[American Idiot]

Jason: Wow, what did they do when you went to the show?


Scott: Tom asked how I was and I think Mark was scared I was going to flip out. I just wanted to show my face, and that's all I did, and then I left.


Jason: You have handled this better than I would have. I would've been pretty pissed off. It just doesn't seem right, it's almost like.. hmm .. I don't know ...


Scott: I am not by any means a perfect person and I have hurt people before. But what they did was messed up. I believe in the love your enemy philosophy.


Jason: In this circumstance ... that is what you have to do.


Scott: It's like getting snaked on a really good wave that you have been waiting outside for ... for an hour.


Jason: I agree with you man. It just seems so weird that right before the band goes insanely big .. that you are asked to leave. Like there was some other reason for it. You agreed to what they wanted you to do .. but yet they say, "too bad?" -- wow.


Scott: I feel they ruined a lot of hard work and cashed in on a good thing.


Jason: What do you mean by "good thing"?


Scott: It's weird, but I think that blink could have been better, or could have been about better things.


Jason: Can you expand on that at all?


Scott: I guess I am just being judgmental and I have to admit that I don't know a lot about blink and there message anymore, and Adam's Song is a damn good song, but some of it just seemes kinda fluffy, like I saw an article on teen cosmo or something that said, "talk dirty with blink -182." It's not exactly what I had in mind. Or like Metallica making toy dolls of themselves, it bumms me out. But I still say,"I pity the foo who talks bad about Metallica!"


Jason: Haha. - Well, I think your feelings are exactly what a lot of the fans that were there at e beginning are feeling as well. It was like a manager or something got a hold of them, and made them something marketable to the teenage mass market -- and some of us are sitting here going, "why?"... I think the word you used, "fluffy" is perfect.


Scott: But that's the path they chose. I didn't want that, and so there was conflict.


Jason: You walked down the other path. Not the "wrong" path .. just a different path. There is nothing wrong with it.


Jason: Could you see yourself on the cover of, "teen people" or running around naked?


Scott: No, I wouldn't have gone that far. But money did become attractive, but I can use that money for good things now, I don't have many material possessions and the ones I do have are tools for education.


Jason: .. do you like teaching?

Scott: Yes, but I am shy, so it's a battle. I love to encourage and excite people toward self respect and teach about the importance of the respect for life, and social justice. I don't like greed ... it kills, and if you doubt me you can ask the dead bodies of streets kids who can't get help from our f-ed up culture.

Jason: "Money became attractive" -- what exactly does that mean?

Scott: I had never in my life seen the kind of money that starts getting thrown around on that level. And it was exciting to see your bank account grow ... it became like an addiction ... so you start to do shows that aren't exactly fun, or cool but you're getting paid.


Jason: Wow. -- and is that when you started feeling down about the whole thing?


Scott: I have a friend who is a big wheel at a major corporation and her philosophy is that she doesn't give a damn about teenagers. She just wants them to buy and that makes me scared for the kids of our generation.


Jason: Wow ... and you wanted to make the music FOR the teenagers. Not just get them to buy an album.. right?


Scott: RIGHT! I didn't want to become a product.


Jason: Exactly.


Jason: I just want you to know that I cant begin to describe how much this interview has meant to me .. I just want to tell you thank you. Being able to talk with you has HONESTLY been a dream come true. I know you will always be out there making killer music, and doing what you gotta do.. I wish you the best of luck in everything. Thank you again, for everything. Keep rocking. I wish I could put into words everything I actually want to say .. but, I can't .. so a simple: Thank You .. will have to do.


Scott: I feel the same thank you. Peace.