Michael Ryan Pritchard
• Michael Ryan Pritchard (born May 4, 1972) is an American musician, best known as the bassist, backing vocalist and co-founder of the American Punk rock band Green Day. He has also played in several other bands, including The Frustrators. During grade school, he would constantly play "air -bass", and while pretending to pluck the strings, he made the noise, "dirnt, dirnt". As a result, his schoolmates began to call him "Mike Dirnt".
• Dirnt was born on May 4, 1972, in Berkeley, California. • At six weeks of age, Dirnt was placed in foster care with Cheryl Nasser and Patrick Pritchard of El Sobrante, a couple who subsequently adopted him.
• In the cafeteria in Carquinez Middle School, ten year old Dirnt met Billie Joe Armstrong, with whom he bonded instantly. Armstrong began to teach Dirnt how to play guitar, and the two spent much time in Armstrong's bedroom learning to play songs by Ozzy Osbourne and Van Halen. They formed a group with fellow students Raj Punjabi on drums and Jason Andrew Relva on bass, with Armstrong playing lead guitar and Dirnt playing rhythm guitar.
• Dirnt, Armstrong, and classmate Sean Hughes formed a. After drummer John Kiffmeyer, who was also known as Al Sobrante, joined the group, Sweet Children began performing at 924 Gilman Street. The band performed several well-received sets, which encouraged Armstrong to drop out of high school to focus his energy on music. Dirnt, however, worried that he needed a backup plan and continued his studies.
• After changing its name to Green Day, the band recorded its debut album 39/Smooth ov er the 1989 Christmas holiday break and went on its first van tour in June 1990, leaving the day that Dirnt graduated from high school. In the live album, Bullet in a Bible, Armstrong calls Dirnt "The best bass player in the history of punk rock. "
Songwriting and lead vocals • Although Armstrong is Green Day's primary lyricist, Dirnt has written lyrics for "Emenius Sleepus, " "J. A. R. (Jason Andrew Relva)", "Scumbag", "Ha Ha You're Dead, " the subtrack "Nobody Likes You" from the medley "Homecoming" and the b-side "Governator, " He also cowrote the lyrics to "Best Thing in Town, " "The One I Want, " and "Panic Song" with Armstrong, and writes all the bass lines for Green Day songs.
• Examples of prominent bass lines by Dirnt are "Welcome to Paradise, " "Stuart and the Ave. , " "Castaway", "Panic Song, " "Longview, " "No One Knows, " "Stuck with Me, " "409 in Your Coffeemaker, " "One for the Razorbacks, " "Makeout Party, " "J. A. R. (Jason Andrew Relva), " "Dirty Rotten Bastards, " "Missing You, " "Nightlife, " "Stray Heart, " and "Jesus of Suburbia. "
Personal life On March 14, 2009, Dirnt married Brittney Cade (b. Aug 25, 1982). Their wedding was a private ceremony in Brittney's hometown of Ojai, California. Dirnt has two children with Cade
