Plus 44 (Mark Hoppus) - 08.14.06

[Jason Tate]

This interview was conducted over the phone with Mark Hoppus on August 14th, 2006. A huge thank you goes out to Ingrid at Interscope for setting this up and of course Mark for participating in the interview with us. For those of you that don't know, Mark Hoppus is the former bassist for Blink182 and is currently finishing up work with Travis Barker on their new project Plus 44. And don't forget -Blink182 is the reason this website was created so many years ago.

Tell us a little bit about Plus44, and everything that's going on with that, who's in the band now, and what happened with Carol?

The band is currently me (Mark), Travis, and Shane Gallagher, and Craig Fairbaugh. Carol was originally in the band, when we first started recording this album - we were recording in Travis' basement. We were writing everything on keyboards, electronic drums, everything was very electronic - by necessity. Because it's kind of hard to have a drum kit on my dining room table. And we were excited because we were approaching all of the songs in a completely different manner than we ever had before. Sometimes I was writing off just a drum beat Travis had for me. Then I'd write a guitar part over that - and then maybe some vocals over that. So it was very different than just picking up an acoustic guitar and it was actually very exciting. We had a couple demos and an idea on this one song that, "how about if a girl sang on half of it." So we invited Carol down, who was one of Travis' friends, and she came down and I wrote the lyrics to the song - and it was kind of a call and response; the guy and girl back and forth. So, she was to sing the guy part and I sing the girl part. No, wait, just kidding. She sang the girl part and I sang the guy part - and we were stoked on it. And then I had to go to New York to do something - I think I was presenting the Motion City Soundtrack video to MTV or something. And then while I was there, they asked if I would like to do an interview - so we started talking about Plus44. I said it was me, and Travis, and Carol and we were all writing songs together and that we were excited about it and we can't wait for the album to come out. So then I go back to California, and by this time Travis had done a couple of interviews as well. Then we were sitting in the studio and we started talking and we were like, "wait - we're talking about something that we have 3 demos written for, and we don't know where this band is going to go. Why are we talking about something when we have no idea what the finished product is going to be? Because we start writing something, and we think it's going to be a soft acoustic song, and then you start adding elements to it and you build a fucking rock song out of it, you know?" So we decided, "let's just not talk about it until the record's done" and so we put a crematorium on any kind of press and told our management, "look, we don't wanna do any sort of press, we don't wanna talk about Plus44, or do anything until the record's done." So we stopped talking about it entirely. And now, well, now the album's done - and we know what this thing is. Okay, now, we had done those demos, and they were all electronic, and we liked that idea. So Travis and I bought a studio, we went to the studio, and we started flushing out the record. And when we got to the studio we could play Travis' drums, we could play a distorted guitar, we could sing, we could fucking yell, we could do everything. These electronic songs, sort of started turning into rock songs, and we started writing more strong rock-like songs. Now we started having a battle between electronic and organic instrumentation - it's a rock record now, but it still has a lot of electronic parts. There's some quiet stuff, some loud stuff, and this all changed as we moved into the studio. Furthermore, I started taking over a lot more of the vocals - and Carol wanted to start her family, and we wanted this to be a little bit more of a rock band. So we were trying to figure out what happens when we go on tour and maybe Carol only sings on two songs, what does she do, walk on stage for two songs, and then walk off again? And she wanted to start her family anyway, so - we talked, and she's starting her family now, and we're good - we're still friends - in fact I talked to her today. Every thing's great, we have nothing but love and respect, there's no hard feelings or anything like that.

What about the album itself? Did you produce it, or how did that all come about?

We had pretty much written and recorded and produced it ourselves. Then, a couple months ago, Jerry Finn (who had worked on like the last five Blink182 albums) came in and he kinda oversaw the completion of the project and he's basically helping us produce the record. We had the majority of the record written and recorded, and then he came in and there were some songs he had some ideas on and there were a few songs we then wrote together. I'm not exactly sure how he's going to be credited on the new album, but he's basically helping us produce the record.

Speaking of production duties, you recently worked with The Matches, any thoughts on that?

They're awesome. I love The Matches. They are some of the most creative dudes I have ever met in my entire life. We recorded three songs together and they're all completely 100% different from each other. I'm really proud of the work they did, and that we did together on those songs. "The Sunburn vs The Rhinovirus" is this weird, kind of punk rock song, then "What Katie Said" is like this 50's do-op song, and then "The Barber's Unhappiness" is this weird trippy electronic song that turns into this 90's grunge rock chorus. And I love it, I love them, I can't wait for their album to come out.

Will you keep doing production work, or is the focus now on Plus44?

No, I definitely still want to, I mean, Plus44 is certainly the number one priority for all of us. We have other stuff going on, Travis is producing beats, he has expensive tastes, and I have other things going on as well. But the number one priority for everyone is Plus44. We're ready to tour, we want to go everywhere we weren't allowed to go with Blink182. We're gonna hit the fucking road and see the world.

So, where weren't you allowed to go with Blink182?

Well, Travis and I love touring, it's our job, our career, and we're so lucky that we get to do what we love for a living. And there was a lot of resistance to touring a few certain places, or where we could tour, how we could tour, how long we could tour. And, now that that is no longer part of our equation, we are going to be everywhere.

Let's talk about Tom's Angels and Airwaves, and your thoughts on all of that?

My honest opinion of that Angels and Airwaves record is that it didn't really do anything for me. After I heard the first single I thought that the verses were really good, and then it got to the chorus and for me it just fell apart after that. I felt there were a lot of ideas that were trying to work there way out, but none of the songs got to that part where they just opened up, you know?

Was this the direction Tom wanted Blink to go in?

Well, the thing is, some of the songs that were recorded and ended up on that album, were demoed as Blink182 songs on the last US tour. We took out basically a studio that we were setting up in dressing rooms and demoing songs. And when Tom quit Blink, a couple weeks later his manager called up and said "Tom's taking some of those songs you guys demoed and is going to be recording them for his new solo project." When the Angels and Airwaves album came out, I was listening, because I thought some of those demos were the start of something good, and I wanted to hear what they sounded like. And then when I heard the actual execution of them, I was kind of disappointed. But, with that being said, I want to say that I've always respected Tom as a song writer, and I know that he has the ability to write really good songs. But that record, just, well, didn't do anything for me.

Are you and Tom on speaking terms, or what has happened with that friendship?

I haven't spoken to Tom since before he quit. The last conversation I had with him was when he was telling us, we started arguing about the break we were forced to take after the last European tour, and the recording of the next Blink album. And Tom was saying that he would only record at his house in San Diego, that he wouldn't go anywhere and we were arguing over all of this personal stuff while we were practicing for the Tsunami Benefit show. And, before that, we had been on tour in Europe and our manager at the time sat us down and said, "look, Tom isn't going to tour anymore, he's done touring, he's burned out, he needs some time off." And we were like, "yeah, we have time off, we're about to have two months just to sit at home" and our manager said, "Tom needs more than that." And at this point we already had a US tour lined up at this point that actual got canceled. So, we're in Europe on this tour, and we just got told we were going to be canceling our US tour in the spring, and so everyone that tours with us, our family, the guys that set up and travel with us, and help us look and sound as good as possible - 2 weeks before Christmas - were told they were fired. And that we weren't going to be doing any more touring in the foreseeable future. So then we got home, that tour ended, and took a 6, 8, 9 month break. And then the Tsunami hit. And I called up our manager and said, "look, I want to do something about this - whatever we can do to help, we have to help, I know that Tom's during his time off right now but I'll do an acoustic show by myself, or maybe Travis and I can get someone to fill in for Tom for that night, or whatever.. " and our manager said, "no, Tom wants to do this, he's watching the things on the news too." So we rented a rehearsal space to get ready for the show, and while we were there we started arguing about the break, and the next Blink record, and Tom told us he would only record it in his house. So, at this point Travis and I were like, "wait dude we're three people in a band, and we understand that you needed your time off, and that's cool, but now it's like you're saying when we can and can't tour, when and how we can record." He was talking about us mailing pro-tool files back and forth and he would record stuff at his house and Travis could record drums in LA, and that's not a band. That's not Blink182. We were a band for 13 years before, and this is just not right. And, we're a band when we're all in the studio together, not this separate thing, you know? And he said, "well, that's the only way I'll do the band now" - and I said, "no, this isn't right, we're a three-piece, this has always been a democracy, we vote on things, we respect one another, and now it's all about one person and you're controlling everything." And he didn't want to to be a part of anything he couldn't control. So - the next day, I get a call from our old manager and he says, "as of today Tom is no longer a part of Blink182." And I was like, "uh, okay, shouldn't I hear this from Tom?" and he goes, "well, Tom's already changed all his numbers and he doesn't want to talk to you, so I don't think you should call him."

