Bjork Beating Up A Female Reporter

[Nick Raafe]

I am looking for information regarding Bjork's 1996 assault on a female journalist in a Bangkok airport. I was able to download a 30-second video clip on SCOUR of Bjork attacking the journalist (definitely a must-see if you've never had the chance).

Anyway, if anyone knows of other video clips or especially any quotes or articles from Bjork or the journalist regarding this incident, could you please post them here or post the URLs?

Thank you muchly!
*nick*

[Homogenik]

Well from what I know, Björk was very tired that night and apparently that reporter kept following her around all the time and she was just really wanted to be left alone and get the in the freakin plane. Anyway, later on Björk sent her some flowers. The reporter said she was totally insane and Björk later said about the incident that sometimes when you hold up, the pressure just explodes. She had a lot of stress in that period I suppose, with the tour and the bomb incident.

[VenusAsABoy]

Bjork has said that She was schedualed to do an interview with that reporter but cancelled it last minute because she wasnt feeling well. She got off the plane with her son, and they were there waiting for her. They went up to her son and started asking him questions like "what is it like to have a superstar for a mum?" and other riduculous questions like that. And she flipped out. She doesnt want her son in the media in any way, and she said she built up all that energy etc, so she burst. Homogenik's right tho, she did send the reporter flowers and things did smooth out eventually


pete

[Nick Raafe]

First of all, I'm a big Bjork fan. And if she wants to say that she attacked that woman because she was angry that they were FILMING her son, that's an admissible explanation. But these reports that the reporter was pushy and rude and started questioning or interrogating Bjork's son are completely false. The video footage clearly shows the woman approach Bjork with a big, friendly smile. She doesn't invade her space or shove a microphone in her face, and certainly not in her son's face. All she said was "Hi, welcome to Bangkok" and that's when Ninja Bjork broke out and attacked.

I can totally support an artist like Bjork freaking out about the pressures of the media, especially in respect to protecting her son. But to be fair about it, I wanted to clear up that the reporter was in no way asking for trouble when she approached Bjork.

*nick*

[VenusAsABoy]

oops double post

[me]

[VenusAsABoy]

no offense, but how do you know? all you saw was a 30 second clip of what happened. A lot of other things could have taken place, especially since that camera was focused on bjork and not her son. There was a whole camera crew there, who could have said god knows what. Plus, I would consider it pushy that there was a camera crew greeting me when I got off the plane when I had cancelled the interview in the first place. Just playing devils advocate
pete

[Nick Raafe]

Pete,

I understand what you're saying. But personally, if I was a journalist that had an interview with a major pop star who cancelled out on me just before the interview because she suddenly didn't feel well, you can bet your bottom dollar I'd be at the airport seeing if I could snag the interview anyway.

I agree that there could have been other things that happened that weren't on camera but if one of the other crew people did something threatening to Sindri, Bjork should have attacked THEM. From the video, it's quite clear that the reported simply greeted her and then got attacked. She stated this in several interviews after the attack and Bjork herself never denied this from what I understand. It seems to be Bjork's management that concocted the whole "they interrogated her son" schpeel.

*nick*

[girls with red ribbons]

I've never seen a clip of what took place..but I do have a book called Bjork The Illustrated Story. By Paul Lester. It seems to be a very reliable source, but ya never know. Anyway, here is what the Bjork Book says...
"As the singer arrived at the airport, accompanied by her nine year old son, Sindri, reporter Julie Kaufman approached with a camera and microphone and said, simply: Welcome To Bangkok. Bjork responded by glaring at Kaufman for a few seconds, before proceeding to grab the reporter's hair, drag her to the ground and bang her head on the concrete floor. Kaufman, a reporter for a Thai cable channel, explained later that her employers had arranged an interview with Bjork, but her security staff then said the interview was off as she was in a bad mood. The very same security staff dragged Bjork off Kaufman and shunted her into a private bus." Later it says the reporter said, "It was so scary, she must have so much anger in her. The strangest thing is that her child was there, and he witnessed the whole thing. It's so sad that the little child has to grow up with a powerful influence like his mother." The book does say that Bjork personally called and apologized. I just thought I'd share what the book said, dunno if it's the WHOLE truth or not. :)

[Piku]

I've heard Bjork say that that reporter was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It was pretty interesting to watch, though, wasn't it!

[That I Would Be Good]

Can someone please post a link to the site?

That's pretty bad, beating someone up, no matter what the circumstances. Bjork shouldn't be excused simply because you admire her work. However, none of us are Bjork and perhaps we would have reacted the same way in the same situation.

[VenusAsABoy]

well, I would have been really pissed. Im like bjork in that I let my anger build up like that and then at a rare moment, I just let loose. it happened the other day. I work at mcdonalds and my coworker pushed me over the line. I threw a fish filet at her and there was tartar sauce everywhere and she cried. I felt really bad afterwards, but you know sometimes something in you just clicks and you cant control yourself. It was kind of a shitty thing for Bjork to do, but I can really see How it happened.

I dont have the clip anymore, but I think you can find it pretty easily on scour.com


pete

[girls with red ribbons]

yeah, it was kinda immature of her..but Hell we all make mistakes. She is allowed to screw up too...it just seems bigger because whatever she does is made public. Not too long ago, Courtney Love had a physical encounter with a female photographer outside a club...I think most singers get really tired of having little to no privacy. Ya never know just what you'd do till you have to do it. But I don't think causing physical harm to anyone needs to be the solution. It isn't like Bjork is a violent person...I don't think she has thumped anyone since...she just had a weird outburst.