In this part I have interviews done on Blink or articles I found about Blink. Don't complain to me if some of the crap on here is all wrong because I didn't write these things. I found most of them on the internet, and a few from magazines. This section might take awhile so be patient.
This is something I found on a website called All-Music. It has information on almost every band out there. Some of the stuff in this article is pretty wrong but whatever. It just has information for people just learning about Blink182. Here it is:
The new-school punk trio Blink-182 was formed near San Diego, California around guitarist/vocalist Tom Delonge, bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Scott Raynor. Originally known as simply Blink, the band debuted in 1993 with a self-released EP, Fly Swatter. After releasing the album Buddha in 1994, the trio signed to Grilled Cheese/Cargo and released Cheshire Cat the following year. The threat of a lawsuit from a similarly named Irish band forced them to change their name to Blink-182, but the group earned a higher profile touring the world with Pennywise and NOFX on the 1996-97 Warped Tour, plus appearing on innumerable skate/surf/snowboarding videos. The third Blink-182 LP, Dude Ranch, was released in 1997. Dude Ranch expanded the group's audience and won the attention of major labels. Blink 182 wound up signing with MCA, who released the band's fourth album, Enema of the State, in the summer of 1999. Travis Barker, formerly with the Aquabats, later replaced Raynor. After selling over four million copies of Enema of the State, the trio played on with the limited edition release The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back) in fall 2000. The album featured the band's radio hits on a live setting intertwined with their quirky sense of humor as well as the new song "Man Overboard". Take Off Your Pants & Jacket, issued in spring 2001, saw the band return to their SoCal punk rock roots. John Bush
This article is quite old, but it has some good information on it.
Thursday, February 12, 1998
Blink twice
Poway punk rockers talk about coming home and recent success
By Moe Keshavarzi
Contributor
"You know what our favorite city is?" screamed Mark Hoppus of Blink 182 as he took the stage to play for a packed house at RIMAC Arena Monday night. The punk-hungry crowd yelled, "San Diego!" But Hoppus, to the dismay of the crowd, replied, "Sydney, Australia."
Success has not jaded these up-and-coming stars of the punk- rock scene. They continue to stay humble and brutally honest as their album keeps climbing the charts.
If you're a punk-rock/ska fan, on Monday night you were probably at UCSD's RIMAC Arena treating your music taste buds to this rich blend of talented musicians "snowboarding their way across America." Use Primus as the main ingredient, add a dash of Long Beach Dub All-Stars, with a sprinkle of Blink 182, and what you have is the robust flavor of Sno-Core '98. The tour is two months long and consists of more than 30 stops. It started at Orange Pavilion in San Bernardino last Friday and will end at Shea's in Rochester, N.Y., on March 17.
Before Blink 182 took the stage to play for a hardcore punk-thirsty crowd, The Daily Aztec caught a few minutes with the band members.
There was a good vibe in the air, and the boys of Blink were quite hospitable. The band members Hoppus (bass and vocals), Tom Delonge (guitar and vocals) and Scott Raynor (drums) are San Diego natives who formed the band a few years ago.
"It was total coincidence; we were introduced to each other through a mutual friend," said Delonge, sipping a Heineken. "We played together a couple of times, and it sounded great."
And anyone who was at the show Monday night wouldn't argue with that fact; they sounded great. This punk-rock trio complement each other perfectly, and it would not be an understatement to say they are one of only few really skilled punk-rock bands around today.
When asked about their influences, there was no hesitation, and both Hoppus and Delonge replied at the same time: "Descendents, definitely The Descendents."
Added Delonge: "In my opinion, they are the greatest punk band ever, and in many ways they have paved the road for a lot of bands like us. I like a lot of their lyrics. Most of them are inspired by their own personal experiences.
"Most of our songs are about everyday living and our own experiences throughout our lives. Great music, I believe, is inspired by true and genuine feeling, which, I think, comes only from what one has experienced."
Surprisingly, San Diego is not the concert town of choice for Blink.
"People love us wherever we go," said Hoppus, a '93 graduate of Poway High School. "San Diego's cool, and I prefer playing here to most of the cities we play, but my favorite place is Sydney, Australia. I remember this one time we were down there touring with Pennywise, and the crowd went crazy. There were about 10,000 people there, and all of a sudden, they all started to rush the stage. It was insane. We had a great time. I have to say, that is probably my best experience while touring."
Blink 182's current album "Dude Ranch" is selling like hotcakes, and the future looks even brighter.
"We are planning to tour a lot this year," Hoppus said. "We have a lot of other things coming up after Sno-Core. We are going to tour all over the world. We are also working on a new album that will come out either late this year or early next year."
This is a funny explanation of "Enema of the State."I found on a website called "imusic Modern Rock Showcase" This is old but still.
Masturbation, childish behavior and scatological jokes can only mean one band... blink-182. These acts of lewdness have risen them to the top of the charts. Enema Of The State, the band's new album, still maintains the infantile behavior the fans love but it also exposes a more mature, rich and serious side of the band - a band not afraid to tackle the issues of modern society.
If this album is mature... what's up with the name? Enema Of The State? The answer is quite simple: to educate. According to Mark Hoppus, "In order to maintain good health, your body must be able to eliminate food and bodily waste. Your colon, together with your lungs, skin and kidneys are designed to accomplish this essential task by elimination of toxins in the intestines, blood and lymph systems." Continues Tom Delonge, "The process of digestion from ingestion of food to defecation, normally takes between 12 to 24 hours assuming that the colon is fully functional and non-toxic. Irregular or infrequent bowel movements can allow toxic residues to remain in the colon." Travis Barker concludes, "It is very rare in this society, to find normal function of a healthy colon. For abnormal function, colon hydrotherapy or enemas - as they are commonly known - are recommended. And this is what we need to tell the kids - take care of your colon and your colon will take care of you."
