Mark Hoppus |
I was able to sit and chat a little with Mark Hoppus the lead singer of Blink.
Conrad: Who are you and what do you play?
Mark Hoppus. Bass [and sings].
C: What advice do you have for a band that is trying to get off the ground?
M: To survive in a band, you have to give up all thoughts and dreams of anything else in your life and give yourself 100% to the band. Do or do not, there is no try. Also, practice as much as possible, play anywhere for anybody that will listen to you, and be cool to everyone because the people that you see on the way up are the same people that you1re going to see on the way back down.
C: Do you have any control over the business aspects of the band?
M: Yes, our band has complete control and say over the business aspects of our career.
C: How well do you get along with the others in the band?
M: All of us are like friends and brothers, so of course we will get on each other's nerves occasionally. However, these are the people that we have to live with for nine months out of the year, so you have to be mindful of the other people.
C: What do you think the moral climate of America is?
M: There is no moral climate in America, as far as I can tell. Some people are bad and some people are good. There will always be [jerks] and there will always be those who try and help. I think that America is basically remaining the same.
C: Were you raised with any religion?
M: Yes, I was raised with religion.
Conrad: What is your opinion of religion in general?
M: In general, I have no opinion of religion. I have my beliefs and morality, and I do not believe that it is my place to force these on anyone else. If a different religion brings happiness and peace into
someone else's life, then I support that for them.
C: What do you think of Christianity?
M: Christianity has done a lot of good and a lot of bad in the name of God. In general, I think that it is a good thing. It is humans who turn it into a powerful tool and something evil.
C: What are your own personal morals?
M: My own personal morals: Be kind to strangers, or at least try to be kind to strangers.
C: What are your own personal beliefs about God?
M: I am still learning my own personal beliefs about God. I haven't
figured out all of my beliefs yet. Maybe I never will.
C: Thanks a lot.
