Blink-182 Lives On

Let's start with what we know for sure first.

Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker announced earlier today that Tom DeLonge "indefinitely" left the band and Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio will replace him for an upcoming show at the Misink Festival in March. Twitter erupted in chaos. It was 2004 all over again. Theories of a breakup and angry questions thrown at DeLonge were everywhere. Just a couple of short hours later, DeLonge posted an update on Instagram that read:

To all the fans, I never quit the band. I actually was on a phone call

about a blink 182 event for New York City at the time all these weird

press releases started coming in... Apparently those releases were 

'sanctioned' from the band. Are we dysfunctional - yes. But, Christ.....

#Awkward #BabyBackRibs

About two hours ago, Rolling Stone released a new interview with Hoppus and Barker clearing up all the rumors. Hoppus even tweeted a link to the interview saying "This is the real deal." In summary, Hoppus and Barker explain that Blink-182 have been trying for the last two years to get in the recording studio to work on a new album. On Christmas Eve, the three of them signed a new record deal. Things were looking up for the band until over time Delonge distanced himself.

There's a flurry of e-mails going back and forth for clarification about

the recording and the show and [DeLonge's] 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. -Hoppus

The fans could see that the band wasn't doing that great. We've been hanging around since December 2012 (September 2011 since their last full album) for a taste of something new, but we've been left with nothing. It's not that the band left without saying goodbye. It was obvious to see who was and wasn't dedicated to the band just by looking at the time they saved to go to a studio or what they posted on social media. 

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.... Why Blink even got back together in the first 

place [after the first hiatus] is questionable. -Barker

Everyone knows that when Travis speaks up, things are serious. When I first heard all of this news, I couldn't see how Blink-182 could continue. That was before I realized just how committed Hoppus and Barker are to keep the Blink legacy going. If they are this willing to keep going, keep recording, keep playing, then there is no way in hell that I could ever stop supporting this band. Blink-182 means more to me in more ways than I can even explain. There has never been nor will there ever be a band that could be compared to Blink. They began my love for music which I will someday combine with journalism to make a career. I don't know who I would've become or where I would be today if my dad hadn't started playing "What's My Age Again?" or "All the Small Things" during car rides. That may sound dramatic, but we all have that something that means so much to us that we just can't find the right words to explain how it makes us feel. 

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. -Hoppus

Reading that Rolling Stone article brought up so many mixed feelings. I'm overcome with pride towards Hoppus and Barker that they have finally decided to say something about the matter and directly confront DeLonge in a way that he can't ignore. Also, the fact that they want to continue doing Blink. There are no words to describe how much that means to a fan. We all saw an ending coming, but (for me at least) this has the chance to become a happy ending. Blink-182 is not over. On the other hand, I am overwhelming disappointed in DeLonge. I understand that he has other projects that he may be more committed to, but he could have at least had the decency to directly tell not just his bandmates, but his friends, what the situation was. Mark and Tom have known each other since high school. I don't know any of them personally and I may just be a fan, but I am pretty confident that Mark and Travis deserved better than this. There was no need for his manager to speak for him. Then he posts on Instagram talking about how everything is fine when that entire statement was just one huge lie. Even in the Alternative Press magazine, only Tom was quoted and he directly said that Blink-182 were going to get an album out this year. He just failed to mention that Blink did not include him anymore. 

I just wish Tom does whatever makes him happy and stops

holding back Blink-182 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. -Hoppus

To Mark and Travis: I will never stop being a fan of Blink-182 and I could never stop supporting you guys. I wish you and Matt Skiba the best of luck at Musink and I hope I get the chance to get tickets and see you guys. 'Thank you' isn't enough to express how grateful I am that Blink-182 is not dead. Let's continue the legacy.

Long Live Blink, 

Nikole xx

(*I understand that there is Tom's side of the story. Even on Twitter and Instagram, a lot of people have been picking 'sides.' After this Rolling Stone release, I felt I understood more of the situation and it explained a lot of questions I had about the band during the last two years. As far as I know, Tom hasn't released any official statement other than his Instagram post. 

**All of the quotes I used besides Tom's came from the Rolling Stone article which can be found at http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/blink-182s-hoppus-barker-blast-ungrateful-disingenuous-tom-delonge-20150126 )