Paris Hilton , Travis Barker are friends

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Despite being caught on tape canoodling with blink-182 drummer Travis Barker in a New York nightclub, Paris Hilton says he is just a "friend."

Hilton told a photographer she considers Barker "a dear friend," TMZ.com reports.

"I'm single, he's my friend," she added.

The Web site posted video of the socialite and the drummer kissing and caressing at the club Marquee after a busy night of New York Fashion Week after-parties. The video ends with Hilton checking her cell phone and leaving the club -- and Barker.

Barker and his wife, Shanna Moakler, were featured in "Meet the Barkers," an MTV reality show similar to Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey's "Newlyweds." And following in that reality TV couple's footsteps, Barker filed for divorce from his wife after the cameras stopped rolling in August, TMZ.com said.