r/Music • u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 • Feb 06 '12
hi, my name is mark. blink-182. hoppus on music. stupid hair. ama.
hello, fine people of the interwebs. my name is mark hoppus, and i play bass and sing in the rock trio blink-182. i also have a tv show called "hoppus on music." i enjoy long walks on the beach, long watchings of tv, and long starings at my cell phone while people are trying to talk to me. please feel free to ask me anything. yes, anything. if something is blatantly offensive or disrespectful of others, i will invoke my right of parlay and say "pass." thank you for your time.
ps-i can save you a lot of time by saying that i don't know when we will be touring in your city or country. we want to play everywhere always for everybody.
pps-thanks to tropius, who originally had the username markhoppus, and relinquished it to me so i could have my name for reddit.
i will post this now to give time for questions to be submitted, and be back in 30 minutes at 9pm GMT to start the answering.
edit: 90 minutes later, let's call it. thanks VERY much to all of you for your time. you all rule. let's do this again sometime, shall we? may the force be with you.
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Feb 06 '12
Is the song 'Fighting the Gravity' a reference to your hair?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
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.
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Feb 06 '12
Is this the time you got your drink spiked with acid and dropped your bass and ran out into the desert thinking the car lights were monsters?
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Feb 06 '12
If you could have lunch with any person, living or dead, what would you order?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
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.
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Feb 06 '12
Verified:
https://twitter.com/#!/markhoppus/status/166619445928792064
https://www.facebook.com/markhoppus/posts/167668910011094
I gave you some flair and put a star by the post, welcome!
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
thanks very much for the star! i feel verified now!
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u/andrewsmith1986 Feb 06 '12
I'm angry that you have this and iama has nothing.
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Feb 06 '12
Do you guys still keep in touch with Scott?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
i have not spoken to scott in a very long time. too long.
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Feb 06 '12
Dude Ranch was such a huge part of my teenage years. Hopefully you guys talk again soon.
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Feb 06 '12
What do you think he would say if you were to stop by and see him or call? Do you think it would go well at all? I've always been curious about this.
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u/BestKindOfMess Feb 06 '12
Who's your favorite Adventure Time character?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
lumpy space princess
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u/SamBo_LamBo Feb 06 '12
Coming from one of the guys who made pop-punk what it is today, what's you're opinion on the genre nowadays?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
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.
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u/robbytheautomaton Feb 06 '12
For me, Enema was the high water mark of the genre, I don't think any pop-punk band will be able to top how you guys just killled it that entire tour. Also, I just have to say it's fucking awesome that the day after my first concert (Summerfest in Milwaukee) my parents read about you guys bringing dancing penises on stage with you. All these new bands seem so lame compared to blink.
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u/punkrockdanny Feb 06 '12
How did the blink side project "Box Car Racer" make you feel?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
weird, betrayed, jealous. probably more than i should have.
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u/Flanq Feb 06 '12
The question still stands though, if you felt this way about the project, why did you presumably agree to do backing vocals on 'Elevator', to be fair, your vocals make that song, but it still confuses me.
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
the whole situation sucked. but i sang on the track because, at the heart of it, tom and travis are my friends. i'm sure tom felt the tension and asked me as an offering. i was glad to have done it, and i was glad that he asked.
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u/punkrockdanny Feb 06 '12
Do you still feel that way when it's brought up?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
no, i don't. that was a many years ago.
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u/2minutes2midnight Feb 06 '12
What's the most awkward thing that's happened since Blink 182 got back together?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
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.
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Feb 06 '12
For the confused. Here is Tom and the goth pizza chef hat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZiVIKvtYl0
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u/nobluntstrick Feb 06 '12
How many unreleased songs does blink 182 have? And do you ever plan on releasing said songs?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
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.
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u/Vole85 SoundCloud Feb 06 '12
I would kill for some "half-demos" from the 2003 album.
