Mark 'Chopper' Read's legacy of violence

Contrary to popular opinion, Mark Brandon “Chopper” Read was no underworld mastermind and his criminal history was littered with blunders. His police record shows that when he broke the law he was usually caught and convicted. But he was a master story-teller and here, in a series of never before heard tapes, we hear from the real Chopper. Recorded in 1999 - late at night in his car with the help of his friend, Jim Beam bourbon - Chopper talks into a tape recorder about crimes he hadn't been convicted for, how to dispose of a dead body and his run in with Alan Jones on live television. 

It was while serving one of these long jail stints he learnt that writing sentences

beat the hell out of serving them. For it is as storyteller that Chopper Read will

be remembered and with good reason. He knew the dark side fascinated solid

citizens, or as he said, “Posh people love gangsters.”

For years, Read was available to any reporter looking for a quick one-liner on

matters of crime, which meant the underworld head-hunter was hunted for a

headline. And that, at least initially, was Read’s motivation. He always wanted

to be remembered - and he has got his wish.

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find us.

Become a subscriber: our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe https://subscribe.theage.com.au/ or https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.