October 17, 2008
Posted on 10/17/2008 8:34 AM Comments (1)
October 12, 2008
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Thank you
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I want to give my deepest thanks to everyone who has helped deal with the current situation. First and foremost, Chris and Che were my friends. I would give up anything to have them here with us today, healthy and happy. To call them my employees does them such a disservice, as they were so much more than that. Chris was my best friend before anything else, and I can never put into words how much he will be missed. Che was an amazing person as well, and I was honored to have him in my life.
I am simply amazed and will be forever grateful for all the support everyone has shown to Chris and Che's families. Its a testament to how many lives they touched in a positive way.
Hospital Life!
Like the doctors said from the beginning, its been a slow recovery process. I am coming up on the 7th of my surgeries Monday. Today I finally was able to move all my fingers on my right hand. Every step seems huge at this point, and Im doing EVERYTHING I can possibly do to get back to my kids. Yes, I did start eating meat again, but if it helps me to be home holding my little humans sooner, then its all worth it. The staff here are all bomb! Dr. Grossman and his staff are the best. The BOSS Barbara, and nurses Betty, Jay , Emily, Julio, Lolita, and Stephanie (with the best scrubs ever!) are all taking the best care of me.
My good friend Armen has been kind enough to save me from the hospital food, and brings Jamba Juice, Wahoos, or whatever else I need to keep my calories and protein levels high.
Despite any rumors you might have heard via my EX-wife Shanna Moakler, who I have not seen since the week I checked in, Ive been treated amazingly well, both here in LA and in Georgia. The hospitals Ive been treated at are THE BEST.
My friends and family have been amazing. My pops has been with me ANY time I need him. My sisters, James, Skinhead Rob, Daniel, Hoover, Armen and of course Ricardo and Nicole, have all shown amazing support. JD and Mark Hoppus both took the time to come visit and offer their support as well. Estevan Oriol even came in with a calendar.
Saying "thank you" to all these guys just wouldn't be enough...
I got to see AM the other day. Seeing him after he was discharged was an inspiration. I saw just how awesome the doctors' work here is, and got to see how well he is doing. I am so happy to see him doing well, and we are both so lucky and grateful that we are alive today.
Im even using some of this time to help design the summer '09 Famous line. Maxx, Jose, Bill have been awesome helping to keep the machine going. These are some seriously dedicated people, and Im lucky to call them friends.
Now Im just counting the days until I can leave. I cant wait to get home to play drums with my son, and go for bike rides with my daughter. I cant wait to see the pictures from Landon's "Jack and Sally Nightmare Before Christmas" birthday party that we had for him today. I am bummed that I couldn't be there, but thank God Ill be around to see many, many more.
Thank you everyone for your support!
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Posted on 10/12/2008 1:50 PM Comments (1)
October 8, 2008
In the new issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands now), Travis Barker opens up for the first time since his tragic September 19 Learjet crash that killed four. He and DJ AM - the only survivors of the crash - suffered second and third degree burns on their hands and lower body.
"I hate planes," the ex-Blink 182 drummer, 32, tells Us exclusively. "My biggest fear ever is to be involved in a plane crash, so when that happened ... well, I'm just thankful to be alive! I'm just grateful to be here at all."
He spoke to Us on Oct. 6 from the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles, where he is now being treated. (He said he was too afraid to fly cross-country from Georgia - where he initially recovered in a burn unit - so he arranged to travel by bus with his father and ex-wife Shanna Moakler.)
How are you doing?
"I am doing the best I can possibly be. I'm so anxious to get out of here. ...I've just been in surgery after surgery. I have third degree burns basically from my feet up to my waist and both hands. One of my hands was second degree burns and one was third degree burns. I'm trying to have a quick recovery and play the drums again and be able to hold my kids again. [Barker has two children, Landon, 5, and Alabama, 2, with Moakler.] I'm going nuts not being able to see them and spend time with them!"
After over 25 years as a vegetarian, you had to start eating meat again. Why?
"I need protein from food rather than just protein supplements. I changed my diet. I would do anything I possibly could if they said like, 'There's a possibility you might heal faster if you do eat meat or just change your eating habits.' So I did. I don't regret it at all, I feel so much better."
How much longer will you be in the hospital?
"Oh gosh, I hope not much longer. I sit here and I read books and watch TV. I think if this surgery went well, I'll be here for at most two weeks."
For the full interview - plus details on how Moakler is supporting Barker through his recovery - pick up the new issue of Us Weekly today!
Posted on 10/08/2008 9:02 AM Comments (2)
September 30, 2008
Travis hits the road to recovery after plane crash…
After being one of only two survivors in a tragic plane crash Travis Barker has been deemed fit enough for discharge from the the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Georgia.
The ex-Blink 182 and +44 drummer spent nine days in the burns unit following the crash of a private passenger jet during take-off from a South Carolina airport on September 20.
The incident killed two crew members, Sarah Lemmon and James Bland, and two passengers, Chris Baker and Charles Still.
Survivor DJ Adam Goldstein was treated for burns to his head and arms and was released on Friday last week, Barker suffered severe burns to his torso.
Posted on 09/30/2008 4:51 AM Comments (2)
September 20, 2008
(CNN) -- Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and disc jockey Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein were in critical condition with extensive burns Saturday after a jet crash that killed four people, authorities said.
Federal investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the crash site but said they aren't sure whether information on the device survived the blaze.
Investigators are also obtaining recordings of conversations between controllers in the tower and the jet's two-person crew, said National Transportation Safety Board spokeswoman Debbie Hersman.
"Air traffic controllers did observe sparks from the aircraft as it was going down the runway and immediately alerted fire-rescue crews at the airport," Hersman said Saturday evening in West Columbia.
Lexington County Coroner Harry O. Harman said all the dead in Friday's crash were Californians.
He identified them as pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills; co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad; Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City; and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles.
The Associated Press reported that Baker was an assistant to Barker and Still was a security guard for the musician.