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u/IK0N3N Feb 06 '12
Have you found your asian friend?
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u/dontswimtoshore dannorton Feb 06 '12
if you were forming a supergroup with current musicians, who would be in it and why? what would they be called?
(rule: no blink or +44 members allowed)
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
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.
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u/azulhombre Feb 06 '12
You and Emily Haines would be goddamn glorious. Love Metric.
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u/chrisfishlock chrisfishlock Feb 06 '12
i'd love to see you and Fat Mike have a bass battle
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u/freshasaurus Feb 06 '12
I love how much you love The Joy Formidable. They are such an amazing band.
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u/Don2k12 Feb 06 '12
If Mark Hoppus was in a band with Jack White, Jim Adkins (from jimmy eat world) and Dave Grohl on drums, my head would explode.
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u/rosefane Feb 06 '12
Who was your favorite Spice Girl?
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Feb 06 '12
What was the first song you guys, as blink-182, wrote and thought "we sound pretty good; we could make something out of this"? So the first song where it all clicked, so to speak.
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
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.
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u/surette ScottSupersonic Feb 06 '12
Crazy to think that over twenty years later, you'd still be playing that same song in front of sold out crowds of 20,000 people.
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u/HazeySynth Feb 06 '12 edited Feb 06 '12
How has fame affected your life?
Is the money as good as it seems?
How does it feel being part of a band that has managed to come back as successful as ever with new material?
What's life like while touring?
Choose any to reply to :)
Also going to see you june 13th in belfast, any chance of a shout out? Name is Gerard :D
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
i'm not famous. famous is brad pitt (dreamy!) or sir ernest shackleton (explorey!) or carrot top (prop comedy-y!). i'm a dude in a band. i love it when people recognize us or ask for a photo or come up to say they love a song or our band. it's a huge compliment. the only reason we get to do what we do is because people support our band. i hope to ever lose sight of that fact. also, thank you to everybody.
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u/mek1 Feb 06 '12
what is your weirdest memory about a fan?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
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.
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u/eliskawoodnymph Feb 06 '12
If you had to choose a foreign language to learn, what would it be?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
french, spanish, japanese, italian, portuguese, but i'm still working on english. still can't quite get a handle on english...
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u/Claussm claussm Feb 06 '12
Does +44 have any plans to make a new record?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
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.
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Feb 06 '12 edited Feb 06 '12
This needs to happen!
Edit: Why did the other person delete their replies to me? Now I just look silly.
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u/blinditachi Feb 06 '12
Have you guys thought about having a 2 hour show instead of the 90 minute show so you can play more non singles?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
nope. 90 minutes, boom. longer than that and it'd get boring for people. 90 minutes is the perfect set length.
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u/freshasaurus Feb 06 '12
I don't know, man. Foo Fighters get close to 3 hours and it's always fantastic. Combined with the witty banter of Blink-182, I think you guys could do it.
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u/Capsato Feb 06 '12
I saw Jimmy Eat World last summer, they played Clarity and Bleed American in full back to back. Best gig of my life.
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Feb 06 '12
I wouldn't get bored. I could watch you play live for months. But I do respect your decision. :)
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u/JayEff123 Feb 06 '12
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???
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
underneath the weeping willow by grandaddy. listen to it and i think you'll understand.
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u/superdean Feb 06 '12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYeNZkqCWHw
^ link for the lazy
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u/LuxMedia Feb 06 '12 edited Feb 06 '12
What's your craziest story from being famous in the 90's-00's?
Also, I think you're a pretty cool guy.
Edit: Updated date
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
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.
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u/chrisfishlock chrisfishlock Feb 06 '12
you got invited to dine in the houses of parliament? i'd love to hear that story in full.
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
happens is a few days. i'll let you know how it goes. i'm definitely going to get out my dress monocle for the occasion.
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u/ilze44 Feb 06 '12
Is Tom a good kisser? Is he better than Travis?
