The future of Blink-182 continues to waver as Mark Hoppus confirmed that he and Tom DeLonge had discussed the possibility of replacing drummer Travis Barker as recently as 2013. However he clarified that the comments came in a moment of frustration for DeLonge and that they shouldn't be taken too seriously. The new news stems from a tweet that DeLonge sent after quitting/being fired from Blink earlier this week (the jury's still out on which it is).
Hoppus explained that the band's Australian tour during 2013 had caused headaches for both he and DeLonge because Barker refused to travel by plane, citing the near-fatal crash he was in during 2008. The band ended up booking Brooks Wackerman, drummer for punk band Bad Religion. Even with the replacement, promoters complained that they had been "duped" and threatened lawsuits because of Barker's absence from the tour.
"After the tour, Tom was very upset about being put in that situation on tour, where people were threatening to sue, the promoter was angry and everything else. But he was really just blowing off steam," he said to Alt Press. "There were a few days of calls where I listened to Tom, commiserated with Tom and, immediately afterwards, called up my manager and, 'Tom's upset right now, he's talking about trying to replace Travis, but I'm not into it.'"
Essentially, Blink fans shouldn't fear that Barker will be the next to go if Blink plans to continue in some context. DeLonge had posted a tweet during his response to claims he had been let go, suggesting that the pair had discussed dropping the drummer. That tweet was deleted a short time later, spurring chatter amongst followers.
Blink-182 only has one date planned in the future: The Musink Festival in Costa Mesa, CA, where the band will feature Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio in DeLonge's place. Will there be more Blink after that show? Stay tuned.
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