The National Transportation Safety Board has sent team to West Columbia, South Carolina, to investigate the crash.
The Learjet 60 crashed on takeoff at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport at 11:53 p.m. Friday.
Beth Frits, spokeswoman at the Joseph Still Burn Center, in Augusta, Georgia, said Barker and Goldstein arrived at the hospital early Saturday. She said both men had "extensive burns." Watch charred wreckage of the plane »
Barker and Goldstein had played at a huge free outdoor concert in Columbia's Five Points district on Saturday night, CNN affiliate WIS-TV said.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the twin-engine private jet was cleared for takeoff on a flight to Van Nuys, California, and began its takeoff roll a few minutes before midnight.
Air traffic controllers "saw sparks coming from the runway -- whether that was from the aircraft or its engines, we don't know," Bergen said Saturday.
"They overran the end of runway 11. They impacted the antenna array and a number of lights at the end of the runway. They went through the perimeter fence and across the roadway here," Hersman said Saturday. "There was a significant post-crash fire."
William Owens told WIS-TV he was driving down Highway 302 when he said he saw a fireball go across the road.
"I didn't know what I had seen; it was maybe 800 feet in front of me, but as I approached it closer, though, I made out a fire. By then I was able to see the tail of the jet, and I recognized it as a jet," Owens said.
Owens told the station he tried to get to the wreckage.
"It's in flames, and the fuel is running across the road, and I had to cross the fuel to get to the two guys that seemed to have been dumped on the highway," Owens said.
Owens said the two men were running around and pulling off clothing to put out the flames. He said he asked them whether anyone else was on board the plane, and they said four people were with them.
"We turned to the jet to try and see if there was anything we could do, but immediately, there was nothing anyone could do," Owens said.
The crash closed the airport, which is Columbia's main commercial and passenger terminal, and it remained closed late Saturday afternoon. The airport's Web site listed nine commercial airline flights canceled through 7 p.m. Saturday.
Hersman said the airport would not reopen until investigators finished collecting debris from the runway and crash site.
She said investigators would look at every aspect of the crash, from the pilots' schedules to the aircraft's condition. She said it was a fairly new airplane, manufactured in 2006 and certified to operate in 2007.
In addition to playing with Blink-182, Barker appeared in the MTV reality show "Meet the Barkers" along with his wife at the time, former Miss USA Shanna Moakler, according to MTV's Web site.
Posted on 09/20/2008 5:35 PM Comments (3)
May 28, 2008
You know him as the brains behind Angels And Airwaves, I know him as semi-gay, lanky, ex-truck driver, who used to sing songs about masturbating. He has seen me naked many, oh so many times. My wiener has told him good night (you can read all about it in the book, someday), and I’ve done some of the most disgusting things to myself in front of him—weird. Anyway, Tom is my friend, so I really don’t care what you say about him, seriously, say whatever you want, everybody’s already said everything about him and he really doesn’t care, even when you say he’s gay and has sexual relations with dogs (he’s said that about himself). Here is an interview that is short, lame, and not rally pertaining to anything. But it’s always fun to hear what comments he has for me today.
Cotescube: What do you think of the massive emo fallout that’s going in Mexico—As in, heavy metal kids bashing emo kids just for being emo?
Thomas Delonge: Metal kids were always pissed at people who could read, and who looked good in fitted clothes
Why “Mod Life” when you “My Space”?
Why “Myspace” when you “Don’t Wipe”?
When was the last time you talked to Mark Hoppus? What did you talk about?
Three years ago—Kissing, loving, band breaking up.
Are you happy you’ve stopped wearing those terrible big, baggy, khaki Dickies mega shorts, and have started wearing adult pants?
Have you ever started a trend? Oh, well you wouldn’t understand.
How much nudity, if any, goes on while touring with Angels And Airwaves?
37.8% of all bus rides end up in nudity.
Do you miss seeing pre-pubescent tits in the crowd?
Maybe, is this a trick question about your sister?
I know you are very political, so tell me this, who will be the next president?
Obama for your Mamma.
What’s Bono’s real name?
Paul Hewson.
What should I name my first child?
Paul Hewson.
Do you miss me?
I do, quite often.
Posted on 05/28/2008 8:53 AM Comments (2)
January 24, 2008
The following is a phone interview with Tom Delonge of Angels and Airwaves and formerly Blink 182 that was conducted by Brad Streeter. We would like to thank Victoria Torchia of Geffen Records for her facilitation of the interview. Please enjoy!
The new album I – Empire. This is the second half of your first album, and I have heard you say they were meant be listened together. However, I know you have made a few changes personally from the creation of the first album to this one. Were you trying to accomplish something different with this new album or are your goals or message still the same?
[Tom] Well what we did, I guess in pretty easy terms, we all came from pretty successful bands. We were all very interested in doing something more expansive with our art. So we didn’t want to just classify ourselves as just another band. We wanted it to be more of a fine art or performance arts project where we were involved with something where the message remained constant but the medium would always change. So the first thing we set out to do was to put out records that in chronological order; where each song reflected a period that I was going through during a very specific time, over a course of two years, where I was changing my life specifically built around this message.
To further it we started working on two different films. One we just finished which is a documentary that is about the genesis of what this (AVA) is, what Angels and Airwaves did, what is different and what we are going to do. The other film itself is basically a philosophical ride of, you know, by metaphorically speaking of how the lyrics fit into human life. That movie is in its finishing stages right now, being edited.
But really we wanted to do something that was more kind of different than what most punk rock bands are doing right now, where they are all dressing in black and acting pissed or sad or wearing make-up. Its just not what we are into. We are adults now, you know, and we have been doing music since we were teenagers. So to us we had to be really honest with ourselves. What do we want to do with our lives, and what do we want to spend it doing? We know people now that are unhappy in their careers or had family members pass away. You start to learn that life is a little more vulnerable than you think it is. So we wanted to do something that was really true and honest to ourselves. But you know we have had our share of obstacles. We have turned into a lot of different things that are kind of weird at times and things we didn’t expect. But it has been quite an adventure to say the least.
