New Interview with Mark from Blink 182 2012 from Reddit
An interview happened earlier today exclusively with Mark Hoppus from Blink 182 on Reddit, not everyone knows about it so here it is:
Feelings on Box Car Racer: “weird, betrayed, jealous”
Mark Hoppus from Blink 182 performing live
Is the song ‘Fighting the Gravity’ a reference to your hair?
fighting the gravity is about a night a long time ago where someone put something in my drink. i had no idea what was happening and thought i was dying. the whole world felt malicious and angry. i could barely move from the immensity of the earth’s pull. i got into my girlfriend’s car and said, “please, just drive.” no me gusta.
Do you guys still keep in touch with Scott?
i have not spoken to scott in a very long time. too long.
Coming from one of the guys who made pop-punk what it is today, what’s you’re opinion on the genre nowadays?
i feel like it needs a kick in the ass. something fresh and brave to shake it up. the whole thing feels safe and stale and formulaic. but that’s just me.
How many unreleased songs does blink 182 have? And do you ever plan on releasing said songs?
none that i can think of. we mostly release all of the songs we finish recording, and abandon songs that aren’t working along the way. there are a lot of ideas and half-demos that we may go back to. there was a song on neighborhoods called “not for real” that i was working on, that i beat to death. i would like to revisit it for the next record.
What’s the most awkward thing that’s happened since Blink 182 got back together?
i’m glad to say it has been pretty smooth sailing since the band got back together, knock wood. i guess the most awkward thing that has happened has been the appearance of tom’s new hat-type thing? he calls it his goth pizza chef hat. you know the one.
if you were forming a supergroup with current musicians, who would be in it and why? what would they be called?
supergroup with current musicians? jim from jimmy eat world, thom from the naked and famous, emily haines from metric, m83 as a whole, fat mike, paul mccartney, amon tobin, ritzy from the joy formidable, the list goes on and on. too many to name or really think through. there are so many incredibly creative minds out there. it intimidates me and inspires me at the same time.
Is it harder to relate to the adolescent lyrics of the earlier songs now?
I mean, you’ve been a dad for ten years now. no. when i sing dammit, a song written more than 15 years ago, i remember the exact day i wrote it, what i was going through, what it meant to me.
What song is hardest to sing because of the history attached to it?
adam’s song.
Is it true you Skye said no when Tom asked her if she wanted to go out with you?
yes, that is true.
Does +44 have any plans to make a new record?
not currently, but i would love to. it was such a fun album to record, working with travis, shane, and craig. i have a special place in my heart for that album. it means something to me, and takes me to a certain place every time i hear it. i’m very proud of that album. sometimes i feel like baby come on is the best song that i could ever write.
What’s your craziest story from being famous in the 90′s-00′s?
too many to recount. everything from danny devito coming to a show in LA to huey lewis bringing his kids to a show in san francisco to getting invited to dine at the houses of parliament to getting to go to disneyland after hours and have the park to ourselves to performing for our troops overseas. as sappy as it sounds, every day is a gift with possibility and strange and wonderful adventures.
What do you think of Tom’s new style of singing? Do you think it affects the way you write your parts in blink?
it does not affect the manner in which i approach writing a song. it affects who sings which parts of which songs. my voice lends itself to certain moods and timbres, as does tom’s. different tools for different jobs, i guess.
What was the first song you guys, as blink-182, wrote and thought “we sound pretty good; we could make something out of this”?
carousel. we wrote it the very first time i met tom. i showed him a bassline i’d been working on, and it fit perfectly with a guitar part he’d been working on. we’d only known each other for less than an hour and the song was fairly formed even then. it was weird.
What’s your favourite song to play live?
feelin’ this, because it’s the beginning of the set, the release of all the anticipation leading up to walking onstage. the curtain drops, the lights explode, and we start the show. where it goes from there is unknown…
How did the blink side project “Box Car Racer” make you feel?
weird, betrayed, jealous. probably more than i should have.
Which Blink-182 music video was the most fun to shoot and why?
most fun was definitely first date. summertime, water park, vw bus, friends. it makes me laugh even still. for the record, i want our next video to be like that. we need another silly video. right?
To this day do you still wanna fuck a dog in the ass?
mine was not the lead voice in this particular moment of musical genius. i was the pirate. i will leave it at that.
what is your weirdest memory about a fan?
someone asking us to sign his prosthetic leg, and a lady asking to touch my hair. i said, “nah, that’d be weird,” and she said, “no, it’s fine,” and proceeded to rub my head. in a mexican food shop.
If you had to choose a foreign language to learn, what would it be?
french, spanish, japanese, italian, portuguese, but i’m still working on english. still can’t quite get a handle on english…
Was it awkward/hard recording in Blink once all three of you had gone in such different directions with your side projects? Were there any issues with songs not fitting due to each other writing in a style that wouldn’t fit certain songs etc?
yes, at times. but that’s what makes us blink-182. we’re all way different from one another. it is in that tension that we do our best work. that’s what we learned during the hiatus.
I feel like in interviews Mark makes it seem like everything was a-ok between them, but I’m interested to know if that was just a put-on for the media and if it was actually awkward and frustrating.
at times it is awkward, frustrating, contentious, angering, and everything else. we are a band who’ve been together for twenty years. we fight, we argue, we make up, we move on, we laugh, we play music, we tour, we write songs. rinse, lather, repeat.
Imagine you are on your death bed and you have the chance to listen to one more song before you die. What song would you choose and why???
underneath the weeping willow by grandaddy. listen to it and i think you’ll understand.
Have you guys thought about having a 2 hour show instead of the 90 minute show so you can play more non singles?
nope. 90 minutes, boom. longer than that and it’d get boring for people. 90 minutes is the perfect set length.
