Encyclopedia:
Travis Barker
Travis Landon Barker (born
November 14,
1975) is an
American musician, best known as the drummer for
blink-182. He currently is the drummer for
+44. He has also played for
Box Car Racer,
The Transplants,
Expensive Taste,
The Suicide Machines and
The Aquabats (as
Baron Von Tito). He is known for exemplifying the
bro lifestyle with his
mohawk,
tattoo-clad image, and low-riding pants.
Biography
Travis Barker was born in
Fontana,
California. Barker received his first
drum set from his mother at the age of four. He was exposed to many different styles of music and studied with a
jazz drum set in his
youth. His mother's death, the day before he began
high school, inspired him to become more serious about his drumming. During high school, he joined the jazz ensemble and made the second chair
snare drum in the
marching band. After
graduating from
Poway High School in
1993, he gained more experience as a drummer in a few early bands including Feeble. When Barker was a teenager, he was treated rudely by veteran drummer/producer
Bill Stevenson, whom Barker admired. Travis was very offended by this. Barker has since repeated this story, omitting Stevenson's name.
Barker grew up playing
Latin and jazz. His influences include everything from
Run-D.M.C.. to
King Diamond to
the Clash. He has stated that a few of his favorite drummers are
Stewart Copeland of
the Police,
Tommy Lee of
Mötley Crüe,
Tre Cool of
Green Day, and
Keith Moon of
The Who.
right|230px|thumb|Barker as Baron von Tito Blink 182 Debut (1998)
In
1998, Travis Barker was touring with his band as Baron Von Tito with
The Aquabats. During this tour, the original drummer for Blink 182,
Scott Raynor, left the band and as a result Travis was asked to fill in, requiring him to learn the entire set (over 20 songs) in less than two hours and perform them at that night's show. Travis' efforts earned him appreciation, respect, and a full time offer to join Blink 182, which he accepted.
Famous Stars And Straps (1999-Present)
Still making records and touring with blink-182, Travis founded what has become a very sought-after clothing line called
Famous Stars and Straps. Travis has said the brand's trademark "F" for the logo was chosen for its resemblance to a car logo but mainly for the fact that it can stand on its own. He also found time to explore his other musical interests in
hip hop and
rap. In 2001, he appeared playing drums in P. Diddy's video, "Bad Boy for Life"
[Bliss, Karen. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5933013/blink_drummer_plans_new_band/ "Blink Drummer Plans New Band" RollingStone.com. August 24, 2001. Retrieved on July 29, 2006.], and in 2003 he played the drums in Bubba Sparxxx's video for "Back In The Mudd".
Box Car Racer, Transplants and Expensive Taste (2002-2004)
thumb|right|200px|Barker with his "Transplants" [Drum Kit]
In a 2002 interview with MTV, Travis stated, "I probably listen to more hip-hop and drum'n'bass than I do punk rock music, and same with Tim and Rob..."
[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1458285/10222002/transplants.jhtml "Transplants Fuse Bands And Styles, Much To Ire Of Punk Police" MTV.com. October 23, 2002. Retrieved on August 20, 2006.]. Not being able to explore this genre within blink-182, he began several side projects including
Box Car Racer,
Transplants, and
Expensive Taste.
Box Car Racer is a side project with
Tom DeLonge of blink-182. Their
self-titled album was released in 2002.
Transplants is a hip-hop induced punk band for which Travis partnered with
Tim Armstrong of
Rancid. Transplants released two records, the first being self-titled
Transplants in 2002. The second Transplants record,
Haunted Cities, was released by
LaSalle, a label created by Barker in 2004. Travis and
Rob Aston have joined
Paul Wall in forming a new hip-hop band called
Expensive Taste.
