Yesterday marked a very dark day for any person who has even once labelled themselves a fan of pop-punk in the past 20-years, with seminal outfit Blink-182 announcing that founding member, guitarist, vocalist and all-round prankster Tom DeLonge had once again split from the band.
In what can only be described as an awkward mess of back-and-forth, the sad news originally begun with Blink-182 sending an official press release that stated DeLonge had left the band “indefinitely”, which was then hit back with comments from DeLonge who ascertained via social media that he was still in the band, causing headaches for fans who could not confirm what the lineup or fate of the band.
Clearing the water once and for all, both Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker spoke in a candid interview with Rolling Stone flatly stating the Tom DeLonge was out, explaining that DeLonge consisting lacked any commitment to performing or recording any new material with the band, and that DeLonge’s manager had e-mailed the remaining members to confirm that “‘Tom is out indefinitely’.”
Since then, DeLonge copped a large amount of flack from fans on social media and as such has now written an open-letter to his fans explaining the reason he has split from the band, as well as throwing a few flagrant remarks back at Hoppus and Barker.
DeLonge claims that the reason he left Blink-182 as they the band could no longer “rely on the words we said to each other”, they were not giving it their all in recording new music, and that Blink-182 put too much pressure on Angels & Airwaves as well as his other business ventures.
He sadly begins, “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.”
Continuing, he pens, “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.”
Suggesting that the band struggled to become a “better band” he notes that the three’s creative relationship was not functioning like it used to, “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,” he writes “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.”
Speaking of the supposed “shock announcement” from Blink-182 that said he was no longer in the band, he opined, “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. 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.”
Before closing, “Never planned on quitting, just find it hard as hell to commit – Tom”.
There we have it, Tom DeLonge is definitely no longer a member of Blink-182, however this time Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker intend to continue performing, having already organised Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba to step-in for DeLonge at the band’s scheduled performance at Musink Festival.
You can read the full open-letter below:
