Barker addresses Kardashian cannibal corpse shirt controversy
Blink-182’s Travis Barker has weighed in on the infamously controversial moment last year when he and then-girlfriend (now fiancée) Kourtney Kardashian went out in public, each wearing a band t-shirt – The Cramps for Barker and Cannibal Corpse for Kardashian.
It wasn’t Barker who initially voiced his outcry — the vintage psychobilly acts seemed perfectly befitting of the pop-punk icon. Kardashian in a Cannibal Corpse death metal shirt Eaten to life debut (with the old-school logo to boot), however, drew fierce opinions. Former Cannibal Corpse frontman Chris Barnes, who appeared on the influential group’s first four records, heard about what had happened and called the pair “poseurs”.
See the T-shirt in question directly below.
“Talking about it sucks the most shit ever,” Barker told Revolver in an interview focusing on his production work on THE SKINHo99o9’s new album.
Speaking in more detail about the controversial moment, the drummer explained, “Obviously my fiancee doesn’t listen to Cannibal Corpse, but I do. I grew up loving them. For [someone] mention this in a negative light – fucking lame, you know? She wears it because she is cold. She doesn’t claim to know all the songs. But I do! I bought every album and learned to play every album.”
Instead of pitting people against each other based on musical taste, Barker advocated a more holistic approach. He noted, “I grew up as a punk-rock kid, [but] everything with punk rock – “I’m more punk than you” – fuck all that. Be glad people like the music. The music is beautiful! It changes people’s lives. It creates the best memories. Celebrate it, you know?”
So where does this Cannibal Corpse shirt come from? Barker’s own collection of t-shirts, of course. And that’s a huge collection by the sound of it.
“But, yeah…I have a bunch of Cannibal Corpse T-shirts. I still love them,” he confessed. “I have a bunch of King Diamond t-shirts and rare Slayer shirts because I love those bands. I grew up with them. Even though I’m, you know, everything the world wants to see me as – ‘Oh, that’s The Blink-182 Drummer’ – actually this guy was playing in a garage with a bunch of speed-metal kids listening to DRI and SOD, I enjoyed every fucking minute.”
With the mystery solved, perhaps this controversy can finally be resolved. It seems doubtful, however.
16 things metalheads really need to overcome
To move on! Here are 16 things metalheads really should overcome.