name	Tom DeLonge
background	solo_singer
birth name	Thomas Matthew Delonge Jr.
birth date	December 13, 1975
origin	Poway, California, United States
instrument	Guitar, vocals, bass, trumpet
genre	Punk rock, pop punk, skate punk, alternative rock, space rock, neo-progressive rock, hardcore punk, post-hardcore, post punk
occupation	Musician, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer
years active	1992–present
label	Interscope (2009-present) Geffen (2003-2007) Suretone(2006-present) MCA (1996-2003) Grilled Cheese(1994-1995) Cargo Music(1994-1997) Kung Fu (1993)
associated acts	Blink-182, Angels & Airwaves, Box Car Racer, +44 (band)
website	modlife.com
notable instruments	Gibson Tom DeLonge Signature ES-333Fender Tom DeLonge StratocasterGibson Les PaulGibson ES-335 }}

Thomas Matthew "Tom" DeLonge, Jr. (born December 13, 1975) is an American rock musician. He is the guitarist and one of the two lead vocalists for the American pop punk band blink-182 as well as the guitarist and lead vocalist for the alternative band Angels & Airwaves. He was also the guitarist and lead vocalist for the post-hardcore band Box Car Racer.

Raised in Poway, California, DeLonge developed an interest in punk rock during his teens. After being expelled from Poway High School for drinking at a basketball game, he attended Rancho Bernardo High School where he met Anne Hoppus. Anne Hoppus introduced him to her brother, Mark Hoppus, who also shared an interest in music. Tom also introduced Mark to Scott Raynor. The three formed Blink-182, which became one of the most popular rock groups of the 1990s–2000s. Travis Barker replaced Scott in later years. The group underwent an indefinite hiatus in 2005, with DeLonge focusing more on his Angels & Airwaves project. Blink-182 reformed in 2009, and have a new album to be released in September 2011.

Delonge has also pursued non-musical endeavors; he created a social networking website called Modlife, as well as two clothing companies. In 2001, he started Atticus Clothing and Macbeth Footwear with Mark Hoppus. DeLonge sold his shares in Atticus Clothing, and is currently the sole owner of Macbeth Footwear.

Early life

Tom DeLonge was raised by his mother, Connie, and his father, Thomas Sr., in Poway, California. He has an older brother, Shon, and a younger sister, Kari. His first musical instrument was the trumpet, which his parents gave to him for Christmas when he was eleven. DeLonge was an average student in school, saying that "I knew exactly how hard I had to work in school. As long as I got that C, I wouldn't try one minute extra to get a B. I just cared about skateboarding and music." He played the guitar for the first time at his friend's house one afternoon, while listening to Bad Religion records and got his first guitar during his freshman year of high school as a 15th birthday present. DeLonge spent much time trying to learn songs by Descendents. One of DeLonge's first musical endeavors was Big Oily Men, a band of which he was the only constant member.

Despite his early interest in music, becoming a musician was not his first calling. DeLonge originally planned to become a firefighter, and participated in the San Diego Cadet Program. His parents divorced when he was eighteen, which would later become the inspiration for the Blink-182 song "Stay Together for the Kids". DeLonge was kicked out of Poway High School during his junior year (1991) after being caught drunk at a school basketball game. He then attended Rancho Bernardo High School for the remainder of his high school year. The song "Dick Lips" was based on him getting kicked out of school. When he returned to Poway High School during his senior year, the students voted him Homecoming King despite the fact that he was not even on the ballot. DeLonge graduated from high school in 1993.

Music career

Blink-182 (1992–2005; 2009–present)

When he began attending Rancho Bernardo High School in early 1992, he became friends with fellow student Anne Hoppus, who was also interested in punk rock. They became friends over the summer of 1992, when DeLonge expressed desire to be in a band to her. Anne introduced her brother Mark Hoppus to DeLonge in August 1992. To impress DeLonge, Hoppus climbed to the top of a streetlight outside of DeLonge's home – however, he broke both ankles on the way down, resulting in being in crutches for the next few weeks. DeLonge recruited old friend Scott Raynor from his days at Poway to become the drummer for the new band, initially named Duck Tape until DeLonge renamed the band as Blink.

