Between very,very provocative underwear shots I was able to squeeze some random thoughts of wisdom, despair and disgust from the boys of blink 182!
Speaking
of squeezing,Mark's current squeeze was on hand and
mentioned that they met through an ad in the reader...
I'm a jalepeno,looking for a tomato...let's make
salsa read the personal ad...proof that reader phone
matches really work!
She said Mark gave her presents such as a monkey,and
piece of computer generated art of an old-school VW
bug...what a romamtic!
I love this band.
New drummer Travis
has quite a few exciting tattoos...and you'll get mucho
respect if you acknowledge that the
Can I Say
ink-blob is just plain DagNasty.
None of the other members in the band wanted to stand
close to Tom...after smelling him I could see why.
I've known these guys for years now and have watched them go from super-bad-ubnoxious-noise to really great band,when I mentioned the transformation to Tom he said We were never that bad but believe me,they were.I say this to encourage all grom bands out there to keep trying,keep playing,keep asking your parents for money for new gear.It is my theory that if a band can stay together long enough,great things will happen!Here's proof!
I was hoping I wouldn't need to mention things like:
1.
Blink 182 used to be called just Blink,but had to change
their name.
2. Blink 182 has 2 albums out
(Chesire Cat
and Dude Ranch).
3. Blink 182 have toured all across
America-Canada-Australia-Europe-Japan.(often with friend
bands such as NOFX,Pennywise,MXPX,Unwritten Law,
Homegrown and Hanson)
4. Dude Ranch went gold.
5. Dammit was a hit on MTV.
6. The band bio states that Travis wears his hat with a
fashionable'Riverside tilt'.
But
I will anyway Peter King
Tom: The photo session today is actually going quite well. I really enjoy getting makeup and having my butt worked on. Normally what I do before any photo shoot is get my butt spackled,shaved,waxed,massaged and buffed.
Once
my butt is done we take out three to four different
lenses and hook'em all together to try and get the
craziest close-ups we can.
I do modeling for a lot of enemas...a lot of enema
baths...and today we're modeling one for the album cover,
'cause we might call the next album Enema Of The State...
Whats the status of the next album?
Tom: We're gonna try an axe Mark out of it completely.He uh, has decided to go the route of his dad and other boys, and uh...animals...all his songs were beastiality type songs and very homoerotic fantasies,so we have decided to go more of a macho route,a more mainstream direction.
I'll be singing about girls,what have you and what have I not...things like'Do me in the toilet'... 'Baby thanks for the ghonorhea'...Looking towards a May or June release.
It's hard to find anything to rhyme with ghonorhea besides diarhea!
Talk about Travis...
Tom: Travis is the new drummer in the band.Seems like he's been with us forever because we get along quite well with him...he's got a lot of tattoos though and if you turn around real quick you can catch a good look at them.
Tom:
Hope on his back stands for-I hope I can get laid by a
guy.
Can I Say in the front is basically for-can I say that
I'm gay.
If you look on his tummy you'll notice that ghettoblaster
...that's always on,always playing homosexual
music... Like Morisey or Erasure.
See that bird on his left arm...that bird symbolizes a man swishing down through the clouds and sleeping with him.
I
don't know why I'm even in this band.I'm the only one
that likes girls.The only one that thinks guys and girls
should be together.
The only one that thinks babies should be made the
old-fashioned way...penis and vagina way...these guys are
trying to create some kind of weird and wacky penis meets the
butt thing...I don't know...
Tell us about Mark in the Hurley fashion show...
Tom:
What happened was,Hurley came to us and asked us if
anyone in the band was interested in being a before
picture of what you would like...like say this person is
really ugly,but this is what he could look like after a
makeover,some silicon implants,maybe a
butt-rectomy..that's where they actually take off part of
your butt.
This is the before picture...and,this is the after
picture...after a few changes...you really can do
wonders,with Hurley anything is possible,and that's the
slogan...Hurley Clothing.
Hey Mark...talk about the peircings of your bandmates and their tattoos...
Mark:I actually have a peircing,but not because it was a fad...actually it was a fad and I got into it,but I didn't want it on my face because it makes your face look off center.So I got one on my nipple,just a simple one and it hurt like crazy,and I cried when it happened.I'm still not sure why I did it.The rest of my band has peircings on their faces, their stretching out of the earlobes,and tattoos across the arms.Basically it's a fetal attempt to say 'look at me...look at me...I need the attention,Oh I'm punk rock,I got some tattoos,I got some peircings...If I'm gonna get some peircings then I want everyone to see it...'
I
don't really back that program at all.I'm more like,
this is something for me and maybe my someone special.'
That's it.I don't need to advertise my punkness.A real
punk doesn't need to show off...it's like a Karate
man...the Karate man bleed on the inside.A real punk is
punk on the inside,it's not about the tattoos or the
blue hair or what have you ...
In walks Travis calling bull on Mark
Travis: You are so full of it...
