Linda Perry says she was once set to produce Green Day’s follow-up to American Idiot, but the plan ended before the sessions began.
Speaking in a recent interview, Perry said she had cleared several months to work with the band after meeting with Billie Joe Armstrong. She said the arrangement changed after Courtney Love publicly mentioned the collaboration in 2007, leading to criticism from some Green Day fans who questioned Perry’s pop songwriting background.
Perry said the backlash appeared to affect the band’s decision. She claimed calls stopped being returned and said she lost about six months of scheduled work as a result. Her comments were sharply critical of Armstrong, though Green Day has not publicly responded to the claim.
The album that followed American Idiot became 21st Century Breakdown, released in 2009 with Butch Vig as producer. Green Day later continued working with other producers, including longtime collaborator Rob Cavallo.