BY JACK WATSON
In Fahrenheit-182, Mark Hoppus (bass guitarist for Blink-182, a famous rock band from the 1990s) takes us back to when he grew up in a California desert. Presumably the title is an homage to Ray Bradbury’s 1953 dystopian novel Fahrenheit-451.
The book provides an insight into a troubled childhood; how he first met Tom DeLonge and their creation of Blink-182. Then their long journey of struggle, laughter and setbacks follows. But they became one of the greatest bands in the punk rock industry. Serious, solemn, but also witty this memoir of a talented musician, who also explores his own struggles, is ‘the official decree from the voice of a generation.’
It begins with a latchkey kid growing up around a Navy base in Ridgecrest, CA, whose father worked on testing missiles, bombs and guns. He was brought up in a calm and positive environment, with good parents. But this collapsed when his parents’ relationship ended in divorce. Hoppus had to choose between living with his mother or father. He chose his mother.
He was affected mentally by this sudden change, with his performances at school dropping and getting in with the wrong crowd. He would pass his time skating during school hours (and after school), bunking off school, and getting into trouble. He adopted a taste for punk music and would do anything to avoid going home. During all this, he also spent time playing bass guitar, which was self-taught. After dropping out of college, he moved away to San Diego to start a new life. This was where he encountered Tom DeLonge, a fellow skate-rat, which led to one of the most influential songwriting partnerships in music. Here, Blink-182 was born.
‘Carousel’ was the first song they created and it was made on the spot from something Hoppus pieced together on the bass, which Tom could improvise with. They scouted a drummer called Scott Raynor and created their first album Buddha. Only a handful of local supporters bought. The band had difficulty spreading their name, playing small gigs at local venues. Fortunately, due to Tom’s determination, he persuaded bigger venues to let them play and paid money for a record studio to make their next albums, Cheshire Cat and Dude Ranch. Despite one of their biggest hits Dammit, the producers were not fond of the genre of music. Others thought differently.
Dedicating their whole life to creating music and dropping out of college, they started touring, which brought them success and familiarity, making connections with other popular bands at the time, such as Pennywise. With their songs being played on the radio, records being sold and playing in-front of big crowds, the band was up and running. Little did they know, a couple of years later they would create an album, with chart topping songs.
Unfortunately their drummer Scott, who was struggling with a difficult relationship, took to alcohol. This resulted in his departure from the band, with Travis Barker taking his place.
Enema of The State was a smash-hit, selling 350,000 copies in the first week. It includes some of their well-known singles, such as What’s My Age Again? and Adam’s Song. But their most prestigious song was (and remains) All The Small Things, which became their most successful song, reaching number one on Modern Rock charts and peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. This single was further amplified with its accompanying music video, enjoying significant airtime on MTV.
Selling out huge arenas, touring the world and creating more famous singles like I Miss You, Feeling This, Stay Together For The Kids and First Date, the band was at its peak. But, in 2005, Hoppus describes the first time the band split up, with Tom DeLonge leaving due to ‘creative differences and personal priorities. He focused on a new band called Angels and Airwaves and on his UFO research. The band reformed in 2009 and had huge success creating the album Neighbourhoods. But, like Scott before him, Tom was going through a divorce which was having a huge impact on the band when they were touring. He left and cut contact with Hoppus and Barker in 2015.
Hoppus was devastated at how his best friend betrayed him, but carried on, with Matt Skiba–now a member of Alkaline Trio–as a replacement. The band was never the same, but they did create an album called California, with some good hits.
In 2021, Hoppus was diagnosed with stage 4 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. With a small chance of surviving, he underwent a combination of chemotherapy, including the combination therapy R-CHOP, and other treatments. After six rounds of pain and torture, a few months later he declared he was ‘cancer-free’. Shortly afterwards, he received a call from Tom DeLonge, which led to their reunion.
With the breakups, setbacks, and near-death experiences (whilst Tom was away, Travis survived a plane crash), Blink-182 created one of their most unique albums One More Time, which is an album dedicated to their journey, promising fans they would never split up again. Hoppus now lives happily with his wife Skye and their son Jack, whilst still touring the world with his band.
This book is a fabulous journey through time of a bratty kid, who grew up to be a member of one of the most popular bands, despite the struggles along the way. Through the obstacles Hoppus describes, his memoir teaches us how we should not just walk away and give up. Instead, we should find a way to combat failure and use it to find success, just like he and Blink-182 did.
You can read about my lone, underage, adventure when I went to see them in Glasgow last year. Fahrenheit-182 is available on Amazon or listen to it on Audible. Blink-182, and you’ll miss it!
Jack Watson is a 16-year-old schoolboy, who has a Substack about being a Hull City fan. You can subscribe to it here.