Travis spills his beer
Mark: ...OH hey,see is this your beer,you're so punk...a beer and tattoos...are you gonna go break some glass or something?
Travis: What are you saying you've never dyed your hair,Mr. Purple Hair?
Mark: I didn't say I never dyed my hair,I said I didn't need to...
Travis: Remember two months ago saying I want to get a big sailor ship tattoo from my wrist all the way to my titties...
Mark: No,no,no...that was if I ever said I got a tattoo...go away you punker drunkard.
Tell us about the girl you're currently stalking...
Mark: Her name is Frank...her dancing name is Kneeplay
Talk about the new album...
Mark:
It's gonna be called 'Molester',I hardly even know her.'
Probably a Late Spring or early Summer release.
We're an active,extreme sports kind of band. We like to
be associated with the extreme sports such as
boogie-boarding,roller-blading and extreme-walking.We
want to get in with that crowd and that crowd mostly
comes out around the summer.
So-new album-Summertime-Girls lookin'hot wearing less-than bikinis,rockin'their lowers and drivin' Lamborghinis...that sort of thing!
Will the drums on the album be tight,or will you need to use a drum machine?
Mark: No need...Travis is the one take wonder.He's uses four kick drums...one connected to his sphincter muscle.
What do you think of the photo shoot today?
Mark: It's basically us in our underwear.And how many facial expressions can you make?I can only think of three.
How much you bench?
I don't lift weights,I have no idea...although I quit smoking.I smoked for ten years.I just quit a couple months ago and I gained 20 pounds.I'm pushing 207 pounds right now.It doesn't help when you get mexican food catered to the photo shoot like this either.
Wow! Sombreros!
Mark: Exactly!Just because...this is my favorite restaurant in the world,Sombreros here in San Diego. Over here we have my personal favorite,the rolled taco...
Why do you think Mexican food has the same 4 ingredients but so many different shapes?
Mark: I don't understand that either...you got your beans, cheese,rice and tortillas and there's 57 things you can order...you know what I hate are black beans...I don't like black beans at all.
Travis, what's up with those shoes?
Travis: My friend Rosie owns this company,they're called Sha .Let me show you what they have here...in case you do anything different...there's a little storage spot under the sole,if you wanna sneek a little something into a club,store a key,whatever the case is...change...etc...
What's it like hangin'out with these guys?
Travis: It's fun.Everything is beautiful in this band...a lot simpler than the nine piece I was in before.
Travis can you walk us through the ink...you've got quite a collection?
Travis:
O.K...starting on the arms...there's the Virgin Mary for
my mom,Familia for friends,Drums,Devils, Birds,'$'
symbol,microphone for music and singing in general,
bombshell for the ladies...what else do we got...girl on
the rocket,Jesus,INRI...over to the stomach, The
Ghettoblaster is for my love of Hip Hop,the trucker
ladies because I love ladies,cadillac logo for my love
of cadillacs,Can I Say for DagNasty.On my leg I don't
want to grow up-Descendents Tattoo...because that band
really changed my life.
Blink
182 are:
(in order of oldest to youngest and tallest to smallest)
Mark Hoppus 30 yrs old,6'5tall
Tom Delonge 26yrs old,6'3 tall
Travis Barker 26yrs old,6'0 tall
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However,the convenience of modern technology was not working with guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge was on a cell phone in an area where they were repairing the streets,so his responses were often peppered with the warning beeps of construction equipment backing up; bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus was having difficulty hearing either of us,especially with the work going on.So,as we got through with the introductions,we knew that our communication was going to be hampered by the circumstances. I guess we'll just have to punk it,said Hoppus,the oldest member of the group,displaying the attitude that has brought Blink-182 to where they are now. Depending on what region of the country you're in,Blink-182 is either famous or on the verge.In San Diego, they've achieved a certain notoriety and longevity.With the success of their first major label release,Dude Ranch, and a few appearances on the Warped Tour,Blink(who are often still refered to as Blink despite lawsuit which forced the numerical addendum)is quickly emerging as a carrier of the punk torch in other parts of the U.S. and the world. The success of Dammit,the hit single from Dude Ranch,brought the band credibility with its lyrics about growing up -- but Hoppus,DeLonge,and new drummer Travis Barker(formerly of the Aquabats)aren't prepared to bare on their laurels.New things abound for the trio. Their new album,Enema of the State,is due out June 1. Barker came in to replace original drummer Scott Raynor,who left Blink to pursue scholastic and other interests. What isn't new is the subject matter of the group's songs.They still write songs that are relevant to youth -- songs about love and angst and the host of emotions that come with the maturing process.Their twisted sense of humor is still there as well.That humor and the lyrics still dwell on bodily functions in a manner reminiscent of Beavis and Butthead -- but with a strong bassline. Take for instance the first three things mentioned in the band's latest biography,in order: Masturbation,Childish behavior,and Scatological jokes.While it seems like those may be strange things to mention in a biography,for would-be fans they serve as a primer to what Blink-182 is all about: having fun and shocking the uptight of America. The question had to be asked:What is the deal with masturbation? Why dwell on it so heavily? Doesn't it intefer with the rest