Everybody in the punk scene knows who Mark Hoppus is. Whether you adore Blink-182’s catchy tunes, or prefer his short-lived band +44, you probably know a decent amount of trivia about the bassist. To test the extent of your knowledge we thought it would be fun to put together a list of 10 things most people probably don’t know about Mark.
#1 Hoppus produced New Found Glory’s 2009 album Not Without A Fight
After writing and recording demos for the album, NFG guitarist Chad Gilbert asked Hoppus if he would be interested in producing Not Without a Fight. Upon hearing these demos, the Blink-182 bassist invited the band to record the album at his home recording studio. In a 2008 interview, Hoppus stated that “it was fun recording an album with a bunch of guys who had a definite sound in mind that they wanted to achieve, but also wanted input and guidance from someone they trusted”.
#2 He co-wrote the Less Than Jake Song “The Rest of My Life”
It’s no coincidence that Less Than Jake’s most radio friendly single was co-written by Mark. A longtime acquaintance of LTJ, having toured with the band early in Blink’s career on the 1997 Race Around Uranus Tour, Hoppus had a hand in penning the melancholy single from 2006’s In With the Out Crowd.
#3 When Mark first met Tom DeLonge he broke both his heels attempting to impress him
When he first met Blink-182 bandmate Tom DeLonge, Mark attempted to show off his ability to climb a telephone pole. When he realized he didn’t know how to climb back down, he jumped off the pole broke both his heels. Gnarly! Listen to Mark retell the story on MTV’s Ridiculousness:
#4 Mark starred in the crime drama TV show Haunted
Hoppus had a starring role in Episode 7 of the short lived crime drama series, playing the part of a concerned father named Tim Martin. Here are all of his scenes from the episode:
#5 He wrote “Dammit” in just a few minutes, and the breakup in the song never actually happened
One of the band’s earliest hit singles, “Dammit” is a fictional retelling of a breakup that never happened. Hoppus stated in a 1998 interview with Billboard Magazine that he was “sitting at home plucking the guitar when a moment of inspiration hit. In only 10 minutes, I wrote the lyrics and music.”
#6 Hoppus’ first tattoos were his wife and son’s names
Following the birth of his son, Mark got his first tattoos at the ripe age of 31 years old. The Blink-182 bassist got inked by bandmate Travis Barker’s tattoo artist in the living room of the home where they were recording their 2003 self-titled album (video below). Hoppus has since gotten one more tattoo to celebrate beating cancer in 2022.
#7 Mark wanted to be an English teacher
When asked by Risen Magazine if he had aspirations of being a rock star when growing up, Hoppus stated that he planned on becoming a teacher, adding that he’s “always loved science and math and learning”. Shortly after meeting Tom DeLonge while attending California State University in San Marcos, Mark dropped out of college to pursue a career in music. I’d say he made the right choice.
#8 He met his wife on the set of the music video for “All The Small Things”
Hoppus met his wife Skye during rehearsals for the “All the Small Things” music video while she was working as a talent executive for MTV. In a 2004 interview, he explained how Tom DeLonge unintentionally acted as his wingman: “Tom always used to embarrass me: Any girl he’d talk to, he’d say, ‘Hey, you wanna go on a date with Mark?’ He asked Skye, who looked at me and said, ‘No.’ That’s how it all started.”
#9 Mark appeared in the music video for Simple Plan’s “I’d Do Anything”
Speaking of music videos, did you know Mark was in a Simple Plan video? More specifically, he appears in the music video for the 2002 single “I’d Do Anything”, a song which on which he also provides guest vocals.
#10 His favorite Blink-182 song is “Don’t Leave Me”
Hoppus’ favorite Blink song is the second track off 1999’s Enema of the State. In an acoustic performance of the track, he says “It’s really simple and it’s really easy, and 10 year old kids come up to me all the time and go “Oh yeah! I learned how to play that song in like five minutes on the first day that I bought my guitar”.