Lots of ways to play the game...
...and they are all fun to different people.
I think that if you've enjoyed playing with this DM before, you should give it a try with an open mind. Yes, making characters rocks. I have the most fun doing that, too, but I can jive on a pre-gen character, too.
Maybe your GM has a neato-cool idea, maybe he's had a bad experience and wants to make sure everything is balanced a certain way, maybe he has a campaign that requires this (all fighters, all mages, yada yada yada).
Is he your bud? Has he DMed well before? Give him a chance. Worst case scenario, you kill a few afternoons and then politely tell him, "Look, I really am having a hard time identifying with this character. I gave it a fair shot, but I am not having any fun. Is there any way I can make my own character, maybe with your guidance?" By then, if there is a 'gimmick' to the campaign, you'll be better able to create a character that will fit the world and the DM may be more inclined to let you do it.
But certainly don't go in, as another poster suggested on page one of the thread, and do your best to be a suicidal jerk. Either play or pass, but don't go in and be disruptive just because you can. That will only create bad feelings, he'll get angry at you, he won't be likely to change his mind, and you may not get invited back at all.
Give it a shot. He may have something really neat up his sleave, a campaign that requires a special group to pull it off and he doesn't want to ruin the surprise. Just give it an honest chance, and post back once you've started playing! It'd be interesting to see how this goes down.
Ashtal