Surprising absolutely no one, yesterday underworld figure Mick Gatto fired up and cut loose with threats and jibes toward Derryn Hinch after being insulted on air by the 3AW shock jock.

I think my favourite aspect of this whole story is that the pair apparently both happened to have a copy of Paul Keating's Guide To Verbal Fisticuffs handy when their radio tussle kicked off.

Hinch, fresh from a two-week holiday, opened his program on Fairfax radio station 3AW attacking the celebrity status attained by Melbourne underworld figures, including Gatto, particularly since the Nine Network drama Underbelly aired outside Victoria.

The scathing editorial prompted Gatto to phone in.

"You are scum, and I tell you what, I have a punching bag at home with your name on it and I punch the s*** out of it," Gatto told Hinch.

Hinch hit back.

"If burning you is my job in life, I'll be more than happy to do it. I think you and all your ilk and all your mob and the Carlton Crew and the Carl Williamses of this world, you are all scum."

 

Gatto: "It's ratbags like you that sort of put me in the limelight, where I want to be left alone and mind my own businesses but I can't because I've got maggots like you driving me mad".

Hinch: "Do you know what? If I could go to my grave being called a maggot by a person like Mick Gatto, boy I'm proud of myself".

Gatto: "Well, I hope you go to your grave very quick, mate".

Hinch: "Yeah?"

Gatto: "That's where you deserve to be because you are a maggot".

Hinch: "You live in that world where people go to their graves. You ... you ... you live in that world where people go to their graves quickly. Don't you?"

Gatto: "Well, you'll be one of them. You'll be one of them very soon, mate".

Good gracious. I was gripped by that exchange, and couldn't help but wonder when one would compare debating with the other on air to being flogged with a wet lettuce.

EXTRA FUN ACTIVITY FOR THE KIDS! Try to imagine Mick Gatto flinging out the bon mots on the phone while a giggling John Laws stands beside him, egging him on and hastily scribbling down particularly nasty barbs for Mick to use!

EXTRA EXTRA FUN ACTIVITY FOR THE KIDS! Try to imagine John Laws doing the above whilst wearing a t-shirt saying "GRA GRA HAS LEFT THE BUILDING - BUT NOT COS OF AIDS"

Tags: 3aw | au | derryn hinch | fight! fight! fight! | john laws | mick gatto | radio