Imagine surviving something that changes everything. Then having to figure out who you are on the other side.
That’s the story Travis Barker is putting under the microscope in Louder Than Fear, a new 90-minute documentary that follows the Blink-182 drummer through pain, grief, survival and what came next.
The official trailer has been released, giving you the first look at the film, which arrives on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US and Disney+ globally this Friday, August 13. The documentary was co-directed by Justin Krook and Michael Dwyer and premiered at the Tribeca Festival in New York earlier this summer.
The film explores Barker’s life and career, the 2008 plane crash that nearly killed him, and the journey that followed.
The trailer opens with Barker reflecting on the aftermath of the crash and experiencing “the worst flashbacks” about what happened.
It also features praise from the late Taylor Hawkins, who spoke about Barker’s potential as a star attraction.
“He just had this, ‘Oh, you’re gonna get picked up by a band, and you will be a star attraction’ (quality),” Hawkins said.
Barker also looks back on joining Blink-182 after being recruited by Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge. Hoppus described having Barker in the band as something that “felt effortless”, while DeLonge called their time together a “wild ride”.
But the story gets much darker when Barker discusses the band’s non-stop touring schedule and his addiction to painkillers.
“I was taking so many pills that I had a security guard whose only job was to watch me sleep and make sure I was breathing,” he revealed.
Then came the 2008 plane crash.
Barker suffered third-degree burns on 65 per cent of his body and spent three months in hospital undergoing 27 surgeries. His assistant Chris ‘Lil Chris’ Baker and bodyguard Charles ‘Che’ Still were killed, along with the pilot and co-pilot. Barker and Adam ‘DJ AM’ Goldstein survived, but Goldstein died the following year due to an accidental drug overdose.
“Che and Chris were like brothers to me,” Barker says in the trailer. “And then AM passing away a year later… why am I here, when everyone else isn’t?”
He adds: “I had to ask myself who I was gonna be after this accident.”
The documentary also features Barker’s wife, Kourtney Kardashian, and his children, while Barker talks about his appreciation for life.
The crash ultimately became a turning point. Barker has previously described it as “my rehab” after it led him to quit prescription drugs. He eventually overcame his fear of flying, taking his first flight in 13 years with Kardashian in 2021.
The trailer also touches on Barker’s connection to Hawkins. Barker performed at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts in London and Los Angeles in 2022, and later revealed that he had asked Hawkins to play drums together shortly before Hawkins died.
Barker describes Louder Than Fear as “an unfiltered look at my journey after a life-changing experience” and a spotlight on the people who carried him through it.
“This documentary started over 10 years ago and it’s been a wild, wild ride, and I can’t wait to share it with the world.”
And while Barker is looking back, he’s also looking forward, with Blink-182 currently working on a new album following 2023’s One More Time….
After everything Travis Barker has survived, is Louder Than Fear the most revealing chapter of his story yet?
