Blink-182

Blink-182
from left to right: Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker, Tom DeLonge from left to right: Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker, Tom DeLonge
Background information
Years active	1992 – 2005
Members	Mark Hoppus Travis Barker Tom DeLonge
Past members	Scott Raynor (1992-1998)
Website	Official Website

blink-182 is a pop punk band from San Diego, California formed in 1992 by Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Scott Raynor in the northern San Diego suburb of Poway, California. Travis Barker replaced Raynor on drums in 1998, midway through blink-182's US tour. The group went on "indefinate hiatus" in 2005.

The group is known for its catchy melodies, as well as for satirical, and sometimes profanity-laden, toilet humor. Musically, the band plays up-tempo songs with prominent major-chord harmonies, often digitally mixed, to provide a much cleaner sound than typical punk/rock recordings, which generally exhibit distortion and analogue mixes to achieve the opposite effect. However, their last album showed a significant departure from their previous works and helped exhibit their more mature musical prowess while showcasing some advancement in the sophistication of their lyrical themes. The lyrical content of their songs, prior to their last album, was usually humorous and light hearted. blink-182 fans were predominantly teenagers; however, they managed to establish a more mature following with their latest offering.

Although the band is labeled as Blink 182 on albums prior to Raynor's departure, the official rendering of the band's name is blink-182. The numbers 182 are added to the band's name to prevent a trademark conflict with the Irish pop group Blink. However, fans frequently refer to the band informally as 'Blink'.

History

Early career (1992-1995)

The beginnings of the band can be traced back to the early '90s when DeLonge was reportedly expelled from Poway High School during junior year after being caught drunk at a school basketball game. After he transferred to another school, he met Anne Hoppus, sister of Mark Hoppus, who introduced DeLonge to her brother. The day the two future bandmates met they were skateboarding with friends in a plaza parking lot and to impress DeLonge, Hoppus climbed a lamp post and jumped from the top, cracking both heels. The two hit it off and eventually came up with the name "Duck Tape" for the name of new band. Duck Tape soon transformed into Blink. In need of a drummer, DeLonge recruited 14-year-old Scott Raynor, whom he had seen playing at a "Battle of the Bands".

In May 1993, Blink released a demo tape entitled Flyswatter, recorded in drummer Scott Raynor's bedroom. It was their first album and a 4-track was used to record the material, resulting in poor sound quality and according to Hoppus, only around fifty copies were produced. Their first real show took place at a bar and since they were underage, they were only allowed to enter when it was time for their set. They bought 50 tickets to sell, but no one came to see them. After only one song Blink was kicked off the stage and out of the bar. Before the end of the year, the band released another demo tape known as Buddha. Around 1,000 copies were produced by Filter Records (owned by Hoppus' boss).

In early 1994, the success of the Buddha demo lead to Blink being signed with Cargo Records. Blink recoded their debut full-length album, Cheshire Cat in just three days. The album contained a number of updated versions of songs that had appeared on the Buddha demo.

Shortly after the release of Cheshire Cat, Blink was threatened with legal action by a techno band in Ireland of the same name. In order to avoid a lengthy lawsuit, Blink appended "-182" to the end of their name. There are several rumours as to why these numbers were ultimately chosen, such as their correspondence to the number of times Al Pacino utters the word "fuck" in Scarface, the 1985 Timothy Hutton film, Turk 182!, their representation of Hoppus's ideal weight, or that they represent the position in the alphabet of the letters 'R' and 'B,' referring to the northern San Diego suburb of Rancho Bernardo. However, the band members have dismissed such claims and maintain that the numbers were picked at random. However, in one interview, Barker stated that the "182" was the U.S. radio code meaning 'homicide' (apparently confusing "182," the radio code for conspiracy, with "187"). During the pop punk boom of the 1990s, blink-182 was signed by MCA in 1996 which later became Geffen Records.

