blink-182
Blink-182 |
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blink-182 (pronounced "blink one eighty two") was a pop punk band from San Diego, California, U.S. formed in 1992 by Mark Hoppus (vocals and bass), Tom DeLonge (vocals and guitar), and Scott Raynor (drums) in the northern San Diego suburb of Poway. Travis Barker replaced Raynor on drums in 1998, midway through blink-182's US tour. The group went on "indefinite hiatus" in 2005.
The group is known for its catchy melodies, as well as for satirical, and sometimes profanity-laden, toilet humor. Musically, the band played up-tempo songs with prominent major-chord harmonies, often digitally mixed, to provide a much cleaner sound than typical punk/rock recordings, which generally exhibit distortion and analogue mixes to achieve the opposite effect. The lyrical content of their songs, prior to their last album, was usually humorous and light hearted. However, their last album showed a significant departure from their previous works and helped exhibit their more mature musical prowess while showcasing some advancement in the sophistication of their lyrical themes. Blink-182 fans were predominantly teenagers; however, they managed to establish a more mature following with their latest offering.
History
Early career (1992-1995)
In May 1993, Blink released a demo tape entitled Flyswatter, recorded in drummer Scott Raynor's bedroom. It was their first album and a 4-track was used to record the material, resulting in poor sound quality and, according to Hoppus, only around fifty copies were produced. Their first real show took place at a bar and, since they were underage, they were only allowed to enter when it was time for their set. They bought 50 tickets to sell, but no one came to see them. After only one song Blink was kicked off the stage and out of the bar. Before the end of the year, the band released another demo tape known as Buddha. Around 1,000 copies were produced by Filter Records (owned by Hoppus' boss).
In early 1994, the success of the Buddha demo lead to Blink being signed with Cargo Records. Blink recorded their debut full-length album, Cheshire Cat, in just three days. The album contained a number of updated versions of songs that had appeared on the Buddha demo, such as "Strings".
Shortly after the release of Cheshire Cat, Blink was threatened with legal action by a pop band in Ireland of the same name. In order to avoid a lengthy lawsuit, Blink appended "-182" to the end of their name. There are several rumours as to why these numbers were ultimately chosen, such as their correspondence to the number of times Al Pacino utters the word "fuck" in Scarface, the 1985 Timothy Hutton film, Turk 182!, their representation of Hoppus' ideal weight, or that they represent the position in the alphabet of the letters 'R' and 'B,' referring to the northern San Diego suburb of Rancho Bernardo. However, the band members have dismissed such claims and maintain that the numbers were picked at random. However, in one interview, Barker stated that the "182" was the U.S. radio code meaning 'homicide' (apparently confusing "182," the radio code for conspiracy, with "187"). During the pop punk boom of the 1990s, blink-182 was signed by MCA in 1996 which later became Geffen Records.
Dude Ranch-era (1996–1998)
After moving to Encinitas, California, the band recorded the album Dude Ranch in 1996 with producer Mark Trombino. The album was released in 1997 and was relatively commercially successful. The single "Dammit" did well on U.S. modern rock charts. The single "Josie" was also relatively successful. However, in 1998 the band experienced a setback. Raynor, who had a serious drinking problem at the time, was reportedly asked to leave the band or go into rehab. However, there are also reports that he departed in order to attend college. Raynor claims he agreed, but that the remaining band members fired him over the phone despite his acquiescence, citing that they were doubtful of Raynor's sincerity. His expulsion occurred midway through blink-182's U.S. tour. He was replaced by Travis Barker.
Rise to success (1999–2001)
For the 1999 album Enema of the State, the band hired Rancid and MxPx producer Jerry Finn, who became the band's permanent record producer. The album was largely successful, propelling the band to pop punk fame and gaining a significant 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?", "Adam's Song" and "All the Small Things"; and particularly due to an infamous music video for "What's My Age Again?" which featured the band streaking. Enema of the State sold 7.7 million copies worldwide, which made it their bestselling album to that point. The sound on the album was rooted in the same genre as earlier punk-rock bands such as NOFX, Rancid, Green Day and The Offspring, but it was recorded and mixed cleaner and with less distortion, allowing it to be more accessible to the mainstream. Because of this, many fans felt the band had "sold out" and had strayed from its punk rock roots.