Blink released various demos throughout 1993 and caught the attention of local San Diego record label Cargo Music, where they signed and recorded their debut album Cheshire Cat in February 1994. The band quietly gained success in Southern California, touring throughout 1995 and 1996 in their own van. The band was threatened with legal action by an Irish pop band of the same name in 1994, and, to avoid a legal dispute, the band appended "182" to the end of their name, which, according to Mark Hoppus, had no meaning and was essentially pulled from the top of their heads. The band moved to Encinitas, California in 1996, where they would record their second album Dude Ranch with producer Mark Trombino. Blink-182 recorded the album under Cargo Records, but signed with MCA in 1998 in order to handle increased distribution. The album was released in 1997 and was relatively commercially successful, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide. The single "Dammit" did well on U.S. modern rock charts, and the band received a small degree of mainstream success.

Hoppus and DeLonge fired Raynor midway through a U.S. tour in 1998 after a drinking problem became far too prevalent. Hoppus and DeLonge asked drummer Travis Barker of Blink-182's support band The Aquabats to fill in for Raynor for the remainder of the tour, and, after being impressed with Barker, asked him to join the band. The band released their breakthrough album Enema of the State in June 1999 to commercial success, fueled by successful singles "What's My Age Again", "All the Small Things", and "Adam's Song". After releasing live album The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!) in November 2000, the band entered the studio and recorded their fourth studio album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, released in June 2001. The album continued the band's commercial success and popularity.

After performing with Box Car Racer for much of 2002, DeLonge and Barker rejoined the band to record their eponymous fifth studio album, released in November 2003. The album continued the commercial success that previous albums had endured, as well as being critically acclaimed: Blink-182 represented a more "mature" band than seen in the past, with the band infusing experimentalist elements into their usual pop punk sound, inspired by lifestyle changes (the band members all became fathers before the album was released) and side-projects (Box Car Racer and Transplants).

Tensions arose between the band members as DeLonge expressed his desire to cancel the tour and enter a half-year respite from touring in late 2004, and the band officially announced an "indefinite hiatus" in February 2005. DeLonge formed Angels & Airwaves while Hoppus and Barker continued playing music together in +44. In August 2008, the band's frequent producer Jerry Finn died of a cerebral hemorrhage, and Barker barely survived a plane crash in September, sustaining second and third degree burns on his lower body and torso. Both events would be catalysts for the band reuniting; in 2010, DeLonge reflected, "If that accident hadn't happened, we wouldn't be a band. Plain and simple. That was fate."

The band announced their reunion in February 2009 at the 51st Grammy Awards ceremony. A well-received reunion tour took place in mid-2009, with a European leg performed in summer 2010. The band's sixth studio album Neighborhoods is scheduled to be released on September 27, 2011.

Blink-182 is recognized as a key pioneer of contemporary pop punk music, influencing various acts over their career.

Box Car Racer (2002–2003)

Box Car Racer was a side-project from two members of the band Blink-182, featuring guitarist Tom DeLonge and drummer Travis Barker. DeLonge formed Box Car Racer to experiment with and record ideas he felt were not "Blink-friendly", along with Travis Barker. David Kennedy from Hazen Street completed the group and a self-titled album was recorded, which debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200. Although Tom handled bass duties, the band hired Kennedy's friend Anthony Celestino for the corresponding tour. Guests on the album included Mark Hoppus from Blink-182 on the song "Elevator", and Tim Armstrong from Rancid. Tim Armstrong did vocals with Tom in the song "Cat Like Thief". Box Car Racer disbanded in 2003 after DeLonge and Barker went back to the studio with Mark Hoppus to start recording of their new album Blink-182.

