Mike Dirnt - Early Life

Early Life

Dirnt was born on May 4, 1972 in Oakland, California, and his biological mother, who struggled with heroin addiction, gave him up for adoption. At six weeks old, Dirnt was placed with foster parents Cheryl Nasser and Patrick Pritchard, who lived in El Sobrante. As a child, his father was often away obtaining a degree at UC Berkeley, while his mother stayed at home to care for Dirnt and his sister Mycla. Dirnt excelled in school despite missing classes often as a result of various illnesses believed to be caused by his biological mother's drug use. After an argument between the two resulted in a call to the police, his adoptive parents divorced and his mother and sister moved to Rodeo, while he stayed in El Sobrante with his father. However, he missed his mother and eventually moved in with her and Mycla. Having been previously described as bright and "fearless", Dirnt became sullen and withdrawn after the divorce.

In the cafeteria in Carquinez Middle School, ten-year-old Dirnt met Billie Joe Armstrong whom he bonded with 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 Relva on bass, with Armstrong playing lead guitar and Dirnt playing rhythm guitar. After attending Salesian High School, an all-boys Catholic school for his freshman year, Dirnt transferred to Pinole Valley High School, which Armstrong had also recently transferred to from John Swett High School. Dirnt's family encountered financial trouble, and he worked as a chef at a seafood restaurant in Crockett called the Nantucket. He eventually saved up enough money to purchase a used pickup truck in which he and Armstrong often drove to Berkeley to attend shows at 924 Gilman Street, an influential DIY punk club. The two got jobs at the club as security guards despite their small physique; Dirnt recalled, "We lived and died for that place. At that time, it meant everything."