Blink Barker’s boat bustle

Plane crash survivor Travis Barker has revealed he tries to keep himself busy and active on long-distance sailing trips ahead of tours outside the US.

Despite concerted efforts the Blink 182 drummer hasn’t been able to overcome his fear of flying after narrowly escaping death in the 2008 accident which killed four others.

So when the band heads abroad for shows, he’s left with no option but to settle into voyages which can take a week or longer – and keeping fit means more to him since a recent cancer alert.

Barker tells Music Radar: “If I’m coming to Europe I’m on a boat for seven days, so I spend it doing a bunch of things. I’ll do cardio for an hour, or an hour and a half, and weights – just light weights.

“You can get plenty of rest, because there’s not a lot else to do. There’s a gym and there’s food. I bring my electronic drumkit, though, so I can mess around, as long as my neighbours are cool. It all depends who’s next door.”

Travis is serious about staying healthy after doctors found six ulcers in his stomach as a result of smoking weed – which he’d been using to combat anxiety attacks following the plane crash.

“I had pre-cancerous cells in my throat,” he recalls. “Right there was a game-changer. I quit everything immediately.”

Now he’ll play through Blink’s entire set ahead of shows, along with an additional half-hour of exercise. He says: “Some people don’t get that wake-up call – they just go straight to the bad news. It’s a second chance. I definitely feel better than years ago when I was smoking heaps of weed and drinking. It’s much easier to play when you’re not recovering from a hangover or whatever else.”

Meanwhile, Blink 182 have confirmed they’re free agents after splitting from long-time label Interscope.

Bassist Mark Hoppus tells MTV: “To be honest, we’ve been holding our breath waiting from the word from our attorneys that our contract had ended. Now the future’s a wide-open door. The reasons for us not working together are many and varies, but mostly we wish them luck in their future.”

-Classic Rock Magazine