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Blink-182
File:Blink 182groupshot.jpg
Background information
Years active1992 – 2005
MembersMark Hoppus
Tom DeLonge
Travis Barker (1998-2005)
Scott Raynor (1992-1998)

blink-182 is a Southern-Californian Pop Punk band that was formed in 1992 by Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, and Scott Raynor in the northern San Diego suburb of Poway, California. They are credited for helping to advance the post-grunge rock revolution.

The members of the band are Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, and drummer Travis Barker. The group is known for playing catchy melodies as well and their satirical toilet humour. blink-182 is unusual among punk rock bands for playing up-tempo songs with prominent major-chord harmonies, often digitally mixed, to provide a much cleaner sound than typical punk/rock recordings generally employing distortion and ragged analogue mixes to achieve the opposite effect. The lyrical content of their songs, especially prior to their last album, is often humorous and uplifting. Although the band is labelled as Blink 182 on albums prior to Raynor's departure, the specific syntax for the band's current name is blink-182, as opposed to Blink-182 or their former name, blink. The numbers 182 were added to the band's name to prevent a copyright conflict with another established, albeit lesser known, musical group of the same name.

Personnel

Blink-182 is:

History

Flyswatter / Buddha / Cheshire Cat

Towards May, 1993 blink released a demo tape known as Flyswatter, recorded using a boom box in Raynor's bedroom, which explains the poor sound quality. In an interview, Hoppus said that around eighty copies had originally been produced. Before the end of the year, the band released another demo tape known as Buddha. Around 1,000 copies of this were produced by Kung Fu Records. In early 1994, blink released their first full-length album, Cheshire Cat, released on Grilled Cheese Records. The album contained many new 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 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, that they represent Hoppus' ideal weight, or the position in the alphabet of the letters R and B, refering to the northern San Diego suburb of Rancho Bernardo, making the meaning blink [possibly, fuck] RB.), all the band members but one have made it clear that the numbers were picked at random. In one interview, Travis stated that the "182" was the U.S. radio codeword meaning 'homicide' (apparently confusing "182", the radio codeword for conspiracy, for "187"). During the pop punk boom of the 1990s, blink-182 were signed by MCA which later became Geffen Records which they stayed with.

Dude Ranch

After moving to Encinitas, California, the band recorded the album Dude Ranch with producer Mark Trombino. The album was a hit, and two singles from it ("Josie" and "Dammit") rose to the top of the U.S. airplay charts. In 1998, the band met a slight setback. Raynor, who had a serious drinking problem at the time, was reportedly asked to leave the band and go into rehab, although there are also reports that he decided to leave to go to college. Raynor claims he agreed to go into drug rehab, but the rest of the band kicked him out over the phone because they didn't believe that he would do it. Whatever the explanation, he left midway through a U.S. tour. He was replaced by Travis Barker, who had been playing with support band The Aquabats. It is widely believed that the single "Man Overboard" on the band's live album speaks directly to Raynor's rift with Mark and Tom. Although Mark has stated, on the radio show "Loveline", that the song had nothing to do with the break up between them.

Enema of the State

In 1999 the album Enema of the State was released. On the album the band hired notorius Rancid and The Offspring producer Jerry Finn, who had produced every album since. The CD was successful, propelling the band to pop punk fame, and gaining a large 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?",which was a song dedicated to the group's very close friend Matthew Purcell, "Adam's Song", and "All the Small Things"; and particularly to the infamous music video for "What's My Age Again" which featured the band streaking. They sold seven and a half million copies of the album worldwide, which made it their best-selling album up to that point. 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 punky-feel. Many original fans felt that the band had strayed from their punk rock roots.

The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show: The Enema Strikes Back

blink-182's only live album, The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show was released in 2000. It is no longer in print, and it is sought after by collectors. The songs are from the group's first three albums: Cheshire Cat, Dude Ranch, and Enema of the State. The album also includes one new song, "Man Overboard," as well as a few joke songs.

Take off Your Pants and Jacket

2001 saw blink-182 continue their commercial success, recording Take off Your Pants and Jacket (the strange title was a punning reference to masturbation), which followed the same basic formula of "Enema of the State". In 2001, blink-182 appeared on the cover of CosmoGirl, and won a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award.

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. Mark Hoppus participated in the making of Simple Plan's debut album, No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls.

After touring for the promotion of this record, the band decided to take a break. During this time the members of the band took different paths, Mark passed more time with his newborn son Jack, while Tom and Travis were involved in a side-project called Box Car Racer, in addition to this, Travis worked on The Transplants. Both bands explored other musical styles. According to recent interviews with Tom, Box Car Racer project caused much friction between him and Mark, which was one of the main reasons the band abruptly broke-up in 2005.

