Do You Remember: When Björk Attacked That Stalker Reporter

Nobody likes long-haul flights. Airports are overcrowded and overpriced, airlines act with impunity, the toilets suck, and jetlag is a merciless mistress that haunts my nightmares. By the end of such ordeals, all I want to do is hide in a cave and pretend the world doesn’t exist until my sleep schedule is back to normal. Imagine having to go through customs, get your baggage, then be confronted by dozens of photographers and autograph hunters. Wouldn’t you have to resist the temptation, just a wee bit, to let loose?

You’ve probably seen the clip (or gif) of Björk attacking a reporter as she and her son leave the airport. It was February 1996, and the singer was travelling to Bangkok with Sindri, who was nine years old at the time. This was the year after the release of Post, her second solo studio album and one of her most mainstream successes (the singles included “It’s Oh So Quiet” and “Army of Me”), so she was very famous at this time. A lot of photographers were waiting for her, even though she had requested that she be left alone until she could give a press conference.

In the video, you can see how stressed out she is. Her son is on the trolley, and she’s trying to push it forward while keeping her eyes down amid the blinding glare of the cameras. As Björk attempted to walk away from the paparazzi, one reporter, Julie Kaufman, approached her and her son. “Welcome to Bangkok”, she said. And Björk lunged. She knocked Kaufman down and started wailing on her until security pulled her off the woman.

Coverage of this moment was, expectedly, frenzied. How could Björk of all people suddenly assault a woman at the airport, and do so while all the cameras were on her? Leaving an evidence trail is typically a bad idea in these situations. And it all seemed so innocent. A woman said, “hello” and Björk acted like she’d sh*t on her shoes.