Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins has praised Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, labeling him the most influential percussionist of the past 30 years.
Barker appeared as a guest on Corgan’s podcast, The Magnificent Others, on Wednesday (October 14). The two artists discussed their respective musical journeys, technical approaches to drumming, and Barker’s resilience following his near-fatal plane crash in 2008.
During the episode, Corgan lauded Barker’s impact on the industry, stating, “I think you are probably the most influential drummer of the last 30 years.”
“You have influenced more popular drummers in the last thirty years than any drummer I can think of,” Corgan added. “When we talk about rock/alternative, something about the way you played kind of unleashed this different way of playing. I guess power pop or rock drums, that comes directly from you because before you people didn’t play like that, and after you, almost everybody plays like you.”
Visibly moved by the compliment, Barker responded, “That means so much. Yeah, I mean, I don’t even know what to say.”
Barker explained that his signature style evolved from a diverse array of inspirations, describing it as a “weird kind of mixture of everything that I was raised on.”
His influences include jazz legend Buddy Rich, the funk rhythms of The Meters, Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee, Dennis Chambers, and Smashing Pumpkins’ own Jimmy Chamberlin.
“Even Tommy Lee, like seeing a drummer in the forefront of the band was… There was just so many great drummers,” Barker noted, adding with a smile that “Animal from the Muppets was my biggest influence as a child.”
The conversation also touched upon the aftermath of the 2008 plane crash that claimed four lives and left Barker with severe burns. He shared that returning to music was a vital component of his healing process, even while still in medical care.
“It was the first thing I did when I got out of the burns centre,” Barker recalled. “I actually didn’t tell Dr Grossman, my burns doctor… He was a straight shooter and he was like ‘I don’t know if you’re going to play drums again’.”
Barker’s life and recovery were recently chronicled in the August documentary Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear. After avoiding air travel for over a decade due to trauma, Barker finally returned to flying in 2021.
Regarding his current projects, Barker revealed that Blink-182 is currently working on a new album, following the success of their 2023 comeback, ‘One More Time…’. The band recently performed a private set in California and has scheduled a series of European dates for 2027.
Corgan has also been active, recently completing a tour of the UK and Europe celebrating the legacy of the 1995 album ‘Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness,’ featuring a 60-piece orchestra. He launched The Magnificent Others in February 2025, featuring high-profile guests such as Courtney Love, Chelsea Wolfe, and Melissa Auf der Maur.