Why Travis Barker Felt Smoking Out With Cypress Hill Was Torture

Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker has a long-running friendship with Cypress Hill, but in an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe he recalled how smoking out with them one time led to a show he described as "torture."

While speaking with Lowe, Barker was asked if he ever played onstage while under the influence. Barker recalled it happening only a couple of times, but both were memories that stood out as things he didn't want to replicate.

"I care so much about how I play and it’s usually high energy," shared Barker with Lowe, before reflecting on one of those times with Cypress Hill.

What Happened When Travis Barker Got High With Cypress Hill Before a Show?

Barker shared instances of smoking marijuana prior to a performance, but he tends to cut himself off early enough to afford several hours to sober up before hitting the stage.

That was not the case in the instance with Cypress Hill.

Barker recalls, "There was one time that Tom [DeLonge] and I, it was Blink, No Doubt and Cypress Hill, and I’ve always been real close with B-Real, Sen and everyone. They’re like, ‘Trav, it’s the last day of the tour. You always smoke after the show. You got to smoke before the show cause we’re leaving.’ And I’m like, ‘Man, I really don’t want to’…"

He then shared with Lowe, "Dude, let me tell you, it was the longest show. And like the songs felt like they lasted forever. And I’m like, it was like my body was working, but everything up here was silent and I was noticing stuff I don’t normally notice."

"Tom came to me halfway through the show and he was like, ‘I want to go home.’ And I was like, ‘Me too.’ It was so awful. Mark [Hoppus] had no idea what was going on, but it was like, smoking before shows is not my thing,” he added. “I got through it, but oh gosh dude, it was like torture.”

READ MORE: 20 Most Metal Names of Marijuana Strains

Elsewhere in the chat, Barker shared the other instance when +44 (a band he's in with Hoppus) were set to tape an AOL Sessions performance. At the time, he had broken his arm and wasn't planning to play. But rapper The Game encouraged him to give it a try with one arm and tried to talk him into it after going to the roof for a smoke.

Though Barker calls the performance "legendary," he confessed that the logistics of pulling it off were not great and that his main goal was just to not let The Game down after he talked him into trying it.

Travis Barker Tells Zane Lowe About Getting High With Cypress Hill

Travis Barker in 2026

Though Blink-182 are currently between albums, Barker has remained busy.

At present, he's preparing for the release of a long awaited documentary on his life. Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear is set to premiere on Hulu tomorrow (Aug. 13) and can also be seen on Disney+.

The documentary follows his recovery from a 2008 plane crash and how his life has changed in the years since while also providing background on his life, his upbringing and his musical legacy.

Below see 30 photos detailing Travis Barker's tattoo transition throughout. the years.