TOM DELONGE

TOM DELONGEBY CHANSE SADLER

http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+DeLonge/+images/5951101EARLY YEARSBorn: December 13, 1975 in Poway, CAInfluence: The DescendantsSkateboardingBig Oily Men

Thomas Matthew DeLonge Jr. was born on December 13, 1975 in Poway California. During his early years, Tom was an avid skateboarder and excelled in the sport. As a teen, he became interested in punk rock music and began to save for a Fender guitar. Inspired by the Descendants, he formed a band called Big Oily Men, playing fast, punchy rock (Montgomery). He devoted much of his time to skateboarding and music, not placing much importance in school. His lack of interest in academic success would, ironically, pave the way to a very successful future. http://quizilla.teennick.com/polls/17963425/which-picture-of-tom-delonge-is-the-hottest2GENESIS1992 - Expelled/Rancho Bernardo High SchoolIntroduced to Mark HoppusScott Raynor and Duck TapeNew name: Blink1993-94 - Flyswatter, Demo 2, and Buddha

During his junior year at Poway High School, Tom was expelled after showing up drunk to a school basketball game. He would later finish the year at Rancho Bernardo High School. While there, he met Anne Hoppus, who would later introduce him to her brother Mark. The two began to play in DeLonges garage where they co-wrote some of their first songs. Scott Raynor, a friend of Toms, would later join the two, playing drums (Montgomery). They formed under the name Duck Tape but later changed it to Blink. In 1993, Blink recorded their first demo, Flyswatter in Raynors bedroom. This was followed by Buddha, another demo that was recorded in three days. 3GAINING RECOGNITIONSigned to Cargo Music1995 - Cheshire Cat and nationwide tourName change: Blink-182Major label MCA1997 - Dude Ranch released/goes gold (eventually platinum)

Under Cargo Music, Blink recorded their first full-length album, Cheshire Cat in 1994. Shortly after, in 1995, the band started off on their first national tour. They were later forced to change their name to Blink-182 due to problems with an Irish band also named Blink (Montgomery). Cheshire Cats success brought blink-182 to a major record label, MCA records in 1996. Under MCA, the band released their sophomore album, Dude Ranch. Dude Ranch brought more commercial success, being certified gold (Over 1 million albums sold). 4

http://www.blinkapedia.webeden.co.uk/#/tom-mark-and-travis/45530495745ANALYSIS: CAROUSELAmong blinks first songsRecorded Jan. 1994Fast and raw soundingLyrics lonelinessOne of blinks most iconic songs

I have chosen to start with the song Carousel. This is one of the first songs ever written by Blink. Both Tom and Mark wrote the song while playing together in Toms garage in 1992. The demo Buddha was the first album to feature Carousel. Buddha was recorded in January of 1994 at Doubletime Studios in Santee, California. The recording took three nights to accomplish (Hoppus p 24). The entire demo was heavily influenced by The Descendents. The song later reappeared on the bands first LP, Cheshire Cat. In 1998, Buddha was digitally remastered. When Geffen (blink-182s label at the time) decided to release a Greatest Hits compilation in 2005, Carousel was not originally on the track list. It was later added due to fan complaints. On their 2009 reunion tour, blink-182 often played both Carousel and Dammit as an encore. I decided to choose this song because of its rawness. It properly characterizes what Tom was like as a teenager, through the lyrics and guitar. At the time, he played a Fender guitar with a Mesa/Boogie amp (Total Guitar). Carousel was recorded with Tom on lead and rhythm guitar, Mark (Hoppus) on bass, and Scott (Raynor) on drums.0:00 Intro An unnaturally long intro for a blink song, it starts out relatively slow and builds faster and faster till it reaches the first verse. Drums are light, just tapping the high hats at a steady beat until about midway through the intro when the drums start to pick up. It is very bass-driven with the rhythm guitar (which is heavily distorted) doing a simple strum underneath. Eventually the guitar starts to mimic the bass line, which further adds to a building up feeling. 1:23 1st Verse The verse keeps up a very fast tempo with a very punchy feel. The rhythm guitar repeats four chords (which is very typical of a blink song). Towards the end of the verse, a lead guitar comes in with a cleaner overtone, picking a pattern in which a high note is hit followed by two lower notes repeated going up and down the fret board. Toms vocals sound very raw. The last word on every line is drug out. The meaning of the vocals is open to interpretation, but it is clear that he is singing about isolation and how miserable it can feel. 1:42 1st Chorus The verse goes straight into the chorus with little more than a breath (if you can even call it a chorus). I want to call attention to how Tom really emphasizes and drags out the word alone. Also, in the line just you wait and see, the words are more drug out which almost gives a feeling of waiting. After Tom repeats I guess its just another three times, there is a break which gives more emphasis to the following words, night alone, sung by both Tom and Mark. 2:10 2nd Verse This verse reveals a little more to the songs meaning. It would seem this person has recently moved away from home and is starting a life on his own. Also, each verse rhymes, which makes the song more catchy. Musically, this verse is very similar to the first verse until about midway through the verse. For the last half of the verse, the guitar and drums die out leaving just the bass. I feel this is a nice lead in to the bridge. 2:29 Bridge At this point, the guitar comes back in with little from the bass or drums. The guitar picking is fairly quick and repeats twice. In each measure, it builds then descends. At the end of each descent of the guitar, you hear a quick drum beat. The drumbeat is very disjunct until it builds again about midway through the bridge.2:46 2nd Chorus This is similar to the first chorus except for one guitar chord drags out to end the song. 3:15 Ends(Much of this song is composed of eighth and sixteenth notes.)

