Steven Slater's 15 minutes have stretched into 2011, and New York magazine has a profile on the former Jet Blue flight attendant and very momentary folk hero. The quirky quitting tactic Slater took is always worth revisiting, so here we go (again). Last year, at his wit's end, Slater announced over the intercom on a JetBlue flight: “To the passenger who called me a motherfucker: Fuck you. I’ve been in this business for twenty years. And that’s it. I’ve had it. I’m done.” He then grabbed two beers, slid down the emergency chute to his freedom, and a hero was born... until all the other sides of the story came out. But let's not go there again. Instead, a look at that profile, which manages to fill in some blanks (such as Slater and his partner Rochelle weren't having sex when authorities showed up).
Slater explains that in his 20th year in the airline business (last year), he had been earning less than he did during his 1st year—a fact that didn't help out his state of mind while sliding away from it all. Rochelle (who wonders why his partner's "fame has lasted as long as it has") seems intent on parlaying the incident into a brand, noting that "it will help with the book later." The two agree that sliding stunts should be avoided, however—even if it is the most endearing image of Slater during his breakdown. Alas, he seems over it, explaining, "People wanted me to slide into everything. A bar! A club! A New Year’s party in a baby diaper!”
Given they're all struggling with addiction... maybe Slater, Charlie Sheen, and Ted Williams can all move in for a reality show intervention... or buddy comedy. Whichever works.
