Radio Songs #58: The Attack

The last couple of radio posts have involved some of the ne'er-do-wells I encountered during my 20+ years working at an inner city radio station, and today's is another one of those... if a little more serious.

This was later in my radio career, when I was working daytime. Usually I got into work extra early - between 7 and 7.30 - to avoid the traffic and left around 4.30. I spent the first hour or so at work doing my own thing - writing projects, mostly - but I had a good manager at that time and as long as the proper work got done at some point during the day, he didn't care what I spent the rest of my time on. (Those were the days!)

This particular day, however, I arrived late to work due to a doctor's appointment. During the day, we didn't park in the courtyard, but in a large open air car park round the back of the building. (At some point, long before I worked there, the back half of the old textile mill had been demolished to make a car park for the offices that had taken over the front half.)

Driving towards the car park that day, I was following an old car that was going slowly. Aware that I was already pretty late, I was getting pretty frustrated with his driving... so when he stopped in the middle of the road without any indication to let a passenger out, my frustration began to boil over. Particularly when said passenger then proceeded to walk down the centre of the narrow side street we were on even after his ride had departed, effectively blocking the whole street and preventing me from getting past.

Eventually I lost my cool completely, blew my horn at him and shared a few choice words about how he should get out of the blinking road... which he eventually did, allowing me to drive past and get into the car park.

I parked my car, collected my things, exited the car park and began walking down the pavement that led around the side of the building to the main entrance... when out of nowhere, I was attacked from behind. I was pushed to the ground and kicked repeatedly by the man I'd blown my horn at earlier. I was up against the building, shielding my face, while he screamed at me that he was going to put my head through a window.

Somehow, I managed to calm him down. I'm still not quite sure how. I apologised, maybe begged a little, told him... I'm not sure I can remember what, but he stopped attacking me. At which point, he had a radical change of personality and actually helped me up off the street, dusted me off and picked up my bag, apologising profusely for his behaviour.

Stunned by now, I just wanted to get away, so I took my bag and hurried off towards work. As I did so, his personality shifted again and he began screaming after me, "next time, I'll fucking kill you!"

There's a lesson here about how we behave as motorists when we think we're protected inside our little metal bubble, but mostly... well, mostly I think today's song probably sums up what happened that day more than anything else I can write.