“Stay Together for the Kids” expresses the pain of divorce. “Anthem Part II” cries, “Help me Jesus/We need guidance/We’ve been misled,” but . . .
That track uses obscenities to blame parents and other adults for the world’s problems. Acts of “Reckless Abandon” range from alcohol abuse and drugging a dog, to defecating in a bathtub and having sex in public. On “The Rock Show,” “cool” teens get drunk, fail school, sneak sex and run away to Las Vegas. Equally rebellious, “Give Me One Good Reason” rallies fans to skip class, “p— people off with what they wear,” and hate jocks, preps and hippies. A despondent young man drowns his sorrows in alcohol (“Story of a Lonely Guy”). This disc is riddled with raw language, including anatomical slang and many f-words. A lover’s quarrel leads to a venomous exchange on “Shut Up.” The bitter diatribe “Happy Holidays, You Bastard,” finds the singer demanding that lewd sex acts be performed on him and ranting about an old man soiling his pants. A disgusting crescendo to a foul project.
“I really feel that we’re blessed. I’m so lucky God let us be here,” guitarist Tom DeLonge told Rolling Stone. He’s got to be kidding. This divisive CD sanctions hatred, delinquency and self-destructive rebellion. Don’t let your teens be recruited by Blink-182’s hellish rhetoric.