Written by Niki Lee.

I am a 47-year-old punk rock groupie who entered the fold at 45.

45.

Do the math and you'll find JFK hadn't even been elected president when I entered this world. Eisenhower held that title in June of 1959.

I'm not sure how that would strike Green Day, the band that catapulted me out of whatever I thought middle-age was supposed to be with their now ultra-famous album American Idiot. My transformation from hermit-like suburbanite to world-traveling geek was stunning. That pissed-off opening guitar riff of the title song nailed me nearly two Septembers ago, causing my whole body to surge backwards in my black swivel chair, hands involuntarily flying off my ergonomic computer keyboard shot full of electricity. It was the most satisfying rock music I'd heard in over 15 years. It is the music I adore.