According to British prosecutors, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck behaved like a naughty child on board a British Airways flight from Seattle to Heathrow.
Buck was on his way to a concert in London in April, when he allegedly drank 15 glasses of red wine, staggered around the plane, got stuck between seats and doused himself in yogurt, The Associated Press reported.
At an earlier hearing, Buck pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting cabin crew, being drunk on an aircraft and damaging property on the transatlantic flight.
Buck and tour manager Robert Whitaker were travelling to Britain to promote the band’s new album Reveal and perform at a Nelson Mandela tribute concert in London’s Trafalgar Square.
Prosecutor Edward Lewis told the court that the 44-year old musician “became the transmogrification of Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde” during the 8 ½ hour flight.
“He tried every ruse to get some more drink, even offering the crew money,” Lewis said.
Lewis also added that Buck threatened an air steward, squeezing his tie tightly around his neck, mistook a hostess trolley for a CD player and ripped up a “yellow card” warning from the aircraft’s captain.
Buck‘s trial is expected to last a week.