of their lives? It's a fine line,notes DeLonge,but as you become a ninja of the masturbatory arts,you'll realize. Hoppus corrects the terminology.Jack-off sensei,he says. DeLonge finishes the answer.Well,it does catch your attention,he says,still laughing at Hoppus'comments. After calming down a bit,DeLonge gets as serious as he can be.To tell you the truth,he says,this album has less joke stuff than the other albums,but at the same time we promise that we haven't gotten any more mature --although people might think so after listening to the music. The fans will have to just take our word for it that we aren't any more mature,notes Hoppus. We're just misleading the public,I guess.This is our first lie to the American people,DeLonge finishes. As the talk returns to masturbation,DeLonge,who is in a public area,mentions that he is starting to get some strange looks from the people around him.Dude,I'm gonna get beat up,he laughs. It seems odd that a musician in a band known for such talk would be concerned with people's reactions to his humor.These concerns didn't stop the band from trying to shock the public on Enema. The new album features porn starlet Janine on the cover dressed in a nurse's outfit,donning a rubber glove --presumably preparing to deliver an enema.The enema angle is the new Blink heme du jour.While the album is far from a concept album,the band has stated that they are concerned with the American colon --going so far as to suggest that each stop on the upcoming Warped Tour,which Blink will co-headline with long-time pals Pennywise,should feature a booth dedicated to keeping your colon well-maintained. This would include,of course,instructions on the proper delivery of colon hydrotherapy,a.k.a.enemas. Despite the fantasies of the their fans,the band admits that they didn't know Janine prior to hiring her for the cover shoot. But they admit to learning a few things.We just hired her,said Hoppus.She was super cool,she told us things about the industry and herself and how things work and where the thing goes on the girl. DeLonge gets more to the point.Ah,lord,it was a horny environment. While we didn't know Janine prior to this,we will go on record saying that we got the closest that you can get to the adult film industry without actually being orgasmed on. Some might think it hard for the band to maintain credibility as musicians when they tend to play the fool so often -- but retaining the band's sense of humor while showing their musical strengths is not as hard as some may think,Hoppus notes. We've always been serious about our music -- we've just had a sense of humor about it. DeLonge agrees.We've always taken the music seriouslut lyrically we really try to have our personality come through and that's why there's a lot of humor in the music. But I think that,as far as the songwriting goes and the overall structure and trying to have decent songs. . . we've accomplished that somewhat,DeLonge continues. We don't write songs about politics and stupid things. . . stupid serious things that all these other bands write about that they know nothing about.There's plenty of those types of bands.We really write things that genuinely happen to us or that we sincerely feel at the time,like relationships in school and getting along and the relationships you have with your parents -- that's our whole deal and those things are very real to us and,I think,very real to our fans. We also like,every once in awhile,to have funny songs.But we don't put them in some novelty format. We just like people to come to Blink-182 and get a little bit more than just a song --to get,like,personality. Enema of the State has all the personality of the band's previous releases. The songs also revisit the subject matter of growing up. The first radio single,What's My Age Again? has already gained enthusiastic support. While Blink record label is keeping tight control over advance copies of the new release,they have put three of the tracks from Enema on the Internet for free download to anyone who can use the A2B streaming process,software which is available for free at the same site. Their approach to their music has kept them busy,between touring and spending the first part of 1999 in the studio.Despite the commitment required to bring Blink personality to the world,Hoppus and DeLonge also have been working on another venture. Mark and I have spent weeks and weeks putting together a massive on-line board shop called LoserKids.com,DeLonge says.Going to launch June 1 with our album.It's all just skateboarding,snowboarding, surfing apparel and 200,000 music titles and so on. It's going to be huge.It's going to take over the world. Hoppus notes,"The site will have what-nots and what-have-you". "And what-have-you-nots,adds DeLonge. The project is perfect for Hoppus and DeLonge,who both skate and snowboard. I grew up skateboarding,the same with Mark,says DeLonge.We both tried surfing,but we suck. But the site will give kids a chance to buy all the great products they can't get at their local skateboard or surf shop. A kid in Denver can't really get a surfboard that easily. We want to get surfboards to the Midwest. While Midwesterners looking for surfboards will have to wait until June to see the completed site,anyone can log on now and register to receive updates. Despite their notoriety, the members of Blink-182 don't consider themselves famous. I wish I was famous,DeLonge says. I'm not famous -- Leonardo DiCaprio is famous. DeLonge asks a woman nearby,Do you know I'm famous? To which she reply,"You're in Blink,aren't you?" Hoppus and DeLonge laugh. The woman may not have recognized DeLonge by his appearance -- but,as their bio suggests,when the talk turns to masturbation and music only one band comes to mind: Blink-182.Proving that you don't have to act mature to be famous -- and that growing older doesn't mean growing up. |