Travis wasn't always the blink boy he is today. Before he moved in to take Scott Raynor's place as Blink-182's newest drummer (Scott left to go to school), he was a member of the Aquabats and used the corny stage name Baron Von Tito. (Check out the Aquabat's official website theaquabats.com, if ya want)
According to Mark Hoppus (bass and vocals) Travis wears Victoria's Secret vanilla perfume. "He is seriously the best smelling dude in the band [always important]. Tom and I used to make fun of him ?se he always burns candles and incense, but we stopped because we realized we liked the scent." (Quote from an interview in YM's May 2000 mag).
You like the stuff these guys wear? Enough to buy it? Then log onto loserkids.com. It's got clothes for both guys and girls, music, skateboarding stuff and pretty much all of the Blink-182 merchandise (I haven't checked out the site yet, but it's supposed to have all of the above).
I don't know how Travis exactly fits into the category of this band's wacked out maturity, but somehow, he does. But, running around totally naked along with the rest of his bandmates doesn't mean he'll join in on everything Mark and Tom DeLonge (guitar and vocals) do. "I think they're superfunny, but you would never hear me [talking like them]. If I feel like being a potty mouth in the privacy of my own home, I will. I just don't have it in me to do it in front of ten thousand strangers."
Travis grew up in Fontana, Calif. With his dad, Randy, who was a machinist, and his mom, Gloria, a stay at home mother who looked after little kids in their high-crime neighborhood. He didn't really mind having little babies around the house almost 24/7, either (unlike some guys I know.....). But, the day before he started highschool, his mom died after being diagnosed with cancer only 3 months before that.
"It was harsh. I was a full-on mama's boy. She made my bed, did my laundry, helped me with my homework." But, it was because of his mom that he's the talented musician he is. "She made me start playing drums at the age of four..... on her deathbed, my mom told me to keep on playing music, to go for my dreams." That's obviously what Travis did and the rest is total history.
And he still takes his music seriously, no matter how successful he's turned out to be. "When all the other bands are going out after the show. I'm sitting in a room practicing. I feel guilty if I don't...". And all the practicing paid off.
Travis is 24 years old and he's got a g.f. named Melissa Kennedy (a psychology major and a very lucky girl.....).
(All quotes from Travis from Teen People; April 2000)
Check out the pics I have below (I'll find more someday). |
