Shortly after his split with Erica, Armstrong met a woman he has identified only as "Amanda" at 924 Gilman Street, and they began dating. Amanda produced and distributed her own fan zine and was an iron-willed feminist, which enthralled Armstrong. Amanda, however, was unimpressed with Armstrong and, though the couple dated for some time, she ultimately dumped him in 1994 and joined the Peace Corps, leaving Armstrong feeling suicidal. Armstrong stated in an interview with Spin about the inspiration behind the Insomniac song "Armitage Shanks" in 1995: "It was right before Dookie came out and I was really at odds with myself. I was like man do I really want to do this? A lot of time I was thinking about suicide, how it's so easy to kill yourself, but it's so hard to stay alive. I was in a break-up with my then girlfriend, a total, raving punk rocker who didn't approve of me being on a major label. She moved down to Ecuador saying she couldn't live in a world with McDonald's and such. It was fucking me up pretty bad." Armstrong has written many songs about Amanda, both during their relationship and afterwards, including "She", "Good Riddance", "Stuart And The Ave", "Sassafras Roots", "Amanda", "She's A Rebel", "Extraordinary Girl" and "Whatsername". The hero, "Whatsername", on the album American Idiot, and in the American Idiot musical, is based on Amanda.
Billie Joe Armstrong Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family
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