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File:Blink-182.jpg
Blink-182 performs for sailors, marines and their families in Bahrain

Blink-182 (formerly known as Blink) is a Southern-Californian pop punk band that was formed in 1991 by Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus. The band name is usually not capitalised.

Biography

Blink-182 is made up of three vital members: Thomas (Tom) Matthew Delonge on guitar, Markus (Mark) Allan Hoppus playing bass, and Travis Landon Barker on drums. The band is greatly regarded worldwide for their catchy easy-to-relate-to punk-pop melodies as well as their satirical toilet humour. In 1992, when Mark moved to San Diego, California he was introduced to Tom whilst looking to start a band. Apparently both 'fell in love at first sight' as they shared many things in common. In order to make the band complete, they decided that they needed to look for a drummer. Tom discovered a kid named Scott Raynor at his school who just happened to play drums. Although Scott was a religious Metallica fan, he agreed to join the band. After considering a number of names (such as Duct Tape) the band agreed to call themselves just 'Blink'. This would later have the numbers 182 added onto the end to avoid legal conflicts with a pre-existing Irish band named "Blink" (see below).

Towards the end of 1993 Blink released an EP known as 'Flyswatter'. This demo was recorded using a boom box in Scott's bedroom, thus explaining the poor sound quality (if you can obtain a copy, you'll see how far the band has come since then). Before the end of the year, the band released yet another demo cassette known as 'Buddha'. Around 1000 copies of this were produced by Cargo Filter Records. In early 1994, Blink released their first full-length debut album, 'Cheshire Cat', released on Grilled Cheese Records. The album contained many new versions of songs that appeared on the Buddha demo.

Shortly after the release of Cheshire Cat, Blink were 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 (One Eighty Two) to the end of their name. Although there are rumours as to why these numbers were chosen, all band members have made it clear that they are totally random and do not represent 'Mark's ideal weight', as one fan claimed.

Due to the pop punk boom of the 1990s (due to bands such as Green Day and The Offspring), blink-182 were signed onto record giants MCA. After moving to Encinitas, California, the band recorded the album 'Dude Ranch' with producer Mark Trombino. The album was a hit as two singles 'Josie' and 'Dammit' rose to the top of US airplay charts. Unfortunately, in 1998, a slight setback occurred amongst within the band. Scott, who had a serious drinking problem at the time, was apparently kicked out of the band and asked to go to rehab. Although some believe that he left blink-182 to go to college and earn his degree, it is still unclear as to what exactly happened. When Scott disappeared midway through a US tour, the band needed a drummer to fill in for him at a show. Travis Barker who was playing with the band The Aquabats, who blink-182 were on tour with, decided to play for them that night. After learning the entire blink-182 set in around 30 minutes and ripping through all the songs with ease, Tom decided that Travis was just the man the band needed and Scott was bid farewell.

1999 saw the release of the highly anticipated "Enema Of The State". The CD was successful, but Blink became very big in mainstream pop, MTV, and TRL due to the hit singles "What's My Age Again", "Adam's Song", and the memorable "All The Small Things". The sound on "Enema Of The State" was rooted in the same genre as earlier pop-punk bands such as NOFX, Green Day, and The Offspring, but it was more radio accessible and poppy with lyrics that more teenagers could relate to. Blink lost most of their credibility among the punk scene, and many began to label them "poseurs" and "sellouts" as they began to gain "teenybopper" fans and shared airplay and popularity with Nsync, The Backstreet Boys, and many other "pop" artists.

2001 saw Blink continue their reign as pop-punk kings, making another album "Takeoff Your Pants & Jacket", which followed the same basic formulas as their smash "Enema Of The State". The band didn't gain back any credibility, but their success in the pop and rock world was still evident. In 2001, Blink appeared on the cover of "CosmoGirl", and won a "Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Award". These two things made Blink's punk cred decrease even further, but side projects from Tom Delonge and Travis Barker (The Transplants, Boxcar Racer) saw their credibility rise ever so slowly.

2003 was the year that Blink would gain back most of their credibility. In 2002, bands such as Good Charlotte, New Found Glory, and Simple Plan began following the same route as Blink, which was playing pop-punk music while being successful on MTV and among pop listeners. This made people partially forget about blink-182's impact on the pop-punk, and focus on the bands popular at that time. During that time, blink-182 made their most credibile record yet, their untitled 5th record which features the hit singles "Feeling This", "I Miss You", "Down" and "Always". Although many people believe that the album is self-titled, members of the band have confirmed that they left the album untitled to represent a whole new Blink. It showcased a style of music deeper than anything Blink had ever done, and gained them more crediblity in modern rock while still getting play on pop stations and MTV. Critics have compared their newest album to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" and deemed their sound similar to that of The Police and U2. Listeners called the riffs heavier and the lyrics profound. This opened blink-182 back up to the "hardcore" music scene. A tour with No Doubt was very successful in the summer of 2004 as well.

Discography

New untitled album (Travis Barker confirmed during an interview that the album was not infact 'self-titled' as many people think) was released on November 18, 2003. The song 'Feeling This' is the first single on the new record. It was followed by 'I Miss You' and 'Down' and 'Always'.

Music Videos

Band-Related DVDs

Band

  • Tom Delonge – Guitars, Vocals
  • Mark Hoppus – Bass, Vocals
  • Travis Barker – Drums (original drummer Scott Raynor left after the Dude Ranch album. There are many rumours regarding why Scott left the band, however in an interview, Scott himself claimed that Tom and Blink's manager asked him to sort out his drinking problem. Despite the fact that Scott agreed to do so, the next time he contacted the rest of the band, he was kicked out and replaced by Travis Barker.)

Side projects by band members

Companies owned by band members

Similar bands

See also