Tom DeLonge took to Facebook today to confront allegations of his supposed departure from Blink 182. Feelings of frustration and pressure emerge in this in-depth explanation of his mindset amidst the chaos.
After publicly announcing yesterday that he has in fact not left the band, Tom DeLonge has given us a lot more to work with today as he posted on his official Facebook page about the whole matter. There’s no denying that the recent band drama points to a big, fat miscommunication, but DeLonge makes it clear that things definitely aren’t ok.
DeLonge opens things up by first erasing all doubt about his commitment to the band that he started in his garage. His heart belongs to Blink and he’s been there since day one. Take another sigh of relief, everyone.
But that doesn’t erase the concerns of bassist Travis Barker and drummer Mark Hoppus being clearly dissatisfied with DeLonge’s current behavior as both a bandmate and as a friend. He responds to accusations of his controlling attitude and lack of commitment to the band by explaining that he’s giving it all he’s got.
“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.”
He’s spread out artistically, that’s for sure. Between Blink 182 and Angels & Airwaves, conflicts with recording, deadlines, contract specifics, and overall time commitment have really turned up the pressure. After going on to explain all the gritty details about what’s put the band in danger as of late, DeLonge admits that he and his bandmates aren’t exactly on the same page.
What we’re looking at now is a situation with a lot of moving parts. An ambitious, heavily-involved DeLonge is tied up with various artistic commitments between two major projects that cannot seem to coexist. At the same time, a defensive Barker and Hoppus team who seem sick and tired of their guitarist trying to pilot the band in his own desired direction. DeLonge admits that the recent issues between the three of them have resulted in the largest argument he can think of in the band’s history.
“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.”
Only time will tell if these bad vibes will get phased out between these longtime musical partners and friends. It isn’t a lack of passion that threatens the band; rather, there’s an overall rhythm that seems to be out of sync between the three. DeLonge finishes with a sense of hope and optimism that you can almost feel, but that might not be enough to clear smoke. Mxdwn will continue to keep a close eye on the story alongside every Blink fan out there.
Read DeLonge’s entire post here.
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