If you don't know... can you find out? for science...
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
i don't know from experience, but i do fancy myself a scientist, so i will see what i can do...
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Feb 06 '12
What do you think of Tom's new style of singing? Do you think it affects the way you write your parts in blink?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
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.
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u/gyrferret Feb 06 '12
His voice does fit with the overall "mood" of his recent releases. It wouldn't fit if he was singing (for the first time) songs from Enema or Pants and Jacket.
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u/iamdirt Feb 06 '12
To this day do you still wanna fuck a dog in the ass?
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
mine was not the lead voice in this particular moment of musical genius. i was the pirate. i will leave it at that.
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u/throwawayza Feb 06 '12
a mexican pirate
Also, are you implying Tom still wants to fuck a dog in the ass?
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u/pepito420 Feb 06 '12
hijacking top comment to promote shamelessly /r/Blink182. Mark if you see this please stop by and say hi to the official blink-182 reddit community.
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u/TheKomodo Feb 06 '12
I think it's safe to say WEEEEEEEEEE Want to Fuck a dog in the ass
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Feb 06 '12 edited Feb 06 '12
what'd the true origin of the "182"? There's soooo much theories swirling around it's hard to choose which lie to believe.
EDIT: I realize they added the number because there was already another band named "Blink", but I was inquiring why they chose THAT specific number. And I'm not believing any of you until Mark confirms.
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u/MarkHoppus Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Feb 06 '12
objection! asked and answered!!
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u/almost_neverreal Feb 06 '12
Its a number they pulled out of their ass because there already was a band named Blink
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u/Helpful_Table_Maker Feb 06 '12 edited Feb 06 '12
Alert, all mobile users, here is an image of the table, as posted here. Please give the man who took the time to screenshot and upload it some karma.###
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 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. |
Additionally, here is the verification.
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Feb 06 '12 edited Feb 07 '12
Image of the table, for those using a mobile app
Table_Maker, I'd suggest incorporating an image of your table into your posts. It really helps a lot of people on mobile devices where formatting isn't supported.
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u/Helpful_Table_Maker Feb 06 '12
Added to the top of the post, as well as linking to your comment.
As for adding one to every post, I would myself, but I have a small monitor and no decent photo editing software, so I can't post a decent one, nor can I do it quickly. I've already made this post here so I'll see if anything happens with that.
Thank you very much for making this one, though.
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u/BlindRath Feb 06 '12
Hey, you have a random question in there.
The attic children question was never responded too. The answer "It may be permenantly removed from our set list as its too hard", is in response too the adam's song question.
Thank you for doing this though
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u/TiberiusRusin Feb 06 '12
What happened to you and Tom on Conan's show when you guys performed first date? You had a black eye and Tom had what looked like a broken nose.
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u/Poppa_Dom Feb 06 '12
Yeah! Tom was so reluctant to talk about it when asked by Conan. Would love this to be answered.
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Feb 06 '12 edited Feb 06 '12
Mark, I am a 17 year old Boy Scout who is up for his Eagle Scout award. I am a huge fan of yours and of Blink 182. Now when someone gets their Eagle Scout it is tradition for them to ask for letters of commendation to be presented at their Court of Honor. They are usually from politicians and things of that nature but they can really be from anyone. Now I have to say I think it would be the most Bad Ass thing ever if you were to write me a letter. It would make my life. So will you write me a letter? Contact me via twitter @jvankeuren
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u/rileyhogan Feb 06 '12
I believe this is a "Here's Your Letter" moment
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Feb 07 '12 edited Feb 07 '12
been refreshing this post for the last 3 hours.....there doesnt seem to be a heart melting moment coming anytime soon.....
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u/RaveCave Feb 06 '12
Somewhat relevant, but be sure to ask for a letter from Chic fil A. They send you a $100 check and a signed book that the founder of CFA wrote.
