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All Time Low: Come One, Come All
Alternative Press - Rob Ortenzi on 12/23/08 @ 4:03 PM - altpress.com
Me and Alex [Gaskarth, vocals/guitar] met in eighth grade. He was the kid that all the girls liked and all the dudes hated, 'cause all the girls liked him. We weren't really friends in eighth grade. He had just transferred from a private school, so all the girls were like, "Yeah, what's up?" He would wear those baggy, Hot Topic parachute pants with the strings and chains. It was cool at the time. In ninth grade, he was in a rival band. I was like, "Hey man, come in our band. We'll write some songs together or jam out to Blink-182."
Alex actually hated Blink back then because he was, like, the Bob Marley and Incubus kind of kid. I was like, "Dude, you gotta listen to this band. They're fucking awesome." He was like, "Dude, they're fucking sellouts. They're on MTV." So I got him to listen to their live CD [The Mark, Tom, And Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!)] and once he heard the jokes and the way they are live, he fell in love immediately. He was like, "Dude, we need to fucking do this. This is awesome. They're just being themselves. It's awesome. Kids love it." We just started our own band. We started covering Blink-182 songs--me, Alex and our old drummer.
In ninth grade, we met Rian [Dawson, drums]. He was in my French class. He wore a Face To Face shirt the first day of class. I remember turning around and being like, "Hey man, do you like Face To Face?" [Laughs.] He hated me, obviously. I had blue hair. He was like, "Who is this punk-ass kid?" I'd bother him every day. I knew he played drums and I knew he was the best drummer in our grade. He was like, "No, man, I got my own band."
At the end of ninth grade, we finally got him to jam with us. And it was awesome. He came to one of our band practices--me, our old drummer [and] Alex. We were playing "Roller Coaster" by Blink-182, and our old drummer couldn't do it. [Rian] played the cover with us and we were like, "Fuck! We need this guy. Damn it, we need him now." We kicked out our old drummer and got Rian.
A month later, we asked around [because we] needed a bassist. Zack [Merrick] came to our practice. He showed up with a skateboard. His mom was there. He walked in, we started jamming and we were like, "Fuck yeah, he plays with his fingers. He's in." At the end of practice, he did some skateboarding tricks-like a triple kick-flip. We were like, "Bring him in now! Lock him in early!" At the end of ninth grade, All Time Low were formed. We had T-shirts a month later. alt
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this article puts a big smile on my face, especially the fact that alex called blink-182 sellouts for being on mtv. hahahaa, and looks where they are now. but anyway, they deserve band of the year [:
hahh i laughed when alex called blink 182 were sell outs because they were on mtv, hahh. well all time low is passed from being on mtv. their band of the year for ap! thats pretty killer. and im so proud for them:), my hometown guys<3 i cant wait for the new record!!
i love how in past interviews they've said that zack was in the band based on the fact that he could do a kickflip. i thought they were kidding. i'm so glad jack did this interview!! i doubt it would've been so funny or happy-sounding if someone else had. i freaking love atl.
hahaha. I love the irony in this. Great story. :)
haha, that's hilarious. the fact that Alex called Blink sell-outs is so funny. Look where they are now. All thanks to Jack this band was formed, seriously. you're the best, jack. <3
haha i was laughing the whole time i was reading it. i fkn love them <3
This made my dayyy. lol I love this band so much..its rediculous.. :D
this made my day! i couldn't stop laughing. i can just picture jack bugging rian. i love these guys and i'm so glad they were voted best band of 2008!
haha bands should tell stories this way more often. oh man, thats great. "who is this punk ass kid?" i love it, i love it.
best band of the year? wtf!, by the time next year most people wont listen to them....just another band people love for a while then forget about in 6 months
i have liked all time low for almost 2 years now so i dont think that atl will be forgot in 6 months this is only my POV but wat ev... anyway they so deserve band of the year love all time low so much
ah wow i just saw atl play in philly last night they were amazing and its crazzy to know how long they have been togethr haha =]
haha jack had blue hair!! this was soooo funny and alex wearing parachute pants lol
wow. this is the best. it made me smile becuase its just that cute.
damn this is so funny, what a story. lol. i was lyk laughing all the time. man, jack had blue hair?! lol and the part when alex called Bink182 sell outs. this is too good. <3
hah. this is the best one yet:D loveloveloveee. < 3
lmao alex in tripp pants. i wish i cud see that. they make it seem so damn easy to keep a band lol ive been thru 3 bands in a year!
this article is fuckin priceless. jack you are the realest all time low then