10 Most Rock N' Roll Things That Have Ever Happened

3. Peter Buck's Air Rage

Another example of a guitarist cooped up on an airplane and losing it. This time, it's R.E.M's six-stringer Peter Buck and an unfortunate incident in 2001 on a British Airways flight from Seattle to London. Buck was arrested and tried for the incident, though eventually acquitted by a jury in London, it still goes down in the annals of rockstar bad behaviour. The incident occurred when Buck - who had been drinking - allegedly became agitated on the flight when the cabin crew had cut off his alcohol after he'd been drinking like a fish. Cue a full blown wobbler of a tantrum which resulted in Buck assaulting two cabin staff, hurling yoghurt around the plane and even grabbing for a knife. He was arrested when they landed at Heathrow and charged with assault, being intoxicated on a flight and damage to a quantity of crockery. Although a jury acquitted him, he did come out at the time of his arrest and apologise for the incident; conveying his embarrassment profusely in the media. His defence in court was probably one of the stranger aspects of this story as he claimed a combination of sleeping pills and "a little wine" had resulted in an episode of non-insane automatism, implying that he wasn't in control of his actions at the time. Whatever the reason (and the jury's verdict), the story has stuck like glue to him, forever allowing him to laugh at himself, as when his trial was over a reporter asked him if he'd be flying with British Airways to get home, to which he responded "of course".