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u/Even-if-She-Falls Feb 06 '12
First time Redditor, long time blink fan here. It's an honor Heezy!
Where did the lyric "Fate fell short this time" come from, if it actually has a specific origin?
What does it feel like to have your own TV show?
What is your favorite blink song? +44 song?
And lastly, this isn't a question, but at the West Palm Beach show on the Honda Civic Tour, you got off the stage during Family Reunion to sign my arm, as Tom and Travis had already signed it before the show but you were in an interview. I honestly can't thank you enough for doing that, and just wanted to share the result with you (Taken the next day at the Tampa show):
Thank you for doing this AMA and actually caring about your fans.
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u/thejesseb Feb 06 '12
What is your favorite up and coming band that you think we should all know about?
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u/signposthead Feb 06 '12
What is your personal favorite song that blink-182 has made?
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u/darkarmy86 Feb 06 '12
Can you tell us more about the Octopus design that is seen on your some of your basses and tshirt line among with other things? Is there some sort of story behind it that you can tell, or what made you decied to use it as somewhat of a side project? And where can people find the merch?
Also I believe they announced you be a guess on The Walking Dead after show but you ended up not being a special guest after all. What happened? I was bummed, I was looking forward to seeing you talk zombies, and of couse act like one too.
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u/jamesplaysbass Feb 06 '12
What's your honest opinion of Angels & Airwaves' music? and would you please ask fender to make your sig bass in pink for all of us again? please?! much respect, you are one of the reasons i picked up the bass!
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u/Tropius last.fm name Feb 06 '12
Hey Mark thanks for doing the AMA. My birthday is next month; is it true that nobody likes you when you're 23?
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u/Nickelodeon92 Feb 06 '12
Hey mark I was wondering if you knew string bass before you did the video for "I Miss You" or you learned it just for the video. Also what other instruments are you proficient in?
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u/m1saxman Feb 06 '12
Hey Mark! Thanks for doing this AMA. I wanted to ask, which Blink album are you personally the most proud of, and what about it makes it so special to you?
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u/isaacthegreat Feb 06 '12
Whats your favorite type of porn?
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u/PlanetaryG0 Feb 06 '12
Hey dude,
I saw you guys on the Honda Civic Tour and was lucky enough to win a photopass from the local radio to shoot you guys, so thanks to ya'll and Kenny for that. My question:
Best stories from Honda Civic Tour? Especially ones involving the other bands like MCR and Matt & Kim?
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u/Orpse Feb 07 '12
I CANT BELIEVE I MISSED THIS FUCK MY LIFE :(
Mark, if you read this, South Africa loves you!
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u/brandondownton Feb 06 '12
Hi Mark, were you aware that there are oodles of health class videos about rape with Blink songs in them?
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u/guernicaa Feb 06 '12
Hi mark, how big is your penis?
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Feb 06 '12
There is actually a video on YouTube where mark is singing waggy way back in the early 90's and someone pants him in front of the camera. That will answer your question hahaha
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u/Reesy Feb 06 '12
Hey Mark, I'll try and keep this short and sweet, huge fan here, have been since I was 10 years old, almost 12 years ago, saw you last at Cardiff south wales in 2004 (someone threw a minidisk at your head during this show, fuck knows if you remember!).
My question is, since you're living in the UK, as am I, what one thing if you had to choose, do you greatly prefer over living in the states?
P.s. this is my blink tattoo, smiley tattoo still undecided whether to add a sixth arrow since I had this done in 2008! What do you think?
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Feb 06 '12
I remember the mini disk. Mark picked it up and said 'WHO USES MINI DISKS!?!?'. He got a towel thrown up at him too a before the interlude. Such an amazing show!
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u/imnumberQ Feb 06 '12
How does the song creation process go with such a legendary drummer as Travis? Does he create beats first or how does it work?
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u/jontylief Feb 06 '12 edited Feb 06 '12
Is Adam's Song about you personally? Why did you call it Adam's Song?