What changed in the band? Fame? Popularity? Was there a moment you remember?

I really don't know. It got very ugly at the end, it got bad. I think, in my own opinion, our old manager started just managing Tom. And instead of looking out for the band as a whole, it seemed as though he was managing one person in the band. And the conversation at the beginning of the European tour, it was honestly like, Tom and him one one side of the room and Travis and Me on the other - and our old manager did all of the talking for Tom. And we were like, "wait wait wait ... why isn't Tom saying this? We've been in a band together for 13 years, and when it comes time for him to say he needs 6 or 8 or whatever months off he can't tell us this himself? You're the one that has to talk for him?" This isn't right, you know? I don't know what the changing point was, but slowly it became .. we weren't' a band, it wasn't the 3 of us working together for a goal, it was like me and Travis having to pull him along, and be like, "come on, let's go, let's do this that we all created and that we love" and we wanted to help Tom, we were like, "dude, if you need your family bring them along, get your own tour bus, we're so lucky that we have the opportunity to do this, and take your family all over the world, show them everything" and we seriously did everything we could to keep the band together. But then, in the end, I don't know if it was that. We were told that he didn't want to do music anymore, that he was burned out, and that he just wanted out. And then, less than a month later, manager calls up and goes, "Tom's doing a solo album" - and for me, well, I dunno. I mean, I haven't spoken to Tom, so I don't if the reason was that he was burnt out on music. All the interviews I've seen, don't really lead me to believe that he needed to be with his family like he said.

So what do you want to do differently with Plus 44? What have you learned, and how will you apply that to your new band?

Well, we just want to tour, we all love our families and want to be home with them, but, we just wanna tour the world and be supported by the most amazing fans in the world. And play music, and that's it, we love playing music, and we're very excited about our new record. And it's forced us to do shit that we never thought we could do - and it was like the best thing being born out of the most ugly situation we were put in.

Will the "fun" and "humor" aspects of Blink's live show be carried over to Plus44? Or is this going to be a "more mature" Mark?

Hahaha. You know, I haven't stepped on stage in a year and a half, but I can't help but think that when I do, I'm going to just be myself. We can't help but all be ourselves. Fuck, we love to tour, we love to play, we love to have a good time. So I think we're going to be ourselves.

Album release date? Any information on that?

It's planned to come out late October, or early November. Our manager was just in the studio right now, and they were talking November 7th, or 14th, or it could be October 24th or November 21st - so it could be anywhere during that month.

Does it have a title?

As of right now, it's probably going to change, because we've had three different titles already, but as of today, it's called, "When Your Heart Stops Beating."

Are there any closing remarks for the viewers of the website? Or anything you wanted to add that we didn't touch on?

Honestly, I just can't wait for everyone to hear the new album. We're very proud of it, and hope that everyone loves it. And we can't wait to get out there on tour, play the songs live, and we want to tell everyone thank you for being patient with our band.

The only music people have heard so far is "No It Isn't" - is the new album going to be similar to that style, or can you tell us a little more about the sound of the album?

That song's even different than it was when the demo came out - the record is really, really diverse. I'm really proud of my vocals on record and my lyrics. It's the most personal stuff I've ever written, in Blink we all sort of fell into our each individual roles because of how we wrote songs or whatever - and if was in a certain key I would sing it or Tom would sing it. And on this I had to sing everything, so there were tracks where I am really quiet, and then there are straight out punk-rock songs where I am singing as hard and loud as I can. There's a whole bunch of different stuff, some really electronic and then there are others with organic instruments. Five drums, guitar, bass ... I mean, it's the most diverse we've done - imagine the last Blink record, pushed even further than that. I mean, it still sounds like us, because Travis and I are 2/3rds of Blink182, we're not trying to divorce ourselves from that and be like, "no we're something totally different now" - we wrote songs that were completely different than Blink, and we were proud of those, and then we wrote some stuff and we were like, "man that sounds like stuff we were doing when we were in Blink" and we're super proud of that too. It's not that far from Blink, but we just took it further on this album.

Again, I just want to thank Mark - and everyone involved in putting this interview together, if anyone involved or mentioned in this interview ever wants to do a follow up or address points brought up in it, we'd love to be a part of that and you can contact me (jason.tate@absolutepunk.net). Furthermore, there is another interview up at b182.com (http://www.b182.com/askmark1.html) that expands on all issues discussed here; read that when you have time.

[Jason Tate]

Pardon the spelling/grammar error - I just wanted to get this up as soon as possible.

[TasonJate]

thanks

[March_Faster!!]

Reading it now...bless you Tate. Ok, I finished it. Reading about the mess with Tom made me really bummed out because I love/loved Blink182. It really sucks to think it went down that way. However, Mark comes across as the cool ass mo-fo he's always been in this interview. Thanks again!

[James Johnson]

Well done.:D This must have been a dream come true for you Jason. Can't wait to hear this album and I'm glad that the truth is all coming out.

[zizou1790]

thnak you jason!

[LostSymphonies]

nice, overview about what happened to blink..but i think this is too short personally

[ArTkY_]

Yay. Awesome interview, super informative.

[Jamiew2]

Tom is an asshole. How dare he use the demos that MARK and TRAVIS recorded, so he could use them for his shitty band.

[Jon Foucart]

great interview, jason.

[GoWaitInTheCar]

Cool.

[nathanlawson]

he makes tom sound like a major chode.

[Jason Tate]

nice, overview about what happened to blink..but i think this is too short personally
I'm not going to sit there and pepper the guy for two hours, we talked for almost 50 minutes, and that's more than some webzine should take up of his time - come on now.

[uh oh smmoreo]

Fucking awesome, thanks Jason :D

[suchacreep]

Team Mark

[Jamiew2]

Also, thanks Jason!

[DooDooBird]

tom delonge sucks

[kirbs84]

nice job.

[bradyreier]

awesome interview. thanks tate.

[dukeboy1986]

Very interesting perspective of the whole band split up. Amazing interview, I really enjoyed reading it.:)

[Drew Beringer]

wow

[Flags of Dawn]

normally i'd question all the stuff about Tom, but its Tom, so I find it completely believable.

[bandoftheweek]

Amazing, I'm hyped for Plus 44. I don't really know what to say about their break up, I just mentioned it all in another forum (after reading the b182 interview).

[hXc_pwnage]

I loved the interview. Good questions and great answers. Mark seems like an awesome dude.

And yeah, Tom is looking like the biggest douchebag lately.

[zizou1790]

wow t his cleared up a lot... tom is a douche

[Homesick]

i love mark hoppus.

[nfggc10]

Mark is alot more respectable than Tom ever was so good interview Tate, very informative and shocking also.

[AShannon04]

This is awesome. Mark is the shit...

[xrateddream]

It's really great to see Mark's side of things. I think this was a really good interview, and I dont know, makes me question Tom in general. It's sad that blink broke up, I always hoped they'd come back, but it doesnt look like it. Lates.