Angels & Airwaves (2005–Present)

Tom DeLonge is the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for Angels & Airwaves, often stylized as AVA (Named after his daughter, Ava). Other members in the band include high school friend, former Hazen Street guitarist, and Box Car Racer guitarist David Kennedy; on drums former Rocket from the Crypt and The Offspring drummer Atom Willard; and on bass former 30 Seconds to Mars bassist Matt Wachter. AVA is influenced by a number of bands including U2, Pink Floyd, and The Cure. They released their debut album We Don't Need to Whisper on May 20, 2006. On April 23, 2007, it was announced that Ryan Sinn would not be playing at the free Earth Day concert at the M.I.T. campus due to difficulties within the band. He was later replaced with former 30 Seconds to Mars bassist Matt Wachter. The band's second full-length album entitled I-Empire debuted on the Billboard 200 Chart at No. 9 and sold 66,000 copies in its first week.

Love is the third studio album by Angels & Airwaves, which was officially released for free worldwide on February 14, 2010 after being delayed on Christmas 2009. The album was downloaded over 500,000 times in the first 48 hours of its release.

The band produced a full-length film also entitled Love written and directed by William Eubank. The film premiered on February 2, 2011 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Delonge had previously stated on Modlife that there might be a Fall 2011 release date of the film at The Sundance Film Festival. Tom confirmed during the live interview following Love that they are releasing a new album on 11.11.11 (Novermber 11, 2011).

Delonge has confirmed that a second studio album in the Love project along with the Love film are set for release in November 2011. He has also revealed that the upcoming studio album will be titled Love II and will include 45 minutes of extra music. On April 9, 2011, Tom has confirmed via Modcam that Love II will be released on November 11, 2011.

Musical equipment

Fender Guitars worked with DeLonge to create the Tom DeLonge Stratocaster (signature guitar) which consisted of a solid alder body fitted with a single Seymour Duncan Invader Bridge pickup. It was controlled by a lone volume knob adding to its simple design. At first, the Stratocasters were fitted with an American 2-Point tremolo system and was later replaced by a hardtail bridge. Its neck was made of solid maple with a rosewood fretboard, although there have been some custom Stratocasters that were fitted with maple fretboards. The necks included a large 1970s "CBS" headstock.

In 2002, whilst touring with Box Car Racer, Tom began collaborating with Gibson to create a new Signature Model. He started off by using a standard Gibson ES-335, with all but the bridge volume knob removed, and the bridge pick-up replaced with a Seymour Duncan Invader bridge pick-up. This guitar was eventually covered with many different stickers including band stickers and clothing line stickers from Atticus Clothing, Macbeth Footwear and Famous Stars and Straps. This guitar can be seen in Box Car Racer live photos and in the studio videos for the Untitled Album. In one of the videos, a prototype for his signature is seen that included an orange stripe instead of cream with a matching orange headstock and a metal volume knob. In 2003, Gibson released his signature model, the Tom DeLonge Signature ES-333, which has only been available since its release in Brown and Cream, with a Natural neck and headstock. Along with his Gibson signature, Tom also used a Fender Jagmaster baritone with single humbucker live, as seen in AOL live sessions with the song "Obvious". The Tom DeLonge Signature starts with Gibson's classic semi-hollow body design and then extends it into punk rock with an overwound 'Dirty Fingers' humbucking pickup. Its thick, distorted tone is the signature sound of DeLonge's band Blink-182. On Angels & Airwaves albums, We Don't Need to Whisper and I-Empire Tom has used his signature Gibson ES-333 for all of his live shows. However, he has a number of touring guitars, which he has had made in a few different color combinations, including matte black with a black racing stripe, natural with a black racing stripe and white with a black racing stripe. Since the Blink-182 reunion, he has been seen using his original brown and cream guitar (which now has a Blink-182 'smiley logo' spray-painted onto the body), his natural and black guitar (which has now been abused with burns, scrapes, and stickers), and a new black and white guitar(made by Baratto), which is a custom Baritone version of his standard signature guitar, made for playing the song "Obvious" and other down-stepped songs. Epiphone has since come out with a lower cost version of the Tom DeLonge signature guitar, manufactured overseas, but fitted with the same Dirty Fingers humbucker.