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u/wannabe-sysadmin Feb 06 '12
Do you ever feel that you're getting too old for all this? What does your wife think?
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u/capn_joe Feb 06 '12
Why did you decide move to England, is it as gnarly as you make it seem, and what is the music scene like?
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u/film_grip_guy Feb 06 '12 edited Feb 06 '12
You, sir, got me into bass guitar. Am a big fan, thanks for doing this!
Questions:
What's your favorite song?
What's your favorite sandwich?
Favorite / most awesome backstage moment?
Any details about the band breakup and subsequent get-back-together? Was it for money, or did you all decide it'd be fun to do work together again?
NINJA EDIT QUESTION:
Favorite place to perform?
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u/FuckingSticks Feb 06 '12
The new album had a much more serious feel to it, I know you guys have grown up, but do you ever miss being able to do the silly stupid shit that was on Cheshire Cat?
Oh and do you miss Tom singing like that? I sure as hell do.
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u/shoeonmyfoot Feb 06 '12 edited Feb 06 '12
Hello Mark! I created the blink subreddit /r/blink182 Have you checked it out yet? I would like to quickly say that the music you make has been the soundtrack to my life. It fits together perfectly, from being young and dumb, to now being grown up and stuff. So thank you for that. I have a niece (her name is Mickey) in her teen years, who absolutely loves you, and with the music we have something in common and I've gotten to be the "cool uncle" I guess my question will be this. "In the song What's My Age Again" If you listen real close towards the end you can hear "Don't leave Wendy" Are there any other songs that have hidden things in them like that?"
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Feb 06 '12
What kind of religion are you? I've been a fan for many years, but it seems like you have never made this public.
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u/The_Holy_Pope Feb 07 '12
I swear this is a true story. I went to a high school in LA and you crashed our prom after party (Universal Hilton). You ended up taking the virginity of a boy named Woody Harrelson. You didn't call him afterwards. He cried a lot. Do you remember any of this and can confirm or have you been so knee deep in hollywood ass for so long that this qualifies as a mere blip? /not kidding.
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u/CodexAcc Feb 06 '12
Long time fan Mark - I have to ask... MH.4.18.2011 - any significant meaning to this song title? I read while the songs are untitled you use the initials of who wrote it and the date - or is there a deeper meaning to it?
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u/callummmm Feb 06 '12
hey mark, hey .. hey mark.. I'm a huge fan own all the blink and +44 CDs and DVDS there are so many things I'd love to ask you. you guys truly are my favroute band and have been since my older brother bought home dude ranch when i was 7. i know it's wishful thinking to think you'll read this post, but you guys where probably the last band to come from nothing and make something huge, and I would love to know how it felt to have that sudden rise to fame. you're a hero mark! see you this summer at the o2!
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Feb 06 '12
What is you favorite old blink song pre-enema of the state? I grew up on those albums and covered lots of them with my friends.
Thanks
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u/Bilibond Feb 06 '12
Hi Mark! I'm a big fan. I just have a few questions and feel free not to answer them if they've already been asked or they're stupid. Okay:
Do you have any more plans for +44?
What is your relationship with Tom like now? Are you still friends like you were before the break up?
What made you choose bass over other instruments? If you couldn't play that, what would you play?
If you had to have a band that was another genre besides punk, what would it be?
What makes you like London so much over other places?
What do you think of Tom's other musical work (Angels & Aiwaves and Boxcar)? What does he think of +44?
This is more of a personal request, but at the St. Paul show for the Honda Civic tour, you took a picture of Tom with a polaroid camera and tossed it into the crowd. I was lucky enough to grab it and I was wondering if there is any way I could get that signed by you or Tom or both or even Travis?
Thanks again for doing this AMA. You are one of my biggest heroes because of your music and how you act with dignity and awesomeness at the same time.
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u/mofish1 Feb 06 '12
Why did you guys make an Angels and Airwaves album and package it in a Blink182 wrapper?