[zizou1790]

i wish jason would of asked when well hear the next song ... oh well, all in all great interview

[leafsacc]

Wow, the break up was uglier than I thought. Great interview, I can't wait to hear Plus-44.

[mouood]

Great interview, Jason. Good job.

[Branevember31]

yeah...im surprised he was so open in telling you the whole story. hes a cool dude. i cant wait for the cd

[James Johnson]

Saying this was too short is a bit ridiculous. Its Mark Hoppus and one of the first interviews he has given! I think it was well done, all the information we needed to know in a decent length interview. :D

[DaveHallow]

I <3 Mark Hoppus.

[Steve Henderson]

I'm not going to sit there and pepper the guy for two hours, we talked for almost 50 minutes, and that's more than some webzine should take up of his time - come on now.Haha, I bugged the Saosin guys for over an hour. :)

[zbrmike79]

:Dthank you

i cant wait for this CD...

[boysdontcry17]

sweet interview

[Russ Hockenbury]

Mark Hoppus was my original hero. I can't imagine how INSANELY surreal it was for you, Jason.

[UndertheTELE]

Good interview, revealing stuff.

[Buzzpoots]

I think mark is soo level headed. He is rational and though he has sold millions of records, the fame has not gone to his head. It breaks my heart to know that Tom ruined blink. It is soo contradictory of tom... I mean kids like me who listened to blink took tom and marks realtionship with eachother as a standard for freindship. It almost feels like apart of blink fans has died. Though i am excited for both projects, summers won't be the same knowing that mark tom and travis wont be coming to a hometown. It sucks more than anyone can imagine

[boysdontcry17]

i cant fuckin wait to hear this album

[whatsername104]

i really enjoyed reading that. i never knew all that stuff about the break-up. i always thought it was them collectively being "burnt-out". but the questions/answers here really cleared things up.

it does kinda suck though, hearing about how such a great relationship fell apart.

[funwithgoatsptr]

good job jason.

[YellowNovember]

Haha, I bugged the Saosin guys for over an hour. :)

I'm very excited to read that.....and great interview he answered a lot questions

[Steve Henderson]

I really enjoyed Mark's responses to everything here....regardless, I would really be curious to see Tom's side of it all.

[xcandynecklacex]

wow.

[boysdontcry17]

this made me want to listen to blink (which i am now)

[Steve Henderson]

PS - How the fuck did you type this up so fast?

[punkloserr182]

I really enjoyed Mark's responses to everything here....regardless, I would really be curious to see Tom's side of it all.
I think that's all we've heard since Blink broke up.

[boysdontcry17]

I really enjoyed Mark's responses to everything here....regardless, I would really be curious to see Tom's side of it all.

yea, theres always two sides to the story.

[Skyline]

really enjoyed this interview jason. thanks.

can't wait for this album always will be a fan of mark & travis.

[yanggoh]

this was awesome.

there's another interview with him up on b-182.com, but this one blew it out of the water.

hahaha except for this question:

B-182: If you could say one thing to Tom right now, what would it be?

Mark: What’s up with that haircut?

[PaulsRightNut]

hmmm that was really cool. I'm excited to hear the pluss 44 stuff.

[dukeboy1986]

Didn't Tom say something to the effect that Mark and Travis were screwing him over?

[Jason Tate]

PS - How the fuck did you type this up so fast?

Because I shut down all of the other forums and typed non-stop for like 2 hours.

[DaveHallow]

yea, theres always two sides to the story.

Wasn't Tom's side "I wanted to be with my family and they wanted to tour all the time"? That was my impression.

[TheEndofGravity]

awesome read. he seems like a really good guy.

[Spicoli hey bud]

This interview marks the first time I have missed Blink since the breakup. And it also excites me to hear Plus 44, which I haven't even bothered to follow as of yet. Thank You.

[butt_code]

awesome interview. good job jason.

[gonz]

Haha, I bugged the Saosin guys for over an hour. :)

Any idea when you're gonna have this one up, Steve?

Anyways, awesome interview, Tate. What's the deal with the similarites with the other interview though, if you don't mind me asking?

[Shatter_Glass]

Mark > Tom any day of the week. That's without this interview.

[whatsername104]

i think it's be interesting to hear what Tom has to say about the break-up. i know most people don't respect him now, especially after this, but i think it'd be interesting.

[Jason Tate]

Any idea when you're gonna have this one up, Steve?

Anyways, awesome interview, Tate. What's the deal with the similarites with the other interview though, if you don't mind me asking?
Similarities? I dunno? Same day, similar questions?

[Nate_RAWKS]

Wow that was such a good read Tate he answered everything honestly and shed some light on some questions i had about everything that's happened in the last couple years...it kinda makes me sad to hear him say some of this stuff especially when he's taking about Tom.

:(

it hurts.....it hurts...it hurts.....

[DaveHallow]

Similarities? I dunno? Same day, similar questions?

This is Mark Hoppus and everyone had questions they needed answering, that's why there maybe some bits that follow the same line but over all Jason's was better. More succinct and fuck, i just liked it better.

[wasteoftaste]

nice job.

[Steve Henderson]

Any idea when you're gonna have this one up, Steve?

Anyways, awesome interview, Tate. What's the deal with the similarites with the other interview though, if you don't mind me asking?
Hope to have it up by this weekend. Should be a good read. They answered like 25-30 questions.

[kg00d]

Great interview. I'm surprised he provided a lot of the details about the b182 situation.

[The Matt Kaufman]

very well done. A great read. I will be linking this on mammothpress.

[Brandon Allin]

Wonderful interview, Jason. Thank you to the both of you.

[Jason Tate]

Great interview. I'm surprised he provided a lot of the details about the b182 situation.
He said - ask whatever you want - and that's how the conversation progressed.

Holy hell there are 300+ people viewing this thread right now. And so far, the servers are holding strong.

[Venona]

I always prefered Mark to Tom

[jawkneephighv]

Pardon the spelling/grammar error - I just wanted to get this up as soon as possible.
haha i was about to be a nagging bitch about it but no problem, man. thank you so much for doing this for us. :)

[gonz]

Hope to have it up by this weekend. Should be a good read. They answered like 25-30 questions.

Good to hear, I can't wait to read it.

I also can't wait until Tom makes some sort of lame, sophomoric rebuttal to this interview.

[underthetalking]

Ann all hopes dashed.

[kg00d]

He said - ask whatever you want - and that's how the conversation progressed.

Holy hell there are 300+ people viewing this thread right now. And so far, the servers are holding strong.

I'm glad he was very open.

Like some other people have said after reading this it has truly reminded me how much I loved Blink. However, I'm pumped for this.

[dubey]

Mark Hoppus <3

Great read.

[niveK]

is there an interview with tom about the last days of Blink-182? I havent followed them for the past few albums and im intrested in his side of the story.

[Scott Weber]

Sounds like mark and I share the same sentiments about the Angels and Airwaves album.

[Robb]

B-182: If you could say one thing to Tom right now, what would it be?

Mark: What’s up with that haircut?

Hilarious.

[Jonathan London]

Dude. Great job on the interview, Tate. I'm stoked for this album and I NEVER say "stoked"!

[Shatter_Glass]

Hey guys, just joined. GREAT interview. Clarity is key Jason!

The "Our Old Manager" is Rick Devo or whatever, correct?

[Mitch]

Good interview.

[DaveHallow]

Sounds like mark and I share the same sentiments about the Angels and Airwaves album.

Count me in as well. I think its just average which is why i look forward to see what Mark does. Hopefully better than average.

[spikestoyou]

how about some spaces in the giant paragraphs? my eyes hurt.

[blinkonce82]

Wow, that broke my heart. Before, AVA had at least one shot with me, I was going to actually try and check them out, but after reading this, I don't think I want to get into them.
Before, I thought that Blink wouldn't get back together but I wasn't sure because I didn't know the details, now that I do, I'm pretty sure that they won't.
This does make me want to get into Plus 44, though.
It's a great interview, thank you so much for writing this up on so quickly.

