Travis Barker

Travis Barker, in his book Can I Say, says that he always wanted to be a drummer from the first time he saw Animal on The Muppets. Though like most families, they slightly brushed it off.  A ton of young kids may say they want to be famous, but Barker’s mom supported him. She took him to every drum lesson and even learned the drums herself in order to help him. The day before Barker started high school, his mother, and his biggest fan, passed away. Like many people, he picked up some bad habits and coping mechanisms afterwards. Barker started drinking, doing drugs, sleeping around, and hanging out with friends who were in a gang. However, through all of this, he still stuck with the drums. They were something constant and safe. He once said that “playing my drums is therapy,” and that this was how he worked through things. Barker would go to random shows in California near his home and joined a bunch of small bands. However, though he was touring with another band at the time when he met the other members of Blink 182, he knew that this was where he belonged. Blink 182’s music improved dramatically with Barker’s help. He found himself a permanent job with the band and toured everywhere with them. However, he kept up his old ways of drinking, drugs, and bad habits. Barker may not have been doing healthy activities, but he was happy. 

During this time with Blink 182, Barker was able to explore his creativity and work with many other amazing artists, including his close friend DJ AM, whom he would perform special shows with. In 2008, he and DJ AM were booked for a big show in South Carolina and flew there on a private plane along with Barker’s security guard, Che, and assistant, Chris Baker. On the way home, in typical Barker fashion, he self-medicated to combat his fear of flying. He claims something felt wrong the moment he got on the plane, and called his wife and kids at home to say he loved them. Barker was right. The plane went down shortly after leaving the runway. Barker and DJ AM were the only survivors, but were badly injured. Barker found himself in the burn center in critical condition, requiring 16 surgeries and multiple skin grafts, and experiencing survivor’s guilt due to the death of his friends and the pilots. Survivors guilt is hard to cope with in any scenario. Barker coped with it the only way he knew how; he took all of the medications the doctors could give him and more, he threatened nurses’ lives, and even offered his friends all of his money in order to come to the hospital and kill him 

It was a long and hard 11 weeks in the hospital for Barker, but it served as an awful wake up call. After returning to drumming for Blink 182 post-plane crash, he was able to heal with his family and his music. He quit taking prescription drugs (even if they were prescribed to him), smoking, drinking, and even began eating vegan. A year after the crash, DJ AM passed away, though Barker knew how to cope with this death far better than he had before. Today, he lives a much healthier life. He spends lots of time with his kids, co-parents with his now ex-wife, and still tours with Blink 182. If he is not busy, he is always trying to better himself: “You shouldn't ever be bored. You can always read and be smarter. You can always work out and be in better shape. You can always play your instrument and get better at it. Your space can always be cleaner.” He is proud to talk about both the good and bad choices he has made in his life, and hopes that his kids and the public can learn from his mistakes.