Blink-182’s Online Drama: The Complete Saga
Members of the band Blink-182 have been in the spotlight across social media for about two weeks now, but for entirely wrong reasons.
It all started with the announcement on Jan. 26 that the band would headline Travis Barker’s Musink Music & Tattoo Festival. Tom DeLonge, the band’s frontman, would not be joining them, though – The Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba was announced as his replacement.
Merely minutes after this announcement, a mysterious press release, issued by the band’s publicist, appeared online. It shockingly declared that DeLonge would be leaving Blink “indefinitely”.
To make matters more confusing, DeLonge was quick to state in a lengthy Facebook post that he didn’t quit. According to his post, he complained that the Blink-182 contract said that a new album had to be complete within six months. Given his other commitments, he said, this simply wouldn’t be possible.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Blink bassist Mark Hoppus said that he received an email from Tom’s manager that stated DeLonge didn’t want to be in the band. This was after DeLonge had made a deal to go into the studio with Blink and play the Musink festival – his only communication with his bandmates after several months.
Among other choice words, Hoppus did not hold back, slamming DeLonge as “disrespectful and ungrateful.” He also accused DeLonge of delaying plans to record a new album. Hoppus claimed this was the exact sort of events that broke up the band 10 years ago.
Regarding his bandmates’ allegations, DeLonge said “Our relationship got poisoned… Never planned on quitting, just find it hard as hell to commit.”
Even with the feud, Hoppus still plans to play Blink songs with Barker and Skiba. In the Stone interview, he said, “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 OK.”
On Feb. 1, DeLonge struck back yet again, teasing two new songs on Instagram, with the hashtags #SongsWithoutAHome and #March1st.
Hoppus and Barker had no comment, but it won’t be surprising if things get heated again soon. What’s your age again, Blink?