If you could have lunch with any person, living or dead, what would you order?
my grandfathers. one i never got to meet, and the rest died before i was able to fully appreciate them. all served in world war 2. one was in the army, stormed the beach at normandy, fought through the hedgerows of france, battle of the ardennes, battle of the bulge, and liberated concentration camps at the end of the war. one was in the marines, fought through the island of the pacific, at the fronts, okinawa. one was in the army air force, flew the burma hump, bombing missions, and was a backup pilot for the enola gay. i never got to ask them what they had seen or how it felt, or say thank you for what they did. much respect to them and everyone who serves.
And that’s it… Take a look around and find other fun things to read. Why not take a look at our Music Features page, which compiles the best music around.
Interview with Claire Boswell
Claire Boswell is a singer songwriter from Worcester, England. Here’s a taster of her with the toe-tapping ‘Under The Bridge’:
So Claire, could you introduce yourself and your music to our readers?
I’m a singer, songwriter, guitarist from Worcester. I play a mixture of folk rock, country, jazz and blues. I don’t like to pigeon hole myself as I like a lot of different styles of music and a lot of different factors influence what I play and write, but musically it’s somewhere along the lines of Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt.
Are you gigging at the moment?
Yes, all the dates are listed and regularly updated on my myspace page at www.myspace.com/claireboswell
How did it feel to get in to the top 10 unsigned tunes of 2009 with your single Under The Bridge?
Obviously I’m pleased. It feels good to be getting more recognition as a song writer as well as a singer and performer. More people are being turned on to my music now through gigs, the internet like myspace and youtube and various radio performances that I’ve done. It’s coming on in leaps and bounds, but it’s all good!
Your music is very emotional. How do you go about writing it?
It mostly comes through personal experiences. I’ll be playing around with some chords, usually in some weird tuning. I love that because it gives more harmonic resonance on an acoustic which helps create the mood. Sometimes I’ll wake up at 3 or 4am itching, not literally. I’ll pick up my guitar and write three songs straight off. On the other hand I’ll have some lyrics stuck in my head for weeks and I can’t find the right chords, then it hits me. It’s very serendipitous.
What’s your dream gig?
I think it would have to be the Grand Old Opry. I’ve been fascinated by it since I was a nipper. Either there or somewhere like the Royal Albert Hall.
What’s your favourite song that you’ve written?
I don’t really have one. They all mark certain times in my life, some good, some bad. I like the tuning in Melt Away and the chord changes, Reason To Believe is a bit more jazzy, while Under The Bridge has that Americana vibe going. Shadow’s delicate but it’s a lot deeper than my other songs and the meaning is less obvious.
Could you tell us something your fans may not know about you?
I have a two year old Yorkshire Terrier called Dhara.
What lays ahead in the future for Claire Boswell?
Well, I’m currently recording my first record, the EP should be out soon and I’m really looking forward to that. I’ve been playing live for over four years now and people always ask if I have any records. I did a demo when I was 16 but the simple reason I haven’t recorded an album yet is because I wanted to build up more of a fan base, gain more experience as a performer and enjoy the rest of my teenage years. A lot of young kids starting out can get so caught up with the pressures of the whole ‘industry machine’ before they really understand it. It’s a big commitment if you’re serious about making a living doing it and it’s too much responsibility for say a 16 year old. I didn’t want that. I’m 21 now, and I feel ready for whatever life throws at me.
Anything else that you’d like to add?
I have live videos of the songs I mentioned on my Youtube channel, so please look me up, have a listen and subscribe if you like what you hear!
SPEED ROUND!
a/ favourite song
Coinleach Ghlas An Fhomhair by Clannad
b/ favourite film
I like old ones, don’t have a favourite though
c/ favourite food
Anything Indian
d/ favourite colour
Green
e/ cats or dogs
both
f/ north or south?
North
g/ girls or boys
Girls
h/ hot or cold
Cold
j/ chinese or Italian
Italian
k/ guitar or bass
Bass
l/ sweet or savoury
Savoury
m/ facebook or myspace
Real life as much as possible
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Thank you to Claire Boswell for taking the time out to have an interview with us at The Music Mag. More Band Interviews
Minus IQ Interview
Hello to all the readers lurking out there. Today we bring you a special Minus IQ Interview!
1/ Hello to the members of Minus IQ, Greatings from The Music Mag! How’s it going?
It’s really good. We’re stuck in the bank holiday traffic on the way to Nottingham. 2 miles down, 109 to go…
2/Can you tell us a little about what you all do in the band?
Charlie sings and plays keyboards, Justin plays bass, Jake plays drums and Michael plays guitar. Live we add in bits of percussion, extra keyboards and glockenspiel. Glockenspiel, incidentally, means “bang play” in German.
3/ What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to the band?
Nothing really sticks out as the funniest. We’ve ended up on air a few times when calling radio stations to ask for them to play our tracks, and its always funny to see Charlie having a nosebleed on stage. Worrying, but funny.
Moscow Drive Interview
1. Hello to Simon Jones, lead singer of Moscow Drive, formally known of Amanacer. How are you doing today?
Hello! I’m doing marvellous, i’ve just actually got in from seeing a Graham Coxon gig down the road, which was a belter. We missed the first few tunes of his set cos we were watching the Chelsea V Barcelona game on the TV, but his new stuff is sublime.
2. Why did you change the name?
Aside from the fact that hardly anyone could say the name, the new tunes that we were writing were naturally leading to a different direction, which didn’t sit well with the old band name, and we decided that it was perfect timing, as the mis-spellings and mis-pronounceations of the name were getting beyond a joke. For example we played a gig in Carlisle, a good 500 miles away from our home-town, and the promoter spelt the band name wrong on the poster… half idiocy on his part, and half ours (or mine) for picking such a shite name in the first place.
