Famed drumming badass Travis Barker faced off last night ... against the ONE drummer on the planet who might give him a run for his money -- Animal from the Muppets -- and the entire battle was caught on tape!

Here's how it happened -- Travis made a guest appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" with Animal's band (Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem) and things got heated between the two drummers ... who then decided to settle the score with an on-air drum off.

It was pretty damn close -- so we gotta ask ...

Former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker is raising his kids vegan -- inexplicably depriving them of delicious chemicals, pesticides and hormones! Oh, the horror.

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Should you ever forget Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker is ALSO a member of the Transplants, just take a look at his head -- because TB just finished tattooing their logo onto his melon.

Barker recently put the final touches on his head piece ... work that was done by one of the more famous tattoo artists around, Mister Cartoon. 

Travis clearly feels pretty committed to the punk rock/rap group these days ... even though it's really just a side project for all its members ... and word is they have a new album coming out soon.

Travis Barker's lawyers have just fired off a cease and desist letter to MediaTakeOut for posting naked pics of the drummer.

Sources close to Travis tell us the photos are more than 5 years old and were "private and never intended for public viewing or to be seen by anyone else." 

We're told Barker has hired Evan Spiegel of the law firm of Lavely and Singer, who just sent the cease and desist letter to the website claiming  the pics are an "unauthorized use of private photos."

The LAPD wants a face-to-face meeting with Travis Barker -- hoping to find out why the rocker has accused an officer of crossing the line during a routine traffic stop this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

Barker was pulled over Sunday after an officer noticed the drummer's car had no license plate and illegally tinted windows. Cops confirm Barker was issued a "fix-it" ticket and sent on his way.

But after the incident, Barker BLASTED the cop on Twitter -- saying, "Officer FARD of LAPD, get a life man. Find some bank robbers or do something productive 2 do with your time. I know high school was hard 4 u."

Barker continued, "Pullin me over interrogating me & acting like u did over tinted windows till u scared the piss out my kids was uncalled 4.Job well done man."

He also claims the officer "had the nerve" to ask if he had guns in the car.

Now, TMZ has learned ... Sgt. Riggs of the Topanga Station tells TMZ, "I'd like to invite Travis to speak with me about the incident ... and possibly discuss the situation with the officers involved."

A rep for Barker tells TMZ, "We are handling this privately with the LAPD."

Three years after surviving a fiery plane crash in South Carolina, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker says he's almost done repairing some of his tattoos that were burned off during the wreck.



Barker was outside Zulu Tattoo in L.A. yesterday ... when he told us, "Where I got burned ... I started finishing some of the tattoos that got burned off."

As TMZ reported, Barker and DJ AM were the only two survivors of the 2008 plane crash -- when a  private jet they were on blew a tire while taking off, lost control and crashed into an embankment. The plane burst into flames ... and four people were killed.

Months after the crash, Barker played a show in Vegas without a shirt -- revealing serious burn scars to his entire back.

Barker also posted a photo from his hospital bed -- showing some serious damage to his hand.

Travis Barker will give you his drums ... Rob Dyrdek will let you into his Fantasy Factory ... and a Phillies star will teach you how to hit -- all to help 2 badly injured BMX stars pay for their medical bills.



UFC Prez Dana White is hosting a benefit at Vanity Nightclub in Vegas this Friday to raise money for TJ Lavin and Ty Pinney -- who each wound up in a coma in separate accidents last month.

Barker, Dyrdek and Shane Victorino are just some of the stars helping out -- we're told a bunch of celebs are also pitching in.

As for the BMXers -- Lavin is recovering slowly at home. Pinney is currently at a rehab therapy center in Vegas.

Travis Barker is on a mission to help kids find "cool alternatives" to alcohol and drugs -- and TMZ has learned the rocker is starting by donating a whole bunch of drum kits to NYC schools.



Sources close to Barker tell TMZ, dude's partnering up with fellow punk rocker Toby Morse -- from the band H2O -- to promote sober living through music among young students in NYC ... and to spread the word that not every rock star is a drug addict.

We're told Barker plans to donate between 10-20 full drum kits a year to NYC schools through Morse's organization "One Life One Chance" -- and he's kicking things off December 1st ... at Gramercy Arts High School.

Sorry if that was meant to be a surprise. If you go to Gramercy Arts High School, play along.

Take an up close and personal look at your favorite celebrity tattoos -- but beware ... some tats are not meant to be seen in hi-def!

Federal officials just announced the tires on the Learjet that hurtled off a South Carolina runway -- causing the crash that killed four people and injured Travis Barker and DJ AM -- were underinflated and played a part in the crash.

Officials for the National Transportation Safety Board -- who are holding a news conference about the crash right now -- said the underinflated tires seriously affected the stopping capability of the aircraft.

The NTSB concluded the probable cause of the accident was the "inadequate maintenance of the airplane's tires ... and the captain's execution of a rejected takeoff."

The NTSB blamed the tire maintenance issue on Global Exec Aviation.

The jet involved in the horrific, fiery crash that seriously injured DJ AM and Travis Barker -- and killed 4 people back in 2008 -- was defective long before the pilots got in the cockpit, so allege the people who owned and operated the aircraft.



Global Exec Aviation and ITAS Inc. have filed legal papers against the manufacturers -- Learjet and Bombardier -- claiming the plane had "unreasonably dangerous defects" which caused it to crash and burst into flames on September 19, 2008.

GEA and ITAS have already reached financial settlements with the survivors and families who lost loved ones in the crash -- but now the companies want a judge to make the manufacturers reimburse them for the settlements.

The companies are also looking for more than $1,000,000 in additional damages related to the crash.