"The only way to learn is to live through it," the legendary drummer tells PEOPLE at the world premiere of his upcoming documentary
Credit: Arturo Holmes/Getty; SGranitz/WireImage
NEED TO KNOW
- Travis Barker reveals the one reason why he wouldn’t give advice to his younger self while speaking with PEOPLE at the Tribeca Film Festival
- “The only way to learn is to live through it,” the legendary drummer says
- Barker’s upcoming documentary, Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear, details his journey to fame and his personal struggles
Travis Barker is keeping it real.
The legendary drummer, 50, reveals the one reason why he wouldn’t give advice to his younger self while speaking with PEOPLE at the Tribeca Film Festival world premiere of his upcoming Hulu documentary, Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear, on Saturday, June 13 in New York City.
“I wouldn't have listened,” Barker says candidly.
Credit: Arturo Holmes/Getty
The Blink-182 musician continues to share that he’s grateful for his journey even though it was challenging at times.
“The only way to learn is to live through it. Even the way I got sober. I got sober in a burn center, sitting there for six months, because I was so stubborn. I'm relentless in a lot of good ways and back in the day I was relentless in a lot of bad ways,” he says.
“I wouldn't have learned anything without the lessons," Barker continues. "So I'm just happy with the way everything turned out."
Credit: Gregory Bojorquez/Getty
Louder Than Fear, directed by Justin Krook and Michael Dwyer, details Barker’s journey to fame and his personal struggles, including the aftermath of his 2008 private plane crash. The documentary will feature interviews from people in the music industry and his loved ones.
“This is the story of the man behind the tattoos. A tribute to those who keep going when the music almost stops,” the synopsis teases.
When Hulu announced the project in April, Barker said he started working on it “over 10 years ago and it's been a wild, wild ride."
Speaking about the long journey, Barker tells PEOPLE that being at the premiere “seems surreal.”
“At one point, it wasn't going to come out. It had no ending and the dream ending was I'd walk near a plane, which I was completely against, and I was completely against flying ever again. I went to my managers and I said, ‘This documentary will come out when I'm dead. It's dead to me. I hate the ending,’ because I knew that not flying had power over me,” he says.
“I didn't really share it with anyone for years, but I knew in the back of my head, the end of this documentary is me getting on a plane again and facing my fear, which I didn't know was ever going to be possible,” the drummer admits.
However, Barker overcame his fear of flying in 2023 with the support of his wife Kourtney Kardashian.
“I fell in love with one of my best friends and amazing things happened. Who would have known?” he continues.
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With the 99-minute flick set to premiere this summer, Barker considers what he wants the audience to take away from his story.
“I think my documentary’s purpose is to provide hope for young musicians and people who weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouth,” he says. “I came from really humble beginnings, but I had a dream and was relentless. Then also I think with the loss and trauma I went through, it's like what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear will premiere on Hulu and Disney+ on August 13.
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