Car nabber

>> Montreal musician turned L.A. repo man discusses tactics, bribes and survival

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Marko Rakic

Age: 32

Occupation: Repo man

Bio: This South Shore stud temporarily relocated to sunny California last year to help support his student wife at USC and to further the career of his band Shovelhead. Introduced to the wonderful world of repossession by a "friend," Marko, who claims not to be all that good a fighter, was awarded the Compton/Watts/East L.A. beat and claims that to do the job well and stay alive, one must "be very sneaky." Although Shovelhead are currently kicking ass on the Sunset Strip club circuit, Marko says he "can't wait to get back to Montreal. People there don't realize how cool a city it is."

When he is called to action: "People usually fall behind for stupid shit like forgetting to make their payments and then hoping that if they can ignore the debt altogether, it will just go away. But then I show up. And they always know who I am when I get there. I'm the repo guy."

Recommended repo man attire: "I go looking as white trash as they come. Plaid shirt, rolled-up sleeves, beat-up jeans, NY Yankees cap. You've got to look like a shitkicker. Especially when you're a white guy going in to Compton trying to repossess some bad motherfucker's motorcycles. People may think I'm psychotic, but they don't kick my ass. Even when they see my confederate flag tattoo. I got it when I was 19 as, like, a rockabilly thing, but down here it means something else entirely. People think you're a white supremacist."

Do people ever offer the repo man sexual favours in exchange for him turning around and pretending he never saw them? "I don't go in for that sort of thing, but I could have had my cock sucked many times if I was so inclined."

Does he ever feel like a total sleazeball prick? "Every time I get in the truck."

The preferred method of seizing a vehicle in a bad-ass neighbourhood: Come in the middle of the night, approach quietly, hook it up to your truck and take off as fast as you can.

Has he ever been in Compton to repossess a vehicle and had the "owner" of said vehicle put a gun to his head and tell him to get the fuck out of the neighbourhood or prepare to die? Yes.

What a smart repo man does in this situation: He thanks the delinquent gentleman for allowing him to keep on living and bolts out of the neighbourhood as fast as he can.

His salary: $60 (U.S.) per vehicle retrieved.

A trick gangsters like to pull on the repo man: Pay him the money owed right on the spot and then get friends to mug him as he makes his way up the street.

One assignment he refused to take on: Repossessing the Harley of a top killer in the Crips organization.

One well-known film he has never seen: Repo Man.

A recent film he liked: Gladiator.

Last book read: The Odyssey, by Homer. "I'm really into the classics, Moby Dick and that kind of shit."

Words of wisdom: "Basically, lock up your shit and pay your bills 'cuz someday somebody is going to come and take your stuff if you don't. That's for damn sure." :

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