[GettingBold]

I'm not the biggest Blink fan, but this was a great interview. I was surprised at how forthcoming Mark was to talk, even "dish" the details. I've only heard great things about him. Good guy.

[Shatter_Glass]

is rick devo' they "old manager" in the interview?

[Said_Anything]

he makes tom sound like a major chode.

Tom is a major chode. I first heard an AVA song and got really excited, then I heard a couple more songs ans was like "okay, they sound alike but theyre still catchy." Then the cd came out and I was completely dissapointed. Just like Mark said, It didnt do anything for me.

Then unfortunately I saw them live.. I almost didnt go because they were playing but Taking Back Sunday and Head Automatica are too amazing to pass up. So I went and when Tom came on stage I was disgusted, with the way he carried himself and some of the things he said. Anyone could tell that he is completely and utterly full of himself, and thinks that his cd and band are the mozt amazing things to have happened to music.

He can't sing but he is a pretty good musician, but the only good part of his set was when they played "There Is"

I loved Blink, I loved Box Car Racer, AVA didnt do anything for me, and I can't wait to hear some Plus 44. It was a great interview and it is good to finally know what happened,

[sidewacker]

Thanks for that interview jason, you the man, and so is Mark Hoppus.

[micswinger]

fuck yeah.
more at b182.com
i regret spending the money i did on angels and airwaves.

[oldskool]

so, I am the biggest blink fan ever! have been when since they were very small. I am 23, and I have loved this band for EVER! The way things went down in the end according to this interview are so messed up. Sounds like Tom thought he was a total rockstar, man i don't even know but it does not sound cool at all. definetly not Blink style. I own everything Blink 182 and nothing ava. I was totally pumped for AVA to the extreme, I watched the Trailer for the album a million times, thought it sounded GREAT! Then the first song, "the adventure" was relessead and I was like hmm this is good but not excellent. but now i have heard the album and I will not buy that piece of garbage. it is an OK album , but very dissapointing if you compare it to anything BLINK 182. On a side not Tom has changed, I mean just LOOK at him. it is awful. My ultamate dream would be Ap.net to do an interview with Tom now, then we can all read it, then after that Blink 182 resolves their issues and comesback. Mark has restored my faith in plus 44. I wasn't stoked on the song with Carol, but the NEW stuff they recorded sounds really promising. In my opinion blink wrote the best of the best punk songs out there. I really hope that it sounds of blink but pushed further like Mark says. I want to go on record and say Dude Ranch is still my alltime favorite album. anyways rad interview, thanks for posting it. Hopefully Mark can write another song as epic as "apple Shampoo" that is my Favorite song ever!

[TBSowns524]

awesome interview, jason. i love mark and can't wait for plus 44

[mrzippo3]

this is the best thing I have ever read on this website

[starcrossdlovex]

I'm going to assume that Mark's side of the story is correct, which only further justifies my feelings towards Tom.
If he actually used b182 demos for his overhyped band [which I agree with Mark on, AvA does NOTHING for me] that's pretty low.
But the part about him having the manager do his dirty work for him and then actually changing his phone numbers brings him to an alltime low for me.
Good thing I never liked AvA to begin with, or this news would disappoint me.

[dyingurthhorizo]

Yea Go Jason On This Interview

[Shatter_Glass]

Ahem....is Rick Devo' their old manager?

[zizou1790]

I think mark is soo level headed. He is rational and though he has sold millions of records, the fame has not gone to his head. It breaks my heart to know that Tom ruined blink. It is soo contradictory of tom... I mean kids like me who listened to blink took tom and marks realtionship with eachother as a standard for freindship. It almost feels like apart of blink fans has died. Though i am excited for both projects, summers won't be the same knowing that mark tom and travis wont be coming to a hometown. It sucks more than anyone can imagine

well put rishi

[YourMusicSucks]

Fucking amazing of them to do this, fucking amazing of this site to hook this up. Wonderful interview, I'm going to give plus 44 so much bigger of a chance thanks to this.

[Adeniz19]

seriously jason, i know a lot of people like to give you a hard time but it's interviews like this that keep people coming to this site. you did a great job on it and it was pretty cool of mark to be as open as he was with this too..... i'm kind of pissed off at tom now because it sounds like blink should still be making records but plus 44 sounds awesome and i can't wait for it's release

[f!asco]

good job jason, GREAT interview

[FOBPrettyNPunk]

Nice interview.

[justanact]

great interview..mark hit the nail on the head as far as my personal opinions about angels and airwaves.

[buysoap]

poor mark tom and travis..... i wish blink was still together, just like everyone else, but what are you going to do?

[walshknilb281]

ahahah i still cant get over the b182 interview, probly one of the funniest things ive ever read

B182: If you could say one thing to Tom right now, what would it be?

Mark: What’s up with that haircut?

this shows me mark has not changed at all.

[totallysweat]

Nice interview. Dude Ranch was one of the first punk related albums I ever purchased with my own money and ever since I have been a huge Blink fan, for obvious reasons. I've always preferred Mark's vocals over Tom's but I've always loved them both as musicians. After reading this interview, however, I find it hard for me to support anything Tom DeLonge does in the future.

[drudo182]

Wow, that was awesome.

Thanks.

[nicolerork]

Did Rick DeVoe take sides with Tom? That's the impression I got out of reading both interviews. Tom & Rick vs. Mark & Travis?

Anyway, excellent interview Jason - thanks.

[ColourandShape]

This is great, excellent job

[Troy will Fall]

wow, incredible interview...I've always loved blink and to hear how everything went down last year makes me think less of tom, honestly.

[Name_Taken]

great interview, thanks a lot:)

[notetoxself]

i know i have not been on this site in months due to work but the best interview I read by far...

[DXercise]

this was a good interview. if you go to b182.com they have an interview where mark explains step by step of what happened with tom and blink.

[Brooklyn Kid]

nice interview.

i had suspicions that tom delonge had lost his mind...this seemed to corroborate my feelings. tom's interviews during press for A&A's album were so delusional and frightening i thought he was joking.

still, weird and sad that they don't speak.

[live4music]

that is prolly the best most honest and practically groundbreaking (in terms of mark opening up about everything) interview ive seen here. hell of a job

[Greg Thimmes]

Great Interview, pretty much talked about what everyone wanted to know.

[JohnnyQuest]

awesomeness.

has been and always will be my fave

[SECRETaction]

this was really good, enjoyed it a lot.

[redeyes]

Damn, mark kinda sold out tom though. I mean, what happens behind closed doors stays in vegas right? you don't put your shit in the street like that. I mean, i''m sure mark thought he was just being real, and it was a great interview, but it's kinda low class to do that. amazing interview by the way. way to get personal with him.

[wtfemokid]

awesome. i love how he just ripped into tom. priceless. he always was my favorite. can't wait for plus 44.

[werealldudes19]

this interview was great, and so is mark
tom is a dick.

[walshknilb281]

Damn, mark kinda sold out tom though. I mean, what happens behind closed doors stays in vegas right? you don't put your shit in the street like that. I mean, i''m sure mark thought he was just being real, and it was a great interview, but it's kinda low class to do that. amazing interview by the way. way to get personal with him.


tom fucked mark over in the first place for leaving the band, for bullshit reasons, id be pissed to if i was a rockstar loving life, to have it all blow up in my face cuz somebody else

[XxLoserDanxX]

fucking rad

[walshknilb281]

one question i would have liked to seen asked was if he released no it isn't intentionally the same day tom was supposed to release the trailer, cuz if it was that woulda been badass, im guessing it was.

[Waitingtofall4]

Thanks so much Jason
I completely believe Mark
Tom is such a douche, and his side of the story didn't make any sense what so ever
Mark's does

[Spaulding44]

great job...

tom is a shit head

[walshknilb281]

im also just patiently waiting to see Tom DeLonge make a return to AP to defend himself.