6LINEUP CHANGESRaynor asked to leave due to alcoholismReplaced by Aquabats drummer, Travis BarkerBarker a permanent member

It was at this time that the band began experiencing problems. During their tour in support of Dude Ranch, Scott Raynor was asked to leave the band due to alcohol abuse. Raynor, who allegedly refused to go to rehab, claimed he was willing. Raynor also claimed that he and Tom, instead of Tom and Mark, formed the band. While Raynors firing is somewhat mysterious, the fact remains that he was fired. Drummer Travis Barker of the Aquabats was asked to fill Raynors spot for the remainder of the tour (Montgomery). Barker learned the bands 20-song set in less than 45 minutes before they were to play (Hoppus p 85). He would later become a permanent and extremely important member in the band. 7

RaynorBarkerhttp://www.last.fm/music/Scott+Raynorhttp://www.freedrumlessons.com/drummers/travis-barker.php8DEFINING AN ERAProducer Jerry Finn1999 Enema of the State released/goes multi-platinum (15 million records)2001 Take Off Your Pants and Jacket released/14 million records sold

In 1999, the band released Enema of the State under producer Jerry Finn. The album would go on to sell over 15 million copies and define the pop-punk era. 2001s follow-up Take Off Your Pants and Jacket was received just as well, selling 14 million copies. To this point, much of Blinks music was upbeat, fast rock. With few exceptions, lyrical content was centered on a high school theme, referring to partying, sex, alcohol, etc. They became well known for their on-stage banter and comical music videos. Apart from their super stardom among teens, Blink was often criticized and written off as a joke. At this point, Tom felt it was time to experiment with his sound.

9

All the Small Things music video making fun of popular artists of the time such as Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys.http://romancejust-is.tumblr.com/post/13589372379/music-videos-parodied-in-blink-182s-all-the-small10EXPERIMENTATION9/11attack/war influences Tom to write darker musicSide project Box Car Racer 2002 Box Car Racer(album) releasedCreates rifts in Blink-182

2002 would be a major turning point in DeLonges musical career. He decided to take a break from Blink and started side project Box Car Racer along with Barker, Hazen Streets guitarist David Kennedy and touring bassist Anthony Celestino. In Box Car Racer, Tom started to add effects pedals and create heavier riffs (Total Guitar). The music shifted from upbeat to moody and dark; lyrics became more serious, having references to politics and love. In fact, the whole central theme of Box Car Racer was the end of the world. Box Car created tensions in Blink, with Mark feeling ostracized. DeLonge would later refer to Box Car as the greatest and worst thing for Blink (Montgomery).