Nice…you hinted on a lot questions that I am anticipating on asking. However, you touched a little on the “Start the Machine” documentary. I was reading up on this and from what I have learned it really shows the birth of this new band but at the same time showcases your struggle with Painkillers…
[Tom] Yeah
How comfortable are you to release this to the public and highlight this side of Tom?
[Tom] Well, I am fine with it. Ever since I was seventeen or eighteen, my life has been in the public eye. So I'm use to it. You learn to be kind of an open book. And what I think, along the lines like you mentioned, the documentary was meant to first be about what this project was. But then it turned out to be how I had to turn this message that was so outward around and apply it to myself. I didn’t realize it till halfway through. You know I was losing my mind, I was on thousands of painkillers, and I almost killed myself.
So I met with a film grouping in LA, Lionsgate. We were just talking, and the guy who runs the company is a friend of mine. I was asking his advice about this documentary. He instantly said “You have to submit this to Sundance Films” He watched part of it and continued to say it has to go to Sundance. I was never planning on it going to film festivals. So when I called up my friend Mark who was making the documentary. I said “Mark just finish it, and make as true as it can be.” And he said “Do you want to include everything in there?” I said, “Just make it true!”
I had nothing to do with making it. I wasn’t involved. I mean I was paying for it, but I wasn’t overseeing it. I wasn’t spelling it out. It was completely Mark’s art project. I had nothing to do what was in there, other than the fact it was my band being documented.
So he tried to make it as true as he could, and he put all the sensitive material in there, and we sent it off to all these film festivals. Then people started freaking out. They said it was…what did they say…They said “Brilliantly produced and directed, and a great story.”
I don’t know all these crazy film critics were going off about it. Because it is not just a documentary. It has beautiful CGI footage that shows the conjunction of war and love which is what the whole record is about. A war with yourself, the drugs, losing your best friends, the previous band, and starting a new band. Then finding your way out of it. It was very much a human story. So it very much seemed to connect and resonate with these film critics.
It’s not a normal documentary with a hand held camera. Everything is filmed beautifully, artistically. It is quite a tremendous ark of a story. But I think in my life with Blink and up till now; we had a lot success, and a lot of ups and downs, drugs, parties, and crazy things were going on. You know, it is definitely something for other people to watch and see what other people go through, digest it and communicate back to them and hopefully learn something from it. That’s what art is all about.
Kind of going on this film based concept. You are really starting to branch out with this idea of synergy between film and other related visual imagery with music. What has sparked this interest?
[Tom] The fact that Blink sold so many records and were selling out arenas across the world. What sparked my interest was because the joy of blink was that we didn’t have a message. It was like anarchy. That’s what was rad about it. This forever youthful exuberance that you would run out to the world and be flamboyantly happy and don’t care about anything. You are just going to live life to the fullest. I guess the anti-message is the message.
But with AVA, and going through the break up and going through this traumatic experience. I got to know these guys (AVA), and taking the loss is like the hardcore spirit of punk rock music. But we wanted something else that was built upon brotherhood, friendship and loyalty, and doing something that had this inner politics because Blink was so outward. So we all headed out with this hard concept for people to grasp. We instantly wanted to be as ambitious as we could and start doing things that we really could set standards for what other bands could do. I have access a lot of different resources that other don’t because my company makes films and a lot of powerful people work there that are bright and intelligent. So we access to doing other stuff. I wanted to show what would happen if bands try…(and I know I was the first one doing it…and I was going to have to involve my friends and company to try and pull it off) ...to clearly set a mold for what bands could do.
That’s why we are in the middle of building this huge piece of technology and operating system for bands to use and athletes to use. We have the movies coming out, and we are working on all these artistic performance and broadcast stuff.
I mean kids and punk rocks kids, and critics don’t really understand it. But it is all going to make a huge change. This is what I was talking about a few year back when I was coming out saying I want to revolutionize Rock n’ Roll. And people kind of took it the wrong way. But one: I was high and on thousands of painkillers and I really wasn’t realizing how I was communicating it. (Laugh)
Laugh
[Tom] But the thing was we were REALLY working on these things. We were spending millions of dollars on this operating system called MODlife, and its revolutionary! Its really, really amazing. We are spending money on these films. But then I get these calls from companies all over the world that want to work with Angels and Airwaves. Like huge ones! Like the biggest media companies in the world. They see that one band is doing all this, and I am trying to explain to everyone if no one does it then music is going to fail.
So we help push the limits on what we can do, and want bands can do. If CDs are going to be free, we have to learn how to communicate our art on different mediums. So what sparked my interest is there is a crisis in the music industry and I have an over ambitious soul that wants to do something good with my time here.
Very true, and kind of puts your point of view in perspective…but you did just bring up how you are starting to work with larger companies. You were recently quoted as saying on one of your upcoming tours you are going to incorporate NASA into your show. Can you please explain how the hell you are going to utilize NASA into a rock show?
[Tom] [Laugh]…Well I really can’t talk about it too much. But it does have to do with that operating system we built. We have been working together on something that is really exciting for hopefully the end of the year 2008 that involves the top 25 technology companies in the world. What gate it ends up working at and how it comes out is largely a secret. We can't come out and promise stuff. But NASA was the first company that came on board, and there are a million things I can do with that company. But I am trying to propel this band into a realm where you really don’t know what we are going to next, and also try to bring people along with it. And let music hit you in a much different way rather than just your ears.
Now speaking about governmental organizations and this is kind of topic, but I am going to ask anyway. I just got done watching an interview with you on Larry king where you stated you wanted to be involved in this upcoming Presidential election. Who has your support and why?
