Blink 182 Tom.Is.Out?

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Ferdehh41
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Blink 182 Tom.Is.Out?

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Earlier today, Blink-182 members Mark Hoppus and Travis Braker released a statement noting that founding member Tom DeLonge had “indefinitely” left the band and that Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba would replace DeLonge for the band’s upcoming set at Musink Festival. DeLonge countered shortly after, posting on his Instagram, “I never quit the band,” calling the press release “weird” and questioning its legitimacy. In an exclusive, candid interview with Rolling Stone, Hoppus and Barker set the record straight on Blink’s inner turmoils, album delays and ongoing frustrations.

There seems to be a disconnect between your statement saying Tom left the band and Tom saying that he didn’t quit. Who’s right?
Hoppus: That’s all true [Laughs]. I’ll walk you through the past two years of Blink-182 history: For the past two years, we’ve been working with a bunch of different labels to try and get a record deal because the three of us collectively decided that we wanted to make a record with a partner. A few months ago, Travis has this festival that he is co-owner of and presenting and he asked Tom and I if we would play and we said, “No problem.” At the end of December, we were finalizing our record deal. On Christmas Eve, all three people signed the record deal. We had been talking about where we wanted to record, what producers we want to use, what day we want to start. This is all through e-mail. I don’t think either of us have spoken to Tom in person in months, but everything’s been moving positively.

We’re booked January 5th to go into the studio. On December 30th, we get an e-mail from Tom’s manager saying that he has no interest in recording and that he wants to do his other, non-musical stuff and that he’s out indefinitely. There’s a flurry of e-mails going back and forth for clarification about the recording and the show and his manager sends [an e-mail] back saying, “Tom. Is. Out.” Direct quote. This is the exact same e-mail we got back in 2004 when Tom went on indefinite hiatus before.


So from your point of view, there was no ambiguity?
Hoppus: Absolutely. Every single thing that we’ve heard from his camp — from e-mails from his manager to our production team — was, “Tom is out indefinitely. For the foreseeable future, Tom is done.”

What was your initial reaction to that e-mail?
Hoppus: To be honest, I wasn’t that surprised because his attitude leading up to that had been not excited and not interested. Even though we’d been talking about recording and dates, things kept getting pushed back. Blink was supposed to start recording two years ago and then it was, “We need a record deal” because it was relayed to us that Tom didn’t want to spend his own money going forward. Even our managers were saying, “We’ll put money in to start the process.” We respected that Tom’s camp was adamant that we needed a label. There were huge e-mails in all capital letters, “WE NEED A LABEL.”

Did you record any music for the new album?
Hoppus: I have stuff on hard drives at my house. Travis has ideas at his studio. And I’m sure that Tom has music somewhere at his studio. We were ready to go into the studio on January 5th. This is exactly the same sequence of events that happened when Blink broke up 10 years ago. We had things booked in advance and we get an e-mail from Tom’s manager saying, “Tom’s out indefinitely.” But last time, Travis and I took a step back and said okay and we just kept our mouths shut. But all three of us agreed to play this Musink show. So just like last year, when Travis couldn’t go to Australia and we got a fill-in drummer to replace Travis, we found a replacement guitarist for Tom on this show.

What was your reaction to Tom’s statement that he didn’t quit the band?
Barker: I think he’s just bummed because Mark and I were finally honest. We always covered up for him before. It was always, “We’re going to record an album,” then “Tom refuses to get into the studio without a record deal.” So everyone does hella amounts of work to get a record deal and now Tom isn’t part of Blink-182. It’s hard to cover for someone who’s disrespectful and ungrateful. You don’t even have the balls to call your bandmates and tell them you’re not going to record or do anything Blink-related. You have your manager do it. Everyone should know what the story is with him and it’s been years with it. When we did get back together after my plane crash, we only got back together, I don’t know, maybe because I almost died. But he didn’t even listen to mixes or masterings from that record. He didn’t even care about it. Why Blink even got back together in the first place is questionable.

Hoppus: His actions speak louder than whatever he feels compelled to write on an Instagram post. We’ve been trying to record an album for the better part of two years and we had agreed to go in to record and my guess is that Tom was embarrassed because he doesn’t want to do Blink. I think that the fans know. Look at each of our’s social media accounts and look who talks and promotes Blink-182 or is excited about Blink-182. Travis and I were ready to walk into a studio January 5th. That speaks louder than anything.

