Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker have slammed Tom DeLonge as "disrespectful and ungrateful".
The pair have blasted their former bandmate after he insisted he hasn’t "quit" the group, shortly after they issued a statement saying he had left "indefinitely" and will be replaced by Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba for their upcoming show at the Musink Festival in California.
Explaining how they hadn’t spoken to Tom in person "for months", Mark said they had booked a recording studio for January 5 but received an email from the singer’s manager saying he "has no interest in recording and he wants to do his other, non-musical stuff and is out indefinitely."
Travis added: "I think he’s just bummed because Mark and I were finally honest. We always covered up for him before. It was always, ‘We’re going to record an album,’ then ‘Tom refuses to get into the studio without a record deal.’
"So everyone does hella amounts of work to get a record deal and now Tom isn’t part of Blink-182. It’s hard to cover for someone who’s disrespectful and ungrateful. You don’t even have the balls to call your bandmates and tell them you’re not going to record or do anything Blink-related. You have your manager do it.
"Everyone should know what the story is with him and it’s been years with it."
The pair insist they are relieved that Tom will no longer be a part of the group because they feel he has been holding them back.
Mark told Rolling Stone magazine: "When Tom finally said, ‘I’m not going to go into the studio or play this show,’ it was kind of a gigantic relief because at least he finally said it. But to then say, ‘I didn’t quit the band’ it’s just not true. It’s disingenuous.
"I just wish Tom does whatever makes him happy and stops holding Blink-182 back from what we all agree that we’re going to do, play shows, record music, continue this legacy and have a good time doing it."
Despite their insistence that Tom has left the band indefinitely, the ‘All the Small Things’ singer used his Instagram page to blast the claims.
He wrote: "To all the fans, I never quit the band. I was actually on a phone call about a Blink-182 event for New York City when all these weird press releases started coming in.
"Apparently those reports were ‘sanctioned’ from the band. Are we dysfunctional – yes. But, Christ. #Awkward".
Another statement was later issued via his agent, in which he said: "I never quit the band… The ONLY truth here is that I have commitments that limit my availability this year. I love Blink-182 and I’m not leaving."
Blink-182 slam Tom DeLonge
