Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day sat down with EW to discuss their forthcoming album and explain some of the ideas that went into it:

It's interesting because our country--and the world for that matter--is in the worst shape I've ever seen it. But there's this sense of hope that people have. And there's a lot of confusion. It's the strangest time. And that's kind of what 21st Century Breakdown is about.

He also mentioned the live musical:

No "dancing" dancing. I don't know how to really explain it. It's got physical and violent moves. It's not like a Lion King thing. It's dirty and it's got a lot of heart and it's got a street mentality. There are no singing cats. No little girls with big curly red hair. It should be pretty cool, man.

Finally, the interviewer mentions one of the b-sides which was "a mix of British psychedelic-era rockers Marmalade and anarchist-punkers Crass" but which Billie Joe hopes will never be heard.

Check out the interview here.

21st Century Breakdown is due out May 15, 2009