Post-Blink Career (2005-present)
After having been the drummer for Blink 182 for 7 years, in February
2005 the band announced they are taking an "indefinite hiatus". He has since joined a new project,
+44, which is a
synth-based
rock band. For this, Barker was recruited by former Blink-182 bassist,
Mark Hoppus, and former vocalist of for the all-female punk band Get the Girl,
Carol Heller. Heller has since left the band and will no longer be part of the project. 2 songs, however, were left on the album. These songs were labeled "No, It Isn't" and "Make You Smile." Instead, Hoppus has drafted guitarists
Craig Fairbaugh (ex-Transplants) and
Shane Gallagher (formerly of
The Nervous Return), to fill the void. In addition, Barker has begun the process of filing for the trademark
The Phenomenons apparently for a band name but that remains to be seen.
Barker continues to stay involved with other genres of music. He has worked on albums with the
Black Eyed Peas,
P!nk,
Pharrell Williams,
Bun B, and he was featured in the opening sequence of the
Dem Franchise Boys music video, "Ridin Rims," in 2006. In 2006 he was a producer on
T.I.'s fourth album,
King. Travis has also appeared in Xzibit's music video "Hey Now (Mean Muggin')", T.I.'s video "What You Know", and Three 6 Mafia's "Side 2 Side (remix)" video. Most recently, Barker has played drums for a few songs on
Avril Lavigne's third album.Travis Barker is also featured on the outkast music video "Morris Brown". Also, he is seen playing drums in The Game's AOL Session.
Barker recently broke his arm, delaying +44's debut tour. While shooting the video for +44's first single, "When Your Heart Stops Beating", Travis fractured his right arm but was unaware. He went on to play the whole European tour in a great deal of pain and finally found out his arm was broken when he returned home to L.A. Travis openly apologized, but most fans appreciated this and sent their regards, especially on his myspace page. Travis hopes to recover soon. Barker is currently touring North America with +44 playing without the use of his right arm. The configuration of his drums has changed to include electronic "triggers" that, among other things, allow him to simulate the sound of a snare drum with his left foot.
Discography
The Aquabats
The Fury of the Aquabats! (
1997) was the only album that Travis was a part of recording. He left the band before
The Aquabats 1999 release
The Aquabats vs. the Floating Eye of Death! and Other Amazing Adventures Vol. 1 was recorded.
Blink 182
Main|blink-182
*
Enema of the State (1999)
*
The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show: The Enema Strikes Back (2000)
*
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)
*
blink-182 (2003)
*
Greatest Hits (2005)
Box Car Racer
*
Box Car Racer (
2002)
Transplants
*
Transplants (
2002)
*
Haunted Cities (
2005)
P!nk
*
Try This (
2003)
Expensive Taste
*
TBA (Set for 2006 release)
+44
*
When Your Heart Stops Beating (
2006)
Feeble
*
All Dressed Up And No Where To Go Various Artists
*
Kevin & Bean's Super Christmas (
2006)
Credits
Travis has appeared in numerous films and television shows, most notably his own
reality show,
Meet the Barkers, with ex-wife
Shanna Moakler which debuted in
2005. In
2003, he appeared in an episode of
MTV's
Punk'd, a
Candid Camera-esque television show, in which he took part in a set up bareknuckle boxing match. In
2006 Barker starred in a
Boost Mobile commercial
[http://www.boostmobilepivotalmoments.com/ "Travis' TV AD" BoostMobilePivotalMoments.com. Retrieved on July 29, 2006.], which was detailed in an episode of
Meet the Barkers. He's also played a few guest starring roles such as a rapper on the popular crime drama,
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and a voiceover for an episode of
The Simpsons. He's been a presenter for several award shows such as the
Much Music Awards in
2002 and the
MTV Video Music Awards in
2000. In a slight departure from his usual genres, he made an appearance on the 41st annual
CMA Awards in
2006, performing a medley of songs by country icon
Buck Owens with a group of artists including
Dwight Yoakam,
ZZ Top guitarist
Billy Gibbons, and former
Byrds bass player
Chris Hillman [http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=2006-05-24T064909Z_01_N23217744_RTRUKOC_0_US-LEISURE-COUNTRY.xml "Chesney, Dixie Chicks in spotlight at award show" Reuters.com. May 24, 2006. Retrieved on May 25, 2006.]. Also, in 2001, he appeared with Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus in the skit "Leave it to Blink-182", a parody of "Leave it to Beaver", on the late night tv show
MADtv.
