The interview was the frankest interview with Billie that I have ever read. There was nothing sugar coated - he said exactly what he felt he had to say. To have the courage to come out with it like that after the time he has been through these last six months is just incredible.
I would also like to take a moment to complement the quality of the journalism here...considering I am a journalist in training...extremely well written!
Anyway. A thing that made me smile about this article was where Mike says that he wants to be sitting on a park bench with Billie when he's older, just feeding the birds and having conversations. That is what you call a strong friendship. I just think Mike is amazing to help Billie through everything like that and stick by him like that. Judging by what Billie said in the interview, i don't think there would be many friends who could do that.
After reading the interview, i can see that there is not much more to say about the matter because I think just about everything is covered here, meaning this hopefully won't get raked up again when the band make their triumphant return in the next few weeks. There are a few things about this that make me really sad - the interview is honest, which is why it makes me so sad. Like when he talks about the time he got really bad after a show and drank his body weight in alcohol after a show which also involved drinking before and during - and then waking up hungover on the West Side Highway in a park. I mean...that is some serious stuff. I didn't realise just how bad things were for him, i figured them to be bad because of him going into rehab - when that was first announced after iHeart i didn't think it was serious until i read the actual press release. I couldn't believe it. I'm sure most, if not all of their fans feel exactly the same.
The rehabilitation for him sounded really scary - he had to have a nurse go to his home and make sure he wasn't having seizures because of the withdrawals. It must be so hard for him, and Adrienne and the boys. I couldn't imagine what they are going through, even now. He may be out of rehab and ready to get back out there but he has to take baby steps to get through it.
The thing that really got to me is the part where the interviewer asks him if he owes an apology to the fans and he said that he let us down. I actually cried when i read that part. He did nothing to let us down. He let a bad habit grab hold of him and it held too tightly. I don't feel in any way ashamed to call him my hero - if anything, i admire him all the more for coming through this. And to have the courage to come out and speak so honestly about it all. I'm just so so glad that he is getting better and he is going to stop drinking. I can't wait to see him back on that stage with Mike, Tre and Jason, where he belongs! Bring it on!
All I will say is have some tissues ready when reading it! You will cry!
WE LOVE YOU BILLIE JOE! WE ARE PROUD OF YOU AND ALWAYS WILL BE. Idiot forever!
