Travis Barker Says He Has "No Regrets" in Life, Discusses Plane Crash, Fatherhood and Premonitions

Travis Barker's first book, co-written with Gavin Edwards of Rolling Stone, was published on October 20, 2015, under the title Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, And Drums, Drums, Drums. The approximately 400-page book is an honest account of his life before and after the aircraft catastrophe that altered the course of his life forever.

In between performances and book signings, the news outlet Vice had a chance to chat with him about the media's portrayal of him, his tragic past with drugs and aircrafts, and the significance of his family. When asked about his views on talk shows like Good Morning America, Barker replied, "Chris Connelly (ABC News) asked me something about my kids after the plane crash, and man, it felt like I was right back at that moment in time. I almost broke down." While addressing his book, he also said, "When I knew the book was about to come out, I had a dark day because I knew I was going to have to speak on everything I put in it. Good Morning America was probably the first interview that really dug in. Then afterwards, it got a lot easier. I guess the more you talk about it, the less it stings."

In response to a question concerning the coverage of "Travis Barker offered friends $1,000,000 to kill him!", he replied, "I was kind bummed when I saw that, like, really? That’s what you took from my book? But it was a dark time. I was waking up during surgeries and overhearing doctors talking about amputating my foot, I couldn’t have visitors. I would call Skinhead Rob all the time and tell him, 'Rob, get one of the homies I don’t know to get in here and smoke me, I can’t do this anymore…'"

Noisey, the interviewer, went on to ask Barker about the reasons for putting himself in potentially harmful circumstances by using weapons and drugs. He answered, "Before the accident, everything was so reckless and day-to-day, live without ever thinking of the consequences. There was a time in my life after my mom died and really up until the plane crash, that I thought the worst thing that could happen is ending up where my mom is. I had this, like, not a Death Wish, cuz I was very happy and I started to tour with Blink, but at the same time I was still just very young and I was living for the day."

When Barker was questioned about his childhood premonitions of flying, he stated, "Right after my plane crash, I got an email from Michael Ensch, who was my manager in Feeble, and he goes, 'Man, I love you, I hope everything is OK, I see you all over the news this is freaking me the fuck out because years ago, you were drunk at my apartment in Laguna Beach and you told me you were gonna die in a plane crash.' It was one of the first times I had drank. He was like, 'Where is this coming from, Trav? You don’t even have enough money to fly!; I didn’t even know. But I had this weird feeling. I was balling my eyes out, buzzed on some alcohol. Some people believe if you put your biggest fears out there then you’re probably gonna make them come true. And for me it was my biggest fear was flying. "

In the book, Barker stated, "For my kids, I would be in a plane crash again," and the interviewer probes further to know whether Barker actually means it. He said, " For my kids and my family, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do. After my accident being the only person to walk away from it alive, life is too short for any other bullshit. Some people have a hard time in life juggling everything, but it’s so easy once you have something so horrific happen, you know what’s good for you and what’s not worth your time. But yeah, that’s the truth. I’d go through it all again. For them, I’d do anything."

References:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/6vgpk9/travis-barker-interview-2015