During the late 1990s, boy bands began to make a comeback from the popularity they enjoyed during the 1980s. They were not the only pop music genre that enjoyed success during this time though. A new type of punk, pop-punk, helped to introduce punk music to a generation of listeners who may not have otherwise become familiar with the genre, believing that it was too hard-rock to enjoy.
Pop-punk was still rock-based, but much less hardcore. And by jumping on the bandwagon decades ago, bands such as The Offspring, Green Day, Newfound Glory, and Blink-182 were able to amass a cult-like following and become close like family in the process. But unless fans of Blink-182 were there from the beginning, they may not know the band with any other drummer than Travis Barker.
This is because some lesser-known facts about Barker include his becoming a permanent member of the band just before they hit it big with their album, Enema of the State. As a result of selling over 15 million albums, Barker and his bandmates, Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge became international superstars.
And while it might have seemed like fame happened overnight, it was really years of hard work that Hoppus, DeLonge, and another drummer put in during the early 1990s that got Blink-182 the notoriety it received. But before that fame happened, the original drummer was sent packing and never got to experience the fame he, Hoppus, and DeLonge had only dreamed about as teenagers growing up in Poway, California.
Scott Raynor Was A Founding Member Of Blink-182
When Blink-182 formed in 1992, Hoppus, DeLonge, and fellow friend Scott Raynor were just in their teens. The trio named themselves Blink at the time and enjoyed a small amount of success by self-producing their albums.
But once they were signed by a studio, and changed their name to Blink-182, not only did they begin to get a fan following, but they were finally given a platform with which to get their music to the masses during the Vans Warped Tour. It seemed like major success was just around the corner, especially when three major labels began a "bidding war" to try to sign the band.
Unfortunately, Hoppus, DeLonge, and Raynor were not on the same page when it came to choosing which label to sign with. This began the cracks in the foundation of the band and the beginning of Raynor's drinking binges.
While broken heels from one of these drunken nights did not stop Raynor from laying down the drum portion of the tracks in the studio, it did cause tension in the group. Shortly after, Blink-182 went on a small tour to promote their latest album with the tension in tow. But when a "tragic loss" caused Raynor to leave the tour for a short time, the group got to take a breather from one another.
While the break from tension was welcomed, it did mean that Hoppus and DeLonge needed to find a drummer who could take Raynor's place and do so in a hurry so that they could continue on with their tour.
Fortunately for Blink-182, that replacement drummer was right in front of their noses.
Travis Barker Was Only Meant To Be A Short Term Fill In For Scott Raynor
Because DeLonge and Hoppus wanted to continue on with their tour, they looked to a drummer who was on the road with them in another band at the same time. That drummer was Barker, who reportedly learned the entire set Blink-182 was going to play in just under an hour.
There was great chemistry between Hoppus, DeLonge, and Barker. But because Barker was already part of the Aquabats, he had no intention of leaving his band, and DeLonge and Hoppus had not reached the point of replacing Raynor yet.
As such, when Raynor returned from dealing with his family's loss, he was back in as drummer and Barker went back to the Aquabats.
While it appeared that he was back on the right track after taking some time for himself, Raynor was instead still battling his demons. Because of this, his time remaining with Blink-182 was limited.
Why Scott Raynor Was Fired From The Band
The more successful Blink-182 was becoming and the richer each band member was becoming, the more Raynor drank. And after they had finally had enough of the drunken behavior, Hoppus and DeLonge gave their drummer an ultimatum — either Raynor had to stop drinking and go into rehab or he would be permanently out of the band.
According to Raynor, he agreed to do both. However, shortly thereafter, he was fired from Blink-182 and Barker became the permanent drummer in Raynor's place.
Because of this, Raynor has always disputed the claims that he was fired for his excessive drinking. Instead, he claims that there were personal issues between the members of the band that led to his being fired.
"It’s hard to describe 6 years of being in blink and why it ended for me in a summed up kind of way," Raynor explained. "It also is impossible to describe without getting personal on both sides."
The former Blink-182 drummer continued, "The best way for me to put it is that everything got kinda haywire in my personal life, and in the band, and with Mark and Tom. They wanted different things than me and at the same time our friendship was put to the test."
"Our friendship was put to the test and it kinda failed," Raynor stated. "But we went down our different paths which to me was the right one. They are doing things that they wanted to, that I wouldn’t have done, and vice versa."
Regardless of what the real reason was, by 1998, Rayor was out of Blink-182 and Barker joined just before the band took off to become incredibly successful. And the rest, they say, is history.
