Matt Skiba, who spent seven years as the frontman of Blink-182, recently opened up about a cringe-inducing moment during his early days with the band. On the Tuna On Toast with Stryker podcast, Skiba, now focusing on his upcoming release “Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs” with Alkaline Trio, shared the amusing yet awkward story behind his first photoshoot with Blink-182.
He said: “My buddy Greg Teal, one of my best friends, ran Hurley (clothing company) at the time, 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.”
In an unintentional fashion faux pas, Skiba found himself wearing an outfit reminiscent of Tom DeLonge’s signature style, prompting an immediate reaction from his bandmates. “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 f*ck?’ Like, ‘You f*cking poser! You’re trying to be Tom!’” Skiba humorously recalls. “And I was like, ‘I didn’t know we were going to take a picture.’”
The cringe-worthy moment occurred during a photoshoot against a loading dock door, with Skiba blissfully unaware of the fashion mishap. Reflecting on the incident, he admitted, “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].”
Skiba left Blink-182 in 2022 when Tom DeLonge returned to the group, emphasizing that his departure was amicable and he remains “great friends” with the band. Reflecting on his time with Blink-182, Skiba acknowledged, “It ran its course,” and expressed gratitude for the positive response to their work together. Despite believing from the beginning that DeLonge would eventually return, Skiba recognizes the perfect timing of the reunion and remains thankful for the experiences and collaborations during his tenure with the iconic band.