[heyRomanticA__x]

Great Review Jason! I miss blink182, I refuse to comment on how they broke up..I wasn't there.

[Erl]

19. If you could say one thing to Tom right now, what would it be?



What’s up with that haircut?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Spaulding44]

im also just patiently waiting to see Tom DeLonge make a return to AP to defend himself.


its purely he said/he said but i mean if im gonna believe anyone its gonna be Mark not the guy whos new band would revolutionize music

[fredrico0012]

I noticed on their greatest hit CD that Mark & Travis had a different manager and I told people on a blink board and no one really cared but I knew something with the manager had to of happened.

[ren]

its purely he said/he said but i mean if im gonna believe anyone its gonna be Mark not the guy whos new band would revolutionize music

priceless, just priceless. i enjoy self-proclaimed reformers.

[sizablescarsxx]

thank you for this. it made my day. and i'm glad to know i'm not alone in thinking the ava album sucked. i feel bad i even listened to it for those 2-3 minutes before i shut it off.

[jimboj917]

very informative interview, nice job.

[fredrico0012]

They were the first band I ever really got into, and first band I went to see live. They were my idols. I wanted to start a band just like them. For about the first six months I started playing guitar I just basically learned their songs (or tried, I couldn't play a power chord forever).

[mrzippo3]

is rick devo' they "old manager" in the interview?
I believe Mark is referring to Chris Georggin

[Spaulding44]

I believe Mark is referring to Chris Georggin

if it is Chris Georggin then Mark should be fucking pissed cuz mark discovered that asshole working at a movie theatre and gave him the job working for Fenix TX i believe

[fredrico0012]

Its Rick Devoe.

[manican sex]

mark just seems like a great guy who likes to have fun anf play music. i coudnt ask anymore from a person. ha. great interview tate. best i think ive seen all year.

[mrzippo3]

Its Rick Devoe.
how you know?

[Short-Lived]

Great interview.

[zerock]

too bad i was hoping they would cover apple shampoo but they wont be playing blink songs on tour..oh well.

[XpunkXroutineX]

wow. that was interesting. but i still love both Mark and Tom. Travis, too!

Thanks for this awesome interview, Tate!

[dillinisgood]

I think i speak for a lot of people when i say that Blink was my "gatweway" band and that now that the truth has finally come out i feel an extreme sadness.

[ikeepadiary]

I want to hear those demos.

[knibl]

"For those of you that don't know, Mark Hoppus is the former bassist for Blink182..."

i thought that was awesome tate. haha

wow, they will speak to one another very shortly.
i think in all seriousness, tom just went through some bad shit...i think he just got tired of everything, that combined with his family situation, he wanted out. quite evident from what mark said.

[Stupendous_Man]

I don't feel any support for Tom after this. My thoughts that he had gone AWOL on Blink are finally confirmed. AVA was not good in my opinion. A lame excuse of a "revolutionary" album.

[fredrico0012]

how you know?

Look at who Tom's manager is in either the greatest hits or we don't need to wisper. And he was the one managing them anyways. The chris guy had some other role.

[bbelair]

In the B182 interview when Mark was asked about when Travis said "now you're seeing the true Tom" or something along those lines, Mark said he agreed with that. Is he trying to say that Tom was always stuck up, conceited, and arrogant because I always though Mark and Tom were best friends when they were in Blink together, and I never thought Tom was that way at all until now.

[drew-is-cool]

Chirs Georggin worked for Devoe Managment, and was their tour manager and eventually overall manager, after the Untitled record came out. he is definitley the "old manager" Mark is talking about. he's now Angels and Airwaves manager :blink:

[helloisa]

thanks i needed to know that mark isnt out of my life yet.....as for tom...hmmm...he's got some 'splaining to do...

[CrucifiedHeart]

WTF??? i loved blink in high school in like 1997.... i knew they broke up but i didnt know it was like this...
i used to love watching the urethra chronicles

tom and mark arent friends anymore????!!
thats so fucking sad!!!!

[domesticyeti]

really great interview jason.
im super excited for this album now

[knibl]

WTF??? i loved blink in high school in like 1997.... i knew they broke up but i didnt know it was like this...
i used to love watching the urethra chronicles

tom and mark arent friends anymore????!!
thats so fucking sad!!!!


have you been living under a rock for the past year? haha seriously man, im kidding but you didn't know there were tensions between tom and mark!?

[monkeyboy14]

Fantastic interview Tateums. Its great to finally hear Mark's perspective of the dissolution of Blink 182. I am looking forward to what Mark and Travis have produced for this album.

[NameTaken69]

that was a great read, its awesome how honest and willing he was to answer any question asked, im excited for plus44 and im sure it will own AVA

[nivek87]

this has probably been said and said and said, but

-tom sucks at life
-mark is the man
-great interview
-and cant wait for the new album

[i2ockbotm]

Guess I'm the only Tom fan left here. I'll always love that arrogant bastard.

[ARo2431]

I wonder what would happen if one day tom called mark out of the blue and said "I want to make another record with you guys." I wonder what Marks reaction would be. I know it will never happen but what if. Looking forward to +44 tho.

[Blake Solomon]

very cool read. i am pretty stoked to hear this new album.

[yutsmcgee]

Tom Delonge is an untalented douchebag. Now I know why AVA sounds like Blink b-sides a couple dozen bpm slower.

[BlinkMe18278]

Blink 182 was and still is a big part of my life and Tom is the reason i started to play guitar. That band was the reason i wanted to be in a band. It hurts so much to know that Tom ended up being the reason that all fell apart. But we still havn't heard Tom's side of the story to defend himself so i guess we shouldn't make assumptions until he hear it.

[emerson1892]

Even if the Plus 44 is album is 73 minutes of pure shit everyone is going to love it more than AvA because everY one sees tom as a total dick now, even more now than ever. Great interview. Awesome insight on the whole situation.

[TBSEmoKid]

this interview was great.It's been said countless times,but Tom is lame and so is his revolutionary piece of garbage he calls a band.In all seriousness,the AvA album was probably the biggest let down of an album all year.Props to Mark and Tate,can't wait for the +44 album(:

[Alex DiVincenzo]

Legendary interview. That made me really excited for Plus 44. I can't wait to hear more. It bums me out that the Blink situation seems to be Tom's fault.

[mrzippo3]

Look at who Tom's manager is in either the greatest hits or we don't need to wisper. And he was the one managing them anyways. The chris guy had some other role.
sorry, no. Rick was probably out surfing through out this whole process

[SwedishHeat]

In the B182 interview when Mark was asked about when Travis said "now you're seeing the true Tom" or something along those lines, Mark said he agreed with that. Is he trying to say that Tom was always stuck up, conceited, and arrogant because I always though Mark and Tom were best friends when they were in Blink together, and I never thought Tom was that way at all until now.

Try being friends with someone for 13 years, and then compare how they were then to how they are now. My two "best friends", the friends that I've had the longest and know the most about, there's plenty of stuff I don't like about them, you're friends with them because you just "click". After 13 years, I would assume Mark and Tom just kind of got along and Tom's dreams got more and more grandiose, and Mark just kind of laughed at him and said "That's good ol' Tom" until it reached a tipping point.

If you're best friends with someone, you accept their plusses and their minuses.

[heartblink182]

mark's right about AvA songs all sounding almost identical...its an ok album but +44 is gonna dominate

[Moatilliatta085]

I really wish someone sat Tom down and interviewed him, to ask him "ok stop telling us that you still want to change the world, and tell us, straight up....what the fuck happened?"
I'm really curious what Tom's side of the story is.
If i were a little younger I'd tell Mark I'm his long-lost son, cuz he's one cool dude.