I think at first it was Joe Biden but he dropped. I think Obama sees the world of change. Absolutely. I think he is probably the best bet. I think Hilary will actually do very well, but she has kind of been there a long time. But Obama is the closest thing we have to JFK. Obama in his young adulthood grew up with the Internet and was connected to the world in some larger degree. I think he will think about how to solve problems on more of a global level. For one he has a family member from Kenya.
When I brought up I was going to conduct this interview with you on the Absolutepunk, about 90% of our members brought up Blink in some fashion. I know we have touched on that subject briefly, and we both know how much Blink 182 impacted a lot kid’s lives including my own. However, a good majority of the members showed some form of negatively towards you in regards to the break up. Why do you think the fans still have this animosity towards you?
Well for one, I think it is because I am the one in the limelight right now, and at first I was an easy target. But I think a lot of them like that band (+44)…I like that band a lot too. So I don’t think they have much to be bummed out about. But I think once the documentary comes out I think everyone will get a lot better perspective of what actually went down. Ummm...I didn’t quit that band because I wanted to. I quit that band because I had to. Because when people give you an ultimatum about your family, what are you going to do? But the problem was no one was being truthful at the time. You know I was all spun out on painkillers and there were a lot of other things going on in the band. There was no communication, there was no friendship left, and there were arguments for about a month. For weeks and weeks of it in Europe and we would never solve anything. I was gone from my 2-year-old daughter for two years straight and I needed to go home and no one really wanted that. So I had to leave. But I never really went on to the public and talked about it much and said I needed to make a major life change and surround myself with people that supported the fact I was responsible for these human beings, my kids. Or supported the fact that I wanted to go out and do really positive good things with my music that can really affect people. And I can’t do that with people that you are not talking to. I mean in Blink we didn’t hang out, we didn’t share dressing rooms. We never rehearsed; we never got together because we were just not friends anymore. I don’t know, people always ask me "When you are getting back together?" and I say "So when are you are getting back together with those 3 guys in high school?”. They go "What are you talking about?" I say “You know those 3 guys you hung out with in Junior High and High School.” The point was we started when we were teenagers, and now that we are in our 30s we are just not connected. We are totally different people. They are amazing guys and amazing musicians and we had a really brilliant time at the beginning, but it got to a point to where there were no…I mean personally I wasn’t getting anything out of it. It wasn’t about money at all. It was about I had a family I had to raise and I had to spend 90% of my time on the road with people I never talked to, and we had totally different goals of what we wanted to do. Travis wanted to go more and more into the hip hop area, Mark wanted to stay around where we were, and I still wanted to be the biggest band in the world at the time, but I knew I had to go home. It was 6 months to a year without me seeing my daughter and I was trying to be a dad for the first time. It just really didn’t work.
I believe what may have sparked the negativity towards you was Mark and Travis were a little more public about the break up at first…
[Tom] Yeah.
They made it seem as it was your decision. You were the one that changed your phone number, you were the one who had your manager speak on your behalf...
[Tom] Absolutely I did not talk to them. That is totally true…absolutely… and absolutely they were pissed about it. But that was after we argued for weeks and weeks and there was nothing left to say. Like nothing. If we would started arguing about it again it would be like the movie that you have seen for the 75th time in one month. It was like what are we fucking doing? I guess we feared to talk about the same things again and again. I mean we are talking about arguments with tears and screaming backstage in Europe for days and days. I mean then we got home and they wanted to start talking about it again after we agreed to take a break, and I could go home with to my kids. Then they wanted to start booking tours, and they got all pissed. That’s why. And they all wanted to go out and tell everybody, and they went out and they were mad. I mean they had every reason to be angry. I took away from them something they wanted to keep doing, but I told them. I don’t want to quit this band. I started this band. It was me. It wasn’t like that. I didn’t want to do that. But it just came to that situation were they sort made me choose between how I wanted father my kids. You know I can do that. That is really what it was. I don’t know.
I don't have any animosity towards those guys. Because when everyone is put in those situations where they are not comfortable, you look at it through a filter, and at the time it was really a negative filter. They were suspicious, everyone thought I was going to go out and do a solo record. There weren’t people in my ear telling me I was the band. It was all lies! It was all paranoia. It wasn’t my manager that was trying to make me start a new band. It was all such shit! It was all suspicion, and it ruined the band. None of it was true. I mean (+44) was actually created while we were still on tour in Europe. AVA was not even created till months and months after the break up. I mean people think I had this in my head to go out and do this. It wasn’t like this at all. They already had in their head to go out and start a whole new band.
Wow...
[Tom] But the thing is… fuck I miss those guys! They are awesome guys. I mean I wish I could be friends with those guys, but it really isn’t a reality right now. We just have totally two separate lives and ideas on how we want to live our lives. I mean they live in Beverly Hills and Travis was into his TV show at the time. But I have my companies down here (San Diego) and we just signed a bunch of professional athletes to Macbeth. I am making movies, and I am with my best friends in the world doing Angels and Airwaves making music that is really a liberation of my soul. I am in a really, really good spot. I mean it is really hard to think about going back and singing about dicks and butts right now (laugh).
Right, we know Blink was geared towards the younger audience and you did write songs about topics like that. But that was Blink. We knew that, and we love you for it. However, I have read in recent interviews were you state. “This is the best music I have ever made, and the purest reflection of myself than ever before.” Do you believe that when fans of Blink hear you say that they may believe you are discrediting everything you did with Blink or are they just perceiving your words incorrectly?
[Tom] I don’t know. I think every time I have ever recorded music it is has always been the best I have done. If I don’t get better at it, I am not progressing. But AVA was so much further advanced than Blink. It really blew my mind. Because in Blink we didn’t have the same goals, we were getting along, and everyone was suspicious of each other and shit. So we really couldn’t do our best work. You know. Like on Angels and Airwaves it is so free. Everyone was so supportive. Everyone was like “Fuck” it feels so good. I just felt like I went light years ahead. Not that Blink sucked. Blink was everything! I loved that band. I mean fuck I started that band. It was awesome. We could have probably done anything in the world with that band if we would have stuck together and remained friends, and respected each other a lot more. I mean I know in Blink we sat around and were writing songs at times…not all of them…but at times we were like fuck is this what people want. Is it still punk or is it main stream? With AVA we don’t do that. It’s a whole different writing process. We surround ourselves with art and giant ideas and philosophies and study every little more we make to further our message. With Blink it wasn’t like that, and that is cool.
