Which mutates faster? A virus, or news stories about celebrities on the internet?

A man recently posing as David Lee Roth was stopped by police for speeding near Brantford, Ontario and told the authorities he was suffering from an allergic reaction to peanuts. The man continued to pose as Roth at the local hospital where he was treated for his condition, and then later at a pub. That’s the story that was reported in the press at first. It was later reported the impostor was formerly a drummer in a local rock band and was often mistaken for Roth.

I thought the kicker to this story was the two officers who pulled him over did not recognize him, nor did they know who David Lee Roth is. Both of the two young officers, both in their twenties, were not familiar with the singer or Van Halen.

After the news reports surfaced out of Ontario, Roth’s publicist issued a statement…
“I was in Canada only from July first through the fourth for a performance at the Quebec City Summer Festival,” Lee Roth said in a statement. “I had no encounters or incidents with the police. The only thing I’m allergic to is criticism.”

It’s now reported that authorities are searching for the impostor, who may be facing obstruction of justice charges. It appears he has scammed alot of people. The real David Lee Roth was performing with Van Halen in New York City the same night as the incident on May 23rd.

Van Halen did play at Quebec’s summer festival, to celebrate the city’s 400th anniversary. The celebration spanned 13 days and included live music from The Musical Box doing early Genesis music, The California Guitar Trio, Linkin Park and Zappa Plays Zappa, among others. There’s more info on the festival website.

Finally…Van Halen’s website reports their 2007-2008 North American tour was the highest grossing in the band’s history, grossing more than $93 million. That’s enough to make you Jump.