Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Music
Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums Details
Review “(A) riveting, brutally honest memoir.” (Billboard)“Written with ROLLING STONE contributor Gavin Edwards, Can I Say is a fascinating look into the life of a talented, hard-partying musician who has beaten the odds several times.” (Rolling Stone) Read more From the Back Cover After he broke out as the acclaimed drummer of the multiplatinum punk band Blink-182, everything changed for Travis Barker. But the dark side of rock stardom took its toll: his marriage, chronicled for an MTV reality show, fell apart. Constant touring concealed a serious drug addiction. A reckoning did not truly come until he was forced to face mortality: His life nearly ended in a horrifying plane crash, and then his close friend, collaborator, and fellow crash survivor DJ AM died of an overdose.In this blunt, driving memoir, Barker ruminates on rock stardom, fatherhood, death, loss, and redemption, sharing stories shaped by decades’ worth of hard-earned insights. His pulsating memoir is as energetic as his acclaimed beats. It brings to a close the first chapters of a well-lived life, inspiring readers to follow the rhythms of their own hearts and find meaning in their lives. Read more See all Editorial Reviews
Reviews
I am three years older than Travis and am a drummer as well. Although I don't listen to his music much, I do respect his rags-to-riches story and was at his show in September 2008 in Columbia, SC, when he later experienced a plane crash that almost took his life. The story of the plane crash is what drew me to this book and persuaded me to buy it. He does cover the crash in the book but the book covers all of his life up until the point of Blink 182 disbanding for the second time.My initial feelings after reading the book is that it is ok, but he is too young to be writing his memoir yet. His story is ok but he comes off whiney and always blames others for his choices (which he still seems to do with events in his life like crashing into a bus with his 14-year old son this past fall). He seems to worry about his image more than address his faults and how he has overcame his shortfalls. I think a deeper examination of the crash, his therapy, and his eventual return would have been a better focus for this book so he could continue to build experience for a deeper autobiography later in his life.
