Tom DeLonge Is Fine: In Defense Of The Blink-182 Icon
Blink-182 is aging dangerously. You could write a book about the ongoing drama between the band's remaining members—bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker—and founding guitarist Tom DeLonge, but the quick synopsis is: On January 26, 2015, news broke that DeLonge had left the band. Hours later Tom revealed that he had no idea what was going on and that he was still a member of Blink-182. It's been back and forth ever since. Travis said Tom had quit three times before the official announcement; the band replaced him with Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba. Even in the midst of chaos, there are respites... followed by inevitable tension (at press time, the guys are good, or at least acknowledging each other. Tom and Travis have even shared a friendly exchange on Twitter).
At the heart of all these arguments—and it is a heart, you don't fight like this unless there's love underneath the vitriol—is a sub-conversation about why it's all happening. Travis has indirectly hinted at artistic differences, claiming that DeLonge wanted the band to sound like Coldplay. Tom has said that he craves new challenges. There's probably truth to both of these conclusions. Here's what we do know:
1.) Friction between DeLonge and Hoppus goes back to at least 2004, the year prior to DeLonge's mostly-private battle with pill addiction.
2.) Tom sees Blink's past as, well, in the past. In a recent Rolling Stone feature, it's revealed that his only relic from those quote-unquote "glory days" is a framed illustration of the band in a 2003 episode of The Simpsons.
3.) DeLonge has not been sitting around doing nothing. He is busy. And he's still viewed as the villain in all of this, a crazy man with crazy obsessions. That reaction is probably birthed from disappointed fans craving the OG Blink lineup, but it's an unfair reading nonetheless.
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