[http://www.tv.com/madtv/episode-707/episode/185783/summary.html "MAD Tv: Episode #707" tv.com. November 21, 2001. Retrieved on November, 20, 2006.]Also in
2003 He appeared on an episode of
Ride with Funkmaster Flex in which Flex shows Travis his cars and does a music session (Travis on Drums, Flex on turntables)
Film and television
{| class="wikitable" width="50%"
|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
! width="36" align="center"|Year
! Film
! Role
! Notes
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="3"|
1999 ||
American Pie (film) || Garage band member || incorrectly credited
|-
|
The Urethra Chronicles || blink-182 ||
|-
|
Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place || Himself ||
|-
| width="36" align="center"|
2000 ||
Jailbait || blink-182 ||
|-
| width="36" align="center"|
2001 ||
Mad TV || Blink-182 || Leave it to Blink-182
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="1"|
2002 ||
Riding in Vans with Boys || blink-182 ||
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="2"|
2003 ||
Ride with Funkmaster Flex || Himself ||
|-
|
The Urethra Chronicles II || blink-182 ||
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="2"|
2005 ||
Give 'Em the Boot || Transplants ||
|-
|
Meet the Barkers || Himself || 2005–2006
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="2"|
2006 ||
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation || Hi Def||
|-
|
Live Freaky Die Freaky || Cop #2 (voice) ||
|}
Videography
{| class="wikitable" width="50%"
|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
! width="36" align="center"|Year
! Song
! Band
! Notes
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="1"|
1998 || "Super Rad" || The Aquabats! ||
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="2"|
1999 || "All The Small Things" || blink-182 ||
|-
| "What's My Age Again" || blink-182 ||
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="2"|
2000 || "Man Overboard" || blink-182 ||
|-
| "Adam's Song" || blink-182 ||
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="4"|
2001 || "First Date" || blink-182 ||
|-
| "Bad Boys For Life|| P.Diddy||
|-
| "Stay Together For The Kids" || blink-182 ||
|-
| "The Rock Show" || blink-182 ||
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="2"|
2002 || "I Feel So" || Box Car Racer ||
|-
| "There Is" || Box Car Racer ||
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="3"|
2003 || "Feeling This" || blink-182 ||
|-
| "D.J. D.J." || Transplants ||
|-
| "Diamonds and Guns" || Transplants ||
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="4"|
2004 || "Always" || blink-182 ||
|-
| "Down" || blink-182 ||
|-
| "I Miss You" || blink-182 ||
|-
| "Hey Now" || Xzibit
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="2"|
2005 || "What I Can't Describe" || Transplants ||
|-
| "Gangsters & Thugs" || Transplants ||
|-
| width="36" align="center" rowspan="7"|
2006 || "What You Know" || T.I. ||
|-
| "When Your Heart Stops Beating" || +44 ||
|-
| "Chapter 13" || +44 ||
|-
| "God's Gonna Cut You Down" || Johnny Cash ||
|-
| "Ridin' Rims" || Dem Franchize Boyz ||
|-
| "Side 2 Side" || Three 6 Mafia ||
|-
| "Moriss Brown" || Outkast ||
|}
Merchandise
Barker owns an accessory/apparel company called
Famous Stars and Straps which he started in
1999, and
LaSalle Records, a record company to which
Transplants are signed. Travis developed a shoe for
DC Shoe Company called the "Alias Remix" and is endorsed by
http://www.ocdrum.com Orange County Drum and Percussion and
Zildjian. He has also opened a
http://www.wahoos.com/ Wahoo's Fish Tacos restaurant in
Norco, California.
