Book Review: Fahrenheit-182 by Mark Hoppus

Fahrenheit-182, or the life and times of Mark Hoppus

blink-182 might be my favorite band ever. I started listening to them shortly after Dude Ranch came out in the late ’90s and never looked back. Add in my love of reading about music, and Fahrenheit-182 was a no brainer to pick up.

Fahrenheit-182
Mark Hoppus and Dan Ozzi
Amazon

Fahrenheit-182 doesn’t take itself very serious, which shouldn’t be surprising because Hoppus and blink-182 have never taken themselves seriously. But there are serious topics in the book, like imposter syndrome and a cancer diagnosis; no matter how serious it is, Hoppus can make a joke out of it.

One of the things I loved about the book is you can tell he actually wrote the book; it’s very stream of consciousness put on paper. A lot of the books from musicians I’ve read are ghost written and you can tell. I feel like Ozzi is there as more of an editor, someone to help Hoppus focus on what he wants to say. I’ve read Ozzi’s book Sellout and the tone and writing don’t match.

Besides the typical “this is how I grew up” aspect of the book, you get a look at how music got Hoppus through his teenage years and how it introduced him to Tom Delonge, and eventually Travis Barker.

The book is very candid; Hoppus struggled with impostor syndrome, depression, and suicidal ideation at various points of his life. Even when blink was at their height, he struggle to make sense of it. You also see the disintegration of this relationship with Tom and how they rebuild it.

He also goes pretty heavy into his cancer diagnosis and treatment; his description really played out like a movie. You feel true empathy for him as he’s struggling with both the physical treatment and the mental trauma of it all.

I really didn’t have much I didn’t like. Maybe a little more insight to the band would have been nice, but he touched on most of the major eras of the band. It wasn’t like Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller, where he only recounted specific stories; you get the full picture of Hoppus’ life.

Rating: 5 out of 5. If you are a fan of blink-182 or punk rock in general, this is a great look inside of the biggest bands in the genre.

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