Blink-182's Mark Hoppus has explained why he's spent the greater part of his life playing punk rock.
In a new interview with The Guardian, time to coincide with the release of his autobiography, Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir, Blink-182's vocalist/bassist admits that, having grown up in a broken home, discovering skateboarding and punk rock opened up a gateway into an accepting culture where he finally felt a sense of belonging.
“A total sense of community,” he tells writer Alexis Petridis. “I didn’t belong to any cliques in school, any sports teams or cool kids’ clubs, and then skateboarding came around. It was like: ‘Do your own shit, be part of us. We welcome all the outcasts, come be part of our little fucked-up crew.’ I loved that. Same with punk rock: ‘We are the haven for the outcasts and the downtrodden – bring us your losers, because we’re all in this together.’”
Reminiscing about Blink-182's early days, before finding fame with 1999's 15-million-selling Enema Of The State, Hoppus says the experience was "totally the most fun."
"I mean, it’s the fucking worst, trying to find the next venue or a fucking shower – the quest for a shower is insane," he continues. "We would go days with no shower and you’re in the gnarly heat, playing in the middle of the day in 92% humidity in some parking lot in New Jersey. But skateboarding, playing in a band, driving down freeways shooting fireworks at each other – what more could you hope for in your early 20s?"
And it seems that, for the 53-year-old musician, playing in a band is still a joy, particularly as he believes that his band offer something that no other band does.
"It’s not just one thing. It’s not just dick jokes, it’s not just serious music, it’s not just lasers," he says. "What other band can have lasers and pyro and fireworks, songs about divorce that make people cry, and also talk about the way buttholes taste between songs?"
Hoppus is hosting An Evening With Mark Hoppus and All Things Fahrenheit-182 at the Savoy Theatre in London on May 5.
The publisher's synopsis for his book states: “This is a story of what happens when an angst-ridden kid who grew up in the desert experiences his parents' bitter divorce, moves around the country, switches identities from dork to goth to skate punk, and eventually meets his best friend who just so happens to be his musical soulmate.
“A memoir that paints a vivid picture of what it was like to grow up in the 1980s as a latchkey kid hooked on punk rock, skateboards, and MTV; Mark Hoppus shares how he came of age and forms one of the biggest bands of his generation.“
Threaded through with the very human story of a constant battle with anxiety and Mark's public battle and triumph over cancer, Fahrenheit-182 is a delight for fans and also a funny, smart, and relatable memoir for anyone who has wanted to quit but kept going.”
