Don’t Blink an Eye, Blink 182 Is Back

Blink 182’s roots started in 1992 when Tom DeLonge (vocals, guitar) attended Rancho Bernardo High School and became friends with a certain Anne Hoppus. In August, Anne introduced DeLonge to her brother Mark (vocals, bass) who hit it off immediately. They played for hours in DeLonge’s home and shared some songs they previously written.

It was then that they decided to form a pop-punk band. DeLonge recruited his friend, Scott Raynor (drums) and called themselves Duck Tape. DeLonge eventually thought of the name Blink.

As the newly-formed band practiced constantly, Hoppus decided to leave the group because his girlfriend was having issues with the band. But after DeLonge informed Hoppus that they would be making a 4-track demo tape, the latter immediately dumped his girlfriend and went back to the group.

The band recorded their first demo, Flyswatter, in May 1993 at Raynor’s bedroom. Due mainly to the poor sound quality, only a few copies were distributed to family and friends. Their next demo tape, simply called Demo#2, was made that same year. It had re-recordings of some songs from Flyswatter, and some new tracks that were to be included in their Buddha, Cheshire Cat, and Dude Ranch albums.

With the help of Hoppus’ boss who heads Filter Records, the trio released Buddha on cassette in 1993 with 1,000 copies. The next year, they signed up with Cargo Music and recorded Cheshire Cat, their debut album, in three days. It included updated versions of some of the songs in Buddha. After their debut, an Irish band threatened to sue the group because both had the same band name. To avoid trouble, the group added “182” in their name, hence the name Blink-182.

In 1996, with the help of producer Mark Trombino, Blink 182 music became more popular as they recorded and released the album Dude Ranch. It was released in 1997 under Cargo Records. 1n 1998, Blink 182 signed up with MCA to increase distribution. Dude Ranch did okay in the market, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide.

Scott Raynor left the group in 1998. His drinking problem was cited as one of the reasons. It was reported that he was asked to go to rehab or be fired. He chose to go to rehab but DeLonge and Hoppus were dubious of his sincerity. In the end, Raynor was replaced by Travis Barker, who was the drummer of Blink 182’s support band.

The latter part of the decade proved to be the start of Blink 182’s success. With the release of the album Enema of the State, the band catapulted into the mainstream. They became widely known due to their numerous TV appearances; they even had a cameo in the movie American Pie and in the 300th episode of The Simpsons.

From this album emerged their hit singles: “All the Small Things,” “What’s My Age Again?,” and “Adam’s Song.”
They sold millions of albums worldwide. They toured with Green Day in 2002, did the “DollaBill” tour in late 2003 where tickets were sold at $1 only, and with No Doubt in the summer of 2004.

In their fifth album, Blink 182 tried to show a new side of their personalities, which was evident in the change in theme and tone of songs like “I Miss You.”

The desire to spend time with his family was something DeLonge could not ignore. He wanted a half-year break from touring so that he can come home. Hoppus was also harboring feelings of betrayal for DeLonge and Barker, who founded a side project called Box Car Racer. In addition, there were problems in discussing the band’s recording future.

After their planned US tour did not push through, the band also eventually cancelled a performance at a relief show organized by Linkin Park. On February 22, 2005, DeLonge left the band.

DeLonge formed a new band, Angels & Airwaves, and released their debut album in May 2006. Barker starred in his own reality show called Meet the Barkers, which used an unreleased track. Hoppus and Barker had their own recording stint. In November of 2006, they released their first album, When Your Heart Stops Beating, which debuted at the number 10 spot in the Billboard 200.

After an almost 5-year hiatus, Blink 182 appeared together on stage at the 51st Grammy Awards. Following their performance was the announcement that the band is back and will start recording and touring again.