[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0055003/bio "Biography for Travis Barker". IMDB.com. Retrieved on July 29, 2006.]He also has his own line of drumming products, sponsored by
Zildjian, which includes
[http://www.zildjian.com/EN-US/artists/artistDetail.ad2?artistID=1019 "Artists: Travis Barker" Zildjian.com. Retrieved on July 29, 2006.]:
*Travis Barker Signature Drumsticks
*Travis Barker Double Drumsticks (these feature a small mallet tip on the butt end of the stick)
*Travis Barker Stick Bag
*Travis Barker
Cymbal Bag
*Travis Barker Tour Drum
MicKit
http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM03/Content/Audix/PR/Travis-Barker-Mic-Pack-lg.jpg picture Tattoos
Travis' first tattoo was the word "BONES" (a nickname when he was a kid) on his leg which he got when he was 17 years old.
[http://www.punkdisasters.com/?side=travis_tattoos "Travis Barker" PunkDisasters.com. Retrieved on July 29, 2006.] Another notable addition is the phrase "SELF MADE" spelled out across his knuckles which he got in
2000.
Some of Travis' numerous tattoos include religious art as he says he was brought up
Catholic. He has a portrait of
Jesus above his left biceps, hands in prayer on the left side of his head (visible with his signature
mohawk) and a sacred heart. He has a few tattoos that symbolize his love for cars and Cadillacs in particular - two race flags on the side of his neck with the number 66 which symbolizes the year of his favorite Cadillac and a Cadillac emblem surrounded by mud-flap "trucker ladies" on his chest as well as spark plugs
.
Much of his body art is devoted to his love of music such as the phrase "
Can I Say" which is the name of
Dag Nasty's first album, a microphone, and a
boom box on his stomach for his love of
breakdancing when he was growing up.
He also has the word "HOPE" on his back because of the
Descendents' song and something positive after his mother's death. He has another tribute to the Descendents on his leg - the cover art to the album,
I Don't Want To Grow Up, and drumsticks and musical notes on his right arm.
Travis also makes several tributes to his family with the phrase "familia" on his arm, Japanese flowers on the back of his neck with a heart that says "Mom", and another heart with "SHANNA", his soon-to-be ex-wife's name, on the banner.
He also has an old relic, the name of his first wife, "Melissa," just above the racing flags on the side of his neck.
He considers his right arm his "good luck arm" and so has many luck emblems tattooed on that arm such as a deck of cards, dice, a dollar sign, his lucky number seven, a skull with the number 13 in the eye sockets (13 is a lucky number in the tattoo culture), and a rabbit's foot, in addition to a martini glass, his initials, a devil from Black Label skateboards, and a spider web surrounding his elbow
. In explanation of his large number of tattoos Travis has said, "I tattooed my body so I couldn't fall back on anything. I purposely did that so I couldn't get a normal job and live a normal life. I did it so I had to play music." Travis claims to have spent over $30.000 on his body art
[http://www.artistopia.com/Music-Artists/Pros/Bio.asp?ID=1848&Name=Travis%20Barker "Artist Bio" Artistopia.com. Retrieved on July 29, 2006.].
Family
Travis has married twice and is soon to be divorced for the second time. He married relatively long time girlfriend, Melissa Kennedy, on
September 22,
2001. The couple divorced
August 6,
2002 after 11 months. Barker then married
actor and
Miss USA 1996,
Shanna Moakler, on
October 30,
2004. The couple had a
Gothic-style ceremony inspired by the
Tim Burton film,
The Nightmare Before Christmas, which was held on the
eve of
Halloween.
["KINDRED SPIRITS: On Halloween Eve, rocker Travis Barker wed Shanna Moakler in gothic style." People Weekly v62 i20 p78. November 15, 2004.].
