Travis Barker on Blink-182 & His Surprising Musical Muse: ‘I Always Go Back to Animal from The Muppets’

By Alexis Mikulski Ruiz

Alexis Mikulski Ruiz

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Back in 1992, a kid from Fontana, California, linked up with two other SoCal teenagers and helped form what would become one of punk rock’s best acts: Blink-182. The Grammy-nominated trio went on to tour the globe and rack up hits, including “All the Small Things” and “I Miss You.” For Travis Barker, whose rapid-fire precision on the drums became a defining element of the band’s sound, some things never changed from those early days, including what’s on his feet. Long before endorsement deals, Vans were part of his look. Now, decades later, he’s front and center in the brand’s “Off the Wall” campaign, which “celebrates 60 years of the Authentic shoes and the people who have always shaped its meaning,” according to a press release from the company.

We caught up with Barker to talk about the collab (shop some of the styles below), Blink-182, and what still gives him that same jolt as playing in those tiny clubs in San Diego. Read the full interview.

When did you first realize you were truly living Vans’ “Off the Wall” motto? It’s been DIY from the start for me. I learned how to play drums when I was about four, just by watching Animal from The Muppets. As a kid, by 14 or 15, I was taking out ads in papers looking for bands without telling my parents. People were calling the house all the time, and I was auditioning. Everything was DIY.

I think it was a blessing. My family didn’t have much — not many resources — but it pushed me to try even harder. There’s a story I always tell: By the time I was 17 and graduated high school, my dad said, “You’ve got to join the military, pay rent, or move out, and you need to work 60 hours a week or more.” It forced me to be DIY.

So I moved to Laguna, played in a punk rock band, ended up working as a trash man, and just figured it out. My goals weren’t too far out of reach, it was simple: play music, play drums, have enough money to eat, somewhere to sleep, and survive.

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What’s your earliest memory of Vans? It was Fontana, California, where I grew up. There was a store there, that’s where I got my first pair of shoes as a child. We’d go once a year to get a new pair, and at the time you could design them; pick the sole, the strip around it, any colorway you wanted. I still remember the smell of the store. It was the coolest. I think I connected it more to skateboarding and BMX as a kid. I didn’t really discover punk rock until around ’85 (that was a great time for it). Then I started seeing all my idols wearing Vans too. It all ties back to Vans for me.

I look at photos from when I was young — I’m finishing up this documentary that Interscope did on me, and they’re wrapping it now — but looking back, I was wearing Vans way, way, way before the brand knew who I was. I just always loved them. I always say there were times when I had other shoe deals, and I’d get in trouble for wearing Vans. They’d be like, “If we catch you wearing Vans one more time, we’re done.”

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You’re in this campaign alongside artists like Hayley Williams and SZA. What excites you about seeing such different corners of music come together? I love collaborative photo shoots, music, anything like that. Seeing people from all walks of life share that one common lifestyle piece, which is Vans, is so cool. Switching gears, drummers usually sit at the back of the stage, but you’ve turned it into a main event. Was that always intentional, or did it just happen? I always go back to Animal. He was the first drummer I ever saw, and he was fun to watch — full of energy, and he was crazy. That’s what drumming was to me. So when I see other drummers who don’t look into it, like they’re not having fun or not hitting hard, it doesn’t connect.

Then not long after Animal came Buddy Rich, and I started learning about a bunch of other great drummers. But even Buddy was all over the place and full of energy, and playing really fast. He was an animal too. That’s really where I got my style from.

And there’s never a time I won’t play like that, not until I’m six feet under. I’m never going to go up there and just coast. It’s impossible. That’s just not my style.

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You’ve collaborated across punk, hip-hop, pop, and metal. When you meet an artist from a totally different world, what’s the first thing you listen for? I have this rule, there’s no music I don’t like. You can put on anything, and I’ll find something about it I like. It just depends on the genre. With metal, I’m usually listening to the drums, though some bands have a lot of melody, too. With punk rock, I’m listening to the whole song. If it’s Bad Bunny or J Balvin, I’m focused on the drums and the patterns, locking in with that. With rap, I’m listening to everything.

Within two or three minutes of a song, I’ve usually already figured out the pattern, even if it doesn’t look like I’m learning it. In my head, I’m like, “OK, the kick’s doing this, the 808’s doing this, the hi-hats are doing this.” It’s everything. Same goes for classical, reggae, anything. I love listening to all of it. You never stop learning as long as you keep listening.

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After everything Blink-182 has been through, what’s the biggest misconception people still have about the band? We’re pretty upfront about it, but people still argue whether it’s Blink-182 [pronounced: one-eighty-two] or just Blink-182 [pronounced one-eight-two], and where the “182” comes from. We just lie and make up new reasons for it all the time. At the end of the day, it just rolls off the tongue nicely. What’s your favorite Blink-182 song of all time? Oh, that’s tough, there are so many I love from different genres. I was just thinking about how good Neighborhoods is. It’s kind of a slept-on album since we released it independently, but it’s such a great record. On our last tour, we actually played a lot of songs from it.

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Blink-182 has been around for decades. What do you think makes the band so timeless? I think its staying authentic to yourself, no matter what’s happening right now. I always say if the Ramones were still making music, it would sound like the Ramones, and we’d all listen, hoping it sounded that way. That kind of authenticity is timeless, it doesn’t try to chase modern production or sounds.

Songs that are truly great are timeless, too. You can play them in any style, acoustic, trap, rock, ballad, and they still work. To me, timelessness aligns with your integrity and morals; it carries meaning and lasts forever.

Do you ever see pieces of your younger self in the artists coming up now? Oh, for sure. Especially a few years back with Lil Peep going crazy, and X and all those artists. I hear it all the time, and it’s flattering, and I’m honored. None of us create anything truly original; everything is inspired by someone or something. What still gives you that same thrill you had playing back in the Nineties? It’s music. Just music. Making a song that gives you chills, that never gets old. Even watching a performance can do it. There’s one from the 2010 Grammys with me, Wayne, Drake, and Eminem, and it still gives me chills every time. It makes me feel like the Incredible Hulk, more powerful than anything. Music makes you feel invincible, and I love that.

The first drop of the Vans “Off the Wall” collection is available now. The second lands April 2.

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