11ANALYSIS: WATCH THE WORLDRecorded Dec. 2001Heavy guitar riffs9-11 tragedy/herniated discDark lyricism/storylineEffects pedals

Fast forward 10 years and you get to Box Car Racer. I chose to skip past blinks more famous years because they are already very well known songs. Also, I wanted to feature songs from all of Toms bands and Box Car is a great representation of Toms transition years. I chose to look at the song Watch the World for its use of heavy guitar riffs and dark lyricism. It was recorded in December of 2001 at Signature Sound. The entire album took around six weeks to complete (Moss, Vineyard). At the time of recording, Tom was suffering from a herniated disc in his back. The songs darker lyrics are attributed in part to that pain. He said, When your back is killing you and you have to have surgery and all this stuff, it's just kind of hard to keep a focus on the happier times in your life. You end up writing all these songs about feeling sad and confused (Moss). The album is heavily influenced by heavy rock bands such as Quicksand. Tom would often use a Gibson Les Paul guitar and Marshall amp along with various effects pedals during his year with Box Car. Watch the World was recorded with Tom on lead guitar, David (Kennedy) on rhythm guitar, Anthony (Celestino) on bass, and Travis (Barker) on drums.0:00 Intro The first thing I notice is the drum beat. It is a simple, rhythmic beat that has a marching feeling (a beat that Travis Barker is famous for). Everything is very uniform sounding. In each measure, the lead guitar starts low and jumps to a higher chord right at the end. This repeats for three measures until the fourth measure starts high and goes low in successive strums (like steps). The guitar has a cleaner sound, strumming at a fast tempo (eighth and sixteenth notes). The lead guitar has a higher pitch when compared with the rhythm guitar. The lower rhythm guitar and bass fill out the sound nicely. 0:17 1st Verse This verse feels very disjunct. The drum hits a line on the toms and follows it up with two beats from the cymbals. This repeats throughout the verse. The lead repeats a three-note measure over and over, letting each note ring out. The lyrics are about the end of the world. Given that this was recorded right after 9-11, it would seem that these lyrics are at least partially in reference to that. Toms voice is more high and nasally when compared with his earliest material. It also sounds like there is an echo effect on his voice to make it sound like hes far away. 1:02 2nd Verse The only thing that differs from the first verse is the lyrics. These lyrics are very interesting because they can be interpreted in very different ways. It appears that this person is dreaming of a better world where all the bad things are removed. 1:39 1st Chorus The chorus sounds a lot like the intro. From what I can tell the drumbeat is the same as the intro. The rhythm guitar also strums the same chords. The big difference is the lead guitar. It plays the same chord over and over. By doing this, more emphasis is placed on the vocals. Also, the calmness of the instruments provides a contrast to the following breakdown. 2:07 Breakdown/Bridge Many of Box Cars songs were known to have sudden, heavy guitar riffs. This riff is very unexpected and in some ways almost feels out of place. The suddenness and heaviness of this riff may or may not have served as a way to dramatize the vocals. Tragedy can strike suddenly and terribly. After the breakdown comes the calm of the bridge. The guitars take the brunt of the attention in the breakdown and bridge. The bridge has a nice clean sound with one guitar letting the notes ring out. 2:34 2nd Chorus This chorus is the same as the first chorus, just with a few vocal lines added. In those lines, it sounds as if the tragedy is over and these people have to deal with the aftermath. 3:12 Coda This is exactly the same as the intro. It is as if everything has come full circle. The ending has a drawn out guitar chord that has plenty of effects thrown into it. 3:53 End

12MATURATION2001 Marries Jennifer Jenkins2002 daughter Ava is born (Mark and Travis also become fathers)2003 Blink-182 released/goes 2x platinumNew album praised for its maturity

Tom returned to Blink-182 the next year to record 2003s eponymous album. Each member of the band brought in new elements after their nearly year long break. During their break, DeLonge married his long-time girlfriend Jennifer Jenkins and all three band members became fathers. Apart from situations within the band, they were also very affected by things happening in the world like 9/11 and the war in Iraq. The music became much more mature and dark, focusing on a loss of hope. In the song I Miss You, the band's first ballad, there are no electronic instruments and even features a symphony. The album was well received and Tom would later refer to it as a masterpiece (Montgomery).