[dp619]

Jason,

Maybe you should put a picture of you on the front page for the "Featured Artist" because that interview was fantastic. Its really cool that he came here to talk about blink instead of talking to some MTV guy or somethin

[nsgob22]

I really wish someone sat Tom down and interviewed him, to ask him "ok stop telling us that you still want to change the world, and tell us, straight up....what the fuck happened?"
I'm really curious what Tom's side of the story is.


me too

[PaintTheTarget]

Most interesting answer from the b182.com interview:

12. We all know Tom plays a part of the Blink-182 song 'Down' for his AVA shows. How do you feel about Tom doing this, and do you plan on playing any Blink songs for your +44 shows?

Tom can play whatever he wants as his shows. It is his right. Any band in the world can play any music they wish at their shows. That being said, I think it is in poor taste that he plays blink songs at his shows. It is disrespectful to the fans. It is disrespectful to the legacy of blink-182. He quit blink-182. How are you going to quit a band and then play that band’s songs at your shows, and keep a straight face doing it?

Travis and I could tour as blink-182 if we wished. We could hire a new guitarist and hit the road. It would be our right, since Tom quit. Of course we have no plans to do that. Blink-182 was the three of us. The whole thing would be very disingenuous. No we will not be playing blink songs at (+44) shows.



I love the end when he says they could just hire a guitarist and tour as blink-182. I always thought the songs where Mark was the lead vocalist were the best, Tom's voice just didn't do it for me as much. I would pay any amount of money to see them w/o Tom, especially if Mark performed all his Dude Ranch songs. But I like that he holds the music they made as something special and only between the three of them....class act. Tom not only performs the shit, but puts stuff they recorded under his name....jackass.

[lightcollapse]

sick sick interview

fuck tom delonge.

[sweetforever]

excellent read. Mark is a great guy and it shows through his drawn out explainations of the entire situation. Like everyone has said, Mark's response on the b182.com question was priceless...

" If you could say one thing to Tom right now, what would it be?

What’s up with that haircut?"

just one of the reasons I love Mark

[druck]

jesus christ. i used to love tom, but this interview really makes me feel differently. he sounds like a total douchebag. go mark.

[moore182]

Tom Delonge is an untalented douchebag.
Take it back asshole!
Anyway...I still love Tom and Mark (and travis). That was a great interview, and I can't freakin' wait for Plus44!!!

[pinklipgloss]

a very very good read

its sad knowing there'll be like .99 chance of blink 182 reuniting again
but i couldn't be anymore happier for mark and travis
i wish it was already october

thanks jason for the interview!

[Vanilla Bear]

I love how everyone's hating Tom now...there's always two sides to the story. And no one can say that a lot of what he said is bullshit.

And with that whole hair joke about Tom...i always wondered what's up with Mark's rat-tail?!

[BIGDeVriendt]

good interview!

[Chris Fallon]

Between this interview and the two-parter with Pete Wentz, I can't decide which interview I like more. I read both twice though, so I guess I'm split. Needless to say, this interview was short and sweet, and had everything I wanted to hear from one of my faves in the music biz.

It's sad to hear the breakup story between Blink, but Mark seems like a very open, honest and straight-up dude. Thanks for doing this, Jason. I enjoyed reading it.

[stevecrumb]

Look what I found.... (http://forum.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=32568)

That's kinda funny to read now.

[IamNogreatMan]

Good gosh, my eyes started to water when he brought up Blink and Tom.

[djUbilla]

Great interview. AP.net rocks!

[elemenohpe]

i loved the last blink album so this has me pretty excited.

[daBNmaradona]

i've always liked marks vocals over tom. mark singing on a entire record will be heaven. can't wait for this.

[thebestkylever]

im kicking my ass now because i just remembered i really really want to know what happened when blink played 'first date' on conan. both mark and tom had black eyes and tom had a strip thing on his nose which was still bleeding a little. when conan asked about it, all tom said was "i dont want to talk about it." does anyone know the story behind this?

[Snails]

That was one awesome interview.

[radxbandit]

hey jason, thanks. he didn't have to let us in on the drama of blink 182 but it was really cool that he did. oh and jason, i hope your summer has been kicking ass, take it easy man.

[spunk]

great interview. tom has expressed his feelings in several interviews, and for me what mark says is how it really went down.

[_all_star_me_]

on behalf of every blink fan out there, thank you jason for having balls and mark for being awesome.

[naphtha74]

Its just so nice to hear someone from the band directly speak about the problems. Mark and Tom have been friends before their 20s. They just hung out and laughed like everyone else. Then the band gets serious and they realise there in this together and then the MTV's the award shows and sell out tours, it must get pretty technical backstage and in their lives. Obviously Tom saw Blink 182 as the business side of it, as his job, whereas mark and travis just wanted to be kids playing shows with their friends. I know the people in this thread are gonna hate anyone who tries to defend Tom but its still so suprising to see HOW MUCH Tom's changed. Everyone loved Tom in Blink 182 and even in Boxcar Racer. I saw AVA and i have to admit that Tom was up his own arse. Doing the jesus poses and not really interacting with the crowd who idolise him. To be honest, i dont want Blink 182 to get back together anymore, it just would not be the same, as much it pains me to say. Some things are just meant to be left alone, and if they got back together, it would just ruin my favourite band of all time.
Calum

[yodaplaysdrums]

Mark for President!

[danielplaysbass]

A+ interview, A+

[leauthor]

Good interview. So stoked for this record. I love that man.

[mr chainsaw]

thanks great interview i am stoked for the album now!!!

[ironlionOROKU]

team hoppus

[Murder*O*Murder]

Good interview... Excited about the album coming out so soon. :-)

[clarkeycats]

mark is a legend. i have more respect for him now....although with the whole blink thing it would be interesting to hear it from toms point of view.

[spencersface]

Awesome interview. Thanks to both Mark and Jason for making this happen. Super psyched about the CD.

[gengen]

Haha, I bugged the Saosin guys for over an hour. :)

saosin is not mark from blink 182.

[McSavah]

Geat interview, thanks!

[youareallfreaks]

good stuff, tom sucks

[smallbutfeisty]

nice interview...i've always liked mark a lot, and it's nice to hear his side finally.

[bass ampss]

=] That was rad as fuck

[miltownrob]

stellar interview

[Backer]

good interview.
This Gives me one more reason to like Mark alot more then douchebag Tom

[Chevy114]

Wow that was crazy!

[joenicorata]

i just got way more excited for this album.

[FrankMareno]

love you Mark, thanks for the interview Jason

[nud0]

I'm not taking sides but I've always been a "Mark guy" more than a "Tom guy" even though they both are hilarious and are great musicians, but, after reading every interview or article on Angels and Airwaves, + 44, and Blink, it just really shocks and dissopoints me how Blnk, Tom and Mark ended so quckly. 4 years ago or so they were on their US tour with Kut U Up having a blast, remembering the reasons they were in a band in the first place. Just messing around having fun, being kids again. Now a few years later Tom calls it quits for a reason no one really is sure about and that's never how I would have seen the Blink story end. Blink 182 was my gateway drug.

[CountMeOut923]

that was a great interview!! I can always count on ap.net for good interviews with all the good information. I dont ever want to feel like im reading the tabloids. Mark seems so much more mature than Tom and I really hope the best for him and the band

[aDerza]

wow

i never knew Tom was such a little bitch

[xllirikx]

thats an awesome interview.

[leftstranded]

great interview jason. and i'm glad to see that tom was being the retard in the whole thing.

[CWeezer]

amazing interview.

[oldskool]

This is by far the best interview EVER on this website. I really miss blink so much. I really just wish they would get back together, and tour, and play alot of their old stuff on tour. I still love blink now and forever!

[J_169]

i miss blink but it wud never be how it was if they ever got back

[love_american_style]

damn that sucks to hear that tom is a total douche.....i really respected him (as well as travis and mark) as a musician......i never was a blink 182 fan but they are all really talented guys.

i cant wait to hear plus44.

[spencersface]

damn that sucks to hear that tom is a total douche.....i really respected him (as well as travis and mark) as a musician......i never was a blink 182 fan but they are all really talented guys.

