For fans of: pop-punk culture, blink-182, music biographies
When a band has been around for as long as blink-182 has, its history tends to become a little complicated. Over the past 30 or so years, the larger-than-life pop-punkers have released a nice stack of albums, spawned side projects, played all over the world… It is only natural for the timeline to warp from generation to generation, with fans hastily trying to recall album names or the proper way that the band name is spelled. But fear not, Mark Hoppus is here to set the record straight with Fahrenheit-182. Co-written with LA-based music journalist Dan Ozzi, this memoir sheds light on Hoppus’s blink-182 life and all the crude jokes and casual innuendos that come with it.
Like most memoirs, Fahrenheit-182 starts at the beginning, where readers learn about where Hoppus grew up, what his parents were like, the shenanigans he got into with friends—all the fundamental things we would need to round out our narrator. But as a cool bonus, Hoppus also gives us photos that enhance these stories. The difference here, however, is that the photos are scattered all throughout the book instead of as one clump in the middle, as is the case with most memoirs. This makes the reading experience more personal and unique, and as we come to learn about Hoppus, it seems as if everything he does unfolds in that way.
Hoppus points out several times in Fahrenheit-182 that he was living in a “one-in-a-million chance” type of reality, where luck and fate were determined to give him either the short or long ends of the stick—no in-between. For instance, what were the odds that he would go on to form one of the most successful, influential bands of his lifetime? Or meet his heroes? Those are very amazing things, and the chances of those happening are not too common. Likewise, the chances of him catching a deadly virus on tour or losing all he had were just as possible, and these thoughts tended to overtake his life. Anyone who struggles with their mental health can feel seen in these moments, knowing that someone who appears to have it all deals with the same issues.
Hoppus’s honesty is refreshing. As cool as it is to receive awards or appear in movies or play arenas, there is always more going on behind the scenes, and Hoppus excels in sharing these moments in ways that are real, and oftentimes, funny. He calls people out, he gets into how the fallouts or the setbacks went down, he shows how his anxiety came into play…. All the while, he never comes across as someone who is privileged or resentful of all that has happened. He is just your average guy trying to navigate his life and his career and his family as best he can, and this can be appreciated.
By the end of the book, we have more of an understanding of Hoppus’s life and the life of blink-182. We relive music videos, album signings, tours, the side bands, the breakups and makeups—all the way up to blink’s headlining performance at Coachella in 2023. Just try to make it through a chapter without stopping to listen to a song or watch a music video, I dare you. Additionally, there are stories about Hoppus’s wife, his son, living in London, living in California, pandemic life, being treated for cancer—the parts of his life that may not be as important to some fans. But when it comes down to it, he is still that skater kid with a dream, and he would not be where he is today without his band family and his real family, or the many movies and hobbies he mentions in the ‘Acknowledgments’ at the end of the book…
If you are in need of a read that is equal parts lighthearted and serious, equal parts words and pictures, equal parts cocky and humble, then Fahrenheit-182 is that book. Even if you have no idea who Mark Hoppus is or what kind of music blink-182 makes, this will be worth your time. You can learn about family dynamics, music, mental health, physical health—it’s all there. But if you despise any and all things blink, then maybe you could skip this one—or you could pick it up just to laugh at some of Hoppus’s hardships, idk. Regardless, Fahrenheit-182 is a highly recommended read for summer. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the cool kid at a festival with the book in hand, able to impress “the girl at the rock show” and all your friends with your overall interest in reading and facts about pop-punk.
You can get a copy of Fahrenheit-182 here.
Catch blink-182 on tour here.
Keep up with blink-182: Facebook // X // Instagram // TikTok // YouTube // Website
Keep up with Mark Hoppus: Instagram // Facebook // X // YouTube // TikTok // Linktree
