Tom Delonge On Leaving Blink-182: 'I Reflect On It All The Time'

It's been just over a year since Blink-182 founding member Tom Delonge left the famous group to devote more time to other projects including comics, film and novels and though he has recently launched new multimedia project, Sekret Machines (which revolves around secret government knowledge and UFO's), the guitarist has admitted that the decision to leave the band is still something he thinks about. 

In an interview with Esquire, the 39-year-old said of his departure, "I reflect on it all the time.

"I love Blink. I started that band. I named the band. I found the members. I put that whole thing together. I never meant for it to be the only thing in my life. I also never meant for it to ever not be in my life.

"But I am an artist, and I find pleasure in challenging myself to understand and learn, to create new types of art, and prove myself worthy of people's valued attention and admiration. It's what any artist desires. So when the challenge isn't there, then I find myself in a difficult position."

Delonge has stated in the past that he felt staying in Blink would have "severely limited" his artistic aspirations, and he has since insisted that the decision to leave was about not wanting to focus on one specific thing in his life. 

"With Blink, it was never boring," he said.

"It never was like we couldn't challenge ourselves artistically. There's just a lot of differences in how to be challenged or how to attack the challenge. There's a lot of downtime. And in that downtime, I was always doing other things. I've always been that way—always will be that way.

"A lot of people are satisfied with just having that one thing in their life their entire life—and I envy them, by the way. I wish I was wired that way because it would make my life and relationships much easier. But I don't get off that way. I'm wired to really challenge my mind."

Delonge's first offering from Sekret Machines is a novel entitled Chasing Shadows, due out this week, as well as an EP of the same name from his other music project, Angel & Airwaves.

His comments come just weeks after producer John Feldmann compared Blink-182 replacing Delonge to The Beatles replacing John Lennon.

Meanwhile, Blink members Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker are set to release the band's first new material in nearly four years, alongside new guitarist and Alkaline Trio frontman, Matt Skiba. 

In a recent interview, Barker said of the upcoming record, due for release mid-year, "The new album, old Blink fans will obviously get what they expect from Blink and then with the addition of Matt Skiba in the band there’s also room for like a new sound and for the band to grow."

The new-look line-up are also set to perform at a number of US festivals this June.