It's not always easy being a musician. Sure, it seems like an easy job, but there are a lot of details that no one ever mentions: such as the strain of touring or the interview schedules that must be maintained. As they get more successful, the members of San Diego's Blink-182 are quite aware of the time constraints of being in an up-and-coming band. Although they aren't on tour at the moment, on this particular day they were too busy to meet in person -- we had to settle for a conference call. However, the convenience of modern technology was not working with us: guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge was on a cel phone in an area where they were repairing the streets, so his responses were often peppered with the warning beeps of construction equipment backing up; bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus was having difficulty hearing either of us, especially with the work going on. So, as we got through with the introductions, we knew that our communication was going to be hampered by the circumstances. "I guess we'll just have to punk it," said Hoppus, the oldest member of the group, displaying the attitude that has brought Blink-182 to where they are now.

Depending on what region of the country you’re in, Blink-182 is either famous or on the verge. In San Diego, they've achieved a certain notoriety and longevity. With the success of their first major label release, Dude Ranch, and a few appearances on the Warped Tour, Blink (who are often still referred to as "Blink" despite a lawsuit which forced the numerical addendum) is quickly emerging as a carrier of the punk torch in other parts of the U.S. and the world. The success of "Dammit," the hit single from Dude Ranch, brought the band credibility with its lyrics about growing up -- but Hoppus, DeLonge, and new drummer Travis Barker (formerly of the Aquabats) aren't prepared to rest on their laurels.

New things abound for the trio. Their new album, Enema of the State, is due out June 1. Barker came in to replace original drummer Scott Raynor, who left Blink to pursue scholastic and other interests. What isn't new is the subject matter of the group's songs. They still write songs that are relevant to youth -- songs about love and angst and the host of emotions that come with the maturing process. Their twisted sense of humor is still there as well. That humor and the lyrics still dwell on bodily functions in a manner reminiscent of Beavis and Butthead -- but with a strong bassline. Take for instance the first three things mentioned in the band's latest biography, in order: Masturbation, Childish Behavior, and Scatological Jokes. While it seems like those may be strange things to mention in a biography, for would-be fans they serve as a primer to what Blink-182 is all about: having fun and shocking the uptight of America. The question had to be asked: What is the deal with masturbation? Why dwell on it so heavily? Doesn't it interfere with the rest of their lives? "It's a fine line," notes DeLonge, "but as you become a ninja of the masturbatory arts, you'll realize." Hoppus corrects the terminology. "Jack-off sensei," he says. DeLonge finishes the answer. "Well, it does catch your attention," he says, still laughing at Hoppus' comments. After calming down a bit, DeLonge gets as serious as he can be. "To tell you the truth," he says, "this album has less joke stuff than the other albums, but at the same time we promise that we haven't gotten any more mature -- although people might think so after listening to the music." "The fans will have to just take our word for it that we aren't any more mature," notes Hoppus. "We're just misleading the public, I guess. This is our first lie to the American people," DeLonge finishes.

As the talk returns to masturbation, DeLonge, who is in a public area, mentions that he is starting to get some strange looks from the people around him. "Dude, I'm gonna get beat up," he laughs. It seems odd that a musician in a band known for such talk would be concerned with people's reactions to his humor. These concerns didn't stop the band from trying to shock the public on Enema. The new album features porn starlet Janine on the cover dressed in a nurse's outfit, donning a rubber glove -- presumably preparing to deliver an enema. The enema angle is the new Blink’s "theme du jour." While the album is far from a concept album, the band has stated that they are concerned with the American colon -- going so far as to suggest that each stop on the upcoming Warped Tour, which Blink will co-headline with long-time pals Pennywise, should feature a booth dedicated to keeping your colon well-maintained. This would include, of course, instructions on the proper delivery of colon hydrotherapy, a.k.a. enemas. Despite the fantasies of their fans, the band admits that they didn't know Janine prior to hiring her for the cover shoot. But they admit to learning a few things. "We just hired her," said Hoppus. "She was super cool, she told us things about the industry and herself and how things work and where the thing goes on the girl." DeLonge gets more to the point. "Awww, lord, it was a horny environment. While we didn't know Janine prior to this, we will go on record saying that we got the closest that you can get to the adult film industry without actually being orgasmed on."

Some might think it hard for the band to maintain credibility as musicians when they tend to play the fool so often -- but retaining the band's sense of humor while showing their musical strengths is not as hard as some may think, Hoppus notes. "We've always been serious about our music -- we've just had a sense of humor about it." DeLonge agrees. "We've always taken the music seriously, but lyrically we really try to have our personality come through and that's why there's a lot of humor in the music. "But I think that, as far as the songwriting goes and the overall structure and trying to have decent songs. . . we've accomplished that somewhat," DeLonge continues. "We don't write songs about politics and stupid things. . . stupid serious things that all these other bands write about that they know nothing about. There's plenty of those types of bands. We really write things that genuinely happen to us or that we sincerely feel at the time, like relationships in school and getting along and the relationships you have with your parents -- that's our whole deal and those things are very real to us and, I think, very real to our fans. We also like, every once in awhile, to have funny songs. But we don't put them in some novelty format. We just like people to come to Blink-182 and get a little bit more than just a song -- to get, like, personality." Enema of the State has all the personality of the band's previous releases.

The songs also revisit the subject matter of growing up. The first radio single, "What's My Age Again?," has already gained enthusiastic support. While Blink’s record label is keeping tight control over advance copies of the new release, they have put three of the tracks from Enema on the Internet for free download to anyone who can use the A2B streaming process, software which is available for free at the same site. Their approach to their music has kept them busy, between touring and spending the first part of 1999 in the studio. Despite the commitment required to bring Blink’s "personality" to the world, Hoppus and DeLonge also have been working on another venture. "Mark and I have spent weeks and weeks putting together a massive on-line board shop called LoserKids.com," DeLonge says. "[It’s] going to launch June 1 with our album. It's all just skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing apparel and 200,000 music titles and so on. It's going to be huge. It's going to take over the world." Hoppus notes, "The site will have what-nots and what-have-you’s, too." "And what-have-you-nots," adds DeLonge. The project is perfect for Hoppus and DeLonge, who both skate and snowboard. "I grew up with skateboarding, the same with Mark," says DeLonge. "We both tried surfing, but we suck. "But the site will give kids a chance to buy all the great products they can't get at their local skateboard or surf shop. A kid in Denver can't really get a surfboard that easily. We want to get surfboards to the Midwest." While Midwesterners looking for surfboards will have to wait until June to see the completed site, anyone can log on now and register to receive updates.

Despite their notoriety, the members of Blink-182 don't consider themselves famous. "I wish I was famous," DeLonge says. "I'm not famous -- Leonardo DiCaprio is famous." DeLonge asks a woman nearby, "Do you know I'm famous?" To which she replies, "You're in Blink, aren't you?" Hoppus and DeLonge laugh. The woman may not have recognized DeLonge by his appearance -- but, as their bio suggests, when the talk turns to masturbation and music only one band comes to mind: Blink-182. Proving that you don't have to act mature to be famous -- and that growing older doesn't mean growing up.