From very early on in Blink's career, Tom had used a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier amp head and a Marshall JCM 900 amp head along with Mesa Boogie and Marshall cabs for live shows. As his career progressed, Tom began using an intricate rack system along with three matching 4x12 and three 2x12 Mesa Boogie cabs. The rack system still made use of the Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier amp head, but it also included a Mesa Boogie 2:90 power amp and Triaxis preamp, Marshall EL34 power amp and JMP-1 preamp and a Voodoo Labs GCX Audio Switcher, all controlled via a Custom Audio Electronics midi footswitch (The rack discontinued the use of the Marshall JCM 900 amp head). The rack system also included a Furman power conditioner and Shure wireless unit.

For Angels and Airwaves, Tom made use of the same rack system minus the Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier but also included a TC Electronic G-Force effects unit as well as two Palmer PGA-04 amp simulators (one for the Triaxis preamp and one for the JMP-1 preamp).

For Blink-182, Tom now uses two Fender '65 Twin Reverb Amps for clean and two VOX AC30H2 Amps for distortion.

Tom has started using a synth and oscillator rig for live shows, during the Angels and Airwaves LOVE Tour. His synth rig, along with his guitar effects rig, is now built into a custom tower rack system, which stands by him on stage. Tom also now uses this same system for Blink-182, and plays/samples most of the synths and effects for their songs live.

His vocal setup consists of blue mics – he used the blue kiwi on every album before 'Take Off Your Pants and Jacket'. Now he uses a blue bottle mic running into a Pro Tools set up, where he uses sound toys plugins. His vocals are heavily compressed with a LA-2A compressor, then run through a TC helicon. He runs his sound through Orange amplifiers and records with a snare drum in the room.

Past and present equipment

;Past Equipment

Tom DeLonge Stratocaster

Gibson Custom Les Paul

Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier

Marshall JCM900

Mesa Boogie Simul 2:Ninety

Mesa Boogie TriAxis Programmable Preamp

;Present Equipment

Tom DeLonge Signature Gibson ES-333

Fender '65 Twin Reverb Amplifier

VOX AC30H2

Tremulator Pedal

Personal life

Tom DeLonge married Jennifer Jenkins on May 26, 2001 at Coronado Island in the San Diego Bay. The band Jimmy Eat World performed at the reception, and DeLonge gave each of the groomsmen, including Mark Hoppus, silver yo-yos from Tiffany & Co. The couple have been friends since high school and began dating in 1996.

He currently lives with his wife Jennifer, daughter Ava Elizabeth (born July 15, 2002) and son Jonas Rocket (born on August 16, 2006), German Shepherd Grey, Labrador Retriever Chloe, and he recently got a new puppy as posted on the Angels And Airwaves Facebook page (No name has been released to the public at this time). He currently resides in Rancho Sante Fe, California. In January 2006, his wife launched a line of high-end children's furniture, whose pieces are available at stores such as Barneys New York, Bellini and F.A.O. Schwarz.

He was politically active during the 2004 and 2008 presidential races. In 2004, he supported and campaigned for the Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, and in 2008 he voiced his support for Barack Obama.

DeLonge announced on July 25, 2011 that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer in 2010. However, he claims he is "All ok".

Non-musical endeavors

Tom directed the music video for Taking Back Sunday's song "This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)" in 2004. Tom made a cameo appearance as the Burger Jungle drive thru clerk in the movie Idle Hands. Blink-182 is featured in the music documentaries: Riding in Vans with Boys, The Urethra Chronicles, The Urethra Chronicles II: Harder Faster Faster Harder, and upcoming film The Blinkumentary. Tom also made a cameo appearance in the blockbuster film American Pie with his fellow bandmates in Blink-182, acting in a scene while one of their songs, "Mutt", played in the background. Tom made a cameo appearance in The Simpsons with fellow bandmates, while "All The Small Things" played in the background.