When the CD first came out, there were several versions with different bonus tracks. There were three versions, "Take off," "Pants," and "Jacket," each of which indicated by a different sticker on the CD. The actual CD had pictures of a red plane, yellow pants, or a green jacket. Each version had two different bonus tracks. The tracks were "Fuck a Dog", "Mothers Day" and "When You Fucked Grandpa", three joke songs, and the serious were "Time to Break Up", "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" and "What Went Wrong". Since there were only two bonus tracks on each of the three versions, some long term fans wanted every one. Those bonus tracks were only out for a limited time, about a month or so. After that month they only sold "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket: without any bonus tracks and with all three logos on the actual CD itself.

After taking some time off in 2002, following the record tour, the band released their fifth blink-182 (album) on November 18 2003. Described as a self-meditation on romantic decay, the album featured the hit singles "Feeling This" (previously named "Action"), "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 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 front man Robert Smith had appeared on "All of This". Listeners called the riffs heavier and the lyrics more profound. The lyrical content of their songs is often humorous and uplifting. A tour with No Doubt in the summer of 2004 was very successful. In many ways it also helped blink-182 break away from the common pop punk genre, dismissing predictable similarities that could be seen from band to band. blink-182 were now on a pedestal next to Green Day overlooking the genre they helped to create despite the album's lack of commercial success.

"Indefinate Hiatus"

On February 21, 2005, the punk rock world was shocked when blink-182 announced an "indefinate hiatus". Fans were distraught and the announcement was soon remover from the band's official site. Rumors soon began to swirl about the band breaking up. The only band member to speak up right away was Travis, but he soon stated that he was not the only person in the band and there were two other people reporters could question. Fans soon began to say there was a fight that separated Tom and Mark. Kerrang! soon printed an article that confirmed worried fans' fears, but Tom denounced it on his "In-studio journal on MacBeth, and told no one to trust any article unless it came straight from the band members' mouths. That June, Mark announced his new electronic-based side project Plus 44, whose band members included Travis Barker (blink-182, Transplants, The Aquabats and Box Car Racer) and Carol Heller (Get The Girl).Tom stayed very quiet until one September night. After long abaited rumors about "Tom's Solo Album", he announced that he had created a band named Angels and Airwaves, rock 'n' rolls soon to be "revolution". Angeles and Airwaves' (A.K.A. - AVA (pronounced "Ay-Va" after Tom's daughter)) other band members included David Kennedy (Hazen Street and Box Car Racer), Atom Willard (The Offspring, Rocket from the Crypt, American Hi-Fi, MOTH, The Special Goodness, and Alkaline Trio), and Ryan Sinn (The Distillers). After months of silence, Tom could not stop talking about his current side project. In an interview with Kerrang! Tom discussed blink-182's hiatus. It was stated that the side project Box Car Racer created a rift between Tom and Mark. While on tour, Tom had an epiphany and knew he was destined to do something great in his life. At the end of their European tour in 2005, Tom had to return home to be with his family. Geffen Records immediatly offered Tom a solo album, but he declined. Mark, reportedly, heard only half the story and and became very upset. To retaliate he created Plus 44. Tom, then having nothing to do and feeling left out, created Angels and Airwaves. Many fans refuse to believe Kerrang! due to Tom's statement about the first article.

Recently, a rumor has been spread on the internet concerning blink-182's side projects, Angels and Airwaves and Plus 44. The rumor states these bands only exist to add publicity to blink-182's already large fanbase. Also stated is that at the height of their rivalry, the bands will break apart to reform blink-182. No band members have commented on this as of January 2006.

Greatest Hits

In the wake of the hiatus, Geffen Records released blink-182's "Greatest Hits". From Buddha to the untitled album, the album chronologically holds the band, most famous, and most important songs in their career, including the two previously unreleased tracks "Not Now" (from the European version of the untitled album) and "Another Girl Another Planet" (a cover song originally by The Only Ones, it also appears as the themes song to reality show Meet the Barkers). The album immediatly climbed to the top of the chart and reached #6 on the United States top selling records.

Discography

Complete discography for the American pop punk band blink-182.