What’s the current status of the new album?
Hoppus: We’re concentrating on this Musink Festival. I’m excited about it because Matt is so positive and happy playing shows. When the press release went out today, it felt like a giant weight lifting off my shoulders. Finally, people know what the deal is with our band. Beyond that, we’ll see what happens. Last time this happened, Travis and I didn’t say anything and we did +44, which wasn’t Blink-182 because we weren’t playing Blink songs. But Travis and I are intent on protecting the legacy of Blink-182 and continue to do what we’ve been doing for the past two decades: continue playing the songs.

If this is a permanent break for Tom, do you see a future for the name Blink-182 without him?
Hoppus: There are legalities involved with this. As Tom pointed out, he technically didn’t quit the band. Then it gets all lawyer-y, which I will leave to the attorneys and managers. I just want to go out and play Blink songs. I want to go out and play the songs that we’ve been spending the last 20 years of our lives writing. That’s what Travis and I want to do. If Tom doesn’t want to do that, which obviously he doesn’t, that’s okay. He doesn’t have to be embarrassed or try to claim that he’s secretly really working on Blink. People know what’s up. C’mon, man.

Tom wrote on Instagram, “Apparently those releases were ‘sanctioned’ from the band. Are we dysfunctional- yes. But, Christ…..” How did you interpret that?
Hoppus: The press release that came out today is 100% from Travis and me and we stand by it 100% because it’s all true. There’s no ambiguity.

Was it odd seeing a conflicting view of the statement you released?
Barker: It’s just funny to me. I think he’s just in shock that he’s finally been exposed. The truth is out. I just don’t think he knows how to deal with it, so he says, “I didn’t quit the band. I’m booking Blink shows as we speak.” You’re not the booking agent. We all know that’s a lie. You don’t want to twist any grown man’s arm to do anything he doesn’t want to do, but step up to the plate and say, “Yeah, I don’t want to play with those guys. I’ve been saying I’d record with the guys for the last two or three years and I’ll just do Blink shows when I need money.”

If Tom says tomorrow that he wanted back in and the three members should start recording a new album, would he be welcome?

[Long pause]

Barker: Mark’s the sweeter one, so I’ll let him answer [Laughs].

Hoppus: Travis and I and the whole Blink-182 organization have bent over backwards for years to accommodate all of the stuff that Tom wanted to try. Tom calls up in October 2013 and says, “I want to do an EP for Christmas release.” I live in London and five days later, I’m on an airplane to Los Angeles to record because he wanted to. We’ve done everything that we could to give Tom what he says he needs. It’s been years of pushing back and I have to tell you: It feels humiliating to be in a band where you have to be apologizing for one person all the time. That’s how it’s felt for a long time.

When Tom finally said, “I’m not going to go into the studio or play this show,” it was kind of a gigantic relief because at least he finally said it. But to then say, “I didn’t quit the band,” it’s just not true. It’s disingenuous. I just wish Tom does whatever makes him happy and stops holding Blink-182 back from what we all agree that we’re going to do: play shows, record music, continue this legacy and have a good time doing it.
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Jeremy Kill
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Re: Blink 182 Tom.Is.Out?

Post by Jeremy Kill »

I'm not surprised something like this is happening again. Tom always seemed the most ambitious and driven member of the band, even if some of that drive was directed towards projects such as Angels & Airwaves. The last Blink-182 album, Neighborhoods, was not that good of an album to me. They seemed to have gotten their stride back in the Dogs Eating Dogs EP, but even that took a while for me to warm up to.

Anyway, here's a post that Tom made today.

http://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/tom-d ... -yesterday

"LETTER TO THE FANS

Where to begin?

The truth is always a good place. Let’s go there.

I love Blink and am incredibly grateful for having it in my life. It has given me everything. EVERYTHING. I started this band, it was in my garage where I dreamed up the mischief.

So what have I been doing behind the scenes? Well, I’ve tried to make things work. I’ve tried to help move this band down 50 different paths using my people, or other people, and people we don’t even know. I tried to put forth ideas about how we can grow and challenge ourselves to become a better band. I’m not sitting around waiting for someone else to do the work. I’m not wired that way.

