So I followed the whole 'is "Matt from Oakland" really Matt Skiba from Blink-182' discussion on the Best Show with interest a couple of years ago. It just sounded wacky, and also possibly true. Then Matt from Oakland stopped calling.
Recently, "Matt from Reno" has been calling, including a couple of calls very recently.
"Matt from Reno" is the exact same person as "Matt from Oakland".
Same voice, inflection (laid back, surfer/bmxer type) same types of stories, etc.:
- Both talk about punk music right at the beginning of their calls. Almost trying to bait Tom into biting.
- Both talk about their tattoos.
- Both talk about working at bars when younger.
- Both take sips of beverage while talking.
Same dude.
But "Matt from Reno" said that he grew up near the mountains and worked at a ski resort. Matt Skiba is from the Chicago area and never worked at a ski resort. So, I was finally able to put to rest the possibility that Skiba was a regular-ish caller to the Best Show. Myth: Busted.