Truth about mark and tom a la blink182

from marks first interview since blink split up

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.