Mark Hoppus Says He’s ‘Open to Whatever’ for Blink-182 After Rekindling Friendship with Tom DeLonge
Mark Hoppus says he’s open to all possibilities after his battle with stage 4 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The Blink-182 bassist-singer spoke to People magazine about his cancer journey and how it brought him back into the orbit of former Blink singer-guitarist Tom DeLonge, who split with the pop-punk trio in 2015.
“It was the first time that all three of us were in the same room in, like, five years,” Hoppus, 50, said of a visit he had with Blink drummer Travis Barker and DeLonge before he began a “brutal” regimen of chemotherapy. “It’s actually better than it used to be. There was no agenda. There were no lingering grudges. It felt very back to what it should be: three friends sitting in a room.”
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After replacing founding member DeLonge with Alkaline Trio singer-guitarist Matt Skiba, Hoppus said that his rekindled friendship with DeLonge was a “panacea” during his treatments. “Everybody’s in a really great place now,” he said of their current relationship, which has led to whispers of a possible reunion of the band’s most successful, longest lived lineup.
“I keep writing music, and I’m open to whatever the next phase of Blink is,” Hoppus said without directly addressing any potential announcement. “I’m hopeful for the future. I’m just d–n glad to be here.”
For now, Hoppus — who was declared cancer-free in September — has been digging in to work again. With a “second shot at life” in hand, he’s writing a book, has launched a new record company (Verswire), and just posted the 100th episode of his “After School Radio” show on Apple Music.
Another reason for joy in Hoppus’ life was joining bandmate Barker in Italy in May for the drummer’s wedding to Kourtney Kardashian. “Obviously it was a celebration for them, but for me it was the first time that I traveled really after being sick and the first time doing normal people stuff, like going to a wedding, traveling, seeing friends — all the stuff that you’ve missed out on for the past two years, not only from being sick with cancer, but from the pandemic: happiness, joy, meeting, new people, seeing friends that you haven’t seen in awhile and catching back up, eating delicious food in gorgeous settings,” Hoppus said. “As big a giant spectacle as it was, it felt very normal and very like family.”
Hoppus said the wedding was “fun” and “beautiful,” and that he “couldn’t be happier” for the couple. “She’s great, and she brings out the best in Travis. So I was glad to be there, not only for them, but selfishly for myself.” he said. “I was glad to have a chance to celebrate my own s–t.”
