Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir

“Stay Together for the Kids,” written by Delonge about his parents’ divorce, was originally filmed in a house as it was being demolished. A two-page photo shows the band standing in a half-wrecked house amongst dust and rubble. During filming, the September 11 attacks occurred, and the band decided the video was not appropriate. They refused to use it, but the label insisted. They took it to MTV, and it was rejected for imagery that overlapped with the destruction of September 11. The video was redone, and the band finished their tour.

The band went on a signing tour for the new album and finished off in New York, where they ended up with a questionable driver. The driver appeared to be nodding off on the highway and refused to stop or let the band off. Their security guard finally convinced the driver to pull over, and the police insisted that the driver leave the band alone.

Hoppus recalls an incident in which Skye discovered that a woman was stalking them. She would sit outside their house in her car for hours and did the same to Delonge and Barker (as well as their spouses). The police discovered that the woman had pages of logs of the bands’ activities and personal information, but they had no cause to arrest her. When she showed up to an autograph session in San Diego, Delonge and Hoppus signed her CD without looking at or speaking to her, but Barker refused to sign, citing her behavior.

The next tour was the biggest yet for blink-182, complete with over-the-top pyrotechnics. With hundreds of people working to make the shows happen, Hoppus started to worry about the pressure to stay well and keep the shows coming. He started washing his hands and sanitizing constantly and became anxious when he met fans or touched things.

As their success escalated, Hoppus and Delonge grew distant. Hoppus felt like Delonge tried to outshine him in their personal lives. People started asking Hoppus about Delonge’s new music, which Hoppus didn’t know existed. Delonge recorded some acoustic songs with a friend, while Hoppus had never considered making music outside the band. Delonge soon formed a new band called Box Car Racer, which included Barker but not Hoppus. Hoppus felt insulted and left out, but Delonge denied having bad intentions. While blink-182 carried on, the atmosphere had changed between Hoppus and Delonge; it was no longer them against the world, but them against one another.

For the Pop Disaster Tour, the headlining bands were blink-182 and Green Day. Green Day was once the envy of blink-182, and now Green Day was opening for them. This caused a rivalry that spanned across the whole tour, as Green Day seemed to intentionally push their sets late and outperformed blink-182 during their shows. The rivalry was mainly friendly, but Hoppus jokes that it also helped inspire Green Day to create what became their best album, American Idiot.

Skye gave birth shortly after tour. Hoppus recalls watching the C-section and his son, Jack, being pulled out of Skye’s womb. Jack wasn’t breathing at first, and it took over a minute for him to get him breathing. Hoppus and Skye cried as they held their son (photos included), and Hoppus couldn’t believe they were allowed to leave the hospital with a vulnerable newborn in tow. Parenthood brought a new level of anxiety to Hoppus’s life: Every time he made a mistake, it haunted him for days.

For what Hoppus considers their masterpiece album, the self-titled blink-182, recording took a year and cost about a million dollars. The recording process was complex because Jerry insisted on using “old school” equipment, and each song was painstakingly perfected and recorded several times. The band started recording in a rented mansion, then moved to a studio, and then another. Delonge suggested that Robert Smith of The Cure do the vocals for “All of This,” which Delonge secured. The record company called a meeting, demanding the album be finished faster, but the band insisted that they needed their time. In the end, Hoppus was beaming with pride over what they created, but Delonge was irritable and relieved to be finished.

The band was invited to play in the Middle East for soldiers stationed during the Iraq War. Flying into Bahrain, their plane was targeted by missiles, and in Kuwait, they met soldiers who were recently injured. They saw the inside of a nuclear submarine and experienced the relentless sands and winds of the desert. Hoppus casually mentioned to an admiral of a way to triangulate Saddam Hussein’s position using drones and broadcasting codes. The admiral was surprised and actually took the advice into consideration. Since Hussein was found four months later, Hoppus concludes the story with a “you’re welcome” (246).

While in Japan on tour, Delonge saw M. Night Shyamalan in the hotel and approached him to propose a music video. The proposal got as far as a few emails back and forth, but he turned out to be too expensive. Hoppus also recalls Delonge approaching Chris Hemsworth on a plane once, and again when Delonge interviewed Mel Gibson for MTV and got Mel to talk about genital herpes.

Hoppus’s handwashing and anxiety over germs was getting worse. He was invited to do an MTV documentary called Trippin’, where he and a few other celebrities went to Nepal and Bhutan to expose environmental issues. While in Nepal, Hoppus had the chance to ride elephants and play with them in the water. During this experience, he let go of his fear and felt that the moment gave him a sense of renewal and strength.

The band invited Robert Smith to sing with them for his part in “All of This,” and he agreed after his nieces and nephews pressured him into it. Smith was gracious and friendly before the show and agreed to a spontaneous encore cover of “Boys Don’t Cry.” Following the show, Hoppus thanked Smith, and Smith leaned in for a kiss. Hoppus tried to back away, but Smith just tried again and kissed Hoppus a few times on the cheek. Hoppus wasn’t sure if he imagined this but later called a friend who saw it and confirmed it. Hoppus learned a lesson about meeting one’s heroes.

The rest of the tour was bleak, and Delonge grew more and more distant. Arguments between him and Hoppus became constant and happened over both petty and more important issues. The animosity could even be felt on stage. After the tour, they didn’t talk, but when the tsunami hit Indonesia, Hoppus thought the band should participate in a benefit concert. Delonge agreed at first but then announced he was quitting before the show. Hoppus heard the news through their manager, and his initial reaction was denial.

After the band broke up, Hoppus felt lost and hurt. He spent a lot of time at home and tried to be a steady father and husband, but his stress was hurting everyone. Hoppus’s anxiety returned, and he started to blame himself, believing he would never have the same success again. Hoppus experienced suicidal ideation and sought treatment, and while it helped, he still felt lost.

Delonge started a new band called Angels & Airwaves and had high hopes of becoming the most popular band in the world. Hoppus and Barker stuck together and started the band +44, recording one album that they were both proud of, but which Hoppus felt didn’t compare to the music they wrote with Delonge. Hoppus commends Barker for his optimism and the way he never wanted to stop playing. This rang true until Barker’s wrists started to crack from the strain of playing, and he had to leave the tour after only a few shows. Hoppus was once again on his own.

Hoppus went traveling with his family and then took up scuba diving, which helped reset his mind and gave him something new to focus on. Hoppus enjoyed scuba diving. One day, he was paired up with a novice who got caught in the kelp and drowned. Hoppus continued scuba diving, but he still thinks of that woman when he goes.

Hoppus describes his producer Jerry as someone who made friends with everyone and had a magnetism that drew everyone in. Jerry loved music and people and shied away from the spotlight, focusing all his attention on producing the best sound possible. In 2008, Jerry had an aneurysm and fell into a coma. Hoppus held his hand and cried in the hospital, and Jerry died soon after. At the funeral, Hoppus looked around and was grateful to know how many lives Jerry had touched. Delonge didn’t attend the funeral due to some unresolved grudges, which Hoppus found reprehensible.

Jerry’s death made it harder for Hoppus to manage his anxiety, and even the smallest things would send him into a panic. Hoppus and his family took a small trip and ended up witnessing a plane crash. On the way home, they saw a deer that had been run over. Hoppus felt like death was following him everywhere.

Barker was in a plane crash and barely escaped. He was covered in burns and spent weeks in the hospital. Hoppus and Skye flew to see him, and Hoppus couldn’t help taking stock of everything going wrong around him. He started to feel like “everything was death and blood” (292), and that was when Delonge called.