It is shitty news, but we must remember that there are two sides of every story. It's not quite fair to call a guy we've never met names just because his ex-bandmate has some bad things to say. I'm sure Tom would have some bad things to say about Mark, but who knows? Just 'cause they're guys doesn't mean they don't gossip, lol.

I'm sure there's validity in Mark's statements of course; he's a great guy. But, let's focus on the positive things people. This isn't Paris Hilton vs. Nicole Ricci.

[IamTheINDUSTRY]

tate i think i would have cried if i was on the phone with mark...thats how much of a fanboy i am....

and if the whole tom changing his phone number thing is true....thats the queerest shit i ever heard....seriously who does that to their best friend? i really hope tom would answer back...just not mudslinging like.

[IamTheINDUSTRY]

It is shitty news, but we must remember that there are two sides of every story. It's not quite fair to call a guy we've never met names just because his ex-bandmate has some bad things to say. I'm sure Tom would have some bad things to say about Mark, but who knows? Just 'cause they're guys doesn't mean they don't gossip, lol.

I'm sure there's validity in Mark's statements of course; he's a great guy. But, let's focus on the positive things people. This isn't Paris Hilton vs. Nicole Ricci.


i agree completely.

[Julia Conny]

Mark is a Chatter McChatterbox.

[Zeran]

when he was talking about how blink broke up it made me so sad because they used to be my favorite band of all time. and now no longer. they're not even speaking. it just seems so wrong.

[lftcoastenvy05]

cant wait for this record. this is going to put angels and airwaves to shame

[Pumpupthejams]

yeah good to hear marks side of the story, but when you compare the boxcar album to the blink self titled, you can tell that Tom wrote the majority of the songs, it seemed in blink that all the songs that mark wrote were the real poppy ones, so it will be interesting to hear the plus 44 album, I'm stoked. As for mark saying that some of the ava songs were blink demoes, I doubt it, they sound completely different, and I think marks just saying he doesn't like the album because of how tom left the band, but I don't see the plus 44 album being as good as ava, but I'm still stoked...

[Pumpupthejams]

no way it's gonna put ava to shame, it will be good, but let's get serious...

[Mathus]

i love how everyone is hating Tom now when a few months ago that wasnt the case.

I'm never going to take one person's side of one of my favorite bands. I still don't think we've gotten the full story from each half yet, and I don't think we will for a while.

[love_american_style]

[quote=spencersface;4026765]It is shitty news, but we must remember that there are two sides of every story. It's not quite fair to call a guy we've never met names just because his ex-bandmate has some bad things to say. I'm sure Tom would have some bad things to say about Mark, but who knows? Just 'cause they're guys doesn't mean they don't gossip, lol.

quote]

yeah.....but it seems the way people talk about tom they make it seem like its well known he's a controlling jerk....i hope your right about the "two sides to every story" because i really respect tom as a musician.

[spencersface]

yeah.....but it seems the way people talk about tom they make it seem like its well known he's a controlling jerk....i hope your right about the "two sides to every story" because i really respect tom as a musician.

Haha well either way unless they have a reality show of Tom vs. Mark, I'm sure we won't know. I love both their music, so that's what I care about. AVA and (+44) are both sexy.

[spencersface]

yeah good to hear marks side of the story, but when you compare the boxcar album to the blink self titled, you can tell that Tom wrote the majority of the songs, it seemed in blink that all the songs that mark wrote were the real poppy ones, so it will be interesting to hear the plus 44 album, I'm stoked. As for mark saying that some of the ava songs were blink demoes, I doubt it, they sound completely different, and I think marks just saying he doesn't like the album because of how tom left the band, but I don't see the plus 44 album being as good as ava, but I'm still stoked...

Yeah, one can speculate a million directions of this or that. But the CD isn't out yet, and I'm optomistic. If I get 2 good CD's out of it (AVA and (+44)) in the end, I can't complain.

[Spadde]

i love how everyone is hating Tom now when a few months ago that wasnt the case.

I'm never going to take one person's side of one of my favorite bands. I still don't think we've gotten the full story from each half yet, and I don't think we will for a while.

first of all, Ive always been a mark fan, but dude, Tom had plenty of chances to explain why. I don't hate Tom for leaving blink, but I am extremely dissapointed how he handled the whole thing....that is assuming what Mark said is all correct.

I am really glad that (+44) is going to let the music speak for itself as opposed to Mark or any of the other members. Though I like AVA, it was lyrically dissapointing. "No It Isn't" has some of the best words I've ever heard, and I can't wait for more!

Someone needs to thank Lil Chris for chucking (+44) pics and the AVA show at the Troubador!

[love_american_style]

Haha well either way unless they have a reality show of Tom vs. Mark, I'm sure we won't know. I love both their music, so that's what I care about. AVA and (+44) are both sexy.

i with you on that one dude.

[lassise]

not to say i don't believe mark cuz hes amazing. but i bet if you asked the exact same questions to tom it would be a different response. the way mark worded it, it seems almost too much "blink 182 broke up because of tom." maybe thats true, but i'd like to hear the other side of the story.

[Scuba Chris]

Blink182 was my favorite band for a long time and they were also my (as someone else mentioned) gateway drug. Mark comes off like the awesome guy he has always seemed like. I can't believe the candor and honesty he gave in the interview. Amazing Jason. Thank you very much for this, and I can't wait for the album.

[elvis]

if half of what he said about tom is true then tom's a real d-bag

[bbelair]

yeah good to hear marks side of the story, but when you compare the boxcar album to the blink self titled, you can tell that Tom wrote the majority of the songs, it seemed in blink that all the songs that mark wrote were the real poppy ones, so it will be interesting to hear the plus 44 album, I'm stoked. As for mark saying that some of the ava songs were blink demoes, I doubt it, they sound completely different, and I think marks just saying he doesn't like the album because of how tom left the band, but I don't see the plus 44 album being as good as ava, but I'm still stoked...

Mark wrote some of the best songs for blink though: Dammit, Apple Shampoo, Adam's Song, Lemmings, Waggy, Going Away To College, Stockholm Syndrome, Man Overboard, Wasting Time. Not to say Tom didn't write incredible songs for blink also, considering I like every blink song haha.

[blink182210]

blink was an amazing band, im suprised/dissapointed in Tom.

[chuck_3000]

great fucking job. It's nice to have some closure.

[lftcoastenvy05]

no way it's gonna put ava to shame, it will be good, but let's get serious...

ive never been a huge angels and airwaves fan, yes i listen to the album once in a while, but in the end its just a cheap U2 ripoff with poorly written lyrics. the only time the AvA album blows me away is when im smoking with my buddies. baxk to the point tho, tom and mark's writing abilities fit perfectly with blink, but tom basically on his own writing...i mean cmon, "your best friend is not your girlfriend" is the best he could come up with? if anything i would have preferred he stick to boxcar. at least mark is writing lyrics that fits the music style. AvA is just going to continue being this ego trip for tom while people will realize that (+44) has more heartfelt and real songs.

[SpeedBumps182]

Wow...after reading this interview my whole view on the situation has changed. In no way do I hate Tom and I will always love the music he creates and will always support whatever he's doing but I think Mark has a good point. The AVA album is somewhat repetitive and the lyrics could have been better. I defenitely liked Tom more in Blink and I am shocked and a little disappointed in Tom if what Mark is saying is true. But there are 2 sides to every story and in this case 3 so I doubt anyone will ever know what really happened except Mark, Tom, and Travis. I doubt Blink will ever be back and I think it's sad the such a good friendship was lost out of all this. As for +44 I can't wait to hear what Mark has in store for us. I know whatever he does will be great and I'm so glad that both Mark, Tom, and Travis are still making music. (One more thing that gets to me is that if Tom would love to speak to Mark and Travis again and all that then why did he change all his numbers?)

Well I'm done...

