Mark Hoppus

“Music is life. Music defines peoples' experience on this planet. Name one time in your life that wasn't punctuated by the music you listened to at the time. When people are down, they listen to music that commiserates that emotion. When people are amped up, they listen to more upbeat, loud songs.”

“Antarctica is otherworldly, like nothing I've ever seen before. Stark, cold, beautiful desolation.”

“The thing you realize as you get older is that parents don't know what the Hell they're doing and neither will you when you get to be a parent.”

“I've learned some of the greatest life lessons from growing up in the skate and punk rock communities.”

“I'm always asking friends what new music they're into, and I love showing people new talented artists.”

“I don't have a problem being on 'MTV,' and I don't have a problem being on the radio. I actually like it. So there. And anyone that calls me a sell out is just jealous.”

“There's no doubt that the ready availability of music online has created a thousand more opportunities than it's destroyed.”

“Ideas are really what interest me in producing a band, if I can bring something productive to the project.”

“I just want everyone out there to know that I'm super-awesome and a great guy and really cool to talk to and that I appreciate all the support.”

“Mom's dad was in the army, stormed the beach at Normandy, fought through the French hedgerows, the Battle of the Ardennes, the Battle of the Bulge, and liberated concentration camps at the end of the war.”

“We just kind of did our own thing and got made fun of by the popular kids. It was kind of like a badge of honor to be an outcast.”

“I like the beaches in Orange County the best. I think Orange County has great beaches. Everything from Dana Point to Newport to Laguna; all over the place.”

“I believe that artists should be paid for their creativity. There's no other industry where people can come in and take what you create for free and give it away for free and that's acceptable.”

“During the downtime on tour, I simply walk from room to room, staring into my computer.”

“It's a real challenge to complete a story arc and end up with a cool punchline in 120 characters.”

“If we tried to write about politics, you'd realize that we're all a bunch of idiots.”

“I dated the same girl all through high school.”

“All I can hope to do is instill great morality in my son and trust him along the way. The music he listens to or how he chooses to wear his hair doesn't define his moral compass, and if he wants to listen to country music and wear a cowboy hat too, that's fine.”

“I grew up the biggest fan of the Cure. Knew every lyric, had every album, B-side, single, poster, everything. Then cut to fifteen years later, and we're working on songs together. Ridiculous.”

“Getting to meet other artists that I admire is one of the best parts of my job. I don't know if I'd say 'star struck' as much as excited to hear other peoples' ideas.”