'EVERY DAY NOW IS A BONUS'

THIS IS GROWING UP: IN AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING INTERVIEW, POPPUNKLEGEND MARK HOPPUS TALKS TO US ABOUT BEATING CANCER, BLINK-182 AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

- LEANNE ACIZ STANTON

Artwork, books, a guitar and a Spotify award for Blink-182's hit “All the Small Things” hitting 1 billion streams rest neatly behind Mark Hoppus as he sits down at his desk to discuss his new memoir, Fahrenheit-182, with Us. It’s been quite the ride for the pop-punk star, whose band rose to fame in the late '90s, dominating the airwaves alongside acts like The Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, and whose lyrics never quite leave a millennial’s subconscious. (See what happens if “What’s My Age Again?” comes on during a Target run.) With their playful energy, relatable songs and irreverent humor, Blink-182 became part of the soundtrack for a generation figuring out the chaos of growing up.

Hoppus' own journey hasn't always mirrored that of the carefree rocker fans remember from the glory days of MTV. He privately struggled with his mental health, and in 2021, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Hoppus, 53, says he was seated at the very same desk when he asked his oncologist the first question that popped into his head after learning he had cancer. “Is it going to hurt?” he recalls asking about the treatment course. “[The doctor] said, ‘Yeah, it’s going to hurt. The good news is that you have great odds — a 60 percent chance. The bad news is, it’s the worst chemotherapy you can go through.’”

“We’ve been blessed with so many pinch-me moments that I should have bruises,” Hoppus says of Blink-182.