13

http://hitpredictor.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/14

http://www.taringa.net/posts/imagenes/1333705/Buenas-Fotos-De-Blink-182.html15HIATUS2004 Writing/recording/tour issuesNo family timeHoppus/Barker Tom was controlling everything.Isolation/addiction

Hoppus/Barkers band +44 DeLonges band Angels and AirwavesIn late 2004, tensions grew too high and the band announced an indefinite hiatus in early 2005. While the breakup is not completely clear, Tom expressed a desire to spend more time with his family and record from his home, which Hoppus and Barker allegedly rejected. Mark and Travis say that Tom quit the band after a heated argument in which Tom was accused of being too controlling (Ultimate Guitar). The breakup was extremely bitter. It would be years before DeLonge would reconnect with Hoppus and Barker. For months, Tom stayed in isolation away from the media, as well as from family and friends. He also explained that he had become addicted to Vicodin (from a herniated disc in his back) after the break up of blink. The addiction, which he later recovered from, caused him to say stupid things referring to his ambitious statements regarding AVA. 16EVOLUTIONJohn Kerry campaignThe greatest rock and roll revolution2005 - Toms superband Angels and AirwavesFour albums (We Dont Need to Whisper, i-empire, Love, Love pt 2)Two films (Start the Machine, Love)

When he finally emerged to talk, he announced the genesis of the greatest rock and roll revolution for this generation. This revolution would be in the form of his new band Angels and Airwaves (Montgomery). Angels and Airwaves, or as it is shortened AVA (his daughters name), has not been as commercially successful as blink but was indeed a revolution, at least in Toms musical career. In it, he continued his evolution from punk rock to prog rock, which he started with Box Car Racer. Since its inception in 2006, AVA has released four albums as well as two films. DeLonge has referred to AVA as an art project, encapsulating many different mediums to approach larger human themes (Forstneger). He has also described it as a vehicle for a message, a complete transformation from his punk-pop youth. This transformation can be attributed in part to the 2004 presidential race where Tom hit the campaign trail with John Kerry. Kerrys desire to change the world affected Tom greatly (Scaggs).

17

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_DeLonge_AVA_Fall_Tour_2008.jpghttp://www.openminds.tv/rocker-tom-delonge-shows-off-his-ufo-chops-851/18ANALYSIS: LETTERS TO GOD PT 2Recorded 2009Box Car Racers Letters to Godepic soundscapesLyrics journey of life/GodReverb/effectsWritten about eight years after Box Car Racer, Letters to God pt. 2 follows from the song Letters to God by Box Car Racer. As it is an Angels and Airwaves song, it shows that AVA was a continuation of Box Car. This song has always been very interesting to me, primarily because it seems so pessimistic after the first listen. In that respect, it carries on from the confusion and darkness from Box Car. But upon closer analysis of the song you find out that really its an emergence from the confusion and darkness into hope and understanding. Beyond that, my personal opinion is that this song has one of (what Tom calls) the most epic soundscapes he has ever written. I will go into more detail about that in my analysis of the song. Letters to God pt. 2 is on the album Love, which took nearly all of 2009 to complete due to blinks reunion tour. During this time (and currently) he was using a Signature Gibson Les Paul guitar with a Vox amp and plenty of effects. Letters to God pt. 2 was recorded with Tom on rhythm guitar, David (Kennedy) on lead guitar, Matt (Wachter) on bass, and Atom (Willard) on drums.0:00 Intro The intro, like most of this album, is very spacey sounding. It starts with a very quick, clean guitar heavily laden with effects. I believe the first guitar part is tapping or doing hammer-ons. The tempo is probably sixteenth notes or thirty-second notes. After a while the drums come in with a march type beat. It continues this way till reaching an epic soundscape. This guitar part is much slower and has a lot of reverb and echo. The pitch is very high. The drums really work the cymbals. 1:09 1st Verse The verse returns to the clean guitar from the intro. The tempo gives a feeling of anxiety. The drums are fairly slow. They keep a steady beat on the toms. You can also hear a piano in the background. The instruments are fairly toned back; emphasis seems to be more on the vocals. Toms vocals are a lot less nasally compared with his blink years. His voice sounds more mature and throaty. As I mentioned in the history, this verse expresses this persons confusion, wanting to know where God is and why He isnt responding. 1:36 1st Chorus The chorus sounds like there is a lot happening. The thing I hear best besides the vocals are the drums. The drums have a very steady, uniform beat. It sounds like the lead guitar comes in on intervals at the end of each line (on God, die, lie, describe, reply). Tom seems to place a lot of emphasis on these words when he sings as well.2:04 2nd Verse The only difference between this verse and the first verse are the lyrics. These lyrics are much more optimistic compared to the first verse. In this verse, Tom talks about the journey of life and how they have changed his perspective and understanding. 2:32 2nd Chorus This chorus is double the first chorus and adds a lot of understanding to the song lyrically. The instrumental parts are still the same. The person in this song seems to have an epiphany. He learns that God has His way of handling things and we dont always understand it; we just have to trust it. 3:00 Bridge The bridge is slow and simple with a guitar playing a six-note measure with a rest, letting each note ring out. The end of each measure has some effects added to it. The drum plays a nice, slow beat which fades away and slowly comes back before the final chorus. 3:28 3rd Chorus This chorus is exactly the same as the second chorus, just holding out the last chord to end the song.4:06 End

