2 Bears, 1 Cave Podcast / YMH Studios
Travis Barker opened up to Bert Kreischer about the brutal skin surgeries he had to endure after surviving the 2008 plane fire that resulted in burns to 70% of his body, 11+ weeks in the hospital/burn centers, and around 30 surgeries. The Blink-182 drummer also spoke with Kreischer about being married to a Kardashian who is a larger-than-life figure who Bert could only compare to Joe Rogan.
The plane fire occurred on the runway in South Carolina as the private plane he was traveling on with other performers and VIPs was headed back to Van Nuys, California. Travis Barker had famously been afraid of flying prior to the incident and had even previously petitioned his band/record label to not include plane artwork for him on the Take Off Your Pants and Jacket icon they created of him back in 2001.
During takeoff, there was an explosion. The plane blew a tire and crashed into an embankment. And that triggered a fire which engulfed everyone in flames. From there, Barker would spend months in burn centers where he would endure burn surgeries which he described as “like a cheese grater” used to just grate your skin off and relocate it. Here he is telling Bert about the experience. Interestingly, the conversation on the latest episode of the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast started in relation to sobriety:
Thinking about AA meetings around Los Angeles, it is hard to imagine that anyone in those meetings has a sobriety story that can top Travis Barker’s. ‘I was in a plane crash that burned 70% of my body, while I was the drummer for the most popular Pop Punk band of the era, and was forced to get sober while spending 6 months in and out of burn centers, and now I’m married to a Kardashian.’
The Kardashian discussion later in the podcast was interesting and I say that as someone who has never watched a single episode of a Kardashian in my life. Nor could I tell you a single product that family owns/sells. But they’re obviously everywhere in pop culture and modern American life so the conversation was illuminating.
That conversation starts around the 31:54 mark in the video above. Bert Kreischer is bemoaning how expensive it is to fly private and how he doesn’t really enjoy it. That seems to track as someone like Bert probably still enjoys being inundated by fans at the airport. When Bert said he doesn’t get to fly in Travis’ sister’s “good plane” Barker joked he would sent Bert her number.
Bert then asks Travis Barker “what’s that like? And I hope this doesn’t come off wrong, they’re kind of like American royalty, that family. And you’re like a regular kid who didn’t go to college.” Travis nodded “yeah, (I) just played the f— out of some drums.” Bert pressed him, asking “it’s gotta be a f—— whirlwind?”
Travis Barker went on to say “yeah, it’s not like I live in the same neighborhood as them or anything. And I like all of them. I knew Kim before I knew Kourt, my wife. So I don’t know, I’m just unapologetically myself so I never feel out of place.”
When Bert remarked “they don’t seem like people who would put you out of place” Travis Barker went on to say “no, they’re all super normal too… I don’t know what anybody thinks about them. Maybe it’s because I’m so close to everybody but they’re just normal people like us.”
Kreischer then compared the Kardashians to the only comparable person in his own life: Joe Rogan. Bert says people talk about Rogan like he’s some larger-than-life figure but says “I just know Joe.” And added “I have a hard time wrapping my mind around like he might have affected an election.”
Looking at the bubble these guys are living inside is wild. The collective net worth of the Kardashians is in the billions. Joe Rogan is one of the most influential people in all of media. And they’re out here talking about ‘they’re just normal people’ while both of them, who I really do enjoy, are major celebrities themselves. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a bubble quite like this.