blink-182 Band • Page 1518

Some songs from WDNTW came on during my shuffled playlist. I forget how long these intros are lol

 

Just finished the book tonight and it really was a great read. Would I have loved more on the writing process for California & Nine, as well as OMT - absolutely. But overall, really enjoyed all of it.

 

Finished Fahrenheit-182 and put on the +44 vinyl for the first time. It’s crazy how much Mark was firing on all cylinders here - especially lyrically.

 

Lyrically +44 is my favorite Mark record

 

Wish we got a deeper dive into the Neighborhoods and DED chapters. It seems like there was so much content for the earlier albums and the things leading into the next album/eras and then we get 2 page chapters for the 09 reunion, neighborhoods, and DED. I do appreciate hearing about the Modlife fiasco and was saddened to hear that it was likely based around Tom's finances and not for the pure heart of it. DED actually came out pretty decent in the end, but sounds like it wasn't for the best reasons. Going to spin Neighbs and DED tonight and then likely finish the book. It's been a fun ride.

 

Realistically even if it was an absolute disaster*, we're not gonna hear about it for the same reason that Bohemian Rhapsody didn't include a lot of digs at Brian May and Roger Taylor

*which I'm not saying it was

 

lol yeah tom kinda sucked in this era, huh?

 

Was sad the asterisk wasn't calling out Disaster as a DED pun

 

Loved the book, but definitely echo the sentiments of many here - time just flew by post-Enema and left me wanting a "director's cut", so to speak, but I totally get that a lot of it is negative and Mark probably didn't want to expand too much on it, and the minute details aren't necessarily interesting to a wider market who just wants a nice, contained autobiography.

Definitely made me want to do a discography run.

 

Totally agree that it felt like there was something missing from the book. Mark was holding some things back in those reunion years, which I totally get. It's water under the bridge at this point.

... but I still kind of want to know exactly what went down during that time.

 

Yeah, I think a lot of the first reunion is probably just A) uneventful because they were stalled out hardly doing anything together aside from touring where they were also hardly even interacting.... and B) more stupid, uninteresting bickering that isn't worth mentioning.

Maybe some fans would find interest in more dirty laundry being aired, but I think it's really easy to cross a line into "okay this is just insulting now..." territory.

 

Not 100% done with the book, but I also feel as though he brushed on a lot of topics without fully diving into them. I def feel myself wishing for more detail in almost any chapter related to the albums, the band. but I still love it and whenever i have the book in my hands i can’t put it down.

 

Ummm actually *pushes glasses up on nose* Mark and Melissa Joan Hart didn’t even meet until the Teen Choice Awards, which was after the band wrote, recorded, and released WMAA…

 

Crazy foresight!

 

After finishing the book I went down a Blink-verse discography run. Initial thoughts:
1) man, Neighborhoods is a BAD album. Crumby production, song ideas that don't feel fully fleshed out, no real bridges, just feels lifeless
2) California is such a fun album, even if it is a bit generic sounding. Production is massive, the hooks are plentiful
3) +44 is still a good album, but didn't hold up as well as I remembered. Mark's best lyrics and some really good hooks, but the lazy lead guitar riffs bum me out. Funny how in the book Mark trashes the AVA debut, because I feel like that is the superior album. But I-Empire is better than both.
4) Still not impressed with Nine outside of a few songs. Funny how the label pushed them to go more pop for the album and then the label pretty much abandoned any promotion for it
5) Hot damn, One More Time is so solid. Honestly blows my mind that a band 30 years in made this.

 

I love Nine, but even OMT made me go “Nine who?” immediately.

 

!!!!!!!

 

Extreme Toby Morse voice:

FUUUUUUCK DUDE

 

Mark: "And then I got sick so..."
Toby: "Oh yeah, with cancer right??"
Mark: "Yup"
Toby: "Fuuuuuck dude!"

 

Mark: Yeah so then Tom starting writ-

Toby: Oh shit... fuck dude...

 

I bet Toby will get the most OMT talk we have gotten from Mark since the Zane Lowe interview. I love the Toby takes in here. He gets the best interviews because of his childlike wonder and deep roots in the music scene.

It’s really funny because I kinds of just accepted it and had never even noticed as a regular listener, but since the comments in here I can’t unhear the fillers he use.

 

Can’t wait. Hopefully Mark opens up more than usual and talks about things that aren’t just in his book. I feel like Mark goes on autopilot a lot with interviews, and questions in general. But that’s probably cuz he gets asked the same questions so often.