Mark Hoppus From Blink-182 Interview [Reddit]
One of the great things about Reddit, is that just about about any celebrity, whether they're crazy popular or had their 15 minutes of fame on the internet, can create a "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) and communicate with their fans. Earlier today, bassist and co-vocalist of Blink-182 made an appearance on the site and had a 90 minute conversation with the /r/Music redditors. Here are some highlights that were compiled by Helpful_Table_Maker. For the full interview, visit the discussion over here.
Is the song 'Fighting the Gravity' a reference to your hair?
Fighting the gravity is about a night a long time ago where someone put something in my drink. i had no idea what was happening and thought i was dying. the whole world felt malicious and angry. i could barely move from the immensity of the earth's pull. i got into my girlfriend's car and said, ""please, just drive."" no me gusta.
Do you guys still keep in touch with Scott?
I have not spoken to scott in a very long time. too long.
Coming from one of the guys who made pop-punk what it is today, what's you're opinion on the genre nowadays?
I feel like it needs a kick in the ass. something fresh and brave to shake it up. the whole thing feels safe and stale and formulaic. but that's just me.
How many unreleased songs does blink 182 have? And do you ever plan on releasing said songs?
None that i can think of. we mostly release all of the songs we finish recording, and abandon songs that aren't working along the way. there are a lot of ideas and half-demos that we may go back to. there was a song on neighborhoods called ""not for real"" that i was working on, that i beat to death. i would like to revisit it for the next record.
What's the most awkward thing that's happened since Blink 182 got back together?
I'm glad to say it has been pretty smooth sailing since the band got back together, knock wood. i guess the most awkward thing that has happened has been the appearance of tom's new hat-type thing? he calls it his goth pizza chef hat. you know the one.
If you were forming a supergroup with current musicians, who would be in it and why? what would they be called?
Supergroup with current musicians? jim from jimmy eat world, thom from the naked and famous, emily haines from metric, m83 as a whole, fat mike, paul mccartney, amon tobin, ritzy from the joy formidable, the list goes on and on. too many to name or really think through. there are so many incredibly creative minds out there. it intimidates me and inspires me at the same time.
Is it harder to relate to the adolescent lyrics of the earlier songs now? I mean, you've been a dad for ten years now.
No. when i sing dammit, a song written more than 15 years ago, i remember the exact day i wrote it, what i was going through, what it meant to me.
What song is hardest to sing because of the history attached to it?
Adam's song.
Is it true you Skye said no when Tom asked her if she wanted to go out with you?
Yes, that is true.
Does +44 have any plans to make a new record?
Not currently, but i would love to. it was such a fun album to record, working with travis, shane, and craig. i have a special place in my heart for that album. it means something to me, and takes me to a certain place every time i hear it. i'm very proud of that album. sometimes i feel like baby come on is the best song that i could ever write.
What's your craziest story from being famous in the 90's-00's?
Too many to recount. everything from danny devito coming to a show in LA to huey lewis bringing his kids to a show in san francisco to getting invited to dine at the houses of parliament to getting to go to disneyland after hours and have the park to ourselves to performing for our troops overseas. as sappy as it sounds, every day is a gift with possibility and strange and wonderful adventures.
What do you think of Tom's new style of singing? Do you think it affects the way you write your parts in blink?
It does not affect the manner in which i approach writing a song. it affects who sings which parts of which songs. my voice lends itself to certain moods and timbres, as does tom's. different tools for different jobs, i guess.
What was the first song you guys, as blink-182, wrote and thought ""we sound pretty good; we could make something out of this""?
Carousel. we wrote it the very first time i met tom. i showed him a bassline i'd been working on, and it fit perfectly with a guitar part he'd been working on. we'd only known each other for less than an hour and the song was fairly formed even then. it was weird.
What's your favourite song to play live?
Feelin' this, because it's the beginning of the set, the release of all the anticipation leading up to walking onstage. the curtain drops, the lights explode, and we start the show. where it goes from there is unknown...
How did the blink side project ""Box Car Racer"" make you feel?"
Weird, betrayed, jealous. probably more than i should have.
Which Blink-182 music video was the most fun to shoot and why?
Most fun was definitely first date. summertime, water park, vw bus, friends. it makes me laugh even still. for the record, i want our next video to be like that. we need another silly video. right?
To this day do you still wanna fuck a dog in the ass?
Mine was not the lead voice in this particular moment of musical genius. i was the pirate. i will leave it at that.
What is your weirdest memory about a fan?
Someone asking us to sign his prosthetic leg, and a lady asking to touch my hair. i said, ""nah, that'd be weird,"" and she said, ""no, it's fine,"" and proceeded to rub my head. in a mexican food shop."
If you had to choose a foreign language to learn, what would it be?
French, spanish, japanese, italian, portuguese, but i'm still working on english. still can't quite get a handle on english...
Was it awkward/hard recording in Blink once all three of you had gone in such different directions with your side projects? Were there any issues with songs not fitting due to each other writing in a style that wouldn't fit certain songs etc?
Yes, at times. but that's what makes us blink-182. we're all way different from one another. it is in that tension that we do our best work. that's what we learned during the hiatus.
I feel like in interviews Mark makes it seem like everything was a-ok between them, but I'm interested to know if that was just a put-on for the media and if it was actually awkward and frustrating.
At times it is awkward, frustrating, contentious, angering, and everything else. we are a band who've been together for twenty years. we fight, we argue, we make up, we move on, we laugh, we play music, we tour, we write songs. rinse, lather, repeat.
Imagine you are on your death bed and you have the chance to listen to one more song before you die. What song would you choose and why???
Underneath the weeping willow by grandaddy. listen to it and i think you'll understand.
Have you guys thought about having a 2 hour show instead of the 90 minute show so you can play more non singles?
Nope. 90 minutes, boom. longer than that and it'd get boring for people. 90 minutes is the perfect set length.
If you could have lunch with any person, living or dead, what would you order?
My grandfathers. one i never got to meet, and the rest died before i was able to fully appreciate them. all served in world war 2. one was in the army, stormed the beach at normandy, fought through the hedgerows of france, battle of the ardennes, battle of the bulge, and liberated concentration camps at the end of the war. one was in the marines, fought through the island of the pacific, at the fronts, okinawa. one was in the army air force, flew the burma hump, bombing missions, and was a backup pilot for the enola gay. i never got to ask them what they had seen or how it felt, or say thank you for what they did. much respect to them and everyone who serves.