Liner Notes: Humor
obviously comes naturally to you guys, but do you find it
hard to write?
Tom Delonge: Not really. When you incorporate the two together
sometimes it works out really good. (laughs) No, it’s
easy to write, I mean that’s what we do. The humor
thing is just personality and the writing thing I guess
you might call it a talent, but some people might say our
writing is not a talent, it’s a disability(laughs).
LN: Did you guys basically have a
free range of equipment this time around?
TD: Our producer Jerry had like, 30 guitars and 10 amps
so it worked out good for the recording. A lot of times
we’d have to rent the stuff, we wouldn’t know
what to rent. But he had such an array to choose from. So,
yes, we did have free range and it really made a difference
this time around, so I’m so glad.
LN: When you compare Enema to your
other stuff, do you feel that it’s musically superior?
TD: Oh yea, it's musically superior, the production is superior.
I think the songwriting is. Everything matured and came
up a step and I think that’s why we've been getting
more compliments from educated listeners. People really
say, "Hey, you got better." So I hope we did,
because you could hear the opposite.
LN: Were you amazed that the record
sold 100,000 in the first week?
TD: (gasp) We almost combusted. Really, we literally almost
blew up when it happened. We don’t know how that happened.
LN: How is newcomer Travis’s
drumming style different than Scott Raynor's was?
TD: Travis is more technical of a drummer. He’s really
good and you only run into those guys once in a while. He’s
got a much broader mind about arrangements because he’s
a really talented guy. I only know a few other drummers
who are like that. We weren’t even looking for that
when we got him. We were just looking for someone who could
play our songs and get along with us. So, we got a little
added bonus with him.
LN: There seems to be a lot more pop
infusion in this album. Do you like going hard or softer
better?
TD: I like both. I think when there’s a perfect synergy,
it’s hard and soft at the same time, that’s
usually what we try to do. But, we’ve done different
things on the album this time, not for any reason other
than those were the songs we wrote.
LN: Did you guys feel embarrassed
or liberated to be running naked in the video?
TD: I felt both. I felt kind of horny, actually.
LN: Did making the video "excite"
you guys?
TD: Almost. (laughs) We were walking around naked and we’re
talking to girls. That was a concern of mine, believe it
or not.
LN: Will you play naked at Warped
tour?
TD: I don’t know. I’de get sunburn, probably.
Probably be bad for my skin.
LN: Did you end up making that film
called Pranksters?
TD: We started working on it, but it’s one of those
things that will take years to do if we ever wanted to do
it. We were working on it in the past, but we really haven’t
lately.
LN: What kind of music will Blink182
play when you guys can no longer identify the high school
mentality?
TD: Retirement home music. We’ll just sing about getting
in and out of wheel chairs.
LN: Who’s your favorite 80's
band?
TD: (long pause) Would have to be something like Quiet Riot.
LN: It’s coming back you know.
TD: (laughs) I know. That’s what I hear.
LN: Let’s probe into the band’s
anal obsession. What’s it all about?
TD: I don’t know. We’re really immature and
we joke about bodily functions, so somehow we got into the
world of enema and just used it as a title.
LN: How do you know so much about
the digestive tract?
TD: Well, we did a lot of research and we just want people
to be aware of their bodies.
LN: Star Wars thumbs up or down?
TD: Thumbs in the middle. I love some parts and I hate,
hate, hate other parts.
LN: Anyone ever throw anything interesting
on stage?
TD: Someone threw a blow-up sheep.
LN: Did you do it?
TD: No, I would have though if no one was around and it
didn't pop.
LN: On a scale of one to ten, how
sick are you of goofy journalists’ questions?
TD: It depends what the questions are. If it’s a normal
question then it’s 10, but, if they’re good
questions about sex and stuff
LN: How bad were mine?
TD: Yours were good. Because we talked about sex and that's
kinda horny.
LN: Your CD collection is on
fire, which one do you save?
TD: Right now I would save The Pucker Up from the Teen Idols.
I just picked it up the other day and I like that one a
lot.
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