Filmed over a nine year period from 2017 to 2026 (which is why Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who passed away in 2022, briefly appears), Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear profiles the life and drama of the Blink-182 drummer. From his childhood where his mother died when he was 15 through his rapid ascent in bands due to this monster chops and subsequent descent into such heavy drug use that when he survived a plane crash in 2008 with burns over 2/3rds of his body, doctors had difficulty managing his pain due to his elevated tolerance due to all the drugs he'd taken. In the aftermath of the crash he refused to fly, resorting to taking the Queen Mary to get to Europe for gigs. Most recently, he's best known to non-music fans as Khloe Kardashian's latest husband/baby daddy.
While I'm not a fan of Blink's juvenile mall punk music, I know Barker's regard amongst drummers. I didn't know what all he was doing beyond Blink and how bad his injuries were from the crash, though I knew his fellow crash survivor, DJ AM, struggled with survivor's guilt and fell off the wagon, eventually ODing less than a year later. I had no idea the stylized F logo with a star in it was for his Famous Stars & Straps clothing line. I'd ignored the Kardashian relationship because that entire family is a cancer on society and it's insane that they all got wealthy off Kim banging Brandy's brother on tape.
For some reason the doc makes it sound like he's still angry about his childhood when he patched up his relationship with his father, has established an enduring musical career, has wonderful children and even began flying again. Little, if anything, is wrong with his life.
While not particularly essential, Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear is a decent basic primer for those unfamiliar with the subject.
Score: 7/10. Catch it on Hulu.
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