#2540 - Travis Barker

Travis Barker's documentary released on the day this episode was recorded and is available on Hulu. Filming began around 2017 but lacked a satisfying ending because Barker still could not board a plane. The film was completed only after he flew again in 2024 or 2025, which gave directors the closing they had been waiting for. He had not flown for 20 years following a 2008 crash that killed four people, including two men he described as brothers, Che and Chris, and two pilots. A third close friend, A.M., survived with only 6 percent of his body burnt and was out of the hospital within a week and a half but died roughly a year later from a drug overdose. Barker had 65 percent of his body burnt, underwent 27 surgeries, required 6,000 to 7,000 calories daily to heal, and was waking from surgeries screaming because pain medications were not working. Doctors threatened to amputate his foot due to insufficient remaining skin, and his ulnar nerve was damaged in both hands.

The fear dictated his touring logistics for two decades. A bus trip from Los Angeles to New York took six or seven days, and crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 took about ten days, meaning a journey his bandmates completed in roughly ten hours took him close to three weeks. He crossed on the Queen Mary 2 seven times total. KRS-One, who also does not fly, traveled with him at least twice and suggested cargo ships for destinations without passenger cruise routes. Barker considered a cargo ship to Australia, a roughly one-month journey, but never followed through. To stay performance-ready during crossings he practiced drums four hours a day and ran two miles daily on the ship. He said the first flight after 20 years was nothing like the nightmares he had constructed, and resolving survivor's guilt required accepting that those who died would not have wanted the fear to control him.

Barker has Factor V Leiden, a genetic clotting disorder that causes his blood to clot very easily. After the crash he had a permanent IVC filter implanted, but surgeons determined it cannot be removed because it has cemented to the vessel wall, and its life expectancy is roughly 20 years. If the filter breaks it could send a clot to the heart or brain. He also developed 30 clots in one arm after a nurse repeatedly failed to find a vein. Because of this condition and a broader commitment to avoiding pharmaceuticals, he takes no daily blood thinners, no Advil, and no Tylenol, using blood thinners only when flying or on a tour bus for extended periods. He drinks beet juice daily as a natural blood thinner, citing its dietary nitrates converting to nitric oxide to relax blood vessels and improve blood flow. He broke his back in four places in the crash but never had surgery because his doctor told him he healed perfectly and that surgery could not guarantee a better outcome.

Barker has been vegetarian since childhood and went fully vegan roughly 20 years ago after the crash. His aversion to meat began as a sensory dislike rather than an animal rights position, but eating beef jerky in the hospital for six months solidified his commitment to full veganism. He owns a plant-based restaurant called Crossroads with chef Tal Ronan where the food is not labeled as plant-based on the menu. For protein he relies on Perfect Aminos and a vegan egg white product, and gets additional protein from lentils and beans confirmed adequate through blood work. Contrast therapy, specifically sauna and cold plunge, is his primary tool when injured. Rogan noted that ibuprofen at high regular doses destroys the gut microbiome and can itself drive inflammation, and that acetaminophen causes approximately 500 deaths per year largely through acute liver failure.

Barker's fitness approach is built around fast-twitch training, high reps, sprints, explosive movement, boxing, and jump rope, with a few days of slower strength work always finished with something fast. He also uses tempo training where exercises are performed to the duration and rhythm of a song, directly mirroring how he plays drums. He began training jujitsu with Jean Jacques Machado in 1998 and said heavy weight training made him feel tight and slow behind the kit. He can do battle ropes for 30 to 40 minutes without stopping but must grip carefully to protect his fingers for drumming. His pre-show preparation is deliberately uncomfortable rather than relaxed, involving jump rope, watching fights, and running, because he said he cannot perform well if he feels too settled.

Barker grew up without running hot water, lost his mother at 13, and responded by throwing himself into music, joining marching band, orchestra, and jazz band and practicing two to five hours daily. His father gave him the choice of joining the military, paying rent, or leaving home at around 16 or 17, and he chose to leave, working briefly as a trashman before connecting in Riverside with a promoter named Bill Fold, who later founded the Coachella festival. During his touring years with Blink-182, his pill use had escalated to the point where a security guard was hired specifically to watch him sleep and confirm he was still breathing.