Studio releases

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
File:Dude Ranch Blink 182 album.jpg
 June 17, 1997 Dude Ranch MCA
File:Blink181State.jpg
 June 1, 1999 Enema of the State MCA
File:Themarktom&travis show album cover.jpg
 November 7, 2000 The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show: The Enema Strikes Back (live) MCA
File:Blink182-takeoffyourpantsandjacket.png
 June 12, 2001 Take Off Your Pants and Jacket MCA
File:Blink182albumcover.jpg
 November 18, 2003 (Untitled) Geffen
File:Blink 182-greatest hits.jpg
 November 1, 2005 Greatest Hits (compilation) Geffen


EPs

Album Cover Date of Release Title Label US Billboard Peak US sales
File:Uranus front.jpg
 1995 They Came to Conquer Uranus Grilled Cheese Did not chart
1996 Wasting Time Rapido Did not chart

Demos

Album Cover Date of Release Title Label US Billboard Peak US sales
File:Flyswatt.gif
 November 8, 1992 Flyswatter Fags in the Wilderness Did not chart
1993 2nd Demo Unknown Did not chart
File:Blink-182 - Buddha (Original).jpg
 1993 Buddha (original version) Filter Did not chart
1994 Buddha Promo Unknown Did not chart
File:Blink182Buddha.jpg
 October 27, 1998 Buddha (CD Version) Kung Fu Did not chart

VHS/DVDs

Video Cover Date of Release Title Label Chart positions US sales
2000 Probed Unauthorized
File:Urethra23343.jpg
 May 2, 2000 The Urethra Chronicles Universal
2001 Man Overboard/Adam's Song
File:Riding in vans with boys.jpg
 December 9, 2003 Riding in Vans with Boys Universal
File:Blink 182-greatest hitsdvd.jpg
 November 1, 2005 Greatest Hits Geffen

Singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
US Hot 100 US Modern Rock US Mainstream Rock UK Singles Chart
1995 "M+M's" - - - - Cheshire Cat
1996 "Lemmings" - - - - Lemmings (split single)
1996 "Wasting Time" - - - - Cheshire Cat
1997 "Dammit" - #11 #26 #30
(2005) 		Dude Ranch
1998 "Josie" - - - - Dude Ranch
1998 "Apple Shampoo" - - - - Dude Ranch
1998 "Dick Lips" - - - - Dude Ranch
1999 "What's My Age Again?" #58 #2 #19 #38 Enema of the State
1999 "All the Small Things" #6 #1 #1 #2 Enema of the State
2000 "What's My Age Again?"
(Re-Release) 		- - - #19 Enema of the State
2000 "Adam's Song" - #2 - - Enema of the State
2000 "Man Overboard" - #2 - - The Mark, Tom and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back)
2001 "The Rock Show" #71 #2 - #14 Take off Your Pants and Jacket
2002 "First Date" - #6 - #31 Take off Your Pants and Jacket
2002 "Stay Together for the Kids" - #7 - - Take off Your Pants and Jacket
2003 "Feeling This" - #2 - #15 blink-182
2004 "I Miss You" #42 #1 - #8 blink-182
2004 "Down" - #10 - #24 blink-182
2004 "Always" - #39 - #36 blink-182
2005 "Not Now" /
"Dammit" (UK double 'a' side) 		- #21 - #30 Greatest Hits

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 Mark plays songs from underground artists, interviews some of his favorite bands, and informs the listeners about happenings in his life. Mark even won the "Best Podcast" award for 2005.

MacBeth

Following in Mark's footsteps, MacBeth 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

Random Facts

  • Travis Barker currently co-stars in a new television show, Meet the Barkers, with his wife, Shanna Moakler.
  • Tom DeLonge appeared in the film Idle Hands as a fast-food worker; he only had one line.
  • Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, and Travis Barker made up the "garage band" in the "Nadia strips on the net" scene from the movie "American Pie". (Travis was not credited, although he does appear on screen. He was incorrectly credited as Scott Raynor.)
  • Blink-182's greatest hits cover similar looking to The Offspring's is apparantly a homage to "real punk rock" according to Travis
  • Tom Delonge was #15 on Cosmogirl's top fifty hottest rockers.
  • Their birthdays are: Mark, March 15th 1972; Tom, December 13th 1975; Travis, November 14th 1975.

The Naming of the Albums

Up to the self titled album of 2003 all albums were running in alphabetical order. The cover art of Flyswatter is an A, the starting letters of Buddha, Cheshire Cat, Dude Ranch and Enema of the State follow the alphabet, on the drumkit on the cover art of The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show: The Enema Strikes Back you can see an F on the bass drum, and on the jacket pocket of the green(Mark) version of Take off Your Pants and Jacket is a G. The band has not continued this with the greatest hits and untitled albums. Mark Hoppus stated that the covers with A through F were just a coincidence, but they intentionally added the G on the TOYPAJ cd.

Other projects by band members

Companies owned by band members

Official Links:

Unofficial Links:

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