Travis Barker is best known as the drummer of Blink-182, but you may also know him from his very public struggles. The famed drummer survived a fatal airplane crash, endured the passing of his good friend DJ AM due to a drug overdose, and faced his own battle with addiction.
In a new interview with Billboard, Barker reflected on the recent passing of former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland. "I think it's just ultimately what drugs do when they get the best of somebody. It's sad," he said. "Myself, I was addicted to drugs for a long time and the only way I was able to stop doing drugs was being in a plane crash and having morphine for four months when I didn't want it. That's what it took for me to get sober."
Barker knew Weiland personally after meeting him via the rock supergroup Camp Freddy, and clearly admired the late singer. "He's great. Oh my gosh, his contributions to music were amazing. I saw video of him recently. He sounded great, and he looked fine, but you never know what demons anyone is fighting.”
Fortunately for Travis, it was his near-death experience and his family that motivated him to get sober. "I had to go through it and experience it and it's possible to still be a bona fide rock star and not be a drug addict," he said. "You can get through it. Find other things to get addicted to, like boxing or music, what got you in the business in the first place. Having children was a constant reminder for me to get my shit together." You can read the rest of Travis' interview at Billboard and check out our recent interview with Travis about his new memoir.