Cool….I guess that is about it with the time allotted and we hit a lot of revealing topics.
[Tom] Yeah man I was really excited for this interview. I was stoked because you really have a great group of bands and kids on this site. I mean I know my band is really controversial, but I guess that is kind of the fun of rock n’ roll right? [laugh].
Yeah..I mean AP.net did start out as a Blink 182 fan site…
[Tom] I know but it has gone so further than that, and it is not just that anymore. I am glad that you guys were able to talk to me which is really cool. I mean we still consider ourselves a punk rock band. So thanks so much for your time.
Posted on 01/24/2008 4:28 AM Comments (5)
November 17, 2007
Exclusive: Tom DeLonge Talks About Blink-182 And Being ‘Spun Out’ While Building An ‘Empire’
Published by MTV on Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 6:09 pm.
We were backstage during today’s TRL Rock Band special, crammed into a tiny room at the Times Square Hard Rock with Angels & Airwaves, Sebastian Bach and Flyleaf. (Poor us, right?) The tight quarters gave us a chance to get up close and personal with AVA’s Tom DeLonge. Here’s what we found out about his band’s new album, his addiction to pain killers and what the deal is between him and his former Blink-182 bandmates.
Buzzworthy: Tell us about your documentary, Start the Machine.
Tom: The documentary is being finished right now, and it was submitted to Sundance. It’s an odyssey, and we’ve been working on it for two years. It started out as a making of the record and then the story got pretty insane. I broke my back years ago and got spun out on all these narcotics, so when we were making the first Angels & Airwaves record [We Don’t Need to Whisper] all that stuff kind of exploded and I went out into the press with all these crazy things and all this controversy erupted.
Buzzworthy: Because of something you said?
Tom: Yeah, ’cause I went out and said [the band] was the second coming of Christ. But that’s what’s funny in the documentary; I was like, “If God came down I really, truly believe it wouldn’t be bigger than this record.” [Laughs.]
Buzzworthy: Is all that behind you now?
Tom: Yeah, it’s all behind me. But the documentary will shed a lot of light onto the meaning of this band and what we’re trying to accomplish and how it all stemmed from the breakup of Blink-182.
Buzzworthy: Speaking of Blink, have you talked to your former bandmates since the breakup?
Tom: No, I haven’t talked to them. Isn’t that weird? It’s one of those things. You have to give it time. We had 10 years under our belt.
Buzzworthy: What’s your favorite song off your new album, I-Empire?
Tom: I really like “Lifeline” a lot. It was the first song I sang after I was sober.
Buzzworthy: That was really the first time you sang sober?
Tom: Yeah, in four or five years or something. That’s what’s cool about it. The song is about God finding you. Growing up, I came from a religious background, and there’s an old psalm about footprints in the sand. So it’s about God walking next to you and saying I’ll take you for a ride; here’s a lifeline. It’s pretty rad.
Buzzworthy: What else makes this album special?
Tom: If people are gonna give this record a chance, I ask that they find a hill that’s nearby, park their car, open the car doors, lay on the hood, blast the music at night and pretend that the city below is theirs.
Buzzworthy: Have you done that?
Tom: I did. Every day while making it; pretty much in my head.
Watch AVA’s new video, “Everything’s Magic,” and then check back here tomorrow to see what Tom had to say about the song. Plus, we’ll have more backstage tidbits from Sebastian and Flyleaf.
Posted on 11/17/2007 6:39 AM Comments (0)
October 27, 2007
DeLonge's former Blink bandmate, Mark Hoppus of (+44), now lives in Los Angeles but said his sister, grandmother, mother and stepfather were all evacuated. "My mom and sister and grandma were some of the first evacuees and they went as far as they could, to Oceanside, which is 45 minutes away. They stayed in a hotel there and watched it happen," Hoppus said — adding that just days after his family fled to the hotel, it almost burned down when the fire caught up with them again.
As far as he knows, his mother and sister's homes are covered in ash but OK, though his grandmother's residence is in an area that was totally destroyed. "It was strange being in Los Angeles because there are so many fires across Southern California and the news here is focused on the Malibu fires and it's been hard to find out what's going on down there," he said. "I couldn't get hold of my mom for a bit there when the fires first started, but I knew she'd grab the important stuff, the family photo albums and documents." Hoppus said he's already started hearing from friends on the San Diego scene about benefit shows, and he's willing to sign on to do whatever he can to help out his hometown.
Also spared in the fires so far was one of the area's most high-profile recording studios, Big Fish Recordings in the coastal hills near Rancho Santa Fe, which has hosted sessions by P.O.D., Blink-182, As I Lay Dying, Megadeth, Rocket from the Crypt and Jimmy Eat World.
Posted on 10/27/2007 5:09 AM Comments (0)
May 20, 2007
What is it about?
Travis is the most tattooed member of blink-182. In fact one might even wonder if he will not one day get into the Guiness World Records book, seeing how fast his body gets inked. Here are some (not all) of his tattoos with their meanings (if any).
He has "Barker" Tattooed on the back of his head along with praying hands. This is related to his mother with whom he had a lot of affection, this tattoos symbolising his prayers to her mother.
Red devil: In order not to forget his "dark side".
The cadillac logo. He did this one at the age of 21. He loves cadillacs, he barely drives anything else. At each side of the logo are the "trucker's ladies"
Boom Box. He grew up in a "break dance" spirit and did this tattoo.
