ANOTHER BLINK-182 BLOG GEEZ WTF

Yes, I'm posting another blog about Blink-182. Don't worry. I won't gloat over how much I enjoy them (both as a band and individually). This post is actually more of a complaint/realization. Please read on.

You see, I've been a fan of Blink-182 for a long time. I don't remember that exact day I started listening to them, but I have been a fan for 10 years. It's been a long time, for sure. A lot has happened since their humble beginnings in San Diego.

When I started listening to them in middle school, my friends hated them. Very few, if any, of my friends liked Blink-182 (or any other pop punk band out at the time). Every time I wore a Blink shirt to school, I had at least one conversation with someone about the validity of my musical tastes. Now, I admit that my tastes at the time were less than satisfactory (Limp Bizkit, need I say more?), but hey, the music spoke to me at the time. And inherent within liking any type of music is haters.

But, when Blink-182 was at the forefront of pop-punk popularity, I remember EVERYONE hating on them. It was either my straight-punk friends who regarded them as "posers", or my metal-esque friends who said I was a pussy because I listened to them, or pretty much anyone else I knew saying "No, you're wrong for liking them." I literally did not know anyone who liked them.

But I did. I loved their fast music, laughed at their potty-mouthed antics, and really listened to their sometimes-joking, sometimes-thought provoking lyrics. They were the first band I really started listening to and following, and I'd be damned if 20 or so people were gonna tell me that the music I was listening to didn't mean something to me. When everyone kept their stance and rode the "WE HATE BLINK" bandwagon, I took a metaphorical leap off that wagon and started walking to the nearest Dude Ranch with nothing but a cowboy hat and boots. I walked through high school like that, too. Metaphorically, I add again.

But really, it was kinda like walking around naked with others pointing and laughing at you. At least I had a metaphorical cowboy hat.

Anyway, I stayed a fan, and waited for what felt like forever during their hiatus. Then, in February 2009, I was ecstatic to find out that my favorite band of all time was back in action, ready to go on a new tour and release a new album. But, something was weird. It seemed like everybody was also ecstatic.

Huh? What happened since my years in high school? What happened to the people who were hating on me? All of a sudden, Blink-182 was everybody's favorite band! Now, don't take this as a stab at Mark, Tom, or Travis. I love them with all my heart! But it's odd, isn't it? For someone who has known nothing but people who are anti-Enema for years and years to suddenly be surrounded by people who enjoy Taking Off Their Pants and Jacket? What happened?

Well, I know what happened. Many things happened. Those so-called "friends" from middle school on grew up. I moved to Northern California and started hanging out with people who actually liked me back and enjoyed what I enjoyed. Blink's sound matured, too. It certainly seemed to be going that way when they released their self-titled album shortly before their hiatus.

The point is that nothing was wrong, of course. In fact, things were right. I found that the band I loved and cherished, the band that made me want to start playing music, those three guys from San Diego, were just as awesome as I knew they were when I was 12. In true punk rock fashion, I did not let others perception of what was cool and what was not get me down. It seems that things have changed for the better, and I'm all for it!

Hey, Blink-182 is a great band. You should listen to them sometime.