Some band names are just hard to pronounce, like Bon Iver or Khruangbin. But others have a more surprising confusion. Two years ago, James Corden and his writers sparked a discourse over Blink-182’s pronunciation on Twitter. Apparently, Americans say Blink “one eighty-two,” while fans in the UK refer to them as Blink “one eight two.” Vocalist Tom DeLonge weighed in on the debate at the time. Now, Travis Barker has voiced his opinion on the matter.
In a recent quarantine episode of The Late Late Show, Corden reignited the discussion and asked Barker to give his preference. “I think when we’re over there [in the UK], we’re okay with people saying Blink ‘one eight two,'” Barker said. “And in the states, it’s always been Blink ‘one eighty-two.’ So, I guess it’s just where we’re at. Like, when we’re in Europe or the UK, they’re always saying Blink ‘one eight two.'”
But Corden wasn’t satisfied with his explanation. “But it is Blink ‘one eight two.’ It’s not ‘one eighty-two’ because otherwise, you’d say Blink ‘one hundred and eighty-two.'” Barker eventually conceded: “Yeah, and that would sound really weird,” he said. “I guess, because the way you just explained it to me, it could be Blink ‘one eight two.’ But ‘one hundred and eighty-two’ is really odd.”
Machine Gun Kelly, who was also guest-starring on the show, was blown away by Barker’s compromise and offered his own take: “Baby Yoda would probably call it ‘one eighty-two’ Blink, so there are so many different ways to approach the name.”
Ahead of debating the band’s pronunciation, both Kelly and Barker discussed enjoying their time spent in quarantine. “I really love quarantine, minus the coronavirus. I’m all about it,” Barker said. Kelly echoed his sentiment: “I’m the best version of myself I’ve ever been to be honest. In an ironic way, its kind of like rehab. I can’t do anything, I can’t go anywhere. I just have to sit in my own head and see if I like myself or not. And the work I’ve been putting out amongst this quarantine has been my most well-received work yet.”
Watch Travis Barker and Machine Gun Kelly on The Late Late Show above.
