November 17, 2008

Travis Barker Thanks Fans For Their Support During 'Total Finale Live'

By James Montgomery (MTV.com)

Making his first television appearance since a plane crash left him badly burned less than two months ago, Travis Barker told fans that he's back in the studio, making music again, and "every day gets better."

Speaking to MTV's Damien Fahey during Total Finale Live on Sunday (November 16), Barker said, "Thanks for all the support. I feel better every day."

Barker spoke to Fahey and the MTV audience via satellite from his studio in Los Angeles. It was Barker's first on-camera interview since a private plane skidded off a South Carolina runway in September, killing four and leaving him and bandmate DJ AM severely burned. Barker said he hopes to make music with AM again soon.

"I'm already playing my drums again, and I'm already back in the studio," Barker said.

"It was like riding a bike," the drummer said of his return to the studio. "It was really exciting to know I still have my chops. It still felt good. I still can make it around the kit. Everything felt right, so I'm thankful to be able to play."

Last week, Barker's +44 bandmate (and former Blink-182 partner) Mark Hoppus said he expects Barker to fully recover and return to music soon.

"He can't not drum, you know? The man was born to sit behind a drum kit and do his thing," Hoppus joked to MTV News. "He's healing incredibly well. He's healing very quickly. The doctors are saying that his body is really healing in a positive way. ... No matter what I work on, Travis will be part of, for sure."