In a recent interview, Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker said that he wants Tom DeLonge to decide whether he is officially quitting the band so the other members and fans aren’t left hanging.
As reported by Loudwire, DeLonge has not officially quit Blink 182 but the band is trying to move on when DeLonge was reluctant to record and play with the band. Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba will be filling in for DeLonge temporarily at the upcoming MusInk Festival. DeLonge claims that he never planned on quitting Blink 182, and Barker says there is no bad blood toward DeLonge on his part.
I wish him the best in everything he does. I think the right thing for him to do would just man up and quit the band instead of telling people he didn’t quit and just be real with the fans. I think that would give him some closure too and really do what he’s passionate about.
Barker also spoke about Skiba during his interview:
We are two weeks in to practice and he’s killing it. There’s harmonies that have never been sung. He’s actually playing the guitar instead of just Pro Tools. It’s just fresh blood and having someone that’s motivated and stoked to be there makes a world of difference. In general, Skiba has a real charming voice and it couldn’t be a better fit.
Adding to the controversy, DeLonge has since posted couple of new song demos on Instagram, saying that they are Blink 182 demos. DeLonge has also recently stated that he was contacted by aliens, which may not come as a surprise to Blink 182 fans, since DeLonge has long had an interest in the extraterrestrial.
Barker doesn’t seem to believe that DeLonge will be returning to Blink 182, implying that the band is no longer a passion project for DeLonge.
Even amongst all the other projects I do, I can always find a way to prioritize and still be passionate about Blink-182 when it comes around. I love playing, listening and everything about punk rock. It changed my life. I think for Tom, he doesn’t like punk music and it was a phase for him.
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