The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show: The Enema Strikes Back, blink-182's sole live album was released in 2000, featuring songs from their three albums: Cheshire Cat, Dude Ranch and Enema of the State. The album included one new studio song, "Man Overboard," among the live renditions. Because it is no longer in print, the album is highly sought after by collectors.
The band continued their commercial success with Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001), which followed the same basic formula of Enema of the State. When the album was first released, there were several versions with different bonus tracks. These were titled "Take off," "Pants," and "Jacket," each of which were signified by a different sticker on the CD. Each version had two different bonus tracks. The tracks were "Fuck a Dog", "Mothers Day" and "When You Fucked Grandpa", all considered to be joke songs. The more serious numbers were "Time to Break Up", "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" and "What Went Wrong". Because of the different combinations, some long-term fans wanted to collect them all. However, the bonus tracks were only available for a limited time. A European tour (in the winter 2001) in support of the live album was cancelled in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. Rescheduled dates in early 2002 were also cancelled due to Delonge's back problems.
Untitled-era (2003–2004)
After taking some time off in 2002, recording of the next record began in early 2003. A more laid back approach to song writing was taken. The result was a more mature sounding record than anything blink-182 had attempted before. The band released its fifth studio album on November 18, 2003. Described as "a self-meditation on romantic decay", the album featured the hit singles "Feeling This" (previously named "Action", as released on the game Madden 2004), "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[1]. It showcased a style of music deeper than anything blink-182 had done previously, but still managed to receive significant airplay on radio stations and Fuse. 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. During late 2003, the band embarked on what came to be known as the "Dolla Bill" tour. The name stemmed from the inexpensive ticket costs for attendance. The tour was largely popular with fans as the band played more intimate venues and ticket sales were heavily controlled to prevent touting. Also, special "meet and greets" were arranged before some of the shows. The tour would also visit The SOMA in San Diego, a venue where blink-182 would go to watch and play gigs during their early years. A tour with No Doubt in the summer of 2004 was also very successful. Coming up to 3 years after its release, the successful album has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.
Indefinite Hiatus, Greatest Hits, Angels and Airwaves, and +44 (2005-Present)
On February 8, 2005, Blink-182 was announced to perform at the Music for Relief's Concert for South Asia, a benefit show on February 18 planned for the tsunami in Asia that had occurred late the previous year. [2] A large amount of confusion occurred, however, when the band mysteriously pulled out of the gig. Four days later, many fans were shocked when blink-182 announced they were going on an "indefinite hiatus". Barker was the first to speak out, claiming that "We're taking a break and letting everyone be creative on their time off", adding that "We want to enjoy ourselves and regroup and write a record when it's the right time." He also said that the band members wanted to spend more time with their families. [3] Two months later, Barker and Hoppus announced they were forming a new band, (+44), with Barker saying that "Blink, as far as I'm concerned, is over.." [4]
The band remained relatively quiet for the next few months, but on August 29, 2005, Geffen Records announced their plans to release a career long "Greatest Hits" compilation that would be released on November 1 in the United States. One previously unreleased track was included "Another Girl Another Planet" (a cover song originally by The Only Ones, recorded as the theme song to the reality TV show Meet the Barkers), Also included was the previously issued B-side (to the "I Miss You" single) and Untitled album bonus track (Outside the United States), "Not Now" (which was used as the first single). The album immediately reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.
Three weeks later Delonge revealed his project, Angels and Airwaves, to the general public. He claimed it would be "the greatest rock'n'roll revolution of this generation" and "more emotional than blink-182 and Box Car Racer put together." In his reason for why blink-182 was on indefinite hiatus, Delonge suggested the mounting tension between himself and Hoppus, ultimately caused by DeLonge's desire for a break with his family and Hoppus' feelings of betrayal from the formation of Box Car Racer. He also announced his plans to create a film about the final days of blink-182 [5]. Angels and Airwaves released their debut album We Don't Need to Whisper on May 23rd, 2006, where it debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200. The band went on tour in the summer of 2006, with Taking Back Sunday as co-headliner.
