Flaming Lips Frontman Wayne Coy Sparks Oklahoma Airport Lockdown

Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coy succeeded in shutting down Will Rogers airport in Oklahoma on Nov. 10 when the TSA found a hand grenade in the singer’s carry-on bag. According to TMZ, Coy and his wife were headed to Los Angeles for a preview of the new musical by The Lips “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” when the incident occured. Coy told the Transportation Security Agents that the grenade was a dud, but the rules obliged the TSA to shut the airport down anyways and they did so. As to why Coy decided to try to bring a grenade into an airport, he later told Pitchfork that the band had been at a house party the previous night where he found the grenade and decided on a whim to keep it.

“It was an actual grenade that was now missing its explosive parts and painted gold. I just threw this gold grenade in my bag and had not quite thought about it,” Coy told Pitchfork.

Coy later tweeted an apology to people who had been inconvenienced by the TSA lockdown but not too sorry. He later told Pitchfork: “I would agree that it was stupid of me, but I don’t feel wholly responsible if people missed their flights. I’m not making the rules. It’s not illegal for me to have that grenade with me.”

It is worth noting that hand grenades are on the TSA’s list of items that are prohibited in carry-on bags

Source: Hyperbot