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u/johnnycade Feb 06 '12
What are your plans for the next blink album? Are you planning on consciously changing things up, or just going with the flow and seeing what happens?
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u/brtlblayk Feb 06 '12 edited Feb 06 '12
Hey Mark,
I have a few questions for you! I've been a fan of you for years, and you saved my life with your song 'Adams Song.' This has impacted my life in many ways, because of this, I got my first bass at 14 and I'm in my second semester at the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO) for Music Production. I want to follow in your footsteps in any way possible.
Question 1: Any Production/Engineering tips you can give me?
Question 2: Would you be willing to do a Master Class at my school? (The last Master Class was with Ben Folds and it was AMAZING! usually it consists of an interview with Scott Booker, the manager of the Flaming Lips and the school's CEO, about your career with music and then a Q&A from the students)
Question 3: Is there a way I can get a signed picture of your face? (If not, then it's cool Thanks anyway!)
Question 4: Are you a fan of Doctor Who? (especially since you have been living in London?)
I've been a fan since I was a child and you've been mostly the reason I've still stayed around on this Earth. If there is any way I can repay you PLEASE tell me so! I guess this will be the closest way I will ever get to meet you, so I'm grateful you did this!
Thank you so much, Blake
EDIT: the /r/Blink182 subreddit would love for you to stop in and say hi, also!
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u/dravere Feb 06 '12
Hey Mark, thanks for doing this! What made you start playing Bass and do you have a favourite Bass player who inspires you?
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u/BDKhXc Spotify Feb 06 '12 edited Feb 07 '12
Will you listen to this song I wrote about my ex shitting in my bed and tell me your honest super celebrity opinion? http://soundcloud.com/bdkhxc/you-suck-at-sucking-and-im
Edit: heres more stuff, thanks for all the plays guys!
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u/vandezande Feb 06 '12
Any chance on another +44 album? And how much do you like Tom's Angels and Airwaves music?
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u/zento_ Feb 06 '12
You must be aware of the fan opinion of Tom's recent performances vocally. Considering your vocals are good live, is this something he is going to work on?
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Feb 06 '12
You, Tom, Travis and Scott are the reason I got into music as more than a passing thing on the radio. I just wanted to say that before it gets crowded in here.
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u/JDoze Feb 06 '12
Am I the only one who wants a live, acoustic album?? Nirvana's worked out pretty good.
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u/Thundaja Feb 06 '12
Mark, when you went on hiatus from blink, what really drove you back together? What ever happened with your side band you were doing?
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u/waitrewindthat Feb 06 '12
Ignore those who ask about ava/+44 references. Answer the real questions.
what are you listening too currently? i learned about mumford and sons because of your blog on spin.
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u/nathansimm Feb 06 '12
Do you feel Even If She Falls should have been more than a bonus track? It's my favourite from Neighbourhoods and I wish you would play it live.
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u/mntrs Feb 06 '12
You seem to run a lot.
Around how many miles/km do you run per month?
Have you seen the guy who gave you the double smoking barrels during one of your jogs again?
(Also, cheers for doing an AMA!)
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u/chelssmiesterr Feb 06 '12 edited Feb 06 '12
It had been a dream of mine since my ears first were dazzled by your musical soundings the minute I popped in your Cheshire Cat album, to see you all in concert. I was finally able to this summer, and I just wanted to thank you for reuniting for all of us lifelong Blink fans. Your music has made me become the vulgar, outspoken young woman I am today and I thank you for that.
What was your favorite Blink album to produce? And what has been the greatest "holy fuck, I love my job" moment in your career?
Edit: grammar
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u/IAmNotASmartMan Feb 06 '12
your hair isn't stupid, it's rad, and your musics pretty awesome, thanks for making it and it will live on forever , even after your bones deteriorate.
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u/hatsandhardcore Feb 06 '12
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.