Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan calls Blink-182’s Travis Barker the “most influential” drummer of the last 30 years
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Billy Corgan has named Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker the most influential drummer of the past 30 years, saying his playing helped change how rock and alternative drummers approach the instrument. Barker appeared on Corgan’s podcast, where he said the praise meant a great deal to him.
Barker described his style as a mix of influences, including Buddy Rich, The Meters, Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee, Jimmy Chamberlin, Dennis Chambers and Animal from The Muppets. He also recalled returning to music after the 2008 plane crash that killed four people and left him with severe burns; he returned to flying in 2021. Blink-182 are working on a new album after 2023’s *One More Time…* and have announced European performances for 2027.
- Corgan calls Barker the most influential drummer of the past 30 years.
- Barker says his style draws on a wide range of musical influences.
- He returned to flying in 2021, 13 years after the crash.
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The Smashing Pumpkins and Blink-182 are American rock bands whose music became widely known from the 1990s onwards. Billy Corgan is the Smashing Pumpkins’ singer and guitarist, while Travis Barker joined Blink-182 as its drummer in 1998.
A drummer keeps time and shapes a song’s rhythm and energy. Barker’s fast, forceful playing became a prominent part of Blink-182’s sound, and he has also played with other artists, helping bring drums to the fore in rock and alternative music.