"The boom box on my stomach is because I grew up loving to break-dance, and I collected ghetto blasters. I had like 20 of them. Everyone else would go buy candy and I would buy boom boxes and carry them around and break-dance on the street corner on a piece of cardboard. So i get my favorite boom box that lasted the longest, up until the time I was 19 or 20, tattooed on me when I was 21." - Travis
The bird. He did this one in order to finish covering his right arm. He was at a show in Denver and was bored so he did this one.
Virgin Mary. Symbolising his big faith in God.
The dollar sign, because that's what everything is about.
Jesus, again religious symbol. See above
"Hope" is tattooed at the bottom of his back. Pretty much self explanatory.
"I got it when I was 19, because of the Descendent's' song, but also as a positive thing after my mom passed away" -Travis
This one is special. It represents his first drum set which he got at the age of four. Although the interesting part one should notice, is the crown at the top right of the picture. This tattoo translates into "Drum King", which he arguably is regarding all the distinctions and rewards he got as a drummer!
On his right arm there's "Familia". This of course in reference to "Family" which is the most sacred thing for Travis
A Skull with "13" engraved in the orbitsin order to entreat bad luck.
S.E.L.F M.A.D.E
Self explanatory!
have a sacred heart from when I was 19, because I was brought up Catholic. I also have a microphone, dice, and Jesus. I figured if I tattooed Jesus on me, good things would happen, or maybe he'd have my back or something." -Travis
Melissa, his former wife with whom he got married 9 months is tattooed on his neck.
" I have a Dag Nasty symbol. Thats a band I grew up listening to. And I have 'Can I Say, ' because its the name of their first album. -Travis
Posted on 05/20/2007 3:13 PM Comments (15)
March 14, 2007
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....Viva Viva Viva!!!!!
Mark Allan Hoppus is turning 35 years old today....and i wish him the bestest things in the world!!!
And i wish he stills making music forever and ever...and do not ever stop!!!!!
god bless u foreva n 4 eternity Mark Hoppus...u make us proud!!!!
HAPPY FUCKING BIRTHDAY MARK!!!!
o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/
Posted on 03/14/2007 9:23 PM Comments (0)
February 10, 2007
ok...try to imagine the scene...
it was 01:56 am nd my sister wanted to sleep...so she decided to turn on the ventilator 'cause it was danm hot!!!it was already plugged so all she had to do was press the button,right?!but she didn't it...she just looked at the ventilator nd said *stupid ventilator....it won't work!!!shit shit!!!* then she started to hit it hard like crazy!!!nd then she looked at me nd said *hey, do something!!!* so i got up from the computer chair...went close to the PIECE OF SHIT THAT WON'T WORK 'CAUSE IT WAS WITH A DAMAGE OR SOMETHING nd pressed the green button nd it worked!!!then...guess what?!i started to laugh soooooooo hard!!!!!!
p.s:she got mad at me 'cause i laughed...
Posted on 02/10/2007 9:14 PM Comments (2)
January 11, 2007
November 26th, 2006
Former pop punk band Blink 182’s frontman Mark Hoppus and then-MTV exec (and now designer) Skye, tells us that when it comes to their son Jack, all the littlest things mean the biggest. | |  |
Though Mark Hoppus has moved to rock on as singer and bass player for his new group +44 (along with former bandmate Travis Barker), and is releasing a new album worldwide, he also plays a more supporting role on the homefront as wife Skye’s star continues to shine—being the head honcho for Childish Clothing, a fun and hip line for maternity and children’s wear. We got to know the close-knit fam of three at their posh home in Beverly Hills, finding out their stories of love, travel, music, fashion, and how we are now halfway to Matsuhisa and scoring front-row concert tickets.
Skye Hoppus
What’s Childish?
Childish is a maternity and kids line. We’ve been around since March of 2003. I started it shortly after I gave birth to my son Jack, who’s now 4. The maternity line is definitely more fashion-forward than most lines, yet very wearable. We use really comfortable fabrics. We don’t do panels, none of your traditional maternity lines. Everything we do is under the belly, really form-flattering, fitted stuff. Basically, wardrobe that looks exactly like your normal wardrobe. And then our kids line is a bit punk, a little preppy, a little bit rock ‘n roll. Great stuff to wear at the park, and it definitely has attitude. I like to use lots of bright colors. Kind of off-the-cuff, off-the-wall. More personality.
Who thought of the name?
I did. I just thought that “childish” really said what we were, and what we were all about.
How was it like starting out?
At the time, there weren’t that many maternity lines that are more fashion-driven. With kids, there has always been a lot of competition. I think what separates us from others is that [Childish] basically is what me or my husband would wear, but for little dudes and little chicks. And with maternity, yes, a lot of lines have been popping up in the past couple of years, but I think that with our designs, fabrics and our quality, it continues to separate us from the pack.
Who are your biggest celebrity clients?
I’ve worked with Gwyneth Paltrow, whom I loved. I’m starting to work with Heidi Klum, Brooke Shields, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Garner, Britney Spears. And we hear a lot of celebrities buying our stuff. It’s good because we get them when they’re pregnant and they become so attached and involved with the line that when they have their kids, it’s like a natural progression.
How do you get celebrities to know about your line?
Some of them, like today, call us up, hearing about us from someone else. Some of them go to our stores and buy it off the rack. I worked at MTV for 8 years, so I had a lot of relations that I put into good use when I started my line. I knew that it was important to get the name out there, and I thought that having those connections and having that direct contact would be the best way.
How was it like to quit MTV to become a mom and a designer?
Well, I loved MTV. Viacom is such a great company, and [the people] are all my dearest, best friends. I loved traveling, I loved the music, I loved all the challenges. I was fortunate that I met my husband working there. Shortly after he and I were engaged, when we lived down in San Diego, I continued to work. We actually commuted to LA from San Diego everyday—he would drive with me so we could go in the carpool lane. What a good husband. (Smiles)
When did you decide to quit?
