Blink-182's Tom DeLonge on Joe Strummer and Oasis

Tom DeLonge at Germnany's Southside Festival 2012.
Tom DeLonge at Germnany's Southside Festival 2012. (Image credit: MARC MUELLER/epa/Corbis)

Nearly ten years after his tragic death, Joe Strummer's legacy still resonates with musicians around the world. Especially Blink-182 and Angels & Airwaves man Tom DeLonge, who recently revealed to Total Guitar that Joe him some choice advice.

"I asked Joe Strummer what it was like being in The Clash, says Tom. "He said, 'We used to walk around saying, 'Fuck you, we're in The Clash. But now that I look back on it The Talking Heads were pretty f****** cool. Don't close your mind and think you're the only thing out there.'"

And Tom adds that he put that advice into practice soon afterwards when he met another iconic British frontman…

"A few days later I played a show with Oasis and was like, 'These guys are pretty rad.' We got done playing and Liam Gallagher runs into our dressing room and says, 'Are you guys Blink-182? You're the best I've seen in America.' I'm like, 'You like us?' He said, 'I didn't say that, I said you're the best I've seen in America!' From that point on I thought they were awesome."

Look out for a feature-length interview with DeLonge in a future issue of Total Guitar.

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