Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker has spoken about his darkest days following the 2008 plane crash which claimed the lives of his security guard and personal assistant.
Barker discusses the aftermath of the crash during a conversation with British podcaster and life coach Jay Shetty for the On Purpose podcast, ahead of the release of his forthcoming documentary Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear, which is coming to streaming services this week.
Barker, his friend Adam ‘DJ AM’ Goldstein, Barker’s security guard Charles Still, and his personal assistant Chris Baker, were on a private jet which crashed during take-off from South Carolina’s Columbia Metropolitan Airport on September 19, 2008. The plane’s pilot and co-pilot died from smoke inhalation and burns, and Still and Baker were killed upon impact. Travis Barker survived, but had burns on 65% of his. body, and was kept in hospital for skin grafts and follow-up treatments for 11 weeks. Barker didn’t board another flight for 13 years.
In his conversation with the drummer, Shetty mentions a section of the Louder Than Fear documentary where Barker recollects feeling suicidal in hospital, and recalled saying, “I’ll transfer you any amount of money, just kill me.”
“There was no light at the end of the tunnel,” Barker admits. “I was like, I can’t do this, I feel like [I’m] literally living in hell… it was just desperation.”
After his recovery, Barker recalls that his friend DJ AM looked into getting treatment “where we could retrain our brains, where we’d hopefully forget what happened.”
“I think he actually did the treatment,” he tells Shetty, “and I said, There’s no way I’m ever going to look down at my hands, or my legs, or forget what happened, because I lost my two best friends. There’s not a scenario where I’ll forget how how they left me.”
Barker also speaks about the survivor’s guilt he felt in the wake of his recovery, and says that it was only recently that he came to accept that he should live in his friends’ honour, and make them proud.
You can watch the full podcast interview below.
Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear will be streamed globally from August 13 on Disney+.
“This documentary started over 10 years ago,” Barker revealed to Billboard earlier this year, “and it’s been a wild, wild ride and I can’t wait to share it with the world.”
A synopsis for the film reads: “After surviving a devastating plane crash that nearly took his life, legendary and electrifying drummer Travis Barker embarks on a raw and redemptive journey. Once a trash collector in Laguna Beach, his life changed when he stepped in as a replacement for Blink-182’s drummer — igniting a meteoric rise that would make him the driving pulse of a generation.
“Yet beneath the spectacle of fame, the film reveals a complex man battling pain, grief and the thin line between survival and surrender. Featuring appearances from collaborators, cultural icons and those closest to him. This is the story of the man behind the tattoos. A tribute to those who keep going when the music almost stops.”
Directed by Justin Krook and Michael Dwyer, the 90-minute film received its world premiere on June 13 at the Tribeca Festival.