It came to a point in my life that after working for almost ten years for someone else that I wanted to start a family and do something for myself and not be so committed to a job—as wonderful as it was. My husband traveled a lot and I didn’t want to be stuck in one space. During my pregnancy, I was out on tour. It was the middle of summer, and I was just miserable. I felt like crap, I gained 50 lbs, and it was just like nothing made me look or feel good. I just came up with this idea that it would be great to have a maternity line that mirrored what you would wear outside of those 9 months.
What were your biggest splurges while you were pregnant?
I shopped at NOM [Naissance on Melrose] because I think Jennifer [Noonan] has a great sense of style. So when I was 3 months pregnant, I went there–Mark went with me–and I probably spent $1200 on maternity clothes! (Laughs) I loved buying handbags and shoes to kinda balance out the rest of my body.
About your adorable 4-year old, Jack—how do you spoil him?
He’s beyond spoiled! (Laughs) The best thing you can do for your kid is to give him a lot of love and attention. Jack had a passport when he was 6 months old. He’s traveled everywhere. We really pride ourselves that we are a family unit. When Mark was on tour, we’d pick up and go, and it was a whole family experience. I didn’t travel outside the country until I was 20! We’re also lucky that [Mark and I] have family that live 2 hours away, so he gets more than enough attention.
Going on tour must’ve been fun!
The great thing about the last couple of Blink tours was that the guitar player [Tom DeLonge] and his wife had a daughter 3 weeks before we had our son. And then with the Green Day tour, Adrienne and Billie Joe [of the band Green Day] brought their 2 sons Jakob and Joey, and it was so inspiring. I just loved what they do. I loved how they brought their family out and it was a whole experience for the family. I think it’s hard enough being in a marriage, and then in a family. And thank God that I have such a good marriage, and I don’t know how it would be if I didn’t. It’s good for your kids to have an understanding of what you do and have an appreciation for it. I think that experience alone you can’t fit in any school room.
What are your favorite memories with your family?
We’re big Disneyland people, so all the Disneyland memories are great. When we were in London, and Blink was touring in Europe last Thanksgiving and Mark and I just came back from an MTV trip with Cameron Diaz and Eva Mendes, my Mom flew over with Jack and met us in London and we spent Thanksgiving there. It was so much fun. We stayed literally a rock’s throw from Buckingham Palace. Jack loved seeing Big Ben. He thinks it’s Peter Pan’s clock because in the Disney movie, Peter Pan flies past it with Wendy, John, Michael and Tinkerbell.
What are your goals for Childish?
We’ve only been around for three years and every season I’m just so surprised at how much we grow. We’re doing these amazing underwear sets for both boys and girls that we’ve packaged in reusable tins that look like miniature paint cans. For Spring ‘07, I custom designed and printed all our fabrics. Think chainlink and tire treads for boys and really cool mod designs for girls. We are also partnering up with Fleurville to do a co-branded diaper bag —which I’m real excited about. I’m constantly so inspired by what you see in the design magazines—coming from the UK, Japan.
What are your goals for yourself?
To be the best wife and parent I can be. I think there’s no more important job in the world. Childish is now nearing a point where it’s running itself a little bit. I was really lucky, I grew up with a mom and dad that were always around. They really put everything aside to raise my sister and I, and I think that’s the most important thing you can do for your kid.
Mark Hoppus
How does it feel to be nominated as one of Baby Couture’s top 50 Hautest Dads?
Very cool! Very cool to be a part of the top 50 Hautest dads. I’m stoked. That’s rad.
Were you surprised that you got nominated?
Hell, no! Look at me! (Laughs) Actually, yeah. Because I’m just like a skateboard, punk-rock guy at heart, so that’s cool.
If you get picked, would you buy the editors lavish gifts and shower them with front row tickets to concerts? Or just the opposite?
(Laughing) I would definitely buy them lavish gifts, private jet flights to wherever they wanted to go, Hawaiian vacations, dinners at Matsuhisa—that type of thing.
Do you consider yourself stylish?
I don’t even really think about it. I just wear what I love and wear what I’ve worn since I was in high school. I’ve always come from the skateboard, punk rock culture, and I’ve always worn clothes from that culture.
What’s the toughest role you play, Husband, Dad, or Rock Star?
I think all of them are interesting and fun in their own different ways. I love being a dad. It’s probably the toughest role, but it’s also the most rewarding, and it’s also the best. You don’t get an instruction manual on how to be a parent, so you just do the best that you can and try and raise your kid. It’s the simplest, hardest and the best thing you can do in the world.
What’s the most expensive thing you ever bought Jack?
Well, he got a 42-inch plasma TV in his room when he was 2 years old. That’s probably the nicest thing that he’s ever gotten.
Are you strict, or are you a spoiler?
I try and do the best balance of strict and spoiling at the same time. I mean, you try and raise your kid with good values and you try and teach him right from wrong, give him the tools to choose when he needs to choose. Some things you gotta be strict on, and at the same time, the kid’s 4-years old, so you want him to have fun in life and enjoy himself.
We saw you practically naked in a music video before. How have things changed since you became a father?
It changed me for the better, but it hasn’t affected my band, it hasn’t affected my work. It’s actually more inspiring. It’s really cool because with the job that I have, I can take my family with me. Skye and Jack came on the road with Blink 182 for an 8-week tour, and they lived on a bus. And it was the best time we had. Jack loved watching the shows. It was really awesome because some nights when we were playing, I’d look over and my kid is on the side of the stage rocking out, jumping up and down having the time of his life, watching all the lights, listening to the music. And other nights, I’d look over, and he’d be completely passed out in my wife’s arms, dead asleep during our show. I’m like, “What? We’re not doing it for you tonight? What’s going on?” (Laughs)
How’s it like being married to Skye?
It’s great being married to Skye. She’s beautiful and she’s really smart. She’s very talented. She’s challenging. It’s fun to talk to her and we laugh a lot.
How did you guys meet?