Barker and Moakler have two children, Landon Asher and Alabama Luella. Along with Atiana Cecilia de la Hoya, Moakler's child with former boyfriend
Oscar de la Hoya, the foursome appeared in a
reality television series,
Meet the Barkers, which aired on
MTV from 2005-2006.
On
August 8,
2006, Barker filed for
divorce from Moakler after nearly 2 years of marriage,
[Meet the Barkers' Travis, Shanna Split"">http://people.aol.com/people/article/0,26334,1224258,00.html "Meet the Barkers' Travis, Shanna Split" People.com. August 8, 2006. Retrieved on August 9, 2006.][http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=121364 "Blink-182 drummer files for divorce" NineMSN.com. August 10, 2006. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.] joining the ranks of two other MTV reality show couples who are now divorced or separated:
Jessica Simpson and
Nick Lachey who starred in
Newlyweds, and
Carmen Electra and
Dave Navarro who starred in
'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen + Dave. Barker was dating
singer socialite,
Paris Hilton [http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,4-2006410513,00.html "Bizarre: Paris is Blinkin' Bonkin'" The Sun Online. September 7, 2006. Retrieved on October 1, 2006.]but they later broke up
http://thesuperficial.com/2006/10/paris_hilton_dumped_travis_bar.html Trivia
frame|right|Barker in [Tony Hawk's Project 8]
* Founder of
Famous Stars And Straps.
* Owner of
LaSalle Records.
* Barker collects
Cadillacs.
* Was a
vegetarian before he broke his arm. Was ordered by his doctor to eat meat to help his arm heal.
* Barker is left handed but plays drums right handed
* Broke his foot whilst getting off a stationary bus whilst on tour in
Australia - He had to switch the way he usually plays as well as cancel shows. He also filmed the video for "Down" by blink-182 with the broken foot.
* Barker has made cameos in many hip hop music videos including
T.I.'s music video "What You Know",
Outkast's "Morris Brown", and
Dem Franchise Boys' "Ridin' Rims" "noodles"
*Travis Barker is to be featured in the Video Game
Tony Hawk's Project 8 for
PS2,
PS3,
Xbox, and the
Xbox360 as a
hidden character.
*Travis Barker is featured in Johnny Cash's 2006 Music Video
God's Gonna Cut you Down* Was featured in a Boost Mobile commercial in which, if he didn't have boost, he would've been led into the world of competitive bodybuilding, ultimately leading to a compound hernia.
External links
*
http://www.famoussas.com Famous Stars And Straps Official Website*
http://www.myspace.com/immawinnerbaby Travis's myspace*
http://www.myspace.com/famousstarsandstraps Famous Stars And Straps' myspace*
http://www.myspace.com/plus44 +44's myspace*
http://www.myspace.com/expensivetaste1 Expensive Tastes's myspace*
http://www.ocdrum.com/artists/profile.php?id=4 Travis' drum kit and equipment list*
http://www.aliens-exist.net/sub_pages/bio_travis.html Travis Barker by aliens-exist.net*
http://ocdrum.com/barker/ Video of a Travis drumsolo*
http://www.gumball-3000.com/rally/2006/05/07/travis-barker-in-the-gumball/ Travis Barker Joins the Gumball 3000 2005.
* imdb name|id=0055003|name=Travis
*
http://www.thepunksite.com/interviews.php?page=blink182 Interview at ThePunkSite.com (
10 December,
2003)
*
http://www.drummagazine.com/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1131&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 Artist Feature at DRUM! Magazine (June
2005)
*
http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Travis_Barker.html Travis Barker at DrummerWorld.comBarker, TravisBarker, TravisBarker, TravisBarker, TravisBarker, TravisBarker, TravisBarker, TravisBarker, TravisBarker, TravisBarker, Travisda:Travis Barkerde:Travis Barkeres:Travis Barkerfr:Travis Barkerit:Travis Barkernl:Travis Barkerno:Travis Barkerpt:Travis Barkerfi:Travis Barkersv:Travis Barker
