Jump to content

Blink-182

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Greedyredbag (talk | contribs) at 21:02, 3 April 2005 (Theres's no such thing as "nu-punk", at least they don't do that kind of music). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The correct title of this article is blink-182. It appears incorrectly here due to technical restrictions.
File:Blink-182.jpg
blink-182 performs for sailors, marines and their families in Bahrain

blink-182 (formerly known as blink) are a Southern-Californian punk rock band that was formed in 1992 by Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus. Along with Green Day, they are credited for starting the post-punk revolution.

Biography

blink-182 is made up of three members: Thomas (Tom) Matthew DeLonge on guitar, Markus (Mark) Allan Hoppus playing bass, and Travis Landon Barker on drums. The band is known for catchy punk rock melodies as well as their satirical toilet humour. blink-182 are unusual amongst punk rock bands for playing uptempo songs in a major key, with prominent major-chord harmonies that are usually digitally mixed to provide a much "cleaner" sound than most other punk/rock recordings, which generally employ distortion and a ragged analogue mix to achieve the opposite effect. The lyrical content of their songs is humourous and often uplifting.

In 1992, when Hoppus moved to San Diego, California he was introduced to Delonge whilst looking to start a band. They decided that they needed to look for a drummer. Tom discovered a kid named Scott Raynor at his school who just happened to play drums. After considering a number of names (such as Duct Tape) the band agreed to call themselves just 'blink'. This would later have the numbers 182 added onto the end to avoid legal conflicts with a pre-existing Irish band named "blink" (see below).

Towards the end of 1993 blink released an EP known as Flyswatter. This demo was recorded using a boom box in Scott's bedroom, thus explaining the poor sound quality. Before the end of the year, the band released yet another demo cassette known as Buddha. Around 1000 copies of this were produced by Cargo Filter Records. In early 1994, blink released their first full-length debut album, Cheshire Cat, released on Grilled Cheese Records. The album contained many new versions of songs that appeared on the Buddha demo.

Shortly after the release of Cheshire Cat, blink were threatened with legal action by a techno band in Ireland of the same name. In order to avoid a lengthy lawsuit, blink added the numbers 182 to the end of their name. Although there are rumours as to why these numbers were chosen (for example, that it is the number of times Al Pacino utters the word fuck in Scarface), all band members have made it clear that they are totally random and do not represent "Mark's ideal weight", as one fan claimed.

During the punk rock boom of the 1990s, blink-182 were signed onto record giants MCA. After moving to Encinitas, California, the band recorded the album Dude Ranch with producer Mark Trombino. The album was a hit as two singles ("Josie" and "Dammit") rose to the top of US airplay charts. In 1998, a slight setback occurred amongst within the band. Scott, who had a serious drinking problem at the time, was reportedly asked to leave the band and go to rehab, although there are also reports that he decided to leave to go to college and earn a degree. Scott disappeared midway through a US tour. He was replaced by Travis Barker, who was playing with support band The Aquabats.

1999 saw the release of the album Enema Of The State. The CD was successful, propelling the band to pop-punk fame, and gaining a large amount of airtime on MTV and 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". The sound on "Enema Of The State" was rooted in the same genre as earlier punk rock bands such as NOFX, Green Day, and The Offspring, but it was more accessible to the mainstream, with a pop-feel. Many original fans felt that the band had strayed from their punk rock roots.

2001 saw blink-182 continue their commercial success, recording Take Off Your Pants & Jacket, which followed the same basic formulas as "Enema Of The State". In 2001, blink-182 appeared on the cover of "CosmoGirl", and won a "Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Award". Tom Delonge and Travis Barker were involved in side-projects The Transplants and Box Car Racer, bands which explored alternative musical styles.

In 2002, bands such as Good Charlotte, New Found Glory, and Simple Plan began following the same route as blink-182, marking the expansion of the pop punk genre. The band released their next album in 2003. Described as a self-meditation on romantic decay, their untitled 5th record featured the hit singles "Feeling This", "I Miss You", "Down" and the 80's-influenced "Always". Travis Barker has confirmed that the band left the album untitled (rather than self-titled) to represent a whole new blink-182. It showcased a style of music deeper than anything blink-182 had ever done previously, but still got a good deal of play on pop stations and MTV. 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 frontman Robert Smith appeared on "All of This." Listeners called the riffs heavier and the lyrics profound. A tour with No Doubt was very successful in the summer of 2004 as well.

On February 21, 2005, the band announced that they would not be able to play at the "Music For Relief" Tsunami benefit show in Anaheim, California due to 'unexpected circumstances'. The following day it was stated on the band's official website that they would take an indefinite hiatus in order to spend more time with their close friends and loved ones. The statement has since been removed. Bandmember Travis Barker confirmed during a recent interview on KROQ, that they are taking a rest from their normal activities, and that they are focusing on some alternative projects, DeLonge will continue directing music videos, Hoppus will be producing records and Barker will be busy with the Transplants and this summer's Warped Tour.

Discography

Studio Albums

  1. Cheshire Cat (1995)
  2. Dude Ranch (1997)
  3. Buddha (1998)
  4. Enema of the State (1999)
  5. Take off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)
  6. blink-182 (2003)

Demo tapes

Music Videos

Band

Side projects by band members

Companies owned by band members

See also

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Blink-182&oldid=11847140"