No kidding man, i don't think it's the optimal way to ride, especially if you have to ask questions like "should i use a front or rear brake", but then again, riding a fixed gear with no brake at all, in the city, isn't the safest either, but tons of people do it everyday.

Not the "worst advice I've ever heard", not even regarding motorcycles, or bikes. Good idea? Probably not. Do people do it, all the time, with no incident? Yeah.