Slash flies Northwest/Delta

One of the few advantages to being in an airplane almost every weekend is that sooner or later, you run into someone famous. That’s what happened last night on my way back from Los Angeles, where boarding my 757 I was pushed out of the way by an eager flight attendant carrying two guitar cases labeled “Slash.” As I pointed them out, one guy next to me suggested that the real Slash was probably on a private jet somewhere, so I boarded and turned to 5A without much further thought.

Sure enough, right before departure the guitar player from Guns n Roses and Velvet Revolver darted onto the plane and into the first class seat right behind me, 6A. I poked the dentist next to me and gestured over my shoulder — “Slash.” She didn’t follow, so I pulled it up on my iPhone and pointed again. That perked her up.

Over the course of the redeye flight I slept most of the way, and only wandered by a few times to see Slash playing with his own iPhone and drumming on my seat. Other than that he was really friendly and gabbed with the guy next to him for a quite some time.

After learning my lesson for taking a picture of Michael Phelps without permission last year, I decided to ask for a photo this time, and Slash was kind enough to pose with my seatmate, the dentist, in the boarding area just outside of the jetbridge.

In case you’re curious, that strap on his left shoulder is for his hat box, which he carried with him throughout journey .

Rock Music Makes You a Bad Driver

One thing I love to do when I’m heading down open highway on some cross-country trip, is crank up the classic rock. You know, the really good stuff — like Bruce Springsteen or Guns N Roses.

Apparently I’m not alone. As promotion for for the release of racing videogame called “Burnout Dominator,” Electronic Arts and AOL have asked voters to choose their favorite driving music, and out of 1,700 votes, classic rock is by far the most popular choice.

But, while it’s great to get revved up by kick-ass tunes when you’re pretending to drive, on real highways, aggressive driving isn’t exactly rewarded.

For the life of me, I can’t find the poll results online, but according to this Reuters article, artists you should be especially wary of while racing down the Interstate are: Meat Loaf, Bruce Springsteen, Guns N roses, and Motorhead, along with more contemporary groups like The Killers, Feeder, and the Prodigy.

Next time you get a ticket for driving like a rockstar, don’t say I didn’t warn you.