Editing Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (section)

==Background==
At the onset of the millennium, Blink-182 became one of the biggest international rock acts with the release of their third album, the fast-paced, melodic ''[[Enema of the State]]''&nbsp;(1999).<ref name="MTV influence">{{cite web|title=How Did Blink-182 Become So Influential? |author=James Montgomery |publisher=[[MTV News]] |date=February 9, 2009 |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604639/20090209/blink_182.jhtml |access-date=February 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025200846/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604639/how-did-blink-182-become-so-influential.jhtml |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It became an enormous worldwide success, moving over fifteen million copies.<ref name="Adams 2022 p555">{{cite web | last=Adams | first=Matt | title=Blink-182 are getting the band back together with a new tour | website=NPR | date=October 11, 2022 | url=https://www.npr.org/2022/10/11/1128131250/blink-182-reunite-tour-tom-delonge-mark-hoppus-travis-barker | access-date=February 18, 2024}}</ref> Singles "[[What's My Age Again?]]", "[[All the Small Things]]", and "[[Adam's Song]]" became radio staples, with their [[music videos]] and relationship with [[MTV]] cementing their stardom.<ref name="rstruth">{{cite magazine|last=Edwards|first=Gavins|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-half-naked-truth-about-blink-182-20000803|title=The Half Naked Truth About Blink-182|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=August 3, 2000|access-date=July 18, 2012}}</ref><ref name="boybands">{{cite web |title=Blink-182 Spoofs Boy Bands With New Video |publisher=MTV News |date=August 11, 1999 |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1426201/blink-182-spoofs-boy-bands-with-new-video.jhtml |access-date=September 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104195638/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1426201/blink-182-spoofs-boy-bands-with-new-video.jhtml |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=p98>Hoppus, 2001. p. 98</ref> It marked the beginning of their friendship with producer Jerry Finn, a key architect of their "polished" pop-punk rhythm; according to journalist James Montgomery, writing for [[MTV News]], the veteran engineer "served as an invaluable member of the Blink team: part adviser, part impartial observer, he helped smooth out tensions and hone their [[RIAA certification|multiplatinum]] sound."<ref name="Finn">{{cite web |title=Blink-182's Mark Hoppus Talks Moving On Without Late Producer Jerry Finn |first=James |last=Montgomery |publisher=MTV News |date=April 8, 2011 |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661627/mark-hoppus-blink-182.jhtml |access-date=September 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107211738/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661627/mark-hoppus-blink-182.jhtml |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The glossy production set Blink-182 apart from the other crossover punk acts of the era, such as [[Green Day]],<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/arts/music/blink-182-returns-with-new-album-neighborhoods.html?_r=1|title=Not Quite Gone, A Punk Band Is Coming Back|author=Jon Carimanica|date= September 16, 2011|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=September 17, 2011}}</ref> and this style and sound made for an extensive impact on pop punk, igniting a new wave of the genre.<ref name="diehl">{{cite book |last=Diehl |first=Matt|title=My So-Called Punk: Green Day, Fall Out Boy, The Distillers, Bad Religion – How Neo-Punk Stage-Dived into the Mainstream|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |date=April 17, 2007 |pages=75–76 |isbn=978-0-312-33781-0}}</ref>

