Blink-182's Travis Barker Talks Tattoos and Pain | GQ
The history of punk rock can be divided into two parts: punk before Travis Barker and punk after Travis Barker. The California born-and-bred drummer has been a stalwart in the game for at least two decades, and is known for, among other things, his technical chops (usually delivered with military precision), and his sadomasochistic approach to beating the shit out of a drum kit. He’s also the backbone, workhorse, heart, soul, and, frankly, the best musician in the venerable pop-punk trio Blink-182 (their latest album, California, claimed Billboard’s top spot in July, putting an end to Drake’s nine-week run). So it should be no surprise that Barker happens to be one of the industry’s most sought after drummers. (I mean, just look at his resume: The Aquabats, Transplants, Box Car Racer, +44, Yelawolf, Antemasque, not to mention collaborations with Rihanna, Lil Wayne, and Afrojack.)
But even to die-hard fans, Barker is something of an enigma. He’s always been considered the quiet one in Blink, holding down the fort of mysteriousness while his bandmates made dick jokes in front of a giant flaming "FUCK" sign. Now Barker’s life is an open book. He published an autobiography last October called Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, And Drums, Drums, Drums. Barker doesn’t hold back, recounting his early days of debauchery, countless sexual conquests, addiction, ex-wives, and surviving an airplane crash that claimed the lives of two close friends.