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Rise to success (1999–2001)

For the 1999 album Enema of the State, the band hired Rancid and MxPx producer Jerry Finn, who became the band's permanent record producer. The album was largely successful, propelling the band to pop punk fame and gaining a significant amount of airtime on MTV and Total Request Live (TRL). This was largely due to the commercial success of the songs "What's My Age Again?", "Adam's Song" and "All the Small Things"; and particularly due to an infamous music video for "What's My Age Again?" which featured the band streaking. Enema of the State sold 7.7 million copies worldwide, which made it their bestselling album to that point. The sound on the album was rooted in the same genre as earlier punk-rock bands such as NOFX, Green Day and The Offspring, but it was recorded and mixed cleaner and with less distortion, allowing it to be more accessible to the mainstream. Because of this, many fans felt the band had strayed from its punk rock roots.

The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show: The Enema Strikes Back, blink-182's sole live album was released in 2000, featuring songs from their three albums: Cheshire Cat, Dude Ranch and Enema of the State. The album included one new studio song, "Man Overboard," among the live renditions. Because it is no longer in print, the album is strongly sought after by collectors.

The band continued their commercial success with Take off Your Pants and Jacket (2001), which followed the same basic formula of Enema of the State. When the album was first released, there were several versions with different bonus tracks. These were titled "Take off," "Pants," and "Jacket," each of which were signified by a different sticker on the CD. Each version had two different bonus tracks. The tracks were "Fuck a Dog", "Mothers Day" and "When You Fucked Grandpa", all considered to be joke songs. The more serious numbers were "Time to Break Up", "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" and "What Went Wrong". Because of the different combinations, some long-term fans wanted to collect them all. However, the bonus tracks were only available for a limited time. A European tour (in the winter 2001) in support of the live album was cancelled in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. Rescheduled dates in early 2002 were also cancelled due to Delonge's back problems.

Pop Disaster and career with band projects (2002)

In the Summer of 2002, blink-182 and Green Day co-headlined the Pop Disaster tour, with support coming from Jimmy Eat World, Saves The Day and a relatively unknown band called Kut u up. Leading up to the tour, DeLonge began writing solo material. This was mostly due to the way he felt in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, feelings which were exacerbated by recent medical problems involving his back.

DeLonge slowly started to gather more and more material for a side project and it wasn't until he recruited Barker on drums and long time friend David Kennedy on guitar that his idea came to fruition. Bass would be played by DeLonge and Anthony Celestino on subsequent tours and videos. The project became known as Box Car Racer, a name inspired by the bomber Bockscar, responsible for deploying the second atomic bomb, Fat Man, on Japan during World War II. The two singles from the self-titled album were "I Feel So", and "There Is". The record also included guest singers Tim Armstrong (Rancid, Operation Ivy, Transplants) and Jordan Pundik (New Found Glory) on "Cat Like Thief" and Mark Hoppus on "Elevator".

After Boxcar Racer, Barker was invited to work on a second side project known as Transplants. This band started with Tim Armstrong (Rancid and Operation Ivy) and Skinhead Rob dabbling with musical ideas in Armstrong's basement recording studio. Having already known Barker from Boxcar Racer, Armstrong asked him to assist in the side project. Not long after their formation, Transplants debuted their first self-titled CD on Armstrong's record label Hellcat Records. The first single of the album was "DJ DJ", followed by the wildly successful "Diamonds and Guns". Due to explicit content, the latter was banned from the airwaves. Despite this, an instrumental version of the song is featured on the Garnier Fructis commercial. After playing the Warped Tour, Transplants decided to part ways for the time being.

