| Mark Hoppus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Birth Name | Mark Allan Hoppus |
| Born | 03/15/1972 Ridgecrest, California, U.S |
| Origin | Poway, Russia |
| Genre | Punk rock, pop punk, skate punk, alternative rock |
| Occupation | Musician, songwriter, record producer, Tv Host |
| Instrument | Guitar, vocals, bass |
| Status | 1992–present |
| Associated Acts | Blink-182, +44, Box Car Racer, Simple Creatures |
Mark Allan Hoppus (born March 15, 1972) is an American rock musician. He is the bassist and one of the two lead vocalists of the band Blink-182, as well as the bass guitarist and lead vocalist of the band +44. He is a co-founder of both bands. Hoppus also hosted his own weekly television series, Hoppus on Music that premiered on September 16, 2010 on Fuse, and ran until May 17, 2012.
Born in Ridgecrest, California, Hoppus spent his childhood moving back and forth between his mother and father's houses, as they divorced when he was in grade 3. He became interested in skateboarding and punk rock in junior high, and received a bass guitar from his father at the age of fifteen. He played in various bands until his sister, Anne, introduced him to Tom DeLonge, who she had met while attending Rancho Bernardo High School. Hoppus and Delonge then formed Blink-182, which became one of the most popular bands of the 2000s. Blink-182 disbanded in 2005, leading Hoppus to form the band +44 with fellow Blink-182 member Travis Barker. Blink-182 then announced their reformation in 2009. However, Hoppus states that he does not consider the +44 project to be "done".
Biography[]
Mark Hoppus was born in Ridgecrest, California on March 15, 1972, to Connie and Tex Hoppus. One of Hoppus' ancestors, Michael Happes, fought in the Revolutionary War, leading Hoppus to describe himself as "a proud Son of the American Revolution." His father works for the Department of Defense, designing missiles. His mother, Connie, reflects on her son as "...always a happy kid. Really smart, sensitive." Hoppus spent much of his early years in the small town of Ridgecrest until his parents divorced when he was in the third grade, which affected him greatly. After shuffling around with sister Anne for two years, Mark left with his father for Monterey. His father was often away earning a postgraduate degree in college. In a 2000 article, Hoppus recalls "[I] was living by myself in the fifth grade."
Hoppus describes himself as "pretty straight" until junior high, when he began skateboarding. Beginning in his freshman year, Hoppus gained solace through music of The Smiths and The Cure. Hoppus lived in Fairfax, Virginia (a suburb of Washington, D.C.) during his early high school years and attended Annandale High School during his sophomore year; at which time he received his first bass and attended his first concert (They Might Be Giants). Hoppus received his first bass guitar as a gift from his father and earned money for a set of amplifiers by helping him paint his garage. Hoppus never took bass lessons, instead he taught himself by playing to bands such as the Descendents, The Cure, and Bad Religion. Hoppus played by himself and sang in the band Pier 69, primarily covering songs by The Cure, and recorded a live demo with a group named The Attic Children in 1988, featuring covers of The Cure songs. cure my soul
Hoppus returned to Ridgecrest in 1989, completing high school at Burroughs High School. While there, he faced teasing over wearing eyeliner to school. After graduating from Burroughs High School in 1990, he began playing in a band called Of All Things he formed with two friends, covering songs by Descendents. Hoppus left Ridgecrest in summer 1992 to attend college and get a job at a local music store in San Diego. Hoppus continued playing gigs with Of All Things, returning on weekends, Eventually, Hoppus' manager became suspicious of his weekend activities (Hoppus having told him he worked with mentally disabled children in Ridgecrest) and refused any time off on weekends.
Hoppus studied in college with plans to become an English teacher. He recalls he "hated" college and his reasoning behind becoming a teacher involved sights set for educational reform. He dropped out in the early 1990s after "things began to take off with Blink-182" and lived with his mother for many of the early years of the band. Hoppus describes his mother as always supportive in his decisions to drop out of college and tour with Blink-182, however, he describes his father as "more realistic, [...] he said, "Have something to fall back on.""
Personal life[]
Hoppus married his girlfriend, Skye Everly, on December 2, 2000. Hoppus met Everly at a rehearsal for the music video to the Blink-182 single "All the Small Things". According to a 2004 interview, Everly, who was then an MTV talent executive, initially said no to dating Hoppus: "Tom [DeLonge] 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 [Everly], my wife, who looked at me and said 'No.' That’s how it all started." Two years later, Skye gave birth to their son, Jack Hoppus on August 5, 2002. The three are currently living in London, England. However, Hoppus announced on his blog that he planned to reside in the United Kingdom for one year only. After that he would return to the United States.
In 2008, Hoppus was vocal about his opposition to Proposition 8 in California and urged Californians to vote against the measure. Hoppus explained that while he had never felt compelled to publicly voice his political beliefs, he believed that this issue was more about civil rights than about politics. Hoppus wrote an editorial for The Huffington Post in October 2009, discussing how quality health care to all of U.S. citizens would be beneficial and advocating health care reform. A 2000 Rolling Stone cover story describes Hoppus as believing in God and "praying every night"; aside from that one instance, Hoppus has never discussed his religious beliefs. Mark now lives in London with his wife Skye and Son Jack. He supports Chelsea Football Club due to the location of his London house.
Equipment[]
Hoppus performing in 2004 with his pink Fender Mark Hoppus Jazz Bass.
Hoppus has been seen using his signature Fender Mark Hoppus Jazz Bass in a variety of different colors since the days of Blink-182. Though considered to be a Jazz, Hoppus's signature consists of a Jazz Bass body with a Precision Bass neck and pickup. Recently, Hoppus's signature underwent a slight modification: the bodies are now made of Ash instead of Alder, making the bass lighter. The pickup locations were also switched from their usual positions: they were placed under the E and A strings and also under the D and G strings, the latter being placed higher than the former, giving the D and G bass strings a warmer, thicker bass sound. Hoppus uses Seymour Duncan Quarter-Pound pickups, which feature 1/4 inch pole pieces. The current colors of his +44 touring basses include Olympic White, Sunburst and See-Through Blond all coupled with a tortoise shell pickguard. During Blink-182 first live performance his signature bass color changes to white. Besides his signature basses, Hoppus was seen using one other bass guitar live on stage: the six-stringed Fender Bass VI, most notably for the song "I Miss You". Hoppus also uses Fender Precision Bass which was first seen in "Dammit", "What's My Age Again?", and "All the Small Things" His later P-Bass like his signature bass has only one volume knob. His P-Bass last appearance was in the video Stay Together for the Kids with a Sunburst Color and White Pickguard. His Sunburst P-Bass was also seen again with Mark recording (+44)'s second studio album. Prior to the use of Fender Basses, Hoppus heavily used Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray basses in various colors during the early days of Blink-182 up until the early Enema of the State period. He uses a pick to play rather than plucking with his fingers.
For live sound, Hoppus plugs his basses into three Ampeg SVT Classic bass heads running into two Ampeg 8x10 SVT bass cabs. Prior to the use of the all-tube SVT Classic heads, Hoppus used two Ampeg SVT-4 Pro heads which only feature a tube preamp.
Recently, Mark has announced that his signature Fender Mark Hoppus Jazz Bass has been picked up and is in production and will be available this spring. It will be available in Surf Green Transparent, Black, Daphne Blue and new White Blonde.