Give Me Novocaine). While there, he meets Gloria, one of the girls Jimmy keeps around him (Extraordinary Girl). He quickly attaches to her, but she becomes disgusted with Christian and grows hateful of St. Jimmy because she blames him for Christian's decay. After a particularly bad fight (Viva la Gloria?-Little Girl), she denounces both Christian and Jimmy and leaves (Letterbomb). The very next morning, Christian goes to Jimmy and demands out (J. A. R.). Things get violent and St. Jimmy ends up dead (Homecoming Parts I and II). Having nowhere else to go, he wanders.<br />      Act III is largely about Christian withdrawing from heroin and wandering the streets in search of himself. He spends much of the day wandering the streets (Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Wake Me Up When September Ends) until he crashes in an alley and sleeps. Christian then enetrs a hellish dream sequence in which he begins to process all that has happened to him over the past two acts (21st Century Breakdown, Before the Lobotomy, Christian's Inferno). He wakes a broken man and professes his love for Gloria (Last Night on Earth) before going in search of her. This decision, combined with the high from a little heroin he has left, leads him to return to Jimmy's old hangout to rough up some of Jimmy's old gang (Horseshoes and Handgrenades). Battered yet triumphant, he arrives at an abandoned house in which Gloria lives that evening.<br />       Act IV deals with the new relationship between Christian and Gloria, which begins with a bit of role reversal; Gloria got into a dustup with an old boyfriend that left her badly shaken, and she finds herself turning to Christian for comfort. He reassures her (One for the Razorbacks) and they sleep together (1,000 Hours). That evening, a riot takes place in the area, forcing them out of the house. Some of the other displaced street urchins rally behind Gloria and Christian and they do what they can to protect each other (Murder City). Christian sees this group as a chance for a new beginning (¡Viva la Gloria!). However, at the same time, a second wave of rioting interrupts this vision (American Eulogy) and many in his new group are killed. Gloria is sent to the hospital. This latest loss very nearly drives Christian over the edge (The Static Age) and forces him to question whether it was all worth it (21 Guns). The act ends with Christian by Gloria's side in the hospital expressing hope for the future (See the Light).