Untitled-era (2003–2004)

blink-182 visiting United States Troops in Manama, Bahrain (Aug. 25, 2003)

After taking some time off in 2002, recording of the next record began in early 2003. A more laid back approach to song writing was taken. The result was a more mature sounding record than anything blink-182 had attempted before. The band released its fifth studio album on November 18, 2003. Described as "a self-meditation on romantic decay", the album featured the hit singles "Feeling This" (previously named "Action", as released on the game Madden 2004), "I Miss You", "Down", and the 1980s-influenced "Always". Travis Barker has confirmed that the band left the album untitled (rather than self-titled) to represent a new blink-182. It showcased a style of music deeper than anything blink-182 had done previously, but still managed to receive significant airplay on radio stations and Fuse. Critics have deemed their sound similar to that of The Police and U2, although members of the band claim they took most of their influence from The Cure, whose front man Robert Smith had appeared on "All of This". Listeners called the riffs heavier and the lyrics more profound. During late 2003, the band embarked on what came to be known as the "Dolla Bill" tour. The name stemmed from the inexpensive ticket costs for attendance. The tour was largely popular with fans as the band played more intimate venues and ticket sales were heavily controlled to prevent touting. Also, special "meet and greets" were arranged before some of the shows. The tour would also visit The SOMA in San Diego, a venue where blink-182 would go to watch and play gigs during their early years. A tour with No Doubt in the summer of 2004 was also very successful. Coming up to 3 years after its release, the successful album has sold over 5 million copies worldwide but only one million in the U.S. and has only been certified 1x Platnum.

Break Up and new projects (2005-Present)

On February 22, 2005, many fans were shocked when blink-182 announced they were going on an "indefinite hiatus". As the reason for the "indefinite hiatus", Delonge suggested the mounting tension between himself and Hoppus, ultimately caused by DeLonge's desire for a break with his family and Hoppus' feelings of betrayal from the formation of Box Car Racer. In August 2006 Hoppus finally provided the press with his version of the hiatus in an extensive interview for b182.com. He revealed for the site that DeLonge had quit the band, saying he could not maintain full creative control. By contrast, Hoppus stated that he had always felt the band was a democracy and should stay that way. Hoppus also couldn't say whether there is a possibility for them to rebuild their broken relationship. Although he is hoping him and Tom can set asside their differences and come together as one for the fans.

In the wake of the "hiatus", Geffen Records released a career long "Greatest Hits" compilation in October (Outside the United States) and November (United States) 2005. One previously unreleased track was included "Another Girl Another Planet" (a cover song originally by The Only Ones, recorded as the theme song to the reality TV show Meet the Barkers), Also included was the previously issued B-side (to the "I Miss You" single) and Untitled album bonus track (Outside the United States), "Not Now" (which was used as the first single). The album immediately reached No. 6 on The Billboard 200 in the United States. There are two versions of the Greatest Hits CD. One that has a bonus track: Aliens Exist (live) issued in Australia with a bonus DVD, and another version that includes two bonus tracks: "Go (live)" and "I Won't Be Home For Christmas" along with the DVD issued in the UK.

After the break-up each of the bandmembers embarked on solo projects. DeLonge formed Angels and Airwaves, whose debut album We Don't Need to Whisper – leaked in April 2006 – was released on May 23rd, 2006 and is currently touring with his outfit. Transplants broke up after the Warped Tour, however Barker and Skinhead Rob emerged immediately with a new project, called Expensive Taste with rap superstar Paul Wall. Hoppus and Barker are finishing work on their (+44) debut album, When Your Heart Stops Beating, produced by longtime blink collaborator Jerry Finn. Earlier in 2006, Barker played a couple of shows with DJ AM and has trademarked the name The Phenomenons for a new band. Most recently, Barker has played drums for a few songs on Avril Lavigne's third album.

Discography

For full discography, see blink-182 discography.