Tom has created his own website called Modlife; the site allows bands and their fans to meet up and interact with each other. The artists can also choose whether to have paid subscriptions for certain items. In 2001, DeLonge started Atticus Clothing and Macbeth Footwear with fellow Blink-182 band member Mark Hoppus. However, after Hoppus sold his shares in both companies after the hiatus of Blink-182, Tom sold his shares in Atticus Clothing and is currently the sole owner of Macbeth Footwear.

In 2011, DeLonge helped launch two new entities. The first was called "Strange Times"—a website dedicated to highlighting reports of UFO activity and the latest news in theories. Also in 2011, and after being diagnosed and receiving treatment for his own cancer, DeLonge formed a breast cancer awareness foundation called "Boomer Loves Boobies" that helps raise funds for the Keep A Breast Foundation. The title of this foundation was derived from the character he played in Blink-182's "First Date" music video.

Discography

;With Blink-182

Flyswatter (demo) (1992)

Demo #2 (demo) (1993)

Buddha (demo) (1993)

Cheshire Cat (1994)

They Came to Conquer... Uranus (EP) (1995)

Dude Ranch (1997)

Enema of the State (1999)

The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!) (2000)

Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)

Blink-182 (2003)

Greatest Hits (2005)

Neighborhoods (2011)

;With Angels & Airwaves

We Don't Need to Whisper (2006)

I-Empire (2007)

Love (2010)

Love: Part 2 (2011)

;With Box Car Racer

Box Car Racer (2002)

References

External links

Angels & Airwaves, Tom's biography

Tom DeLonge's Facebook Page

Category:1975 births Category:American male singers Category:American music video directors Category:American punk rock guitarists Category:American punk rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Songwriters from California Category:Angels & Airwaves members Category:Blink-182 members Category:California Democrats Category:Musicians from California Category:Living people Category:People from San Diego, California Category:Pop punk singers

an:Tom DeLonge ca:Tom DeLonge cs:Tom DeLonge da:Tom DeLonge de:Tom DeLonge et:Tom DeLonge es:Tom DeLonge fr:Tom DeLonge id:Tom DeLonge it:Tom DeLonge he:טום דה-לונג' nl:Tom DeLonge no:Tom DeLonge pl:Tom DeLonge pt:Tom DeLonge ru:Де Лонг, Том simple:Tom DeLonge sk:Tom DeLonge sl:Thomas Matthew DeLonge sh:Tom DeLonge fi:Tom DeLonge sv:Tom DeLonge vls:Tom DeLonge

name	Craig Kilborn
birth date	August 24, 1962
birth place	Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
medium	Television
nationality	American
active	1986–present
genre	Comedy
emmyawards	}}

Craig Kilborn (born August 24, 1962) is an American actor and talk show host. He was the original host of The Daily Show, a former anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter, and Tom Snyder's successor on CBS' The Late Late Show. On June 28, 2010, he launched The Kilborn File after a six-year absence from television. The Kilborn File aired on some Fox stations.

Early life

Kilborn, the son of Shirley, a school teacher, and Hiram Kilborn, an insurance executive, was born in Kansas City, but from the age 4, was raised in Hastings, Minnesota. From early on Kilborn was taller than his peers and early on it made him a consistent standout from elementary playgrounds through his prep years in Hastings. In the 9th grade Kilborn caught the eye of a man that coached an All-Star team from Minneapolis called the Northside Magicians. Kilborn accepted an invitation to join the team in national tournaments. Kilborn, again stood out because of his talent and being the only white player on the team. He starred in basketball at Hastings High School, earning three letters, All-Conference and All-State honors. His talent attracted the attention of NCAA Division I scouts and Kilborn accepted a scholarship to Montana State University.

