Tom DeLonge on Blink-182 Reunion Possibility: 'There's Just No Possible Way'

From Angels & Airwaves "sci-fi themes Tom DeLonge leader of the small MTV promise that it would be" the greatest rock and roll revolution for this generation, "there is no doubt that the leader has stressed on the future, not the past, since he launched his post-Blink-182 project three years ago.

But with "Start the Machine", a new A & A because of DVD Tuesday DeLonge is actually cast a glance back - not only the cause of his current group, but also the fall of his before.

"The breakup of Blink-182, the genesis of the Angels and waves ... a rock and roll documentary about an experience of hope ... and the movement that followed," will longwinded description which is shows under the title on the cover of the DVD.

So what? With Angels & Airwaves have cemented their status as major rock act in their own right - after all, their music is played at rallies for democracy presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama, and last year I Empire broke the top 10 on the Billboard 200 - Why reflect on Blink-182 Extinction?

"Well, I've been talking about it the whole time, just not formally," DeLonge insisted to Buzznet during an interview on Wednesday. "The documentary, we've been filming it for almost three years now, so we just finally finished it, and it might set the story straight. But it ended up being about so much more — it's really kinda good. We spent a lot of money on it [he laughs.] It's not just your typical handheld documentary just about like, genocide [he laughs], but the whole thing is shot on film – it's got these epic sequences, CGI and these heroic kind of performances. And it's got a lot of dramatic ... personal stuff in there as well. It started with the making of the album, but it grew into something much larger. I'm really excited for people to see it, because I think it'll really educate them as to how we got where we are."

Indeed, how Angels & Airwaves came into being is still something of a mystery – at the time DeLonge formed the band with fellow Boxcar Racer David Kennedy, ex-Offspring drummer Atom Willard and former 30 Second To Mars bassist Matt Wachter, Blink 182 were said to be on an "indefinite hiatus." That left ardent fans hoping that maybe, just maybe, there was a sliver of hope that DeLonge would eventually make peace withMark and Travis. But now, given A&A's undeniable success and very few whispers about a Blink reunion, is it safe to assume that the three will never make music together again?

"Yeah, we won't," DeLonge declared. "For a bunch of diplomatic and political reasons, we called it whatever back in the day, but it was a breakup. I've moved on. I believe that now I've found a place in my life where I'm happier than I've ever been and I'm with the best people I've ever been with and I'm making the best music and art I've ever made. So when people ask me if I'm ever going back to Blink, there's just no possible way. I'm in a totally different place, and I'm so happy. In Angels & Airwaves, I truthfully think it has infinite potential to be and do anything it wants to do."

DeLonge is equally candid on the "Start the Machine" DVD, which the guys are distributing through Modlife Films, an extension of their Modlife online community. Expect to see him talk not just about the decline of Blink-182 and the ascent of Angels & Airwaves, but also touch on even more delicate personal matters, like his drug use.

If you're eager to catch an early glimpse of the flick, and you happen to live near Encinitas, California, swing by the city's La Paloma Theater for an advance screening on Saturday. As a bonus, the band will be there in person for the event. So in light of how candid the movie is, could it be safe to assume that DeLonge will be squirming in his seat at the screening?

"No, I'm stoked," he said. "I mean, there's part of it that deals with drug addiction and stuff, and that's putting myself out there a bit, but I'm not worried about it. People know about that. Or people that care know about it, and I think that it's handled in a classy way. I didn't direct this, and I didn't have anything to do with putting it together. Mark Eaton, the director [he also directed A&A's 'Breathe' and 'Secret Crowds' videos], he's been my best friend since I was a teenager, as well as David's, and we just trusted him. We were under a deadline to get it ready for some of the film festivals, and so he just did it. And we didn't see it or approve anything."

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the A&A universe, there's something else DeLonge hasn't witnessed just yet – the band's song "The Adventure" being played at Obama rallies, as was the case when the senator accepted the Democratic nomination on June 3.

"I've been hearing that from everybody! I haven't heard it myself," he said. "I think it's AWESOME. I've backed Obama since day one, and I've been going around saying, 'Obama for your mama,' and I think that it's awesome to be a part of his campaign in any way, shape or form. I think he's the John F. Kennedy of this generation, and if he doesn't win, then we have a 71-year-old gun-touting Republican back in the office [ed note: Senator John McCain will actually be 72 when the presidential election happens in November]."