Album Cover	Date of Release	Title	Label	US Billboard Peak	US sales
File:ChesireCatBlink182.jpg	February 17, 1994	Cheshire Cat	Grilled Cheese	Did not chart	250,000
File:Dude Ranch Blink 182 album.jpg	June 17, 1997	Dude Ranch	MCA	#67	Platinum
File:Blink181State.jpg	June 1, 1999	Enema of the State	MCA	#9	5x Platnum
File:Blink182-takeoffyourpantsandjacket.png	June 12, 2001	Take Off Your Pants and Jacket	MCA	#1	2x Platinum
File:Blink182albumcover.jpg	November 18, 2003	Untitled	Geffen	#3	Platinum

Podcasts

Hi, My Name Is Mark

Since the hiatus of blink-182, Mark Hoppus has set up his very own podcast called "Hi, My Name is Mark" (www.himynameismark.com). Every two weeks he plays songs from underground artists, interviews favorite bands, and informs listeners about happenings in his life. The show was first created at Hoppus's home, but was later moved to a studio.

Macbeth

Following in Hoppus's footsteps, Macbeth Footwear soon created a podcast. Their very first podcast introduced Angels and Airwaves to the world, featuring music, an interview with the band's members, and a preview to the movie.

Trivia

blink-182 in popular culture

• DeLonge, Hoppus, and Barker played a "garage band" that watches a webcast of Nadia stripping in American Pie. Barker was incorrectly credited as Scott Raynor. The band's song "Mutt" is featured on the film's soundtrack (considered the film's theme song).
• DeLonge, Hoppus, and Barker appeared in the 300th episode of The Simpsons, in season 14, playing All The Small Things at a concert at skateboarder Tony Hawk's loft in Bart's apartment building.
• All three band members appeared in the Mad TV skit, "Leave it to Blink-182", which parodies the sitcom "Leave it to Beaver".
• The band plays their song 'What's My Age Again' naked, in episode 2, season 3 of the sitcom "Two Guys and a Girl."
• The band appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno three times ("All The Small Things", "Aliens Exist", "Stay Together for the Kids"), The Late Show with David Letterman twice ("The Rock Show", "Down"), Late Night with Conan O'brien twice ("Dammit", "First Date"), Jimmy Kimmel once ("Feeling This/Stay Together for the Kids"), and performed two songs ("All the Small Things" and "What's My Age Again?") on Saturday Night Live's first episode of the year 2000 (the host for that episode was Jamie Foxx).
• "Feeling This" (then known as "Action") was first heard in the video game Madden 2004.
• The band appeared in South Park in the episode 105 (ninth of the seventh season) entitled "Christian Rock". They were supporting Kenny, Kyle & Stan's band "Moop" against illegal music downloading.
• "I Miss You" was the theme song to the short-lived The WB series The Mountain (TV series)

Album titles

All of blink-182's albums appear to run off in alphabetical order in one way or another. For instance, the cover art of Flyswatter features the letter "A", the first letters of the albums Buddha, Cheshire Cat, Dude Ranch and Enema of the State are in alphabetical order, the drum kit on the cover art of The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show: The Enema Strikes Back features an "F" on the bass drum (the Famous Stars and Straps logo), the jacket pocket of the green version of Take off Your Pants and Jacket shows the letter "G", on the Untitled album the "H" is found in the intersection of the lines of the face. There is some dispute whether the "H" in the Untitled album actually exists or not. However, the band did include an "H" in their Riding in Vans With Boys DVD, which was released about a month after their Untitled album. It can be seen on a floating piece of paper in the background. Finally, on the Greatest Hits compilation, the letter "I" appeared in the word "blink", which may not have been intended at all. Mark Hoppus has stated that the albums beginning with "A" through "F" were merely a coincidence, but that the band intentionally added the "G" on the Take Off Your Pants and Jacket Album.

External links

Official websites

• Blink-182 Official website

Official websites (other)

• Box Car Racer
• Angels And Airwaves
• (+44)
• Macbeth Footwear
• Transplants
• HiMyNameIsMark.com
• LoserKids
• Resting Bird
• Atticus Clothing

Official MySpace websites

• Transplants

• (+44)

• Loserkids
• Mark Hoppus
• Travis Barker