Review of the documentary “Travis Barker: Beyond Fear”

The musical background and talent of the iconic drummer of Blink 182 They are exceptional, there is no doubt, but the documentary “Travis Barker: Beyond Fear” puts the focus on its most human side. Because theirs is a story of success, but also of suffering and resilience.

After surviving a plane crash in 2008 that almost cost him his life and caused numerous fractures and third-degree burns on 65% of his body, the musician carried an enormous weight capable of paralyzing anyone. Added to the fear of flying after the fatal accident was the survivor’s guilt. The documentary begins, precisely, with this episode, so traumatic that it prevented him from taking a plane until very recently.

To fulfill his commitments and tours in Europe, the film’s protagonist travels on a huge ocean liner. The film shows us how he takes advantage of those nine days of sea voyage locked in his cabin, playing the drums, repeating the same beats and patterns over and over again. Barker’s obsession with achieving perfection, another of the most evident traits of his personality, is also evident when other great drummers of recent decades appear such as Stewart Copeland (The Police), Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe), Questlove (The Roots) and Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters). The interviewees highlight, among many other things, his precision, his versatility and the violence when hitting the pads typical of a mixed martial arts fighter.

The final part of this documentary, more moving than inspiring, takes up his successful autobiography “Can I Say”a memoir full of photographs originally published in 2015, to show his current life with Kourtney Kardashian, whom he married in 2022. He was born into a humble family, his mother died when he was a teenager and his battery became a refuge. He dropped out of school and worked as a garbage man in Laguna Beach so he could continue playing every night if necessary, until his big opportunity came: to be part of a pop punk band about to explode as Blink-182. They recorded “Enema of the State” and Barker became the dynamo of the band, an irreplaceable piece, also for other parallel projects such as Box Car Racer and +44.

In that sense, it is very interesting to listen to his band brothers Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus, united by a friendship that has survived the ups and downs of their personal lives, from divorces and addictions to the cancer that Hoppus suffered.