[falloutfan29]

this whole thing has caused nothing but internal conflict for me, as excited as am i am to here this i hate the thought of either mark or tom making music seperate from the other. with tom's record already out, this one feels like the nail in the coffin on the band that shaped my musical taste and still finds a place in my regular rotation of cds. i love blink, probably more than is healthy, and the initial news of the break up hit me incredibly hard and affected my school and social life for about a month after. all these interviews where it seems that the two people who always seemed like they had the best friendship i could ever imagine, leaving something that brought so many people happiness and that they poured themselves into for 15 years, without even a word, makes me sad. i still remember being 13, suffering from chronic depression, listening to my parents fight, wondering why noone ever called, and singing adams song everday for 4 months straight until i felt ok again. i know it sounds cheesy to say a band saved your life, but i truly believe that without that song i wouldn't have made it. that song showed me everything i would leave behind and everything i had to look forward to, and allowed me to view music as something life-changing instead of just a form of entertainment. this interview was very well done and very informative but it feels like someone is stepping on my chest. i'll definitly buy this, as i did angels and airwaves, because it still has marks name on it and i know it will be good. but i'll purchase it with a heavy heart because it means that blink 182 is, for all intents and purposes, over. even a reunion now would seemed forced after everything thats been said. sorry to ramble on but i still cant believe theyre gone. good luck mark and thanks for everything.

[oldskool]

well ava sucks balls, and i am almost positive plus 44 will be better. but it WON'T be as good as Blink no matter what it sounds like or how it sounds. none of the other bands that either member has participated in has ever come close to the magic that is BLINK 182. In plus 44, i already know i will miss having good old Tom around. And is AVA, well, that album blowed so bad I missed old Tom, and without mark and Travis it is like the worst album ever. I still cannot believe all of this, i really try to keep an open mind but it is all so disturbing. i was way pumped for AVA when the trailer came out and all, but the music sucks, and Tom is way way different now. I am psyched for 44 but, there is no way it will be better than blink for many reasons. intangibles. and music wise, I will miss tom's guitar style, and mark and tom tradeing off vocals. I just wish Blink would get back together. If you listen to blinks lyrcs you would never imagine them fighting like this and breaking up. it is really disturbing.

[MarkyMark1984]

great interview. can't wait to hear more of plus44. personally, i'm guessing it will be better than A&A and it sounds like mark and travis have their heads screwed on a lot tighter than tom's. thanks for doing this jason.

[koala72]

Seems like Mark isnt all serious and really mature like Tom is now which is good to see:p I'm sure Mark would be way cooler to talk to.
I hope +44 rocks (but obviously not as good as Blink)

[clarkeycats]

when does round 2 start?

[Foopunk18]

For more Mark, there is a longer interview at www.b182.com (http://www.b182.com) It's a lot of the same stuff, but more detail on the demise of Blink.
It's funny, because Mark's opinion on the Angels and Airwaves album is almost exactly what I said , word for word, when I heard it.
"Is this the same song?"...haha.....I can't wait for the Plus 44 album

[jett]

Thank you

[dylann.]

I would just liek to say that, i agree with mark. knowing that tom said he was burnedo ut of music. and then like am onth later he is doing a solo album.. that pisses me off.
cuz i gre up with blink. like fuck. me and my bro. my older bro got me into blink showed me them. first album i listened to was chesire cat. so fucking good. right hwne i heard blink they just took my breath away. just cuz how amazing the lyrics werre, i could just relate ot them.

I live in whitby,Ontario.(CANADIAN FAN.)

andi owuld honestly wouldl iek mark to see this comment im leaving. cuz i agree with everything he said.

and i have heard the sone "No It Isin't" and im impressed with how amazing and stonr the lyrics are. lots of the ppl i skate with my good friends are all into hardcore screamo bands and alll that. (and yeah i liek them to) but they tell mel ike lbink has no talent and shit, and they say they suck.
and yeah thatst heir opinion. but liek travis barker is a unbelieveable drummer. i saw transplants live at warped tour in barrie last year. and he was amazing just sooo fucking good. he is such a good musician. YOU ALL ARE...mark tom and travis. my fav's. liek there is lots of bands out there. just ur music is the music that relates to me the most. andi owuld love to fucking meet any of u guys, just becuz u guys r always urselves u dont change for anyone. and i respect that.

ACTING LIKE THE BIGGEST IDIOTS INFRONT OF 5 THOUSAND PPL HAHA more.

i gotta give respect to that. and making them all happy.

like if i wasi n a band(which i wanna be) like the best thing i owuld love to see is watching the fans sing the whole song back to oyu, just watching htem no every word. that would just hit my heart and would be so orgasmic. LIEK ME WHEN I LISTEN TO BLINK OR ANY-SIDE PROJECT U GUYS HAVE DONE.

i lvoe it all. and i just wanna say im so stoked for pluss-44 to come out. and i hope one day tom will put this shit aside, and gewt back to blink. the one thing that took ppls breath away and stole their heart. like u guys were fucking best friends. then one day he just leaves and does a solo album....thats just fucked.

yeah im typing way to much but FUCK pisses me off. blink is better then nay side project ever done by u guys. like fuck im listening to blink right now. WASTING TIME. such a good song. all blink's songs r. like i udnno. like if lbink didnt get back together. u guys owuld still be my fav band, and everyday until I FUCKING DIE. im gunna keep on wishing that u guys iwll work it out and otm will come back aplogize and try and get back into it.
in the mean time....so fucking stoked for pluss-44's album...

[Mitch]

I would just liek to say that, i agree with mark. knowing that tom said he was burnedo ut of music. and then like am onth later he is doing a solo album.. that pisses me off.
cuz i gre up with blink. like fuck. me and my bro. my older bro got me into blink showed me them. first album i listened to was chesire cat. so fucking good. right hwne i heard blink they just took my breath away. just cuz how amazing the lyrics werre, i could just relate ot them.

I live in whitby,Ontario.(CANADIAN FAN.)

andi owuld honestly wouldl iek mark to see this comment im leaving. cuz i agree with everything he said.

and i have heard the sone "No It Isin't" and im impressed with how amazing and stonr the lyrics are. lots of the ppl i skate with my good friends are all into hardcore screamo bands and alll that. (and yeah i liek them to) but they tell mel ike lbink has no talent and shit, and they say they suck.
and yeah thatst heir opinion. but liek travis barker is a unbelieveable drummer. i saw transplants live at warped tour in barrie last year. and he was amazing just sooo fucking good. he is such a good musician. YOU ALL ARE...mark tom and travis. my fav's. liek there is lots of bands out there. just ur music is the music that relates to me the most. andi owuld love to fucking meet any of u guys, just becuz u guys r always urselves u dont change for anyone. and i respect that.

ACTING LIKE THE BIGGEST IDIOTS INFRONT OF 5 THOUSAND PPL HAHA more.

i gotta give respect to that. and making them all happy.

like if i wasi n a band(which i wanna be) like the best thing i owuld love to see is watching the fans sing the whole song back to oyu, just watching htem no every word. that would just hit my heart and would be so orgasmic. LIEK ME WHEN I LISTEN TO BLINK OR ANY-SIDE PROJECT U GUYS HAVE DONE.

i lvoe it all. and i just wanna say im so stoked for pluss-44 to come out. and i hope one day tom will put this shit aside, and gewt back to blink. the one thing that took ppls breath away and stole their heart. like u guys were fucking best friends. then one day he just leaves and does a solo album....thats just fucked.

yeah im typing way to much but FUCK pisses me off. blink is better then nay side project ever done by u guys. like fuck im listening to blink right now. WASTING TIME. such a good song. all blink's songs r. like i udnno. like if lbink didnt get back together. u guys owuld still be my fav band, and everyday until I FUCKING DIE. im gunna keep on wishing that u guys iwll work it out and otm will come back aplogize and try and get back into it.
in the mean time....so fucking stoked for pluss-44's album...

Holy balls. I hope Mark does see this comment and reply about how much of an idiot you are :).