Blink182, "The Who" of our Generation

By Dimitri Darras

Midgets, porn stars, and very fine music; Blink182 are anything but bland and combine great musicianship with memorable showmanship. Their most recent live album "The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show" highlights some of their hits off of "Enema of the State" and earlier work in "Dude Ranch". Although the sound engineering on the album is lacking the gloss of "Enema of the State" it includes jokes and some songs not heard on the other albums. Much of this commentary can be juvenile, but still appealing if one accepts it at face value.

Blink 182 is known to audiences of MTV for their irreverent take on music industry. Their music video for the hit single "all the small things" is a parody of one of the numerous outré Backstreet Boys videos - Blink182 mocks the signature Backstreet style including fly clothing, sincere poses, swooning fans, and, of course, the white jet. Performing at the MTV music awards, Blink182 had an elaborate set which consisted of midgets flailing up and down on bungee cords. In their videos, they run around nude, scaring innocent bystanders. Beyond all the spectacle however lies excellent, highly listenable music.

Blink182 are reminiscent of "The Who" in that they are the voice of today's youth, not all of whom are taken in by formulaic, commercial pop. Their music is pop, but it still packs a punch. Themes are simple - girls, angry parents, partying. Their counterparts, punk-ska band "The Offspring" have a similar style, but are staid in comparison with Blink182.

Many of their songs follow a successful formula, a combination of ska, punk, and pop. Some of the guitar riffs sound the same, but it's easy to forgive this limitation because their tunes are so catchy. "Adam's song" on "Enema of the State" is truly outstanding in its dark tones and significance for the band. This song has helped earn them credibility in the press and with their fans; Blink182 has potential for introspective music too.

Out of all the new bands today, Blink182 has made the most headway towards serious pop and seriously funny acts. They successfully thumb their noses at authority while building a strong repertoire of songs and loyal following. They have also used the press to package their image on MTV shows such as TRL (Total Request Live) and their web site, blink182.com, which has animation in the cartoon style of "Ren and Stimpy". They most recently were awarded "Best New Act" at the MTV Europe awards. Blink 182 have continued successes to look forward to and will enjoy greater longevity than other popular Boy Bands.

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