Career

Kilborn began his television career as the sports anchor for Monterey County's Fox affiliate KCBA in Monterey, California. Some of his on air work included covering the Gilroy Garlic Festival and playing bocce ball with the locals near Cannery Row. Kilborn lived in nearby Carmel-by-the-Sea. Prior to KCBA, Kilborn was the CBA Savannah Spirits's play-by-play radio commentator in 1986 and 1987.

SportsCenter

After several small jobs, Kilborn became an ESPN SportsCenter anchor from 1993 to 1996. Kilborn was primarily the anchor of the late broadcast of SportsCenter which he coined "The Feel Good Edition". His numerous catch phrases included "Release, Rotation, Splash", "Jumanji", and "Oh, Precious". He made a return appearance to SportsCenter on August 8, 2004 when he co-hosted SportsCenter with Dan Patrick during ESPN's 25th Anniversary Celebration. The character of Casey McCall on ABC's Sports Night was said to be modeled on Kilborn's SportsCenter career.

The Daily Show

In 1996, Kilborn became host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central. During his three-year tenure The Daily Show was named "Best Late Night Comedy" by TV Guide. Kilborn was also nominated for a Cable Ace Award for "Outstanding Host." Popular features Kilborn created at The Daily Show include: "5 Questions," "Moment For Us," "Dance, Dance, Dance," and the most enduring one always introduced by, "And now... your moment of zen."

In a 1997 interview with Esquire, Kilborn made jokes regarding Daily Show head writer Lizz Winstead, saying, "To be honest, Lizz does find me very attractive. If I wanted her to Lewinsky me, she would." Kilborn apologized publicly and pointed out that the remarks were "said in jest," but he was suspended for a week.

In 1998, CBS and David Letterman's production company Worldwide Pants selected Kilborn to replace Tom Snyder as host of The Late, Late Show to run after Late Show with David Letterman. His final Daily Show episode aired on December 17, 1998. On January 11, 1999 Jon Stewart replaced Kilborn as host of The Daily Show.

The Late Late Show

Kilborn hosted The Late Late Show for five years, changing the format to appeal to a younger audience. On the show, he popularized segments such as Yambo and 5 Questions. He created several characters, including Sebastian, the Asexual Icon. He also narrated his own introduction and would come out to the song Play That Funky Music at the beginning of his show. In August 2004, he elected not to extend his contract, referring to it as "early retirement." Kilborn's last episode of The Late Late Show aired on August 27, 2004. Scottish comedian Craig Ferguson took over the show on January 3, 2005.

On a June 2010 interview, promoting his new show The Kilborn File, Kilborn stated that he left late night television due to him thinking that the late night timeslot was "crowded" and that he wanted to be part of "the first comedy show at dinner time".

Old School

In 2003 Kilborn had a memorable role in the hit movie “Old School”. Kilborn played “Mark”, the philandering boyfriend of Ellen Pompeo’s character. His memorable lines included the phrases "Good Talk" and "Guy Code".

The Kilborn File

Craig Kilborn returned to television on June 28, 2010 after six years off the air, when his new half-hour show The Kilborn File debuted on select Fox stations. The show aired for a six-week test run on a 7:00pm timeslot in most markets. Christine Lakin was his sidekick. The show brought back many of the hallmark segments from his time on The Daily Show and The Late Late Show, such as "5 Questions" and "Yambo" (renaming the Yambo segment to "Kilbo" and later to "Kilbyashi").

Broadcast career highlights

1986–1988: Play-by-play commentator for the Savannah Spirits of the Continental Basketball Association

1990–1993: Sports Director at KCBA television in the Salinas/Monterey/Santa Cruz market of California

1993–1996: Anchor of SportsCenter

1996–1998: Host of The Daily Show

1999–2004: Host of The Late Late Show

2010: Host of The Kilborn File

References

External links

Craig Kilborn at NNDB

Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:People from Kansas City, Missouri Category:American basketball players Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Basketball players from Missouri Category:Montana State Bobcats men's basketball players Category:Montana State University alumni Category:People from Hastings, Minnesota Category:The Daily Show

et:Craig Kilborn