Q. I’ve worked as a doorman, which I think you guys still refer to as Bouncers in the States. In dealing with unruly customers we’re taught to assess the surroundings — look for people who may help or hinder us. Did you look around to see which other passengers on the train might be able to help? Did they help?

A. I didn’t have time to assess anything. No passenger helped in the battle… hell the armed cops on the train who were looking for him didn’t get involved until it was over! I don’t blame any of the civilians. A hero named Alfred Douglas helped me afterwards by applying direct pressure to my deepest wound on my head.

Q. God bless Alfred Douglas.

Ok… so I just want to make it clear that I am in no way trying to get myself into trouble with this article. There’s a legal issue that surrounds the case and I’m doing my best to steer as clear and remain as impartial as possible. Don’t hurt me. Please.

I told Joe that I wasn’t going to mention his court case. I’m not even going to comment on it. Do your homework if you’d like to find out more. This article is simply about talking to a man that stopped a serial killer and perhaps a little too strong enjoyment of Heather Small belting out Search For The Hero Inside Yourself. She’s got a good set of lungs on her. Well done, Heather.

Q. Did you know he was armed?

A. When he whipped out the knife and said “you’re gonna die, you’re gonna die” I had a pretty good idea at that point.

You have no idea how fucking hard you made me laugh with that. Not sure I was meant to, but I did. Awesome line.

Q. Holy…fucking…shit… sound like a surreal moment from a horror movie.

A. It was nuts. That part happened in slow motion and then as he struck me, things just started to speed up. Crazy shit.

I just can’t fucking imagine that. Well ok that’s overdramatic. I can imagine it, or at least I can imagine being metres apart from a killer and thinking the movies make it seem easy to outsmart them and walk away without a scratch. But when I imagine a psycho piercing my face with a knife, I get this automatic reaction to stop myself thinking about it. It’s strangely too graphic. I just don’t want to picture it.

Q. At what point did you realise you’d been stabbed? Can you describe how it felt?

A. Immediately. His first shot stabbed me in the face. Although at the time I felt zero pain, I could feel the knife doing damage to my head, plus I saw the blood. I didn’t feel any pain until after I passed out & then came to. After that, it felt like someone doused my head in gasoline and lit it on fire.

Q. I am speechless.

I quite literally was. I didn’t have any thoughts, words or reactions. Numbness consumed me. Stabbed in the face. Fuck. I’d felt really uncomfortable asking Joe these questions. They seemed to me to be intrusive. I asked Joe for permission, at all times stating that nothing had to be answered and I was quite happy to receive a “no thanks” from him concerning me writing an article. I just wanted to tell him that I think what he did was amazing. Because it is. I would buy him a beer and let him borrow my video games. Maybe not Golden Eye, every bugger tried nicking that.

Q. What injuries did you sustain? What injuries are you left with?

A. I was stabbed seven times. Once in my face under my left eye, once on the right side of my head, twice on the back of my head, once on my thumb, once on my left tricep and once on a knuckle on my right hand. All have scarred. Still don’t have 100% use of my left thumb.

Q. Did it ever occur to you that you may die? Not many people could survive this sort of attack, is this the closest near death experience you’ve had?

A. Absolutely and the fact that the NYPD had their priorities all out of whack didn’t help me. The truth is, I should be dead. With the amount of blood I lost, I have no business being here. I’m just lucky I guess.

Q. Lucky… or blessed… either way, the world is a better place with you alive.

A. Hey thanks man, I appreciate that. Best part is, I get to tell the story of what happened in a book I’m writing. I think it could be huge. I’m going to put you on the train with me, in the courtroom with me as I faced Gelman and have you stand by my side as I try to battle the corruption of NYC dismissing my lawsuit. I think it’s going to be great!

Can I just point out that Joe is not on a publicity campaign for a book or trying to pitch a book. I doubt he’s even started it. He’s not using this interview for promotion and neither am I.

Q. Joe, Sir, you are a true real life living hero and you should always be honoured for what you did. My final question is really important — what do you think of Sick Chirpse?

A. Help me out…what is Sick Chirpse?

The whole thing fascinated me. I like telling people how awesome I think they are. Especially for something like that. Unfortunately the brutal honesty in me means I’ll also tell someone how much of a dick they are, only if they ask me, but never because I don’t like someone. I don’t hate anyone. I just want to help. Hopefully I’ll never have a dude with a knife ask me. Unless it’s Heston. Stop making things so bloody difficult mate. I can’t do beans on toast for a date anymore.

God bless you Joe Lozito.

☛ Next: Hatchet Wielding Hippy Hero Saves Town From 300lb Psychopathic ‘Jesus’