Mark Hoppus says Blink-182 finally have a common goal, and it’s changed everything for the better.
After his shocking cancer diagnosis in 2021, the band reunited and put old drama aside, realizing life’s too short for grudges and ego trips. Now, Mark says the dynamic between him, Tom DeLonge, and Travis Barker is better than ever.
“Everybody really respects and cherishes one another,” Mark told The Independent. “We all love Blink and what we built, and we don’t want to mess that up anymore. We have a common goal.” That shared vision has become the core of Blink-182‘s revival. And yeah, the pop-punk chaos is still there, but now it’s backed by real appreciation and maturity.
Mark and Tom famously had their ups and downs over the years, but the cancer battle made them reconnect on a deeper level. The bassist also wrote a memoir, Fahrenheit-182, and he was careful not to paint Tom as the villain, even when old emotions resurfaced. “I didn’t want to portray Tom as a d*** or a demon or anything, even though I felt like it at the time,” Mark said. “Looking back, I tried to write everything really even-handed and try to put myself in Tom’s shoes to understand better where he was coming from.”
Despite how far they’ve come, Mark isn’t naive. He knows nothing lasts forever, even for rock legends. “I feel really stable in the band,” he said. “I was just texting with Tom before I came downstairs, and Travis and I are always sharing memes. It’s really, really great. You know, if the band dissolved today, if Tom came to me and said, ‘I’m out,’ we would shut the whole thing down, and it’d be OK. I’d be filled with nothing but gratitude and joy.”
In a separate interview with Us Weekly, Mark opened up about how Blink-182’s communication has leveled up since they got back together. “I think that we’re much more honest with each other,” he shared. “The communication is a lot better. We’ve set up boundaries of what we want to do.” That means saying no to things that don’t align with their vibe anymore, even if it’s what fans or the industry expect. “We really sat down, and we were like, let’s be the f****** Beastie Boys and not do the stuff that people want us to do or expect us to do.”
It’s clear the Blink-182 of today is a different beast, less drama, more depth, and still totally unfiltered. That common goal? It’s not just about the music. It’s about keeping the band real, grounded, and full of purpose.
- Blink-182 Found Their Groove Again After Chaos - May 12, 2025
- Gisele Bündchen’s New Baby Boy Steals the Spotlight on Mother’s Day - May 12, 2025
- John Legend Calls Out Kanye West’s ‘Sad Devolution’ - May 12, 2025