Meanwhile, Hoppus and Barker remained under the radar; however, the first form of any new material from any of the former members of blink-182 surfaced on December 13, 2005, from (+44). The song, "No It Isn't," featured cryptic lyrics such as "Please understand, this isn't just good bye / this is I can't stand you" which many believe were directed at DeLonge. Incidentally, the song was leaked on the same day that Angels and Airwaves were slated to release their first song (and also Tom Delonge's 30th birthday), although conflicts caused the band to delay its release. The song was ultimately released on DeLonge's birthday, fueling further speculation from fans.
In August 2006, Hoppus finally broke his silence and gave his first personal interview with the press in an extensive interview for b182.com. The origins of (+44) were explained, but the real focus of the interview dealt with the state of blink-182. Hoppus said that the band was getting along at the time of their final album (as shown on "MTV video Album's Launch" about the progress of their recording), which was contrary to what Delonge had stated in earlier interviews. Around the beginning of their last European leg of the tour, blink-182 began preparation for a final U.S. tour, but later DeLonge had said he did not want to tour anymore, requesting a half year respite in order to spend time with his family. Hoppus revealed that he and Barker were initially upset, but they conceded to the break nonetheless. This led to the cancellation of the band's planned spring US tour.
Hoppus stated that he and Barker eventually formed (+44) at the end of the European leg due to the fact that they did not want to wait for Tom's six months break to be over and they still wanted to record. Subsequently, (+44) is the calling code from the United Kingdom. He also couldn't say whether there was a possibility for the former bandmates to rebuild their broken relationship. He ultimately confirmed that the song "No It Isn't" was about the hiatus of blink-182, and although he is hoping he and his former bandmate, Tom DeLonge, can set aside their differences and come together for the fans, blink-182 is unlikely to re-form any time soon.
Discography Stefan is a fat load (joking)
Trivia
blink-182 in popular culture
- DeLonge, Hoppus, and Barker played a "garage band" that watches a webcast of Nadia stripping in the film American Pie. Barker was incorrectly credited as Scott Raynor. The band's song "Mutt" is featured on the film's soundtrack (considered the film's theme song).
- DeLonge, Hoppus, and Barker appeared in the 300th episode of The Simpsons, in season 14, playing "All The Small Things" at a concert at skateboarder Tony Hawk's loft in Bart's apartment building.
- All three band members appeared in the Mad TV skit, "Leave it to Blink-182", which parodies the sitcom Leave It to Beaver.
- The band plays their song "What's My Age Again" naked, in episode 2, season 3 of the sitcom Two Guys and a Girl.
- The band appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno three times ("All The Small Things", "Aliens Exist", "Stay Together for the Kids"), The Late Show with David Letterman twice ("The Rock Show", "Down"), Late Night with Conan O'Brien twice ("Dammit", "First Date"), Jimmy Kimmel once ("Feeling This/Stay Together for the Kids"), and performed two songs ("All the Small Things" and "What's My Age Again?") on Saturday Night Live's first episode of the year 2000 (the host for that episode was Jamie Foxx).
- "Feeling This" (labeled as "Action" due to error, blink have confirmed this was never intended to be its name) was first heard in the video game Madden 2004.
- The band appeared in South Park in the episode 105 (ninth of the seventh season) entitled "Christian Rock Hard". They were supporting Kenny, Kyle & Stan's band "Moop" against illegal music downloading.
- "I Miss You" was the theme song to the short-lived The WB series The Mountain.
- The lyrics of "I Miss You" make brief reference to characters and the main plot of the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas.
- Nofx, in one of their songs (Fun Things to Fuck), mentioned that all blink-182 fans are kids.
External links
Official websites
Official websites (other)
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