MADRID - Until now it has been the preserve of bad-boy rock stars, but on Tuesday 40 stressed-out bankers, teachers and other workers threw televisions, ripped down walls and laid waste to an up-market Madrid hotel.
The air was thick with dust, expletives and the cries of thehard-hatted volunteers, who had won the chance to destroy part of the hotel before it is refurbished by owners NH Hotels.
What started as a slick media event soon descended into near chaos as participants began to find their rhythm, striding from room to room, sledgehammers in hand.
The percussive sound of televisions exploding seemed a particular favourite, and few seemed worried about bringing seven years bad luck upon themselves as they rammed steel polls into mirrors.
Photographers and journalists cowered in doorways.
About 1,000 people from all over Spain had tried to get onto the wrecking team by writing to NH and recounted the woes of their stressful lives.
Beforehand the 100 finalists had sat a psychological exam, that included bashing a life-size puppet of a cigar-chomping boss and verbally venting their frustrations: "Have some respect!" Argentinean teacher Pablo Varela, 30, yelled as he laid into the puppet.
Half an hour later amused workmen watched as a frenzied, beaming Pablo put the hammer through a solid marble basin and sent the bath's glass partition shattering to the floor.
"He's an animal," said one anxious workman as he retreated.
A sweaty Pablo emerged minutes later: "Happy and exhausted," he said breathlessly. "This, once a month, would be awesome. Now I don't need to do this to my classroom."
