I came of age during an interesting time, during which nu-metal and pop punk were both at the peak of their popularity. Both admittedly appealed to me and, while I’ve always been more of a metal fan, I owned many CDs from numerous bands within each genre. My favourites were, and mostly remain, koRn, Slipknot, Mudvayne, Goldfinger, Green Day, MXPX, Sum 41, Deftones, Disturbed, Marilyn Manson, NIN and more. However, I also listened to and loved all of Silverchair’s albums, beginning from their grunge days and extending through their much softer and more artistic later period. Couple that with a love for classic rock, and I had a rather big and eclectic collection of music which I toted everywhere, along with my Sony Discman.
Although I don’t think I ever actually owned any of their albums, for some strange reason, I always liked and loved to listen to blink-182. Hell, I probably like and listen to them more now than ever. Their music has always been catchy, fun, relatable and nicely varied, with catchy (and sometimes immature) pop punk hits and darker songs like my beloved Adam’s Song, which I sympathize with. As such, it was a really nice surprise when — upon attending one of the few E3 conventions I was able to make it to — Bethesda surprised us with a blink-182 concert. There weren’t many of us there watching the band kick off its new tour, but it’s something I truly enjoyed and will never forget. Tom wasn’t there, so I made sure to see them again last summer, but it was one hell of a show.
When I was browsing online, and noticed that bassist Mark Hoppus was about to release an autobiography entitled, Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir, I rushed to request a review copy. Now, after spending the last week or more reading through it, I’d like to share my thoughts in this promised review.
As a longtime ‘fan’ of blink-182, I was excited to read this book because it would provide behind-the-scenes details, historical band information, funny/interesting stories, and talk about the member changes. That’s really all I hoped for, and it’s almost always what you get given the genre. However, the amount of depth tends to differ, as does how open the author is. Thankfully, Mark Hoppus was very open in his memoir, and provided a lot of interesting insight, honest feelings, good stories and some information that I’d never even considered before. For instance, I had no idea that he dealt with depression, as well severe anxiety and OCD while on tour and at publicity events, during the COVID-19 pandemic and when his son, Jack, was born. Granted, it’s not like those are things that tend to go away or shut off, so what I mean to say is that I had no idea that Mark also suffers with those things. I’ve never been secretive about my severe, lifelong, OCD, depression and anxiety, and I’m glad that someone whose music I’ve always liked was so open about those mental illnesses/disorders in his autobiography. After all, being open about mental illness and mental health, in general, is important. Those who battle it are strong.
As such, I really respect and appreciate Mark for this. It made me like and enjoy the book even more, though I also felt for him while reading. It’s not easy.
In true, autobiographical, fashion, Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir by Mark Hoppus (and Dan Ozzi) begins with the author’s childhood, which wasn’t what one would consider entirely ‘normal.’ Despite having parents who obviously loved him, he had to deal with a lot while growing up, including things that many other children go through. I was unaware, however, that he and his sibling grew up in the desert, or that his father is such an intelligent rocket scientist.
Some parts of the beginning section are hard to read, but they’re important. They helped shape the author, his music and everything else about him. It’s nice that Mark was so honest about certain things, and scary situations, because it, too, was important.
Of course, the book then goes on to chronicle his meeting Tom DeLonge in San Diego, the two beginning to make music together, and the formation of what would become blink. Within it, we learn about the early days of the band, their original drummer, and what led to Travis Barker joining. There’s also a lot of talk about the heyday of the band, during which it was one of the biggest in the world, as well as the more difficult days, the long hiatus, Tom leaving, Matt Skiba joining and so on. I’d worry about spoiling things, but this isn’t fiction. Fans of the band know what happened. At least, to the best of our external abilities. After all, we weren’t there.
Plus, it goes without saying, but while this memoir provides insight and information as to what happened, along with Mark’s feelings and experiences, it’s just one side of the story. I know that I have Travis’ book on Kindle, but I haven’t read that yet, and who knows if Tom will ever release one.
Along the way, we learn about +44 — a side project I don’t think I ever really listened to — personal issues, Mark’s marriage to Skye, the birth of his son, his appearance in a popular movie, how they got through the pandemic, and more. Of course, there’s also unfortunately a section dedicated to Mark’s battle with cancer, which he’s on the other side of, and hopefully for good. As someone who lost his beloved, favourite, parent to cancer almost a decade ago, this hit home for me, was tough to read and was insightful. Although I didn’t go through cancer treatment personally, I dealt with the hell of it and all of its unknowns as a caregiver who suffered from severe depression and had a hard time getting out of bed some days.
In fact, Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir by Mark Hoppus (and Dan Ozzi) apparently started as a suggestion that Mark write about his experiences during cancer treatment. Thankfully, for our sake, it evolved into a full on memoir that we can buy and read. I actually bought a signed copy when I found out that they were available on Indigo, but I’ve left it sealed.
Although some just think of blink as being “the naked band,” there’s a lot of depth to its members and their music. This comes out through what is a really good memoir, and one that is well-written. It’s insightful, as mentioned numerous times, it’s open, it’s honest and it’s funny. In no way is it 100% serious, although it covers some very serious subject matter. Mark didn’t have to be this honest, but he was, which I appreciate.
Like my childhood idol, Mats Sundin’s autobiography, Fahrenheit-182 by Mark Hoppus (and Dan Ozzi) is one of my favourite reads. The chapters are short, but the book is of average length and it’s hard to put down. I do wish there was even more to it, but I’m glad that we got what we did, and think it’s very good overall. Any fan of blink-182, pop-punk, punk, or music in general, should read it. The same goes for those who struggle with OCD, anxiety and depression, as well as folks who’ve gone through battles with cancer (or helped those who have).
This is a quality effort, and it’s easy to recommend.
This review is based on a copy of the book that we were provided by the publisher.