19REUNIONFour bitter years2008 - Jerry Finn death/Travis Barker plane crash2009 - Reunion tour2011 - Recording frustrations/Neighborhoods released

In 2008, a series of events happened to bring Blink back together. In August, long-time producer Jerry Finn suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was taken off of life support. Shortly after that, in September, Travis Barker miraculously survived a plane crash that killed four others. Tom then began to speak with Hoppus and Barker (who had gone on to form their own band, +44) for the first time in five years. Tom later said, If that accident had not happened, we would not be a band, plain and simple. That was fate. He also explained that he had become addicted to Vicodin (from a herniated disc in his back) after the break up of blink. The addiction, which he later recovered from, caused him to say stupid things referring to his ambitious statements regarding AVA. He also regarded the breakup of blink as his biggest failure (Arroyave). In 2009, Blink-182 had a very successful reunion tour and followed it up with a new album in 2011 called Neighborhoods. Although the album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 list, DeLonge explained that the album had a loss of unity, as they only worked together for two weeks, writing and recording from there homes and communicating by email. 20

http://garycool.com/2013/06/names-of-bands-before-they-became-famous/21MOVING FORWARD2012 - New EP Dogs Eating Dogs released2013 - AVA working on movies/new albumBlink recording new album/tour

Since Neighborhoods, the three have developed greater unity and have since recorded an EP, called Dogs Eating Dogs which was received very well. DeLonge has continued working in both Blink-182 and Angels and Airwaves and is currently recording a new album with blink and finishing up a new film with AVA. His new material has been especially interesting, being a type of blend of everything he has done up to this time.

22ANALYSIS: BOXING DAYRecorded Nov. 2012Blinks second balladLyrics blinks break up/reunionBass drivenIndie/folk feelThis song has special significance to blink-182. If you dont know much about the band, you wouldnt recognize it. Boxing Day was written and recorded in November of 2012. It took the band about two weeks to write and record the EP Dogs Eating Dogs. It was recorded at Toms studio, Neverpants Ranch. The band had recently split with Interscope Records and released the album independently. This EP, I feel, was an important step toward unifying the band. Boxing Day is about the reunion of blink-182. On Boxing Day of 2004 (the day after Christmas), blink was scheduled to play a show for relief for the victims of the tsunami in Southern Asia. That morning, Toms agent called Mark and Travis saying he had quit the band. Hence the lines in the chorus, You left me on the day after Christmas and swept beneath the wave of your goodbye. Tom also sings in the verse, Its sad how far you ran and we could reignite like fireflies, like an atom bomb Boxing Day was recorded with Tom and Mark on acoustic guitars and Travis on an electronic drum kit.0:00 Intro The song starts with a single acoustic guitar. Tom is handpicking the notes because there are parts where two separate strings are played at once. There is a lot of variation in the pitch. Tom plays the B and the low E string pretty heavily. There is a pause, and then Mark comes in with an acoustic bass. This song is very bass driven. The pitch variation is still great. The bass is so present and low and the guitar is playing fairly high. Every beat feels like it goes up and down. 0:31 1st Verse As the first verse starts, Travis comes in on an electronic drum kit, which gives the song a great, catchy beat. The guitars continue with the same strumming patterns. Toms vocal timbre seems to have all the qualities I mentioned in the previous songs. Parts sound raw, others sound more nasal, and overall his voice sounds more mature. He places emphasis on the words hide and eyes. The beat of this song sounds a lot like Smashmouths All-Star. 0:51 Pre-chorus At this point, the instruments (especially the guitar) really pull back. The bass is still easily heard with the vocals. The lyrics are dragged out and slow. Midway through, Mark starts to sing with Tom and they harmonize pretty well, Tom with a higher pitch and Mark a bit lower. 1:10 1st Chorus Right before the chorus starts, all the instruments rest while Tom sings at all hours. Mark starts the chorus as Tom is finishing the pre-chorus then all the instruments come back in. The strum pattern on the guitar seems kind of irregular; it seems to build and die down in quick little spurts. As I mentioned earlier in the history, the chorus lyrics have deep meaning to this band. 1:42 2nd Verse Before the second verse begins, there is a part where the bass dies down and the guitar plays a few measures. The rests make it disjunct and it kind of matches the beat of the drums. From there, it goes back into the verse, which is the same instrumentally as the first. 2:02 Pre-chorus The only real difference in this pre-chorus is Mark sings in more of it with Tom. 2:21 2nd Chorus This chorus is the same as the first chorus. 2:42 Bridge This part is the same as the intro, except there is a piano. All of the instruments besides the piano are dialed back. The piano rings out a few simple notes that almost sound juvenile. 3:01 3rd Chorus This chorus is a bit different from the other two. At the beginning of this chorus, both the drums and bass fade out till all you hear is guitar going with the vocals. The vocals are slow and clear. At the end of the vocals, the bass and drums come back in to round out the song. Mark repeats the last line and the song ends returning back to the single handpicked acoustic guitar. 3:59 End