She used work on MTV and she booked Blink 182 on a show called “Making The Video.” And we were in a dance studio on 3rd St. trying to learn dance moves for this video where we were parodying Boy Bands. And she came upstairs, and I was dressed in spandex and a headband. (Laughs) And she fell in love with me! Actually, that’s not true. I asked her out and she said, “No, I don’t date artists.” So I had to do some convincing to get her to go out with me.
Like how?
I took her cellphone and programmed my phone number into it and I said, “You have to call me later tonight if you wanna go out.” And she called.
Share with us your favorite moment with your family.
We go out to breakfast every single morning before Jack goes to school, and before Skye goes to her job and before I go to the studio. It’s just a good time to hang out and spend some time together before we go. That, and swimming in our pool in the backyard. My favorite time with my family. And Disneyland!
Do you have any say in what Jack wears?
He’s kinda in this in-between stage where we pick out clothes for him and he picks out his own clothes. So sometimes we pick out his clothes for him and he wears shorts and a T-shirt and sometimes he wears clothes for himself and he wears a fireman’s cap, a cape, like 3 or 4 shirts, and a pair of underwear and tries to walk out the house like that.
What’s the biggest lesson you can teach Jack?
I think the biggest lesson you can teach your kids is to be respectful of themselves and be kind to others. I think that’s the key. That’s the best and hardest thing you can teach somebody.
Posted on 01/11/2007 6:38 AM Comments (0)
December 29, 2006
Band members produce clothing for themselves and their fans
By David Berlin
UNION-TRIBUNE June 11, 2006
CARLSBAD – Imagine that you’re not too happy with your clothes. You can’t find the shoes you want, or even that pair of sunglasses you are always looking for.
Now imagine you are in a world-famous band.
What would you do?
San Diego natives and former blink-182 frontmen Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus solved their fashion problems by starting a group of companies with friends.
Their creations include Atticus Clothing, Macbeth Footwear, Macbeth Optics and Loserkids.com.
“It’s a synergistic group of companies, built on music, by really likable people,” said CEO Jon Humphrey.
Before blink-182, Humphrey was a concert promoter and vice president of the skate-shoe company Adio Footwear.
In the late 1990s, during the height of the band’s success, Humphrey, DeLonge and Hoppus started looking for new ways to market blink-182. They came up with Atticus and Macbeth.
The band eventually broke up, but the companies kept growing. Today, they employ about 30 people in the United States and more around the world.
In Carlsbad, Humphrey insists it’s just a group of friends, passionate about giving the bands they work with control over their own destinies.
It’s a small and independent operation, he said, not a “J.Lo brand,” which is owned by a much bigger company.
“If you can draw any comparison, we would be closer to Rockawear, Jay-Z’s hip-hop-inspired clothing brand,” he said.
According to Humphrey, the companies do more than just sell shoes and sunglasses.
“You used to go out, get a record deal and hope your label promotes you,” Humphrey said. “We don’t sit back and hope our bands get big; we make them get big.”
“Inspired by music, made by musicians,” is how Kari DeLonge describes it. Kari is Tom’s sister and marketing director for the companies.
Almost everyone working for Atticus and Macbeth is in a band, she said.
“We don’t do sponsorships,” she said. “It’s family and friends with legitimate relationships.”
Their Carlsbad building exemplifies the laid-back music culture they promote. It has offices, clothing design areas, recording space and, of course, a Ski-Ball machine in the lunchroom.
“We don’t have to be here at 9; we don’t sit in cubicles. It’s come in when you want, as long as you get your (work) done,” she said.
The recording space is where Tom DeLonge and his new band, Angels & Airwaves, created their current debut album, “We Don’t Need to Whisper.”
It’s also where the band filmed its music videos, short films and DeLonge’s upcoming full-length Angels & Airwaves movie. Yes, full-length movie.
Also among their litany of Carlsbad companies are To-Jo Productions, Resting Bird Entertainment and LK Media Group.
To-Jo and Resting Bird develop movies and short films for the Atticus and Macbeth brands.
LK Media is an in-house Web site development company, which, among other things, maintains Loserkids.com, an online store that carries Atticus and Macbeth merchandise.
Making sure that no person between the ages of 12 to 25 is out of reach, they even have their own MySpace Web page with a title that says, “Our online store is better than your online store.”
But competing against already well-established action sports companies such as DC shoes, Converse and Volcom isn’t easy.
“I’m competing with bigger brands with huge marketing budgets. We have to do it with friendship and elbow grease,” Humphrey said.
Of course, having widely known bands such as Angels & Airwaves, Switchfoot and Taking Back Sunday wear Atticus and Macbeth gear in front of thousands of fans doesn’t hurt either.
“I get calls all the time from big huge massive companies who say, ‘I want to buy into this industry.’ But you can’t just buy into this,” Humphrey said.
“We’re going to do it at a controlled pace. We’re growing it at the rate that we want and maintaining the brand.”
Said Kari DeLonge: “It’s not like were trying to be anti-establishment, but we don’t want to be pigeon-holed.
“Were always trying to do new things. What would be the point of doing the same monotonous stuff?”
Posted on 12/29/2006 8:13 AM Comments (0)
December 28, 2006
kay guys im a huge blink 182 fan,nd i miss blink to death! so if you r a real blink fan add me please...so we can chat nd be friends! nd of course remember the good times of that band that shouldn't never ended!!! with love Midy!
Posted on 12/28/2006 8:52 AM Comments (2)
December 2, 2006
oh, i was danm sick, i passed Wednesday, Thursday nd Friday sick as hell, in bed all the time!!! i had alot of headache, nausea nd bla-bla-bla... now i'm feeling a lil' bit better...but i can't stay for too long in front of the computer, 'cause all those feelings starts to coming back!!!! kay...so as u guys can c....i don't have much to tell....gotta go...bye!
(L)¹²³
Posted on 12/02/2006 9:18 AM Comments (0)
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