Travis Barker Had The Perfect Response When A Hater Came For His Tattoos
Don't come for his ink.
They say if you have something negative to say, it’s better to not say anything at all. Well, it looks like someone didn’t get the memo. On Friday, Dec. 3, Travis Barker shared a black and white portrait of himself highlighting his heavily tattooed body and one Instagram user was not having it. The user commented on how “ridiculous” Barker looked and told the musician he would later regret the ink when he got older. And, well, Barker did not let them off the hook so easily. Travis Barker responded to someone hating on his tattoos and, not going to lie, it’s a pretty good comeback.
The 46-year-old drummer gave the negative commenter a little piece of his mind when he came for his ink. “When I’m older I’m probably gonna hang out with other badass tattooed dudes and generally look awesome,” he wrote back. “What are you gonna do when you just look like every other old person?”
In addition to Barker’s music, he is very well known for his love of tattoos. And it’s an incredibly strong passion: 70 percent of his body inked, per a 2016 interview with GQ. He has no intention of stopping either, partly because of his outlook when it comes to tattoos. In Barker’s 2015 memoir Can I Say, he explained the significance of his tattoos, “They’re all memories,” he wrote in his book. “They’re all experiences I went through.”
He further explained his views on tattoos in a 2016 interview with GQ, “For me it's documenting part of my life or people, things, times in my life,” he told the magazine. “When I'm dead and gone I want people to be able to look at my body and basically relive my life in some ways.” The magazine probed him further and asked if he had any tattoos he regretted. “It's all memories...I don't care if I have nice, shiny tattoos. Mine all tell a story and make up who I am."
In recent years, Barker has begun sharing his love of body art with his fiancé Kourtney Kardashian. In April, the drummer was spotted sporting new ink in ode to Kardashian. Just below where his heart is located, you can see the name ‘Kourtney’ inked out in curvy letters.
Not only does Kardashian have a tattoo dedicated to her, but she’s also acted as Barker’s tattoo artist. Earlier this year, the reality star shared exclusive pics of herself tattooing the words “I love you” on Barker’s right forearm. After the two became engaged on Oct. 17, Barker got a black imprint of Kourtney’s lips tattooed on his left bicep.
In fact, Barker’s tattoos have acted as a guide on how he wanted his life to go. When he got his first tattoo at 15, he explained his father was not happy about it and his dad told him he’d never be able to find a job and have no backup plan. “To me it did the opposite, and a light bulb went off in my head. This is exactly what I want. I don't want a Plan B. I don't want a fall back,” he told GQ. “And I didn't have anything to fall back on. We didn't have money for college or anything. It really narrowed things down for me in the best way possible.”
So, yeah, Barker’s philosophy on tattoos makes a lot of sense and it totally looks like he’s going to be one of those dudes hanging out with other tattooed dudes and generally look awesome.
