Ronnie Radke: 'I Won't Choose A Side In Blink-182 Saga'

19 February 2015 | 2:44 pm | Daniel Cribb

"I love that band."

Falling In Reverse

Falling In Reverse

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Having been arrested numerous times and serving a two-year jail sentence in 2006, few know conflict like Falling In Reverse leader Ronnie Radke. He may be in the thick of album promo for the band’s new record,
Just Like You
, in Las Vegas when he answers his phone, but there’s another issue on his mind – the recent event of Blink-182 revealing their inner-band turmoil to the public; something Radke, as a fan, can relate to all too well. “I’m never going to choose a side or anything because I love that band,” Radke comments. But a recent encounter with drummer Travis Barker might cloud his judgement somewhat. “I didn’t know he was a fan of me. And now he follows me on Twitter, which is mind-blowing. His daughter’s 15, and she came to my music video. He asked me for a favour so I told him to bring her down…[Blink-182]’s one of the bands that I actually still listen to. I don’t really listen to a lot of bands these days who are new or anything, so it’s sad to see that they’re not going to make a new record.”

It’s the “watered down” production of music today that’s turned Radke away from a lot of new acts, and with the band’s third album, Radke wanted to break the mould and throw people off. “These days, everything’s Auto-Tuned to the point where you can’t really hear the cadence in their voices, and it sounds the same because it’s so robotic…it’s just not my cup of tea anymore. Maybe I’m just getting older and growing up a little bit.”

"It’s sad to see that they’re not going to make a new record."

 

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It hasn’t been an easy road for Radke, but his learned from his mistakes and being himself is finally paying off, with the release of a career-defining record, launching his own clothing label, Hood$, and he’s finally secured a visa to tour Australia for the first time ever. “I don’t think it’s Australia’s fault,” he says on past visa issues. “I think it’s America’s fault. With the help of my managers, who worked around the clock with lawyers, we got there. So that’s who I have to thank for that, finally.

“I’m stoked, because everything we’ve ever wanted is coming true and it’s pretty amazing. Where I came from, from prison to now, it’s pretty wild. We complain about the dumb things, like, ‘Aw, man, I left my phone in the hotel! I’ve got to go back and get it!’ And I just kind of catch myself complaining about stupid things, like how everybody does. But I try to keep myself grounded that way. I can just pretty much wake up whenever I want and do whatever I want, all because I write songs and it reaches my fans and touches their hearts, you know, it’s crazy.”