Travis Barker has shared his memories of Taylor Hawkins, the late drummer for the Foo Fighters.
Barker, the drummer for Blink-182, said to The LA Times that he had spoken to Hawkins shortly before his death. Hawkins was found dead in his hotel room aged 50 in March 2022, hours before Foo Fighters were set to headline a festival in the city as part of a South American tour. No cause of death was given.
According to Barker, he and Hawkins both lived in the San Fernando Valley, where Hawkins suggested they ride mountain bikes together. In response, Barker suggested they drum together as well.
“[Hawkins] was like, ‘I’m not practicing. I’m already as good as I’m ever gonna get,’” Barker recalled. “Like, not f— true. I told him, ‘You’re already a beast, and you’re just gonna keep getting better.’”
To commemorate Hawkins’ death, the Foo Fighters staged a series of tribute concerts in London and LA. Barker, Joan Jett, Miley Cyrus and Liam Gallagher were amongst the many names that paid respects to the late drummer at the concert. The filming of the London concert has been nominated for an Emmy for “Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special”.
In other recent news, Blink-182 put out their new record ‘One More Time‘ in October. NME rated it three stars, saying: “They aren’t all that far away from who they’ve always been – three friends wanting to make some noise and have a riot of a time doing it. Although they’re not exactly revolutionising pop punk, this was likely never the goal. Chances are, the fans just want the old Blink back anyway, and in 2023, they’re just as fun as ever.”
Barker also opened up about overcoming his fear of flying, crediting “the power of love” for doing so: “Kourt made it so I fly, my kids fly now. She healed us.” The drummer was involved in a plane crash in 2008, which left four dead.
“It brings up all this old trauma, and sometimes I’m like, ‘Is this worth it?’ But I don’t like anything having a hold on me, either — I don’t like being afraid, and I don’t like having things from my past control my future.”