23OTHER ENDEAVORS/INFLUENCING AN ERAMacbeth footwear/Atticus clothingModlifeCancer awareness40 million albums soldPop-punk influence (Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, Mumford & Sons, etc.)

Tom has many other non-musical endeavors as well. He has founded clothing lines such as Atticus Clothing as well as shoe companies like Macbeth Footwear. Macbeth shoes are designed by various musical artists and include a separate vegan line. He has also created a website called Modlife which has greatly influenced how artists interact with their fans (Matthews). In addition, after having cancer, DeLonge has created organizations and fundraisers in an effort to raise awareness for breast cancer (Epting). After over 20 years, Toms bands have sold over 40 million albums worldwide and have won seven music awards. Blink- 182 has been branded as one of the most influential bands ever, influencing bands like Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Mumford and Sons and many more. They have also brought up other bands like New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday and Motion City Soundtrack (Montgomery). You may say what you want about Tom DeLonge but there is no doubt that he and his band mates have had a huge effect in the music world. He has also had an effect on me personally, inspiring me to learn to play the guitar. 24

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_hookups/124884613/25BIBLIOGRAPHY(Hyperlinks to pictures in the notes section)Hoppus, Anne, Oct 1, 2001, Blink-182: Tales From Beneath Your MomEpting, Chris, Aug 22, 2011, Blink-182s Tom Delonge on his Cancer Scare and Spreading Awarenesshttp://noisecreep.com/blink-182-tom-delonge-cancer-scare-interview/Matthews, Cameron, Feb 10, 2012, Tom DeLonge on Blinks Awkward Reunion, Travis Barkers Plane Crash and the Fun and Games of Angels and Airwaves http://www.spinner.com/2012/02/10/tom-delonge-angels-airwaves-love-pt-2/Montgomery, James, Feb 9, 2009, How Did Blink-182 Become So Influential? MTV http://www.webcitation.org/6AUBbmADVTotal Guitar, Oct 12, 2012, Tom DeLonge talks guitar tones, growing up and Blink http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/tom-delonge-talks-guitar-tones-growing-up-and-blink-565422/1Montgomery, James, 2007, Tom DeLonge, No More Compromises, MTV http://www.webcitation.org/6AYN98wGyArroyave, Luis, Apr 26, 2010, Tom DeLonge glad hes back with Blink Chicago Tribune http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-04-26/entertainment/ct-live-0426-luis-20100426_1_tom-delonge-blink-travis-barkerForstneger, Steve, Aug 1, 2011, Cover Story: Blink-182 Illinois Entertainerhttp://illinoisentertainer.com/2011/08/cover-story-blink-182/comment-page-1/Scaggs, Austin, May 10, 2004, Blink-182 Stumps for Kerryhttp://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/blink-182-stump-for-kerry-20040510Ultimate Guitar, Aug 15, 2006, Mark Hoppus Tells All About Blink-182, Plus 44http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/mark_hoppus_tells_all_about_blink-182_plus_44.htmlMoss, Corey and Vineyard, Jennifer, Jan 31, 2002, Blink-182s Tom DeLonge Salutes His Roots in New Albumhttp://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1452089/blink-182s-tom-delonge-salutes-his-roots.jhtmlMoss, Corey, Aug 9, 2002, Box Car Racer About End of the World, Not End of Blink-182http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1453328/box-car-no-threat-blink-182.jhtml