By Amanda Dyslin
Adrienne (Nesser) Armstrong had a lot of friends when she lived in Mankato and attended Minnesota State University. Many people who knew of her thought she was a sweet, beautiful, punk rock girl who everybody had a crush on.
Here are a few stories from people who knew her in the early 1990s when she was here.
We planned to go into business together
I knew Adrienne when she lived here: She and I and a few others had a big garage sale just before she moved out to California. In fact, she and I had plans to move to San Francisco together and were going to open up our own franchise of The Body Shop.
She headed West that May, and I stayed over the summer to finish up my time at MSU. Then, in true rock star fashion, I returned home from a Fourth of July vacation to a wedding invitation from Adrienne — to a wedding that had already happened.
— Amy Lennartson, Eagle Lake
I met her in ‘The Jungle’
I did know Adrienne back in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. We worked together at a bar called “The Jungle” (formerly Sneaky Pete’s, currently Dutler’s Bowl). She’s a great person and a lot of fun!
I ran into her after the bar had closed down (she was working at Pier 1 Imports) and she told me she was moving out west soon. Months later, word got back that she had married Billie Joe, then the next thing I saw was an interview with him in Rolling Stone magazine talking about his pregnant wife!
I’m glad to see they’re doing well and would love to have them play in Mankato. More over, I’d love to see Adrienne again. Unfortunately, we did not keep in touch after she moved.
— Carrie Zempel Heise
Adrienne is my claim to fame
Green Day, well actually, Billie Joe Armstrong’s wife, Adrienne, is my claim to fame (and she doesn’t even know it)!!
I, like Adrienne, went to MSU in the early 1990s. I had a night class, Thursday if I am not mistaken, and it was a public speaking class. Our assignments were to give different types of speeches to the class.
My best friend Becky was also in that class with me, so it was a really fun time! Becky and I happen to sort of enjoy things like giving speeches.
However, there was this girl in our class who was literally terrified of speaking in front of the class. At first, we didn’t know what to think of her. When she came into the room, she stood out because of her “alternative” look. She had dread locks in her hair, wore green full-length Doc Marten boots (mind you, this was before everyone and their brother wore Doc Martens, so they made a statement), and her name was Adrienne.
As the class went on, we started to talk to her, get to know her a bit, and she was a real sweetheart. She would often say things to Becky and I like “I just don’t know how you guys can do this. I just CANNOT get up there and give a speech.”
Well, she did. She did a good job too, although she hated it! Anyway, after this class was done, I never really saw her again. But once, I did hear that there was this girl named Adrienne, who worked at the Pier 1 store in Mankato, who met Billie Joe Armstrong up at First Ave, and was now dating him.
I just knew it had to be her! I gave a description of the Adrienne I thought it might be, and sure enough, it was her. Many years later, I was watching a VH1 episode of “Behind the Music,” and it was about Green Day.
I watched, and it told the band’s story, and toward the end told of how Billie Joe Armstrong met his wife, and there she was ... no dread locks or Doc Martens. Rather, the wife of a super star and a mother.
I knew for sure that Adrienne was my claim to fame. And, yes, I do tell people often that I had speech class with Billie Joe Armstrong’s wife.
— Staci Murphy
Piercing Pagoda sweetheart
If I remember right, Adrienne worked at the jewelry kiosk (Piercing Pagoda) in the River Hills Mall right outside the Disc Jockey Music store. Eric and I both worked at Disc Jockey for several years.
Although I didn’t really know Adrienne, I often stopped to check out the jewelry and exchanged occasional conversations with her. I always appreciated Adrienne’s sincerely sweet personality and her style. I vividly remember that all of my co-workers at Disc Jockey appreciated her personality and thought she was so nice.
Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to see any of the local Green Day performances. I heard about them from friends and co-workers, often thinking today it must have been a Mankato music scene urban legend.
— Krista Ahlers
In search of Green Day
I didn’t know Adrienne, and I never saw them at Marti’s. However, I remember being at a party in the early 1990s up by campus when someone came in saying that “This new kick ass band that was trying to make the big time was playing at someone’s house close to downtown Mankato off Broad Street or Fourth street”… he wasn’t sure. A couple of buddies and I left in search of the said party/show, but we never found it. I always wondered if that really happened.
I’d love to see them hit Kato. I wanna be 23 again, if only just for an evening.
— Jason Haroldson