The big reset was when I tried to put together a band summit in Utah where we’d talk and work things out. It quickly was narrowed down to three hours in someone’s dressing room in a shitty casino. What I hoped would be a positive get-together away from everything turned into an awkward meeting in a smelly convention hall dressing room. But it was there that I told Mark and Travis that as long as we talked, and things were good between us as real friends, that I would be engaged and work passionately. I'd mirror our personal relationship. Exact words.

Then, the EP was the test. Months later, we’re recording those songs. I was in the studio for two months and they came in for around 11 days. I didn’t mind leading the charge, but we had all agreed to give it 100%. And this time- no baggage.

Despite that, we still somehow managed to self-sabotage.

At one point, squabbling and politics forced me to pull the EP down at a time when 60,000 fans were trying to purchase it. And that blew my mind. I’d been trying so hard but that moment ultimately broke my spirit. I then realized that this band couldn't lose the years of ill will.

It was after that episode that I promised myself I would never be in that position again – to rely on the words we said to each other.

I remember asking one of them on the phone, “did you try your best? Like we all agreed to?” He was silent.

Are they at fault?

Am I? Of course. I'm nuts.

But there’s three of us – we’re all accountable. At the end of the day, we’ve always been dysfunctional, which is why we haven’t talked in months. But we never did. In the 8 years we have been together it has always been that way.

Over the past two and a half years, while a recording partner was being sought for a new Blink record, I launched a media company. I just put out a new Angels & Airwaves record and as some of you know, there’s a lot more coming – comics, books, a film, etc. The books will all come with music. This is a wheel that’s already in motion. So you can imagine my frustration when I was handed a 60-page Blink contract saying I couldn’t release an Angels album for 9 months and that the Blink album had to be recorded in 6 months, which was impossible for me. Doing so would force me to breach several artist contracts. Authors, Concept Artists, Animators... Many people.

They did eventually drop the Angels provision, but the part about having to finish a Blink album in 6 months remained. All of these other projects are being worked, exist in contract form– I can’t just slam the brakes and drop years of development, partnerships and commitments at the snap of a finger.

I told my manager that I will do Blink 182 as long as it was fun and worked with the other commitments in my life, including my family.

But Mark and Travis know all of this.

I wrote this same letter to them a year ago. But it created a massive argument, the biggest one yet actually. I just wanted us to do things we all agreed on. But that was their moment to dig in. From their view I was controlling everything. In reality, I was scared to put myself out there again. To repeat the EP experience.

I also wrote all of this to their managers this past December (who told me my bandmates weren’t angry and agreed with some of my ideas of how to grow the band).

So you can imagine my surprise when a press release went out yesterday—without my knowledge—about the band’s future. This is new to me. It’s not in my nature to fuel negativity about the legacy of the band on something as trashy as the Internet world.

But I guess that’s another example of how I differ from most. I follow the light... I follow passion and I make art. I hang with my son, my daughter and my wife.

At the end of the day, all of this makes me really sad.

Sad for us.

Sad for you- that you’re witnessing this immaturity.

I know them very well, and their current actions are defensive and divisive.

I suppose they’re doing this as a way to protect themselves from being hurt.

Like we all do.

And even as I watch them act so different to what I know of them to be, I still care deeply for them. Like brothers, and like old friends. But our relationship got poisoned yesterday.

Never planned on quitting, just find it hard as hell to commit.
-
Tom"
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Re: Blink 182 Tom.Is.Out?

Post by Gregorovich »

Eh, it's about time. Soon pop-punk will be dead and buried and we can all move on with our lives.
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Boni
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Post by Boni »

I'm really not devastated. Wasn't a huge fan of his new singing style when they came back.
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Post by ksherstobitoff »

Apparently Tom is going to be releasing a bunch of blink material he was working on on March 1st... http://www.spin.com/articles/tom-delong ... p-march-1/

This is going to get ugly.
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Max
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Re: Blink 182 Tom.Is.Out?

Post by Max »

Can't help but think - grow up.

They just clearly haven't communicated with each other in the fear of pissing each other off and over time Mark and Travis seem to have got more bitter, which is a shame. I liked Neighbourhoods but to me it sounded more like a collaboration between each of them as individual artists rather than Blink 182, that being said - Dogs Eating Dogs was good and I'd have liked to have heard what came after that.

Tom was always a wildcard and he wasn't my favourite member because of this but Blink isn't Blink without him.

Just glad I saw them live when I had the chance if I'm honest.
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