When it comes to Travis Barker’s role in Blink-182, fans can thank Sublime drummer Bud Gaugh.
At least that’s the story told by Gaugh, who sat down this week for Consequence’s Peer 2 Peer interview series with comedian Ian Karmel to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sublime’s self-titled debut album. Barker is working on a remix album of Sublime, and when Karmel asked Gaugh about the project, the drummer opened with “a little back story on Travis.”
“We were out on this SnoCore Tour as Long Beach Dub All-Stars. And we were playing with Blink-182, and this band The Aquabats from Utah,” Gaugh recalls. “And Travis was actually playing drums for The Aquabats. And Opie [Ortiz] and I were sitting there on the side of the stage watching The Aquabats play, and Travis was just ripping. It’s like, ‘Dude, this guy’s a great drummer,’ you know?”
Apparently, Gaugh and Ortiz were so impressed with Barker than when he got off stage, “We were like, ‘Dude, you should kick that guy off the drums over there for Blink.’” Jokingly, Gaugh continued, “It’s like, ‘You’re a way better drummer than him. And you know, Blink might go a little bit farther than The Aquabats do, so if I was you…’ And so we kinda of gave him that nudge I guess.”
Elsewhere during his chat with Karmel, Gaugh opened up about the recording sessions for Sublime, plans for the 25th anniversary of the LP, the loss of frontman Bradley Nowell, and more. Watch the full Peer 2 Peer interview above or over here.
In recent years, artists like Lana Del Rey and Post Malone have helped continue the band’s legacy by covering fan-favorite tracks like “Doin’ Time” and “Santeria.”
