Tom DeLonge Posts Letter to Fans About Blink-182 Turmoil

Tony Woolliscroft/WireImageThe drama surrounding Blink-182 shows no signs of letting up.

Guitarist Tom DeLonge on Tuesday posted a lengthy letter to fans on Facebook, explaining his side of the story following reports that he'd quit the band.

Though his bandmates Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker reportedly released a statement Monday saying he'd quit, then claimed to Rolling Stone that he's "ungrateful" and "disrespectful," DeLonge offered a different take. He wrote, "I love Blink and am incredibly grateful for having it in my life. It has given me everything. EVERYTHING. I started this band, it was in my garage where I dreamed up the mischief."

The way he explains it, he once tried to put together a "band summit" in Utah to "talk and work things out." Later, he attempted to record an EP with the band, but "squabbling and politics" interfered with the project.

DeLonge emphasized that he had other projects, including his band Angels & Airwaves, on which he's working, but Blink-182 essentially wanted him to put those on the back burner.

He states, "I wrote this same letter to them a year ago. But it created a massive argument, the biggest one yet actually. I just wanted us to do things we all agreed on. But that was their moment to dig in. From their view I was controlling everything. In reality, I was scared to put myself out there again. To repeat the EP experience."

To his surprise, DeLonge says, his bandmates put out a statement on Monday claiming he was out of the group. He continues, "It’s not in my nature to fuel negativity about the legacy of the band on something as trashy as the Internet world."

On Monday, DeLonge released a statement declaring, "The ONLY truth here is that I have commitments that limit my availability this year. I love Blink-182 and I’m not leaving."


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