Behind the scenes, the three were adjusting to this new lifestyle. "After years of hard work, promotion, and nonstop touring, people knew who we were, and listened to what we were saying&nbsp;... it scared the shit out of us," said bassist [[Mark Hoppus]].<ref name="linernotes1">{{cite AV media notes | title=Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2013 Vinyl Reissue)| year=2013 | work=[[Blink-182]] | type=liner notes | publisher=Geffen / Universal Music Special Markets | location=US | id=SRC025/SRC026/SRC027/SRC028|quote=This reference primarily cites the Mark Hoppus foreword.}}</ref><ref name="av13">{{cite news|url=https://www.avclub.com/blink-182-took-punk-to-no-1-for-the-first-time-with-a-1798241295|title=Blink-182 took punk to No. 1 for the first time with a masturbation pun|author= Kyle Ryan |date= October 8, 2013|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=October 8, 2013}}</ref> Each musician was now wealthy and famous, which brought both comfort and challenges: DeLonge reacted to fame with a desire for privacy, and both Hoppus and Barker had been the subject of [[stalking]].{{sfn|Barker|Edwards|2015|p=155}}<ref name="f182"/> It became a transitionary time for the group, adjusting to larger venues than before, including [[amphitheater]]s, arenas, and stadiums. At the beginning of the album's promotional cycle, the trio were driving from show to show in a van with a trailer attached for merchandise and equipment;{{sfn|Barker|Edwards|2015|p=122}} by its end, they were flying on [[private jet]]s.{{sfn|Barker|Edwards|2015|p=140}} Hoppus recalled that "we had gone from playing small clubs and sleeping on people's floors to headlining amphitheaters and staying in [[Hotel rating|five-star]] hotels."<ref name="linernotes1"/> On top of that, Blink was no longer simply responsible for their van and merchandise —  as a newly minted "big" band, their operation employed accountants, attorneys, lighting, technicians, crew, carpenters, and more. The pressure was on: “Every day, there were 15 semitrucks and 15 buses carrying a crew of 70 people, plus the extensive local-venue staff, all depending on the three of us," Hoppus wrote in his memoir, adding: "We were running a large business that supported an entire economic infrastructure. Millions of dollars were at stake every single night."<ref name="f182">{{cite book | last=Hoppus | first=Mark | last2=Ozzi | first2=Dan | title=Fahrenheit-182 | publisher=[[Dey Street Books]] | date=April 8, 2025 | isbn=978-0-06-331891-5 | page=}}</ref>

In the public eye, Blink became known for their juvenile antics, including running around nude;<ref name=ewnude>{{cite magazine |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=February 25, 2000 |title=Nude Sensation |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |issue=527 |issn=1049-0434 |url=https://ew.com/article/2000/02/25/blink-182-delivers-songs-and-laughs/ |access-date=January 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623140426/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,275495,00.html |archive-date=June 23, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> the band made a [[cameo appearance]] in the similarly bawdy comedy ''[[American Pie (film)|American Pie]]'' (1999).<ref name="Compton 2022 l091">{{cite web | last=Compton | first=Michael | title=American Pie Made Two Blink-182 Mistakes (Despite Their Cameo) | website=ScreenRant | date=January 16, 2022 | url=https://screenrant.com/american-pie-blink-182-cameo-travis-barker-mistakes/ | access-date=February 18, 2024}}</ref> While grateful for their success—which the trio parlayed into various business ventures, like [[Famous Stars and Straps]], [[Atticus Clothing]] and [[Macbeth Footwear]]<ref name="Quihuiz 2023 u107">{{cite web | last=Quihuiz | first=Ariana | title=The Members of Blink-182: Where Are They Now? | website=Peoplemag | date=April 18, 2023 | url=https://people.com/music/blink-182-members-where-are-they-now/ | access-date=February 18, 2024}}</ref>—they gradually became unhappy with their goofy public image. In one instance, the European arm of [[Universal Music Group|UMG]] had taken photos shot lampooning boy bands and distributed them at face value, making their basis for parody appear thin.<ref name="Radio X 2021 b722">{{cite web | title=Tom DeLonge: "People thought Blink-182 were a boy band" | website=Radio X | date=October 11, 2021 | url=https://www.radiox.co.uk/news/music/tom-delonge-people-thought-blink-182-were-a-boy-band/ | access-date=February 18, 2024}}</ref> In response, a conscious effort was made to make the trio appear more authentic with their next album. However, the relentless pace also was wearing on the group, and the growing divide between art and commerce began to frustrate them. The band was rushed into recording the follow-up, as according to DeLonge, "the president of MCA was penalizing us an obscene amount of money because our record wasn't going to be out in time for them to make their quarterly revenue statements. [...] And we were saying, 'Hey, we can't do this right now, we need to reorganize ourselves and really think about what we want to do and write the best record we can.' They didn't agree with us."<ref name="wp">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31210-2004Jun10_2.html|title=Seriously, Blink-182 Is Growing Up|author=Richard Harrington|date=June 11, 2004|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=February 25, 2014}}</ref> To satiate fans in the interim, the band issued a stopgap live album, ''[[The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!)]]'', displaying more of their high-energy antics, in November 2000.