Interview Tom DeLonge of Angels & Airwaves

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:49:57

Empire strikes back

"I'm sorry we had to reschedule this a few times," says Angels & Airwaves frontman Tom DeLonge. "I am an asshole! Sometimes it's hard to make time to get everything done." Ain't no thang; DeLonge is a busy man with a lot going on and after a 20-minute chat with him, I could tell the hamster never, ever stops running on the wheel in his brain. He's constantly thinking, creating, and making changes in the world through the vehicle of his band. AVA, featuring members of Blink-182, Rocket From The Crypt, The Offspring, and 30 Seconds To Mars, have released their second album, I-Empire and DeLonge, who has dealt with a shattered disc in his back, is firing on all cylinders, especially that of social networking via the Web.

This is the second album for Angels & Airwaves. Is Blink-182 done and over with for good?

Yes, absolutely. That band ran its course, and it was time for us to part ways and start our young adulthood. We were different people at the end, with different priorities and desires. I needed to do something that made it easier to cruise around with my family.

You went from a youthful-sounding, yet massively popular pop punk band in Blink, which was essentially the proto-Fall Out Boy, to making more serious rock with AVA. It's a big change. How did you navigate those often murky waters?

It was passion. I decided to do this band after the breakup of Blink. I didn't want to play music again, so I challenged myself to create music that made me feel good, in a time when music made me feel bad. I had passion for it, and I needed a release that would help change a dark time in my life, and this became a human experiment to make the world what I wanted it to be. It worked profoundly well, and then it got scary. It was not just a couple of decisions and me trying to be happy anymore. There was a whole lifestyle change that came with this, and now there is this cult following. People who are diehard fans say, "Coming to see AVA is like going to a play that you are part of."

How do you make the band such an interactive experience?

We involve people in everything we do, and we have an operating system called "Mod Life." We built this for two years. You can broadcast yourself in a handful of ways: live broadcasts, podcasts, video blogs, short films, movies, and you can digitally deliver records and information. It allows you to see the people interacting with you at the same time. It costs money, yes, but you have fans getting way more involved in other areas of the band, not just the music. Angels & Airwaves is much more of a "fine arts" project than a band. We did a motion picture that we are currently editing and a documentary that we have been filming for two years. We have interactivity with our fans. The system is in Beta form right now on our website, but you can't fish through it without a password. We will launch some acts in the next couple weeks and it officially goes live in the summer. I believe that we have something here that is gigantic. It's an operating system with an Internet base, but it's also a social network ingredient. It markets and distributes all of the content. It’s a way for musicians to make money and it challenges them to be more artistic.

How did you raise money to do this expansive project?

The company has been in existence for eight or nine years. I had an online company LoserKids.com, and we were the first to carry action sports companies online, like DC Shoes, Dickies, Vans. I also had the Atticus t-shirt line, but I’ve got nothing to do with that anymore; we sold it. This is all about being half-technology, half-brand. I am the figurehead, but I don’t run it day to day.

Do you scoff at the supergroup title that is often applied to Angels?

I understand why people say that because we have all been in successful bands. We wanted to go out and change the world and be the biggest band in the world, so we were looking for good dudes with good morals and values to complete the line up. It was not about how good you are musically, or how much notoriety you have. Whether or not you are a good musician was not the first question we asked when we were putting this band together.

Talk about the plot or the narrative of documentary and feature film you plan to release.

It's about the breakup of Blink and the genesis of Angels. The stumbling blocks, the drug use, how the press took it, when the first record finally came out and succeeded… It was meant to be a "making of the album" feature, but so much more happened. The motion picture is meant to be The Wall for this generation. It’s super ambitious, and there are multiple vignettes dealing with sacrifice and giant decisions in everyday life. It's bookended with a Stanley Kubrick feel. It has an epic message.

Sure sounds like it. It's certainly different than Blink-182!

On "Mod Life," we fuck around and joke more than we ever did with Blink and that's part of the success. The thing about Blink was that we were a lot smarter than we led people to believe. We loved the idea of anarchy with teenage life, and we were obsessed with it. Blink was a teenage movement and it was fun to be a part of. People always walked away realizing we were smarter than we let on.

The I-Empire artwork is Star Wars-influenced, and was created by the artist Drew Sturzan, who worked with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Do you have an easy time getting your visions across to people?

Everyone thinks I am crazy, till it starts happening, and I do what I say. It might take longer, but I do everything I say, so now people listen to me more versus a few years ago, when people looked at me and said, "You are out of your mind."

How’s your back?

It’ll be fucked forever. I am forever plagued with a broken back.

The new single "Secret Crowds" has such an epic, expansive feel. Is it your goal to have that over the top, room-filling vibe?

Yes. Even if the songs are slow or fast or big, they are all meant to paint a portrait of a landscape in your head and to get you in the mood, and make you feel like you are among a group of people who want to feel like you do. When everyone feels hope at the same time, wonderful things can happen, and that's what the band is about.

—Amy Sciarretto
03.31.08