i remember every last one of these interviews, because this was the first time i was a part of an album cycle as a fan. and i miss these times with tom, i really do. mark makes a comment here about wanting to continue to grow as an artist, and it breaks my heart a little. he came back to blink so ready to go, so excited to have his band back together, and to give it his all. he wrote some great songs on neighborhoods, but was having to drag tom along. it was disappointing to him, you could tell, and the next few years were really charisma killers for him. california seems like a reaction to that, trying to do what everyone liked, and trying to be relevant again. call it laziness, middle age malaise... i don't know. and now he seems more aloof in interviews, less forthcoming and less himself. it's legitimately kind of sad to me.
EDIT: and, adding on to this, the fans were excited too. we were behind it 100%, and the community seemed less divided. we knew neighborhoods wasn't their best, but we were supportive. it hurt to go through the years and years of nothingness and broken promises, but right now feels even worse. no one can agree, and the vast majority find cali disposable. it's disappointing