Blink-182 Bassist Mark Hoppus Discusses Cancer Battle, Farm Life, and Bass Heroes

Mark Hoppus opened up about his cancer diagnosis and treatment in a new interview. Doctors told him he had a 60% chance of making it through when they found cancer that needed R-CHOP chemotherapy.

"You only have a 60% chance of living through this and never having to deal with it again," Hoppus said to the Guardian. "Chemotherapy feels like you're being crushed. They give you a massive dose of steroids, which would send me hyper-crazy. Then, when they give you the actual drugs, you can feel them burning the cancer cells out of your body, like you're on fire from the inside."

Hoppus also talked about living on a 25-acre farm in Somerset with a Georgian farmhouse built in 1750. He kept chickens, and the birds got names from women in band songs, including Wendy, Holly, and Josie. Someone from the British Beekeeping Association helped him harvest honey.

"It was crazy how much honey we got — up to 150 jars a season," Hoppus said. "It was the best honey I've ever tasted."

When asked about his top three bass players, the musician picked Peter Hook from New Order, Simon Gallup from the Cure, and both bass players from Ned's Atomic Dustbin. That last band had two bassists in its lineup during the early 1990s.

"Bass players are just cool," Hoppus said. "Bass players are the glue — we're the one that brings it all together. We're the bridge between the rhythm of the drums and the melody of the guitar and the vocal."

The interview touched on bandmate Tom Delonge's interest in UFOs. Hoppus recalled how Delonge would sit up all night looking at the skies during van tours, hoping to spot unidentified objects.

Hoppus is promoting his memoir Fahrenheit-182, which is out now. He will speak at Melbourne Recital Hall on March 19 and Sydney Opera House on March 21.