Matt Skiba has continually expressed gratitude for the seven years he spent in Blink-182,
replacing Tom DeLonge. Still, there’s one thing he’d change if he could go back in time.
During an appearance on the Tuna On Toast with Stryker podcast, Skiba, who will released Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs with Alkaline Trio later this year, revealed why his first photoshoot with Blink-182 was cringeworthy.
“My buddy Greg Teal, one of my best friends, ran Hurley (clothing company) at the time,” Skiba explains. “I wasn’t even thinking about it but I was wearing Hurley shit [to rehearsal]. And I forgot that Blink was like the Hurley band forever.”
Skiba unintentionally wore an outfit that was eerily reminiscent of DeLonge’s style. Understandably, the fashion faux pas got an immediate reaction.
“So when I showed up to practice, I’ve got a baseball hat on and this Hurley T-shirt, and
everyone was like, ‘What the fuck?’ Like, ‘You fucking poser! You’re trying to be Tom!’” Skiba
recalls. “And I was like, ‘I didn’t know we were going to take a picture.’”
“We took a picture against the door, the loading dock, and I’ve got my dopey Hurley shirt on,
clueless to how that would read,” Skiba continues. “But that was the one thing where kids were like, ‘Dude, don’t do that.’ I’m like, ‘Do what? Oh, right.’ If I would have thought of it, I probably might have changed T-shirts, just because I don’t want to be that guy. So that was the one thing [I’d take back].”
READ MORE: Who Are the 10 Outside Songwriters on Blink-182’s New Album ‘One More Time’
Matt Skiba Says His Time in Blink-182 ‘Ran Its Course’
Skiba left Blink-182 in 2022 when DeLonge returned to the group. His departure was amicable and he remains “great friends” with the band.
“It ran its course,” Skiba notes. “When those guys first asked me to join the band, I thought they were on acid, thinking that that was gonna fly. And it did somehow. I mean it’s like, wow people are actually coming out to see this thing and a lot of people are buying the record and
responding really positively to it.”
Still, Skiba always believed his tenure in Blink-182 would come to an end.
“I remember at the time I said to Mark [Hoppus], ‘Well, eventually Tom is going to come back, right?’” the guitarist recalls. “And Mark was like, ‘I don’t think it’s any secret he was pretty hurt and upset. But I think somewhere he had to know that that was true.’ And so, for me I think the timing was perfect. I think everyone is glad that Tom is back. But I’m really thankful for those guys and for the work that we did.”
Listen to the full podcast below.
Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba on Tuna on Toast With Stryker Podcast
20 Bands That Reunited With All of Their Original Members
It’s cool to see a band reunite with all of its original members, so we came up with 20 examples of that happening. Of course, that doesn’t mean they necessarily stayed together with all original members after. So, here, we show how long they were together — both originally and on their comeback(s).
Gallery Credit: Philip Trapp