Ok well I got this article at Izine. I really don't know what it's about because I was too lazy to read the whole thing. It looked good though.
Blink 182 are fun lovin' randy little blighters.
Simple as that.
They are also the fast breaking US punk pop act of '97 with a tear sheet of reviews that gives 'em the big rap over contemporaries such as Pennywise and Offspring.
Their second set, fittingly-titled Dude Ranch, has sold over the 100,000 mark in the US while their anthemic single, Dammit, has been added to more than 50 radio stations, has just made the Alternative Top 5 most requested songs and the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks airplay Top 40.
In Australia, they're something of an exploding cult: Dude Ranch debuted earlier in the year at No 35 on the ARIA charts and has spent 20 weeks on the AMR Top 100.
Backtrack to earlier in the year and the excellent Equinox outdoor festival with heavyweights such as Tool, Skunk Anansie and Midnight Oil. Blink-182 rip through a mid-afternoon set to a barmy crowd that goes diving crazy. Lead singer Tom DeLonge bares his butt: something of a Blink tradition, scads of uni surfer rosas press against the fence and most of the 10,000 strong crowd actually pay attention to what's happening.
At the time, it's hard to work out whether this is a one-day stand and the trio will be little more than a eyelid up and down and gone. Two hours later it isn't so hard to work out the equation.
DeLonge wanders up to the fence between the backstage area and the punters: a press of nubile young women in various states of reveal slam up against it and start pushing bits of paper through. DeLonge kneels down and starts signing.
After about 10 minutes he has a word with a couple of security guys and walks out into the crowd - and disappears in a sea of acceptance and lust. Yep, Blink-182 are definitely more than just a brief encounter.
DeLonge is an easy going, affable type who remembers the afternoon well. "We had some fun," he say wryly. Fun - a small word that's big with Blink-182. Like girls.
"I came up with a little formula," DeLonge says. "If you write songs about girls you get girls at show. We write a lot of songs about girls."
Lock up your daughters, Blink-182 return to Australia in January as one of the many highlights of the stunning Vans Warped Tour. Locked in beside good friends and fellow counter-cultural icons Pennywise, 311, The Vandals, Royal Crown Revue, Mighty Mighty Bosstones and more plus a horde of skaters and BMXers, Blink threaten to raise ... fun.
DeLonge swears though that they won't end up in the notorious Hellfire Club like they did last time. "You know about that, hey." Most people do. "Fuck man, that's a good club you've got going there. Not that we meant to be there." Uh, huh. "I was looking for some bread and milk. I had no idea it would be full of lesbians beating each other up." Right. "Serious. It was a real shock." Laughter.
Not that he's reformed or anything. Where he'd like to spend New Year's Eve is unprintable but not unpredictable. Sex aside though DeJonge does get serious: about the fast track to success that's been '97 and UFOs.
The former is best summed up by the band's reality that they aren't going to last forever: "This type of music has a limited time span so we have to evolve and do the best we can now," he says. "Of course, we're happy with what's happened this year but it is just the beginning. We've got a lot of work to do over the next year, mostly touring and more touring to get Dude Ranch into as many heads and countries as possible.
"The whole punk thing is suffering from overkill in the US and it's become jaded; it's much fresher in Australia and Europe. We're realistic and taking it a day at a time. This year's been great fun and next year's looking good at the moment.
"You know, there's a lot of bands going round now trying to make something out of the scene and it's really cluttered it up. So you have to be the best you can to keep on top. We've got our chance.
"Our take on punk is really just fun: it's fun to offend people and do what we want to. But it isn't that offensive. We make music for ourselves and everybody else who gets it. It's a lifestyle scene. If you don't get it you don't have to listen.
"And as for signing to a bigger label .... well I'd like to make a lot of money and fuck credibility. If I did it doesn't make me any different. Just richer." He laughs. "People make so much out of something that's just the band trying to get ahead and get its music to as many fans as possible. I don't give a fuck about credibility.
"This is a scene and the bands that have been in it a long time deserve the breaks. Doesn't mean they've changed. We haven't. We're still writing songs about girls."
Most of which will get a healthy airing up and down the coast on the Warped tour. Blink-182 are Warped veterans having already completed a stint on the now famous US tour and its more recent European leg. DeJonge is quick to give credit where it's due.
"Kevin [Lyman, its co-founder and organiser] has been around forever," DeJonge says. "He knows all the bands and he's helped most of 'em go a lot further with their careers. And his heart's in the right place. In the US he turned down big sponsorship from a major cigarette company because he didn't believe they were the right kind of sponsor or image for the tour.
"He's so legitimate. Warped is the best tour I've ever been on - and I mean it. It's so much fun. We'd probably do it all year if we could."
Somehow that spins off into DeLonge talking about the US presence at Pine Gap, secrets and UFOs. His passion. So if you get him alone just talk aliens. He's full of theories, researched and well thought out.
"I study that stuff, man," he says. "UFOs ... I'll tell you that I think in the next year the US government is going to come out and admit that aliens have visited Earth. The reason I think that is that I listen to this radio show at home which deals with all this stuff.
"Some guy called up who worked on them for the government and said that he'd been told to start talking about UFOs visiting Earth to start preparing people for the news."
Five minutes later we're back to naked stuff but you don't want to read about that, do you?
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