Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus has revealed that he recorded vocals for an unreleased Linkin Park song – and jokingly confronted Mike Shinoda over why they never made the cut.
The revelation came after Hoppus moderated a Q&A with Linkin Park following the Los Angeles premiere of their new documentary Unshatter at AMC The Grove on Thursday (September 24).
Hoppus appears in the film after visiting Linkin Park in the studio while they were working on the music that would eventually become their comeback album ‘From Zero’.
During the Q&A, he explained that Shinoda had originally invited him to the studio not only to hear the material, but also to potentially contribute vocals to one of the songs.
Hoppus then turned directly to Shinoda and demanded: “What the fuck? I’m not on the record. What the fuck happened with my vocal takes?”
He also jokingly wondered whether his liberal use of the phrase “God dammit” during the recording session might have been responsible.
Shinoda offered a more flattering explanation: “You were greater than the song.”
The exchange drew laughter from the rest of the band, before the pair suggested there could still be an opportunity to properly work together on something in future.
Watch the moment below.
In a clip already released from the documentary, Hoppus is shown sitting with Shinoda as he hears ‘Unshatter’ – a track that ultimately appeared on the deluxe edition of ‘From Zero’ – for the first time.
Hoppus is visibly taken aback by what he hears, responding: “Fucking hell, Mike,” and later asking whether new vocalist Emily Armstrong’s voice is “made of fucking steel”. He even holds out his arm to show Shinoda the goosebumps the song has given him.
“I was moved by that,” Shinoda says in the film. “Goosebumps, you can’t fake.”
Hoppus then asks for 30 seconds to address the musicians in the room and urges them to fully embrace the new incarnation of Linkin Park.
Unshatter chronicles Linkin Park’s path back to making music following the death of Chester Bennington in 2017 and their subsequent seven-year hiatus.
Directed by Linkin Park’s Joe Hahn alongside Mark Ritchie, the film begins with intimate studio sessions in 2022 and follows Shinoda, Hahn, Brad Delson and Dave “Phoenix” Farrell as they gradually begin creating together again.
It goes on to document Armstrong and Brittain joining the line-up, the secretive process of making ‘From Zero’, and the band finally revealing their return to the world in 2024.
It had its world premiere in Los Angeles last week and will open for a limited global cinema run on September 30, including ScreenX, 4DX and Ultra4DX presentations at selected cinemas.
‘From Zero’ itself arrived in November 2024 and marked Linkin Park’s first studio album since 2017’s ‘One More Light’. NME gave it three stars, describing it as containing “sensational, knockout stadium rock” alongside some more uneven material.
Hoppus and Linkin Park also have a longstanding friendship. Blink-182 had been due to join the band for two special ‘Welcome To Blinkin Park’ shows in 2017, but the concerts were cancelled following Bennington’s death.
Blink later appeared at Linkin Park’s Hollywood Bowl tribute show that October, performing ‘I Miss You’ before joining Shinoda, Delson and Hahn for ‘What I’ve Done’.
